Jason Bourne (2016) Review

Matt Damon is back in the Jason Bourne shoes again as he makes his return to the franchise in this something number sequel.

There are guns, car chases, explosions, and hand to hand combat, much as the same as the other films in the series. However, this time around it seems that the studio has decided to forego the clever fight choreography and stunt work and just hand the cameras to some seizure prone cameramen. 

Please, let me not understate this, Jason Bourne used so much shaky cam footage that halfway through the movie I wished I was re-watching The Blair Witch Project, just so I could occasionally catch a break when someone dropped the camera.

Any fight choreography was demolished by the shaky cam craziness, even the inner office scenes used it, when it wasn’t even useful!

I was a pretty big fan of the other films, but this one just left such a bad taste in my mouth, I am fairly certain I am finished with the series. Good news is, I caught a trailer for an upcoming Jack Reacher movie starring Tom Cruise due out next year, so hey, same movie, different actors. 

I was hoping for a little spice via Tommy Lee Jones in Jason Bourne, but I think his spiciness has been replaced with a mighty big teaspoon of age. Every time he was on screen I just wanted to hug him, cause he looked so grandfatherly lost and confused.

If you like things exploding that make no sense, car chases that last way too long and do nothing exciting, and unrealistic  physics, you may enjoy the new Jason Bourne movie, but if you want a good movie, you should probably just choose a different film to watch. 

A Familiar Spirit (2016) Review

While Halloween is still three months away, Hectic Films isn’t willing to wait to wet the appetite of the horror fans out there!

A Familiar Spirit is the newest in an ever expanding list of indie film magic that Hectic Films has been putting together while breaking barriers that have long since defined the film industry.

This isn’t your normal cut and paste horror film based on a single style of filming. It bleeds over and oozes through multiple camera uses, movements, and styles. From the security cam footage to the amazing and genius “Jack Dog” shaky cam, you get the emotional pull of being in the scene without that motion sickness side effect when a film tries to use it for the whole movie. 

A Familiar Spirit is based on actual events from Bakersfield, CA. One of the oldest historical areas of Kern County, Oleander has been said to still hold many of the souls that made their lives there, long after their bodies have been returned to the ground and their voices slowly forgotten.

Chris Kovacs plays Jim, a grade 'A' ass-hat of a boyfriend who decides to set up security cameras in the hopes of catching a local thief in the act, even though he should be doing it to get justice for his girlfriend Cynthia who was injured by the vandal hurling a rock through their front window. 

Chelsea Newman absolutely nails the role of Cynthia, the terrified girlfriend who wants nothing more than to leave, but who begrudgingly tries to hold it together in a world where the things of nightmares are slowly starting to seep into the waking world.  

Erica Rey also shines in her role as Samantha, the sexy roommate who is not your cookie cutter horror movie bimbo. She has a dark fire in her eyes and sarcasm that slides off her tongue so perfectly it leaves you wishing she had more lines in the film. 

The story follows the three of them as they each deal with the horrors of a haunting in their own ways. From the denial of Jim, the reluctant acceptance of Cynthia, to the nonchalant “Deal with it” attitude of Samantha we get to see just how the human psyche absorbs and handles reality when everything we have ever known is challenged and ultimately shredded by the whispering of spirits, the playing of poltergeist, and the terror of manifested demons. 

Just remember, Familiar Spirits can be called anywhere, and may show up at any time. So as the lights dim and the screen lights up with the Hectic Films logo, you might not want to concentrate too hard on that shadowy movement you just saw from the corner of your eye. 

A Familiar Spirit will have a Special Screening at Heroes & Horror Con III in Bakersfield, CA on September 10th, 2016

You can check out the event pages by clicking the links above. 

Ghostbusters (2016) Review

Should you watch the new Ghostbusters movie? Well, I can’t say for sure, but I can tell you that I felt satisfied when I walked out of the theater.

