A great list of low budget horror classics.

I have seen all of these except for David Lynch's Eraserhead.  Will have to remedy that this weekend.

Alice Through the Looking Glass in IMAX 3D

The other big sequel this Memorial Day weekend snags the IMAX screens and is a visual sugar rush from producer Tim Burton.  Alice returns to Wonderland to help save her friend the Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, before Time, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, runs out. A good family fun film for this weekend with a good message on the meaning and need for family.  I don't see this coming close to the numbers that X-Men: Apocalypse will do this weekend but definitely a great alternative if you hit the theater.

To check out the official website, just click here.

X-Men: Apocalypse

The big movie this Memorial Day weekend has arrived and it delivers a good tight story with cool obligatory hero moments that do not disappoint.  The Apocalypse story arc from the Marvel comics has been greatly compressed and streamline but the heart of the story is still there even for the most obsessive fan boy.  The standout characters are Magneto, Mystique, Nightcrawler and of course Jean Grey played by Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Sophie Turner.  When Magneto and Jean Grey unleash their powers it is cinematic magic that would have been awesome to see in IMAX but alas Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass has those screens locked up this weekend. And yes you have to stay through the credits - fan boys will get what I mean once they decipher what it means for the future of the X-Men cinematic universe.

To check out the official website, just click here.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

And the comedy sequels continue this year with the inevitable follow up to Neighbors with the fraternity being superseded by a sorority.  The hook for me was Chloe Grace Moretz but unfortunately this is another weak outing for Chloe following on the lackluster The 5th Wave. There are very few laugh out load moments with the highlight being the daughter's favorite toy.  For having an R rating there was a serious lack of scantily clad sorority girls.  A definite pass at the movies but maybe salvageable after a few beers or bong hits vegging out on your couch when it hits VOD.

To check out the official website, just click here.

Criminal

DC and Marvel alums abound in this latest film featuring an aging actor who tries to kick ass while not looking like your grandpa needing a nap in the living room recliner.  The story is OK with some decent action but nothing innovative is brought to the screen to make this retread of a story stand out. Ryan Reynolds gets the short straw when it comes to screen time which is really a shame with his mega-hit, Deadpool, still raking in the cash from long runs in the theater and just hitting VOD. There is a lot of ensemble star power fueling this film that begs the question on what did they see in the script that made them all want to be a part of it.  I really hope it was just not for a pay check.

To check out the official website, just click here.

The Lords of Salem

Rob Zombie is back on the big screen with a film that celebrates the satanic cult-classic films of the 70's. Instead of young nubile witches we get filthy hags, religious zealots, and some of the creepiest music to come from a soundtrack since the Goblin's classic theme for Suspiria. The plethora of genre favorites abound with a special nod of appreciation to Patricia Quinn from the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The hag frontal nudity and goats aside, the film is so art-house that it does not deliver on the scares which most horror fans want. It is worth a watch but I don't see this making much of a splash at the box office but may have an after-life as a midnight movie or on VOD.

Please be sure to check out the official website.

Frankenweenie

Tim Burton's classic short film from 1984 gets triple the running time as a feature length film and still has all of the heart and visual integrity of the original. Burton's love of the Universal Monsters shines through and using the Frankenstein story construct to deliver the tale of a young boy who wants his dog back after a tragic accident is shear genius. You will notice several Burton film regulars lending their voice talents to the characters like Martin Landau and Winona Ryder. Even a young Christopher Lee gets a cameo from one of his classic Dracula movies. I great little film and a must see for all Burton fans.



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Taken 2

Liam Neeson is back as our favorite kick-ass father but this time out he has to save himself as well as his ex-wife and daughter from the relatives of the human traffickers who kidnapped his daughter previously in Paris. As most sequels go this one suffers from the sophomore slump in that the story is predictable, nothing new about the characters is revealed, and unfortunately previous characters tend to be annoying. The fighting is OK and Liam is still realistic as a tough guy but you really cannot expect too much from a PG-13 action thriller. Maggie Grace still looks good but just a bit to old for her part and how did the psycho Bond girl from Golden Eye become so boring? If you loved the first film like me you may want to pass on this and just re-watch the extended version of the first film on DVD instead.



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End of Watch

L.A.P.D. is all about dope, money, and guns and this film shows just that. The film is basically a snapshot of the lives of two officers who have to deal with the aftermath of going up against the Mexican drug cartel. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are creditable as boys in blue and make you feel like you are in the cruiser with them on patrol. There is no new ground traveled here or any great surprises but it is worth checking out. Hopefully this movie does better for Anna Kendrick then her other film currently out, Pitch Perfect.



