The Horror Network Vol. 1 (2014)

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Now this is what I call an anthology horror film; Brian Dorton’s collaboration with three directors amounts to a mature, complex, and terrifying series of short horror segments. And though the budget is low, the directors use the chance to explore the human monster, rather than mythical ghouls and goblins. There’s nothing scarier than the evil humanity is capable of, and “The Horror Network Vol. 1” is a fantastic display of talents, exploring the humanity collapsing in on itself in five incredible tales of horror. If any indie horror film deserves distribution, it’s “The Horror Network Vol. 1,” an anthology horror film that will appeal to horror fans that appreciate subtext, and ambiguity.

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Scare Zone (A Conjuring Halloween Tale) (2013)

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Scare-zone

I wasn’t expecting to like “Scarezone.” I didn’t go in to it wanting to hate it, but I was not looking for anything resembling something watchable, either. In the end, “Scarezone” surprises as a solid horror effort that mixes comedy, horror, and a slasher whodunit in to a charming indie genre installment. It’s also nice to see an indie film take a horror attraction and use it to the advantage of the film to induce suspense and tension. “Scarezone” has its faults, but I’d definitely recommend it for experimental fans that appreciate films like “Popcorn,” and “Scream.”

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How to Build a Better Boy (2014)

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Disney seems to be having a good time mining the eighties lately with their original movies. First we had “Zapped!” which took the title from the raunchy eighties comedy along with a variation of the plot from “Love Potion No. 9,” while “How to…” is really just “Weird Science 3.0.” Except this time its PG rated, and much more based around feminism than misogyny. And rather than building on the entire “Frankenstein” idea, the writers set their sights on the US government surveillance and their plans to build a top secret robot that can infiltrate any setting.

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Away (2014)

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Director Damien Colboc’s short animated film is a bittersweet tale of how far we’re willing to go for our loved ones. Though there’s no dialogue and not a lot of set up, “Away” pretty much sets up the exposition through actions and sights. There’s also a lot of ambiguity that the viewer is capable of putting together by the time the film comes to a sad close.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: “The Invasion” Episode Review

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Truth be told, I’m kind of glad that Michael Bay’s horrific TMNT movie did so well, because that means Nickelodeon will continue their superior animated series. And thank goodness for that because the show hasn’t been this great since it began. And “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is usually an excellent show. But their season two finale was top notch. It was exciting, emotional, and absolutely surprising. If you’re still wounded by Michael Bay’s god awful treatment of this property, then go check out the Nickelodeon revival from the beginning. This is the show fans deserve. In either case, “The Invasion” is where it all comes full circle. Lives are put on the line and there’s a very excellent series of nods to the original film.

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The PC Thug: The End of Saturday Morning Cartoons

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Back in 1988, I fondly remember waking up very early on a Saturday to watch cartoons, and would officially pack up and prepare for the day the minute twelve in the afternoon reared it head ushering local sports.

2014 marked the end of many traditions that pop culture fans hold near and dear to their heart. One of the most surprising announcements was the official heralding of death of the tradition we all knew and love: Saturday Morning cartoons. In September 2014, the CW Network’s parent company Warner Bros. officially ended their run of morning long schedules of animated series, and reverted to cheaper educational programming in a time slot that barely filled three hours.  These days if you turn on the CW on a Saturday morning, you’ll likely find a ton of infomercials sandwiched between some vaguely family based animal shows.

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Envoy (2014)

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E-N-V-O-Y

For now, David Weinstein’s “Envoy” is really just “Iron Giant” meets “Predator,” but I think with a wider scope and feature length, “Envoy” could be so much more. The short film from director Weinstein acts simultaneously as a spec film for a more fully realized follow-up and I’m anxious to see where he takes this premise. “Envoy” feels like Weinstein took Spielberg, “Iron Giant,” and The Zeta Project for one really good, but menacing science fiction adventure.

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