Sure, I went in with extremely low expectations, but I was glad to have those expectations exceeded because this is a franchise that truly deserves a little glory. Right, I know, the second one was about as bad as you expect the new one to be, but still. Ghostbusters!

So as we all did, I watched the trailers and then shook my head in sadness. All female lead cast? I’m perfectly fine with that, kind of looked forward to it actually. Melissa McCarthy though, you couldn’t find anyone else? Eeek, never been a fan of her style of humor or movies but whatever. The major point that made me question the film from the trailers alone was the lack of any real fright! The original had its humor but it also had its moments of pure scare that made it a great movie. The trailer lacked that for the most part, and I was worried.

Enough about the trailer though, let’s get to the movie review, shall we? If you are a fan of HBO’s Silicon Valley, you will recognize one of the actors from the opening scene of the movie pretty fast and probably grin ear to ear as I did. If you never heard of the HBO show, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter or have anything to do with the movie. 

This opening scene calmed my worry about the lack of any real seriousness in the film, it handled it in true Ghostbusters fashion, setting the scare with just the right amount of fright! 

Is the plot basically the same as the original two films? Sure. Are there enough differences to make it worth watching? Absolutely. For one, the lead cast are not carbon copy versions of the originals, they have a couple similarities, but are quite uniquely their own. Are the special effects a little too brightly neon? Not always, but most of the time, yes.

After watching the movie the only real major complaint I have is with the music. The original Ghostbusters had a perfectly blended mix of music and movie. Where the songs reached out, grabbed you, and pulled you deep into the film itself. The remake has a moment of that towards the end, and just as you start to raise your fist in the air and cheer, it vanishes in a blink, leaving you feeling a little hollow and unsatisfied.

I would recommend seeing it, although I don’t think it will make anyone’s top ten list of favorite films. 

Check out the Trailer below and you may note for the record, I do now have a crush on Kate McKinnon.

Six Feet Down Under (2016) Episode One Review

My apologies for taking so long to get this review out to the masses, after watching the first episode of Six Feet Down Under, I had to take a break to peel my man panties off the floor and take a shower.

Take everything you love about any Jason Bourne movie, and then trim away all the fat and boring segments that threaten to lull you to sleep, and you may begin to understand just how action packed and ready to please Six Feet Down Under is.

Guy Grundy brings the pain in a way that will leave you a little sore after watching, as you cringe and flex along with the action in the same fashion that you might while watching a mixed martial arts fight on television. Shaun Piccinino may be in need of a quick detach scope, but he excels at kicking ass and leaving without the need to take names for a second matchup. Aaron Schoenke was a bit of a surprise. I’m used to seeing him play some of the fan favorites from the Super Power Beat Down series, such as Joker, Nightwing, and even the web-slinger himself Spider-Man. Gone in this role is the slightly twisted sense of humor and wit, but there is something under that cool exterior that leaves you excited to see where things will lead in future episodes. Hopefully, we will get to see his fighting skills come out to play with the other bad boys of the series. Anthony Appello isn’t just a stand in supporting actor, he has the attitude, acting scraps, and imposing stature to be the yang to Grundy’s yin. Seeing these kinds of things really gets me excited. As one of my greatest pet peeves is a supporting cast that seems so throw away from the start, that you could care less if, how, and when they bite the bullet. Then we have Vernon Wells, of course, I don’t need to say anything more. Yes, he is still Vernon Wells, and yes you should be as grateful as I am to see him on the screen again.

All in all, Six Feet Down Under is for those of us who enjoy fast-paced, hard-hitting action. It’s not for those who are looking for a heartwarming story of a boy and his pony, saving a sack full of kittens from a tree. I’m not saying you’re wrong if that is your cup of tea, I’m just saying that once she goes to bed, you should fire up the internet one last time and go watch Six Feet Down Under before you follow your wife to bed.