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Pitch Perfect

Rebel Wilson is popping up everywhere and this is the second film she has out currently but instead of being the bride she is part of the ensemble in an all-girl a capella group trying to make it to regionals and then nationals to win the coveted trophy. Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Unfortunately, none of the singing can measure up to Glee and their winning edge is to perform a mash-up? Rebel does have some of the best one-liners but the standout performer has to be Brittany Snow as the only character that you are really routing for. If you watch the trailer below you will have seen most of the best moments in the film so you may want to pass on this and just watch an episode from the new season of Glee instead.



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Hotel Transylvania

Adam Sander and gang are back at it again with another animated "holiday" themed movie and this time they get it right. All credit for making this awesome movie has to go to Genndy Tartakovsky who brought us such cult classic cartoons like Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The story is top notch, the animation is classically perfect, and the characters are hilarious. There is no trace of Eight Crazy Nights in this production. This is a great, fun, family film that truly shows how much fun Halloween can be for one and all at any age.



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In Search of Lovecraft

I am a big Lovecraft fan and it's great seeing new crops of low budget Cthulhu myth films hitting DVD and streaming. One thing you must have for a watchable low budget horror film is either an interesting story or good use of creative effects or some decent acting or great T & A but unfortunately this does not have one of them. I assume they spent most of their budget on getting Rachel Robbins to participate who stared is such soft core horror classics like Screaming Dead and Vampire Lesbian Kickboxers. What is the deal with all the lisping? If you like bad movies like I do you will just want to see this to see where the train wreck finally comes to a crashing halt.

V/H/S

It is good to see that indie small budget horror is still alive and well and that horror anthology films are still getting some attention. This film is well done with five vignettes in a wrapper story which adds a nice nuance to the title if you think about it. I did not see this in the theater but was able to check it our on Amazon VOD as part of their Pre-Theatrical Rental program on a large HD display. My favorite vignette is the first one and proves nothing can be scarier than those three little words of I love you. A must see for the avid horror fan with some nice creepy moments that pluck the nerves of some of us older fans who think they have seen it all already.



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Looper

Now that Premium Rush has already been released, we finally get to the other Joseph Gordon-Levitt movie about gangsters and hired assassins wrapped in a time travel bow. First off the story is engaging, very smart, makes you think, and still delvers a good twist ending in the most subtle of ways that will have you pondering it when you leave the theater. I have known for a while that Gordon-Levitt is one of the great actors for his generation but his dead-on acting and mannerisms really make you believe he is a young Bruce Willis. The make-up and effects to help achieve this are second to none and would surpass any of Dick Smith's best efforts. All in all a really great movie that delivers on all fronts so you will want to check it out.



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House at the End of the Street

Katniss is back...err Jennifer Lawrence...but instead of having to survive the Games she is trying to survive relocating to a new town, attending a new high school and that eerie house from across the way. The plot smacks of remake to this horror junkie and ground well traveled but at least we get Elizabeth Shue back from her starring role in Piranha. The acting is good and Max Thieriot does play on your sympathies for the ostracized kid much better than in his previous snoozer, My Soul to Take. The movie would be fine but suffers from the filmmaker's need to show you the obvious flashback moment that is not ever needed for anyone who has been watching the movie. Stop spoon feeding us these gratuitous end scenes that only give us the impression that you think your audience is not intelligent enough to get it already.



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Dredd 3D

Well it seems that fans of the original source material can now finally purge the bad taste from their mouths left by Sylvester Stallone's 1995 ham-fisted send up to the most notorious bad-ass judge to mount a lawmaster. It seem you can actually deliver the character of Dredd just fine with your helmet on for the duration of the film. Karl Urban's Dredd works while taking the character seriously with no need for camera winks or jokes made at the character's own expense. The 3D is used as a significant plot tool to elevate the film's drug elements and violence and not just as an after thought to add a surcharge to your movie ticket. I really enjoyed this movie and hope it makes big bank at the box office this weekend so we can all have a little more Dredd in our lives.



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Bachelorette

Mover over Bridesmaids it is now time for the girl of honor to step up or at least her entourage. This movie is funny and all of the bride-to-be's friends are hot just like in real life, right?. The scene stealer is Lizzy Caplan whose blow job discussion as viewed in the trailer just gets better in the film. Ilsa Fisher does have a nice rack and Kirsten Dunst does seem to feel at home as the bitchy and controlling friend. Thank you Amazon for letting me see this from luxury of my own couch.



Click here to check out the official website.