“no more room in hell” is a masterclass in how to make a horror documentary without skimming copyright and licensing fees. Rebecca Shapass directs a de-construction of the Romero movie series by taking a deeper more abstract look at how environmental and ecological elements contributes to the rush of the dead, and the downfall of society. Shapass includes snippets of dialogue from the various scripts and spends a lot of the documentary’s time peeking in to various industries including excavation, as well as the rule of capitalism.
Nu (2022) [Film Maudit 2.0]
I imagine Olivier Labonté Lemoyne’s is going to lend itself to all kinds of interpretations. Maybe it’s just abstract for the sake of being abstract? Who knows? In either case, “Nu” succeeds in being as oddly creepy as it does in being kind of silly, exploring the idea of fear vulnerability. The whole concept of beings that look like nudists plays on the whole nature of voyeurism and the reluctance by many to engage in it.
ClearMind (2024)
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi TV.
Aw hell, I’m always complaining about wanting to see something new and Rebecca Eskreis’ “ClearMind” is something new. It’s such a mixing of genres that it eventually comes out of the other end as this unusual amalgam that’s hard to peg down. I dare you to peg this in one hole. It’s a dramatic science fiction situation comedy about grief that follows a woman who uses virtual reality to become a slasher. There are shades of horror, and satire about new age medicine and the quackery of nonsense like Goop et al. It’s so far and away amorphous that it’s tough to hate it.
The Bootleg Files: The Cocoanuts (Colorized)
BOOTLEG FILES 870: “The Cocoanuts (Colorized)” (unauthorized color-dappled version of the 1929 Marx Brothers comedy).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Because you can’t take a copyright protected film and colorize it.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.
During the 1980s, there was a strange trend involving old black-and-white films being turned into color versions. Dubbed “colorization,” the trend began when the Hal Roach Studios began to colorize its 1930s titles including “Topper” and “Way Out West.” Later, black-and-white films that were in the public domain became prime targets for colorized versions – it was believed that consumers buying VHS videos would prefer color works rather than the old monochrome versions.
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Inside Out 2 (2024)
Now Exclusively in Theaters.
2015’s “Inside Out” felt like such a genuine and sincere attempt to figure out not just emotions but the importance that both negative and positive emotions can have. It simplified itself through normal subconscious cues like colors and characters, but through it all “Inside Out” was touching and a complex look at dealing with our feelings and learning to accept them. “Inside Out 2” is a perfectly okay follow up that has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor set the bar high and the sequel never quite hits that bar. “Inside Out 2” is stuck in the middle of trying to figure out what it’s trying to say and hitting that bottom line of introducing new characters for the sake of merchandise sales.
Arena Wars (2024)
Available on VOD June 25th from Gravitas Ventures.
While Edgar Wright and Glen Powell are currently in the process of crafting their remake of “Running Man,” Brandon Slagle jumps to the front of the line to get his hits in first. “Arena Wars” looks great and has a classic idea from the Stephen King novel. In fact, it’s pretty much just a small budget remake of the classic film with convicts, and a game show and psychos, etc. The problem with “Arena Wars” is that is it pretty much a ton of filler with only some semblance of narrative in sparse moments. If “Arena Wars” were a bag of chips it’d only have a small hand full of chips and a ton of smelly air puffing it up.
The A-Frame (2024)
While working on testing his new device that connects our world to possibly another dimension, a quantum physicist discovers a potential medical breakthrough that could save lives. As he needs to keep this a secret and test on humans, he enlists a young woman who trusted him to bring him more test subjects.