BARE BONES: THE ADVENTURES OF PAULA PERIL (2014)

THE ADVENTURES OF PAULA PERIL (2014)

The Adventures of Paula Peril is an entertaining attempt to recreate and pay homage to the old-style movie serials of yesteryear with a contemporary style. Flick is a combination of three episodes of the Paula Peril video series based on the comic book of the same name. It features the adventures of intrepid reporter Paula Perillo (Valerie Perez), or “Paula Peril” as she is known, due to all the predicaments she gets herself into. Paula is trying to solve the murder of her mother, which she believes has something to do with crime boss Carleoni (Brian Stretch) and his criminal empire. Along the way the pretty reporter finds herself in heaps of danger and trouble that she must find a way out of.

As it is a combination of three episodes, there are three directors attached. Jason Winn, Benjamin Barak and Savvy Lorestani all get directing credit helming from scripts by Winn, Eric Pai and Chris Schulte. The filmmakers bring all the clichés and wholesome charm of those old-time serials, but with a contemporary touch. During the course of 80 minutes, the curvy Ms. Perillo finds herself in all sorts of old-fashioned damsel in distress predicaments, including the classic tied to the railroad tracks. Star Valerie Perez not only has the figure of her comic book counterpart but also plays the role with the right amount of seriousness and tongue in cheek to make Paula an endearing and fun character. She’s also quite a spitfire in the action sequences as the sexy reporter has some very effective kicks and punches…no wonder the bad guys are always tying her up. The rest of the cast are fine with the acting varying somewhat, but they all try hard and get the tone of the material. The crew accomplishes a lot on a small budget. There are some fun comic book frame transitions, some decent action and the flick has an old-fashioned charm in its corny-on-purpose, Lois Lane meets The Perils of Pauline format. There is also some supernatural content that makes it fine for the Halloween season, too. A fun indie throwback with a big heart and a very spunky and resilient contemporary heroine. Flick is streaming free on both Tubi and Amazon Prime Freevee.

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: MOLOCH (2022)

MOLOCH (2022)

Netherlands horror finds widowed Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) returning home with her young daughter Hannah (Noor van der Velden) to her family farmhouse after the death of her husband. Upon returning she is greeted by some odd deaths, a stranger attacking her family and the discovery of a group of buried bodies of woman with their throats slit. What is going on and why does Betriek feel something ancient, and evil has targeted her family.

 

Dutch horror is directed by Nico van den Brink from a script by he and Daan Bakker. Despite some intriguing story elements involving a malevolent biblical entity and a woman suspected of witchcraft, the film is very routine and kind of dull. There are some spooky visuals, and a few effective moments, along with some nice folklore elements but the film is very talky and takes far too long to get to the spooky stuff. The cast and setting give it some atmosphere and a refreshing look and feel, but there is little tension or scares, and it ends exactly as you expect it to. A disappointing example of some good ideas executed in a mundane and pedestrian manner. Flick is available to stream on Shudder.

 

-MonsterZero NJ

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES AUG 26-28

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to the reviews here at The Movie Madhouse!)

1. “The Invitation” $7 Million

2. “Bullet Train” $5.6 Million

3. “Beast” $4.9 Million

4. “Top Gun: Maverick” $4.75 Million

5. “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” $4.5 Million

6. “DC League of Super-Pets” $4.2 Million

7. “Three Thousand Years of Longing” $2.8 Million

8. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” $2.7 Million

9. “Thor: Love and Thunder” $2.7 Million

10. “Where the Crawdads Sing” $2.3 Million

-MonsterZero NJ

source: Box Office Mojo

INDIE HORROR ANTHOLOGY “HOW DARK THEY PREY” GETS A TRAILER AND POSTER!

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From the official synopsis…

“From Film Valor, and directors Jamison M. LoCascio and Adam Ambrosio, HOW DARK THEY PREY coming to Amazon Prime Video and Watch Movies Now on September 15.

