The Devil’s Dolls (2016)

the-devils-dollsA police detective investigating a serial killer takes a box of dolls with him.  His daughter gets her hands on them, and then turns them into jewelry which gets spread around town by well-meaning buyers.  Soon the wearers turn evil and things become bloody. Written by Danny Kolker and Christopher Wiehl and directed by Padraig Reynolds, The Devil’s Dolls takes the possessed item idea and multiplies it, sending multiple cursed/possessed items into a community to wreak havoc.

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Captain America Civil War (2016) [Blu-Ray/Digital]

capamcwIt’s amazing what kind of feat the Russo Brothers have pulled off. Not only do they offer up a pseudo-sequel to the continuing saga of “The Avengers” but they also manage to squeeze in a superhero epic, and revenge saga that stretches out over the Marvel Cinematic Universe without ever missing a single beat. “Captain America: Civil War” finally brings the Marvel Universe full circle creating something of a wider scope now that Marvel has been able to acquire and introduce superheroes and characters that were long thought to be incapable of appearing. In just a two and a half hour movie, we’re able to watch a full fledged tale of friendship unfold in the face of a revenge plot, while being given marvelous and overdue introductions to iconic Avenger The Black Panther, and Marvel’s long awaited iteration of their iconic superhero Spider-Man.

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The PC Thug: In The 90’s, “Darkwing Duck” is the Superhero We Needed

PCThug-logoThe nineties were a peculiar time. The comic book industry was coming out of the huge success of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns,” while a bunch of young artists formed Image Comics and gave us a slew of new superheroes and avengers, all of whom were dark, bloody, brooding, and hairy. All the clean cut awe of Superman and Captain America went out of style giving way to a decade of muscle bound heroes with pouches, giant guns, massive swords, and a lot of angst that came with their back story. Even a very nineties hero like Spawn was made even more nineties being transformed in to a gun toting bad ass in his own movie. For a decade where superheroes were all doom and gloom, Disney seemed to play off of that trend by offering up a goofy satire called “Darkwing Duck.”

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The Flash: The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray/Digital]

flash-season2After the blast off debut that was “The Flash” Season One, a lot of fans and audiences were expecting an interesting follow up that would continue the saga of Barry Allen. Lo and behold, Season two of “The Flash” upped the ante by introducing new characters, a brand new horrifying villain, and the concept of the multiverse. If you thought no one could be more intimidating than reverse Flash, than the series introduces Zoom. Zoom is yet another speedster from the Universe who is dressed in black and looks very much like a demonic speedster. Voiced by Tony Todd, Zoom is an enigmatic figure with a secret identity that plans to take Barry’s speed for himself and has plans for the world. Barry realizes all too soon that Zoom is faster than he ever hopes to be, and he finds himself completely in over his head.

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The Killing of America (1981) [FrightFest 2016]

the-killing-of-americaOriginally released in 1981, The Killing of America is a “documentary of the decline of America.”  The film is a collection of news footage and interviews about violent events that have happened in the United States up until the murder of John Lennon in Manhattan in 1980 and the violence at the gatherings following his death.

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Francesca (2015) [FrightFest 2016]

FrancescaIn Italy, a detective and an inspector investigate a string of murders happening in their city.  They are soon led to a 15 year old kidnapping case which may shed some light on their current investigation. Director Luciano Onetti with his co-writer Nicolas Onetti builds an almost perfect old school giallo, however it was shot in 2015.  Their film builds a story and characters straight out of the subgenre and these create an entertaining film about two police detectives looking for a serial killer.

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Downhill (2016) [FrightFest 2016]

DownhillAfter his best friend’s death during a mountain bike race, Joe goes into hiding.  After a while, his friend Pablo sets up a race for big money in South America, with Joe’s girlfriend Stephanie convinces him to go do the race and enjoy his trip.  Once there, they go for a training ride.  While on the mountain, they hear gunshots and find a man in need of help.  Assisting him only leads them to be hunted by the local bad guys.

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