Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Loved Ones (2012)


In order to avoid a ghostly figure in the road, high school senior Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father. Constantly confronted by his mother's emotional collapse after the accident, Brent escapes into a marijuana fueled world of loud metal music to block the pain and guilt. Dejected and out of sorts, he has a shot at happiness with his girlfriend Holly, a grounded, caring girl with drop dead good looks, a dream date for the high school prom. But his plans are thwarted by a disturbing series of events that take place under a mirrored disco ball, involving pink satin, glitter, syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer. Brent has become the prom king at a macabre, sadistic event where he is the entertainment.

Director: Sean Byrne
Writer: Sean Byrne
Stars: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy and Victoria Thaine
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1316536/

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Seven Days (2010)


A surgeon seeks revenge on the man who raped and murdered his eight year old daughter by kidnapping her accused killer and torturing him for seven days. His life and marriage destroyed by the heinous crime, grieving father Bruno Hamel sinks in to a deep depression, and begins formulating a diabolical plan for revenge. Intercepting the police escort as they transport the alleged perpetrator to the courthouse, Bruno abducts the man and whisks him away into the countryside. Bruno's plan: slowly torture his daughter's killer for seven days, and then execute him at the absolute height of pain. Keeping police abreast of his sinister project throughout the week, Bruno announces that he will turn himself in once justice has been served. 

Director: Daniel Grou
Writers: Patrick Senécal
Stars: Claude Legault, Rémy Girard and Martin Dubreuil
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445054/

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Hick (2012)


Small town teenager Luli escapes to Las Vegas, leaving behind her alcoholic and abusive parents. Armed with her smarts, a pistol and pocket money, she hitchhikes her way west. Along the way, Luli crosses paths with Eddie, an unstable rebel with questionable motives and Glenda, a cocaine-snorting drifter on the run.

Director: Derick Martini
Writers: Andrea Portes
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Blake Lively and Eddie Redmayne
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205558/

Monday, May 14, 2012

Secretary (2002)


Lee Holloway is a shy young woman, who, after a brief spell in a mental institution, is released in the care of her overprotective mother and hard-drinking father. Hoping to make good on her own, Lee begins looking for a job, and in her free time indulges in her odd habit of inflicting pain upon herself in various ways. Lee is hired as a secretary by E. Edward Grey, a grim and ruthlessly efficient attorney who warns her that her work will be both dull and demanding. Lee takes to the job with genuine enthusiasm, and while she's recently acquired a new boyfriend, Peter, she's far more intrigued by Grey's coldly patrician demeanor. While Grey often criticizes Lee, she seems to thrive on his abuse, but one day he crosses a line when he insists upon spanking her after some minor mistake. Lee quite enjoys the treatment, and wants it to continue, but Grey can no longer take pleasure humiliating Lee when he knows that she likes it; he fires her, despite her pleas to be allowed to stay. Finally discovering the key to her sexual and emotional needs, Lee tries to persuade Peter to be rough with her, but he simply doesn't have the taste or talent for it, and Lee soon maps out a last-ditch effort to win back her position with Grey, whatever the cost.

Director: Steven Shainberg
Writers: Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay) and Mary Gaitskill (short story)
Stars: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader and Jeremy Davies
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274812/

Monday, April 30, 2012

Vacancy (2007)


Followed by Vacancy 2: The First Cut (2008). Their car broken down and their prospects for finding a tow-truck driver at such a late hour slim to none, David and Amy Fox decide to make the best of their situation by resting out the night at a nearby motel. Left with few choices of entertainment for the evening, the pair soon settles down to enjoy one of the low-budget slasher films sitting atop their motel room VCR. Upon realizing that all of the films seem to have been shot in the very same room they currently occupy, David and Amy suddenly become the stars of a particularly sadistic fright flick. As hidden cameras track their every move, the hapless couple attempt to turn the tables on their would-be killer before they meet the same grim fate as the poor souls being butchered on television.

Director: Nimród Antal
Writer: Mark L. Smith
Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson and Frank Whaley
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452702/

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Monster Brawl (2011)


Eight classic monsters fight to the death in an explosive wrestling tournament set inside an abandoned and cursed graveyard, shown in a pay-per-view style atmosphere. The fighters are classic movie monsters - Cyclops, Swamp Gut, Frankenstein, Lady Vampire, Werewolf, Mummy, Witch Bitch and Zombie Man. Acting as play-­by-play announcer is Buzz Chambers with color commentating by former champ Sasquatch Sid.