Four dark tales about the haunting nature of man and the unknown from WWII to Alien investigation, finding the occult, and kidnap with torture, the highly anticipated horror anthology is written by Adam Ambrosio, Anthony LoCascio and Jamison M. LoCascio. Starring Josiah Schneider, Timothy Paul Jobe, and David Johnson.“

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: Film Valor

BARE BONES: TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022)

TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022)

Legacy sequel finds Pete “Maverick” Mitchell a test pilot with the navy and still a captain after all these years. Another act of insubordination gets him in trouble again, but old friend Iceman (Val Kilmer), now an admiral, gets him transferred back to Top Gun instead of being court-martialed. What awaits him there is teaching a new batch of ace pilots, including the grown son (Miles Teller) of his friend Goose, how to accomplish a dangerous mission and an old flame (Jennifer Connelly) whose heart he once broke.

Flick, originally slated to be released in 2019, but postponed due to COVID19, is well-directed by Joseph Kosinski from a script by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie based on a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks. As such, it is literally a perfect way to do one of these legacy sequels, as it pays homage to and continues the story of the original classic yet is also a solidly good movie in its own right. In some ways it is a better flick than the 1986 original with some nice dramatic weight and some killer action scenes in the last act. Sure, it has the cheesy melodrama we expect and is predictable in its soap opera level sub-plots, but it is still a lot of fun and Kosinski knows how to deliver some dynamic action scenes in the climactic third. The aerial dogfights are energetic and exciting and the cast all work well together. Cruise brings a nice maturity to Maverick, Connelley is a spunky love interest as Peggy, Teller is a welcome addition to the mythos as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, and it was nice to see them include Val Kilmer, whose recent health issues have taken priority over his career. In conclusion, everything you would want in a Top Gun movie! Also stars Ed Harris and Jon Hamm.

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES: ORPHAN: FIRST KILL (2022)

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL (2022)

Prequel is an origin story of sorts for Isabelle Fuhrman’s homicidal Esther character from the film Orphan.
The character is introduced as the psychotic Leena, a full-grown woman in her thirties who suffers from a condition that stopped her growth when she was around ten years old. Leena escapes from the institute she’s imprisoned in and takes the identity of Esther Albright, a little girl who disappeared four years ago. Desperate to have her back, the Albrights don’t see past the deception. The homicidal woman settles in with her new family and continues her murderous ways, especially when a nosey detective (Hiro Kanagawa) threatens her scheme.

 

Flick is directed by William Brent Bell from a script by David Coggeshall, which is based on a story by
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alex Mace. It’s a ho-hum sequel with routine blood, gore and violence, along with some predictable situations and sub-plots. It is hard to believe from the get-go that the family would be completely fooled by a total stranger who is not their own daughter, even after four years and a striking (convenient) resemblance. There is a twist about half-way through which explains this for some characters, but it comes across as more ludicrous than shocking, and takes the film into silly territory as Esther gets the tables turned on her somewhat. It all leads to a predictable and bloody conclusion, which has no suspense as, since this is a prequel, we know exactly where this ends up. First Kill is a mediocre follow-up trying desperately to turn a one-shot flick into a franchise and if you are a fan of the first movie, which was entertaining, you might get some mileage out of this one. 

-MonsterZero NJ

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES AUG 19-21

(Remember, clicking the highlighted links brings you to the reviews here at The Movie Madhouse!)

1. “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” $20.1 Million

2. “Beast” $11.6 Million

3. “Bullet Train” $8 Million

4. “Top Gun: Maverick” $5.85 Million

5. “DC League of Super-Pets” $5.8 Million

6. “Thor: Love and Thunder” $4 Million

7. “Nope” $3.5 Million

8. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” $3.5 Million

9. “Where the Crawdads Sing” $3.1 Million

10. “Bodies Bodies Bodies” $2.4 Million

-MonsterZero NJ

source: Box Office Mojo

BARE BONES: GLORIOUS (2022)

GLORIOUS (2022)

Flick has down on his luck Wes (Ryan Kwanten) being locked in a disgusting, public rest stop bathroom with a powerful deity (voice by J.K. Simmons) that resides in one of the stalls. Yup…you read that right! The being needs the emotionally distraught man to help save the universe. No, really…that’s the plot!

