A group of advanced age crooks gets together for one last heist. In this retelling of the infamous Hatton Garden Heist, older men and one younger manage an impressive heist only for their group to fall apart due to disagreement and infighting.
The Poison Ivy Collection [Blu-Ray]
For all three of you fans of the “Poison Ivy” movie series wondering when we’d finally see all four of the films from the series on Blu-Ray, Shout Factory finally brings it to us with extras and restorations. Truth is I’m eagerly awaiting the “Devil in the Flesh” duology on Blu-Ray (Sidenote: Do you think anyone has the balls to release the entire “Wild Things” saga?), but for now we have this neat box set of some of the best worst erotic trash that’s ever been brought to movie fans from Warner bros. And just in time for Valentine’s Day and Women in Horror Month, too! You can ogle a pre-career renaissance Drew Barrymore, or up and comer Jaime Pressly, or a post-“Degrassi” Miriam McDonald.
There’s no wrong option, is the bullet point of my explanation.
Knock Knock (2018) [Final Girls Berlin Film Festival]
“Social Horror” Shorts Block
Kennikki Jones-Jones’s short horror drama is a film with a premise that rang a bit too close to home for yours truly. Growing up in the Bronx, there are certain kind of boundaries and rules people are expected to follow. Often times children can be heard in the distance crying or being disciplined by their parents and it’s kind of a mutual agreement among many to ignore it unless it gets all too severe. And even then, people tend to turn a blind eye.
42 Counts (2018) [Final Girls Berlin Film Festival]
“Obsessions” Shorts Block
With the accessibility and affordability of modern technology, it’s become all too easy to spy on people. With a simple click of a button it only takes basic know how to sneak up on a stranger and watch their every move. Director Jill Sixx Gevarzigian sets her horror short on an all too common occurrence. It’s a heinous, intrusive, and perverse crime that’s equivalent to rape or molestation.
Real Artists (2017) [Final Girls Berlin Film Festival]
“Obsessions” Shorts Block
Director Cameo Wood, and co-writer Ken Liu’s “Real Artists” is a slick bit of satire that folks annoyed by the dominance of certain Hollywood studios might love. In fact, “Real Artists” is a great movie regardless, as it explores the idea of actual art, and what separates actual art from homogenized products for the masses. After her edit of a big studio’s animated movie goes viral, artist Sophia Baker is called in for an interview with a very popular and dominant animation studio.
My Monster (2018) (Final Girls Berlin Film Festival)
“Tainted Love” Shorts Block
I love the whole plot twist that ensues in the middle of “My Monster,” a short film basically about finding the right mate, and them showing up when they least suspect it. Brea Grant is always a pleasure to see pop up in these genre pictures, and she’s great in Izzy Lee’s holiday set fractured love tale.
The Bootleg Files: Kokoda Front Line!
BOOTLEG FILES 671: “Kokoda Front Line!” (1942 Australian newsreel).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value for the U.S. market.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It can be found on Australian DVD, but it is not likely to be released on a U.S. label.
If you are an Academy Award trivia buff, you will recognize “Kokoda Front Line!” as the first Australian film to win an Oscar. If you are World War II history buff, you will be familiar with the importance of “Kokoda Front Line!” in covering an important battle in the Pacific combat. But if you are not up to speed on either your Oscar factoids or your World War II knowledge, then hopefully you might come away from this week’s column with something worth learning.
Continue reading