Beyond the Gates

Just when you thought the VCR was out of commission!  Remember going to the local video store and renting VHS?  Those where the good ole days, then having to rewind or you get charged.  Now, to go along with that, remember the old VCR board games?  I had one called Nightmare, it was awesome!  Well this little gem on Netflix is about a pair of brothers who discover one of those games in their parents old video store and get sucked into its deadly game.  This has a total 80's feel to it and is extremely low budget but was surprisingly well made and was an awesome story.  It gets a little thin at the end but has kind of a slow burn with a few jump scares and some unexpected gore that made it an excellent watch.  There were some glimpses of really good, and really bad acting with all of the expected cliches, but perfect for the 80's genre feel.  The set was probably the most obvious low budget factor of all, but was pretty much unnoticed.  Also, the girlfriend is super hot and you may recognize her from Hero's.  This was a really good find if your not expecting too much and like the old horror genre.  It reminded me of watching late night horror movies as a kid in the 80's and loving them.  Give this one a try, and wait until the credits are over for a quick surprise.

FYI:  The most expensive prop in the movie was actually the iron gate used in the basement!

***1/2

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

Streaming on Netflix right now!  Check it out, right now!  This is one of the best hidden gems I have seen in a while!  I had serious low expectations, mainly because I really don't like Elijah Wood and it looks like a campy kind of throw away.  I should have known better because this one is awesome.  It is very tongue in cheek, dark humor with a good pace and some very dry comedy.  With humor referencing movies such as Napoleon Dynamite and other indie films, then throwing in some real drama and some serious gore.  The acting was excellent and each character was completely believable showing a controlled pace and fun disposition.  Centered about a depressed woman who is completely fed up with people in this world.  She is robbed and takes on a new purpose in life to track down the thieves and feel alive again.  She teams up with an unlikely partner who lives down the street and they begin the detective work.  They end up encountering douche bags, thugs, elite upper class, and idiots only to be a little over their head in the game.  This is a great movie that you really should enjoy, its worth the watch!

FYI:  The Trans Am used in this movie is actually the directors car that he bought to restore.

****1/2

Convict

Like prison movies?  I love em!  I know what youre thinking, "they are all the same".  Hardly!  Well, maybe, but that's probably why I like them and want to show them to my kids as a deterrent for never, ever going to prison!  So you basically have a check list to make a successful flick about being in the clink.  Gangs, check.  An evil warden, check.  A bad-ass prisoner who basically runs the joint, check. Rape, check.  The wise old lifer, who has knowledge of every scenario, check.   Lastly, a noble inmate who was wrongfully convicted, check!  Convict is no different featuring an ex military hero who is convicted for defending his girlfriend, you know just like Lock-Up, Felon, Con-Air, etc.  This one is pretty gritty with some disturbing shit that goes on and really keeps you guessing, or maybe hoping for some light to shine.  Really good acting, and a view from a foreign prison that is a bit different than your usual American lock ups.  This is available with Amazon Prime right now and totally worth the watch.  Give it a shot just before you are getting ready to commit a crime, it might help!

FYI:  Parramatta Prison in Australia opened in 1842

***1/2

Extortion

I think there are some basic rules when planning a Caribbean vacation.  Most are your basic everyday skills such as how to pull start an engine such as a lawn mower or motor boat.  First of all, obvious planning is required when doing certain things.  For instance, when taking a day trip out on the ocean in a rented boat, take some water, maybe some food, tell someone what you are planning to do, don't be an idiot.  You know, things like that.  Now, the story centers around a heart surgeon, who could quite possibly be the stupidest doc in history, but also showing unbelievable stints of genius.  He takes his wife and young son on a trip to the Caribbean, rents a bucket, goes WAY to far out into the ocean, finds an island in the middle of nowhere and guess what, his boat breaks down.  Stranded they set off to sea floating around for a few days to be rescued by a fisherman.  Thank God!  Not quite, he wants a million buckeroos or he will strand the family leaving them for dead.  After the doc agrees he seems to get his ass kicked by the skinniest islander in the world a few times, tricked, under suspicion from the cops all while his wife and son have no food or water stranded on an island.  Dr. Adventure all of a sudden becomes an expert at maritime mapping, boats and mechanics, as well as public access and guns.  The chase begins!  I would say this is a little more of a made for TV type flick, but ok for a watch.  Not an oscar winner by any means but enjoyable.