 

Flick is directed by Rebekah McKendry from a script and story by Joshua Hull, David Ian McKendry and Todd Rigney. It’s a woefully misguided attempt to do H.P. Lovecraft in a gross public bathroom…complete with glory hole. It’s gross for the sake of being gross and doesn’t have any of the cleverness it thinks it does. It’s dreadfully slow paced for a film under 80 minutes and is mostly long-drawn-out dialogue sequences with a few moments of activity here and there. The lead character of Wes is unlikable long before the big end reveal…which is not all that unexpected…when being sympathetic to his predicament would have worked much better. McKendry’s direction is unremarkable, and she borrows a lot of her visuals from the recent Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space. J.K. Simmons does good work vocalizing the deity “Ghat”, but Kwanten is a bland lead as Wes. Aside from a few brief effective moments that are very few and very far between, there is little to recommend here. Flick is currently available to stream on Shudder if you want to waste 80 minutes of your time.

 

-MonsterZero NJ

BARE BONES BOOK REVIEW: FROM BELOW by DARCY COATES

FROM BELOW by DARCY COATES

Newest book from author Darcy Coates is a spooky change from her usual haunted house tales and presents a story of underwater horror…though not without the haunted element that she does so well. Adventure seeker and reality TV star Cove sets out with her crew to investigate the sunken wreckage of the SS Arcadia which disappeared long ago. The ship was finally found at the bottom of the ocean, and Cove has been hired to be the first to enter the wreckage and solve the mystery of the luxury liner’s disappearance, along with the fate of its passengers and crew. What awaits the divers is far more than your typical seafaring mystery but a nautical nightmare they may not return from.

Coates takes her haunted house story and delightfully transplants it into the wreckage of a lost ocean liner fathoms beneath the surface. The added caveats of limited oxygen and visibility adds an element of isolation and tension that is not usually present in a traditional haunted house tale, where one can simply leave the spook infested building. She also skillfully tells two stories at once in this chilling and involving tale, as we switch back and forth, chapter to chapter, from the Arcadia’s fateful last days to Cove and crew slowly finding out the frightening truth as to what happened and realizing the ship may not be as dead in the water as they believe. It’s scary, entertaining and like all her books, has a cast of very likable characters especially the strong-willed Cove. For a book over 400 pages, it’s a fast read and is perfect for a lazy summer’s day at the beach, or a nighttime read snuggled under the covers. Another solidly spooky story from a woman who is becoming a modern master of the haunted house…or ship…tale.

-MonsterZero NJ

AUSTRALIAN SUPERNATURAL HORROR “SURROGATE” GETS A TEASER TRAILER!

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From the official synopsis…

 

“Australian paranormal horror Surrogate, starring Kestie Morassi (Wolf Creek) and Jane Badler (TV’s ‘V’), comes to digital platforms this September.

Written by Beth King and David Willing, in his feature directorial debut, Surrogate tells of Natalie Paxton (Morassi), a single mother and nurse, who falls mysteriously ill and struggles to stop her family from being destroyed.

Louise Siverson (Prisoner, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Taysha Furragia, Ellie Stewart, and Ellie Tevelis co-star in the unsettling spooker.

Konfir Kabo of Black Spade Productions serves as Executive Producer whilst David Willing, Vikki Blinks and Alice Chaston Produce.

Surrogate will be available September 2nd for TVOD on Amazon and September 16th on Tubi and GoogleTV via Indie Rights.“

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-MonsterZero NJ

Source: October Coast