Director: Jesse T. Cook
Writer: Jesse T. Cook
Stars: Dave Foley, Art Hindle and Jimmy Hart
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1716753/

Monday, April 16, 2012

God Bless America (2012)


Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of American culture. Divorced, recently fired, and possibly terminally ill, Frank truly has nothing left to live for. But instead of taking his own life, he gets his gun and decides to take out his frustration on the cruelest, stupidest, most intolerant people he can imagine -- starting with some particularly odious reality television stars. Frank finds an unusual accomplice in a high-school student named Roxy, who shares his sense of rage and disenfranchisement. Together they embark on a nationwide assault on our country's most irritating celebrities.

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Writer: Bobcat Goldthwait
Stars: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr and Mackenzie Brooke Smith
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1912398/

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Ip Man 2 (2010)


Follows Ip Man (2008). After escaping the Japanese occupation of his hometown of Fo Shan, China, Ip Man and his family have arrived in Hong Kong, which is living under the iron fist of British colonial rule. Ip wants to support his family by opening up a martial arts academy to teach his unique Wing Chun style. But a corrupt cabal of Hong Kong martial arts masters, led by Hung Chun-nam, refuses to allow Ip to teach until he proves himself - and prove himself he does, in an intense series of fights against the masters showcasing a dazzling variety of martial arts styles, culminating in a highly anticipated brawl between Ip and Hung atop a rickety table. But even after gaining the respect of the masters, Ip's troubles are far from over. Hong Kong under British rule is a world of corruption, and when a Western-style boxer named Taylor "Twister" Milos comes to town to entertain the British upper-class, and insults both Chinese martial arts and the native citizens in a horrifically violent way, Ip must step up and fight for the honor of both his kung fu and the Chinese people.

Director: Wilson Yip
Writer: Edmond Wong
Stars: Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung and Simon Yam
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386932/

Ip Man (2008)


Followed by Ip Man 2 (2010). Behind every great man there lies a teacher, and this was certainly true of Bruce Lee, who claimed as his mentor a martial arts expert named Ip Man. A genius of Wushu (or the Chinese martial arts school), Ip Man grew up in a China nearly ripped to pieces by racial hatred, nationalistic strife, and warfare. He rose like a phoenix above these ashes, however, courtesy of his participation in matches against various Wushu masters and kung fu warriors -- ultimately training martial arts icons such as Lee. Defined by courage and humility, one man rises to the fore, Grandmaster Ip Man, whose matchless fighting skills are revered all over China. Upon refusing to teach his beloved fighting art to the invading Japanese soldiers, he is forced to fight for the honor of his country in a series of battles that will culminate in a kill or be killed showdown with General Miura Japan’s greatest fighter.

Director: Wilson Yip
Writer: Edmond Wong
Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam and Siu-Wong Fan
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220719/

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Wicked Little Things (2006)


The tale of a widowed mother of two who discovers a dark secret about the land surrounding her newly inherited mountain home. When her husband died and Karen Tunny inherited his family's remote mountain estate, she never could have foreseen the terror that was about to be unfold. It was 1913 when a tragic mining accident claimed the lives of numerous children who were forced to descend into its darkened depths, and their restless spirits are still rumored to roam the area around the sprawling home. Now, as Karen and her two young daughters attempt to pick up the pieces of their shattered family life, the dark history of the land deemed cursed by the fearful locals stumbles screaming into the glowing moonlight of the present as the children who were once buried alive come out to seek revenge.

Director: J.S. Cardone
Writers: Boaz Davidson (story) and Ben Nedivi (screenplay)
Stars: Lori Heuring, Scout Taylor-Compton and Chloë Grace Moretz
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470000/

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Woman (2011)


An experienced hunter with a secluded house near the Northeast Coast, Christopher is intrigued to discover a badly wounded woman wandering through the woods. Recognizing that the mysterious woman has been living completely outside of society her entire life, the deranged family man captures her and decides to make her his personal project. Little does Christopher realize that the woman's entire clan has just been killed by cops after living in the wilderness for decades and surviving on human flesh. This is one woman who will not be tamed, and the harder Christopher tries, the fiercer she becomes.

Director: Lucky McKee
Writers: Lucky McKee and Jack Ketchum
Stars: Pollyanna McIntosh, Brandon Gerald Fuller and Lauren Ashley Carter
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714208/

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Divide (2012)


Nine strangers, all tenants of a New York high rise apartment, escape a nuclear attack by hiding out in the building's bunker-like basement. Trapped for days underground with no hope for rescue, and only unspeakable horrors awaiting them on the other side of the bunker door, the group begins to descend into madness, each turning on one another with physical and psycho-sexual torment. As supplies dwindle, and tensions flare, and they grow increasingly unhinged by their close quarters and hopelessness, each act against one another becomes more depraved than the next. While everyone in the bunker allows themselves to be overcome by desperation and lose their humanity, one survivor holds onto a thin chance for escape even with no promise of salvation on the outside.