FYI:  The hot wife in this is the same little girl from the movie "Thinner"

***

Uncanny

Remember the Nerd from science class in High School that wore the shirt saying, "Robots do it Better"?  We we finally have proof!  The nerds were right!  A true hidden gem found on Netflix recently that is a must watch for the true movie buff.  In the spirit of Ex-Machina, even though made three years prior, this movie tells a tale of a socially awkward robotics nerd who has created his own artificial intelligence.  It's a robot with an uncanny resemblance to a real human.  Still in the learning mode, he acts a little confused when involved in certain situations but his AI keeps him developing to the point of wanting to be human.  Fortunately for it, a discovery of porn enters shortly after the hot grad student signs on for a week long interview session with the couple.  Jealousy, rage, and confusion enter the picture and the robot becomes suspicious.  This movie had some really good acting and the story/script was outstanding.  Unfortunately there was something missing.  I cont quite put my finger on it and think maybe it was either the somewhat predictable ending, or the few scenes where it almost had a made for TV feel?  I wish it would have had a little bigger budget as to incorporate more suspense, characters, action, sci-fi, whatever.  Overall, great film with a truly good performance.

FYI:  There are only 4 actors in the entire film.

***1/2

Emelie

Going out to dinner?  I have a great recommendation for a babysitter for the kids!  Oh, she is just great with them, her name is Emelie.  Boo-hoo, quit complaining!  So she's a little sadistic, cold and down right mean as hell.  You got your night out at Applebee's didn't you!?!?  Hidden gem alert here, this movie was surprisingly really good.  Disturbing and gut wrenching at times but totally unexpected!  I caught my 9 year old watching it the other day, and had to quickly turn it to let him know I will have to watch it first.  Good thing he only saw about 10 minutes of the end.  The parents have a dinner and the usual sitter is sick so they get the highly recommended substitute, only she isn't who they think.  There are some creepy moments in this film where it takes some psychological twists and pretty unnerving events, especially if you have kids of your own.  There are a few paint by numbers directions here, and the 9 year old boy seems years beyond a true 9 year old, but that's Hollywood for you.  I would highly recommend this one, and be sure to watch with the kids!

FYI:  5 children were actually murdered in the making of this film.

***1/2

Stop At Nothing

Think riding you bike hundreds of miles a week makes your testicles go bad?  Okay, that was just ridiculous, but how about that plus hundreds of cc's of performance enhancing drugs?  My money is on the latter.  Just look at the worlds greatest athlete, Lance Armstrong.  I have said it in previous reviews that I am obsessed with the Lance story.  (Look up my previous review of "The Program").  I am not sure if I just love to hate this guy or I'm in awe of him and his endless lies that fooled the world for so damn long.  I mean, he spun a web for over a decade being in the public eye constantly and was fucking untouchable!  I am always a little on the fence about PED's.  I know they help cheaters win, but you still have to have the physical and mental ability to do these amazing things.  Always takes me back to the Saturday Night Live, "All Drug Olympics" skit.  Anyway, this is a documentary on the Lance story showing behind the scenes footage of his team and controversial hearings that were thrown out at almost every corner.  If you have any interest in the worlds biggest fraud, watch this immediately.  Now get on your bikes and ride!

FYI:  Lance allegedly hired people to spy on some of his biggest threats, then threaten their life.

****

The Circle

Social media junkies unite!  Science fiction users will share, post, comment, discuss, argue everything!!!  WAIT!  That's real life and happening right now.  Look, someone just posted another picture of their dinner.  Oh, and there is a picture of a perfect family at the beach, again.  Don't forget the political rants!  Welcome to, "The Circle"!  I mean, "Facebook"!  This is an over dramatic rendition of the worlds largest tech company run by a Steve Jobs type character (Hanks) who is a little more sinister than he seems.  The company is full of Millennial's brain washed into drinking way too much Kool-Aid in order to survive and flourish in this trendy company.  In walks Watson, who now finally has her dream job finding it hard to fit in with the ever updating culture of The Circle.  She ends up drinking the juice and off she goes deeper than anyone before her.  The tale unfolds and life's tragedy meets the blinded world of the social media focus.  Hanks is good but would have liked to see him a little more of an asshole.  Watson, although cute, is pretty dull.  The best character is Bill Paxton who plays an ailing father suffering from MS.  Give this one a shot for a non-thinker but don't pay for it.  Otherwise, just wait because it will be a Saturday afternoon TBS movie played weekly very soon.

FYI:  Test audiences for this film had extreme dislike for Emma Watson in this roll.

**1/2

Manchester by the Sea

Well how much more depressing can life get?  Watch this flick and you will see just how bad things can go for some.  We all know those people with a dark cloud over their heads and no matter what they do it rains on them.  Here, it seems a whole city is filled with them!  This drama filled movie (which was well deserving of its awards btw) has you follow a depressed, angry, sad handyman who just finds out his brother is dead and he is appointed as the legal guardian of his teenage son.  Not unlike most, he resists the idea of taking over the responsibilities and moving back to the town he was raised.  All the while, being back home for the funeral he is constantly reminded of his really shitty past that is not only disturbing but heartbreaking and our famous lead gets no redemption what so ever!  Affleck is awesome throughout, Williams is a snooze fest as always but the cast worked great together.  The speech was heavily East Coast and you almost need an interpreter half the time but I was thoroughly impressed with the writing.  This is a must watch and its on Amazon Prime!

FYI:  Opening weekend for the film only brought in $250k!  It is now well over $47 Million!

****