Oh don't worry ladies, I'm well aware that there are plenty of action-loving female film nuts out there as well. Keep watching after the credits and you will see that Six Feet Down Under is not just a "Mans World."

Check it out now!

Dead Kansas (2013) Review

SYNOPSIS: In a post-apocalyptic land consumed by "Rottens", a simple farmer and his teenage daughter struggle to survive. Meanwhile, an unruly gang make a plan to kidnap and sell the daughter for their own selfish profit. With the farmer/gang confrontation, a wicked tornado approaching, and "Rottens" everywhere - who will get out alive?

Dead Kansas is a post-apocalyptic film that has a 1970's throw back look, with a twist of excellent writing and witty dialogue.

Although there are "Rottens", don't expect to see too much of the guts and gore of zombies that you might expect. Instead of special effects makeup and CGI, Dead Kansas mostly uses old school black and white point of view camera work to give the impression of the walking dead.

Starring: Erin Miracle, Alexandria Lightford, Aaron Guerrero, Michael Camp, Kevin Beardsley, Joe McQueen, and special cameos by Irwin Keyes & Ben Woolf. Dead Kansas can be found on Amazon Video

Trespass Into Terror (2015) Review

Trespass Into Terror is a fun little adventure into the backwoods, where the rednecks run rampart, and the reckless acts of carelessness can carry a hefty toll.

I'll just start off by saying, the camera work in this film is phenomenal. So very many different angles and shots that you would not expect from a low budget Indie Film. The main cast does a great job in acting, which is good, but also sort of brings to light some of the supporting casts inexperience. While it may take a little more imagination than normal to watch as a fan, it can also add to the atmosphere of the film itself.

It wasn't only the inexperienced actors that had a rough go though. From Shaun Piccinino leaning around the back seat of a car to make sure his face is always in frame or twisting off a missing beer cap with sound effects, to Jared Rice breaking up "coke" on a mirror with a once folded over dollar bill. At one point I had tears in my eyes watching Rickey Bird Jr. try to navigate through a loosely strung barbed wire fence with a rifle as if he were poking a hornets nest with a boombox playing Slayer at max volume.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Jesus is this guy just going to nit-pick every little tiny thing in a film?" Well, yes and no. See, for myself it was an added layer of fun in watching Trespass Into Terror simply because, I have met some of these actors before. So any time I can give them an elbow to the ribs in a loving fashion, I gotta take it.

The film itself is a great little Indie Flick, with some tricky camera work, a beautiful location, and good direction. The only real criticism of the film is that a couple of the supporting cast sound like they are reading off of que cards, but that just comes with the territory when as an Indie Filmmaker, you are kind of stuck with what you have to work with.

I must say, it is great to see D.T Carney in his natural element. The angry redneck, chasing people through the woods. There is no one that does it better!

Trespass Into Terror can be rented or purchased on Amazon Video right now! 

I Was There (2015) Review

I Was There is a short about one mans strange encounter that put his suicidal plans on hold.

Michael Voight plays Charlie, a man whom is at the end of his chosen journey in life, until he finds a mysterious box under an overpass, the contents of which can not be explained. Charlie decides to continue his journey in life and we see him progress throughout the years, happily and content.

There are some major issues that I as a viewer had while watching the short. The major one was that I had to go back and read the description of the film to figure out what it was about. The acting is great, the chosen locations, beautiful. Where the film stumbles is in it's narrative, or lack there of.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of film that doesn't hand feed you the plot with a rubber tipped spoon, but even this one left me scratching my head in bewilderment after the first view.

Does this mean that it is a bad film that you should steer clear of? Absolutely not! In fact, now that you know the plot, watching it will free you up to enjoy the amazing acting, gorgeous locations, as well as the artistic design of the mysterious box and the creature within.

I Was There is a beautifully captured emotionally artistic journey for the viewer that any fan of film should dive into without hesitation. Not only is it a master silent class on acting, but it also has some great cinematography lessons to teach us as well.