Director: Xavier Gens
Writers: Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean
Stars: Lauren German, Michael Biehn and Milo Ventimiglia
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535616/

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Confessions (2010)


Yuko Moriguchi is a teacher who spends her days looking after a class of frequently unruly seventh graders. One day, Yuko calmly announces to her class that she's leaving her job soon as she's still struggling with the recent death of her young daughter. She adds that she knows who was responsible for the child's drowning, they happen to be among the students in her class -- and that the milk they're drinking may just be infected with a deadly disease. Though a series of flashbacks, we become witnesses to Yuko's difficulties with her students, the actions of the nameless students she believes are guilty of murder -- one of whom is planning vengeance against Yuko, while the other sinks deep into paranoia -- and the incidents that suggest the likely innocence and guilt of the parties involved.

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Writers: Kanae Minato (novel) and Tetsuya Nakashima (screenplay)
Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura and Masaki Okada
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1590089/

Friday, March 30, 2012

Dante's Inferno (2007)


Upon awakening in an unfamiliar part of the city after an especially rough night, Dante asks the first person he spots for a little help in gathering his bearings. When the man responds that he penned an ancient poem called The Aeneid, the perplexed Dante recalls that particular piece of prose being penned two thousand years ago. But with no one left to turn to, Dante has little choice but to follow his enigmatic guide. When the man reveals that it is his duty to lead Dante on an extensive journey through a dreadful world of "horror and torment," the weary traveler becomes convinced that his only hope for survival is to follow his host into the scorching heart of Satan's vast inferno.

Director: Sean Meredith
Writers: Paul Zaloom and Sandow Birk
Stars: Tony Abatemarco, Scott Adsit and Matt Besser
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479008/

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Inside (2007)


It's been four months since Sarah was involved in the tragic car accident that claimed the life of her husband, yet somehow the couple's unborn child miraculously survived the jarring ordeal. Now it's Christmas Eve and Sarah is sitting alone in her suburban home, still grieving the loss of her beloved. Soon, Sarah's mother will arrive to drive her daughter to the hospital, where the doctors plan to induce labor. Out of nowhere, Sarah hears a knock at the door; on the other side is a stranger who calmly asks to use Sarah's telephone. Immediately suspicious of the stranger's motivations, Sarah locks the door and quickly calls the police. Upon searching the grounds, the policemen find no trace of an intruder and Sarah cautiously bolts her doors once again. But unbeknownst to the expectant mother, this time she has unwillingly locked herself into a violent struggle for the one thing that matters most to her. Now, as the scissor-wielding psychopath attempts to forcefully claim the new life within Sarah, the jealous maternal battle is about to get bloody.

Directors: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury
Writer: Alexandre Bustillo
Stars: Alysson Paradis, Béatrice Dalle and Nathalie Roussel
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Mystery Team (2009)


When they were seven years old, "the Mystery Team" were three kids living in the same neighborhood in Oakdale who played at being precocious preteen detectives. With Jason as "the Master of Disguise," Duncan as "the Boy Genius," and Charlie as "the Strongest Kid in Town," they would spend their afternoons getting to the bottom of such crimes as missing tricycles and stolen pies, charging ten cents (or some fruit roll-ups) for their services. However, while their peers have moved on to more mature pastimes now that they're 18 years old, Jason, Duncan, and Charlie are hopeless nerds stuck in preadolescence as they prepare to graduate from high school. Convinced that all they need to do is prove their crime-busting talents to regain the respect of their peers, the Mystery Team step into a new class of detective work when a little girl asks them to find out who killed her parents. The guys are up for the challenge, but it isn't long before dealing with real (and truly dangerous) criminals gets them in hot water.

Director: Dan Eckman
Writers: D.C. Pierson and Donald Glover
Stars: Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson and Dominic Dierkes
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1237838/

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Kill List (2012)


Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, Jay is pressured by his partner Gal, into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the bizarre, disturbing world of the contract, Jay's world begins to unravel once again - his fear and paranoia sending him deeper into the heart of darkness and reeling towards a horrifying point of no return.

Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump
Stars: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring and Harry Simpson
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1788391/

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