Tag: VOD

The Alternate, A Movie Guide In How Not To Fix A Broken Life (in Review)

To watch wannabe filmmaker Jake fake being himself in another universe is not without its dark look into the mirror darkly at himself.

The AlternateUncork’ d Entertainment
Available to Stream on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
Spoiler Alert

Wannabe filmmaker Jake (Ed Gonzalez Moreno) is facing personal turmoil in the light sci-fi thriller, The Alternate. In the opening act, we discover this person has issues. He’s not feeling satisfied with his life. Since graduating from film school, he’s been making ends meet by producing corporate videos rather than pursuing the Hollywood dream. 

I’m sure some people have asked this question at some point: Is it possible to find that success that one has been craving all their life? The answer lies in what an individual will do to achieve it. To cheat at it often leads to trouble. Jake dreams of being a producer like Stephen Spielberg. He has a feature film in the works; Space Drive is an idea he’s having difficulty getting off the ground. Ironically, the title of that passion project doesn’t exist, since he’s not even made a proper pitch and proof of concept to shop around.

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In A Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, Who Can Survive?

Kingdom of Dinosaurs tries to honour the Jurassic Park formula. Instead of a thoughtful film, it’s more of a popcorn style B-flick in the same vein as a Michael Bay product–but minus the explosions.

Kingdom of the Dinosaurs

Available on Google Play

Kingdom of the Dinosaurs won’t fill the void that’s missing for fans of this genre. Jurassic World is over. In order to get a proper giant reptile fix these days requires searching digital services for indie works or simply subscribing to Discovery Plus. Scott Jeffrey‘s movie shows a world ruled by the said species, and humanity is just trying to escape becoming some behemoth’s next meal.

The year is 2030 and World War III has forced many people to hide. If they haven’t died from the radiation, then starvation will. After two years, one group is running out of supplies and has to leave their bunker to scavenge. Daniel (Clint Gordon), Drew (Mark Haldor) and Mia (Antonia Whillans) head out to find a world not run by humans anymore, and Louise (Chelsea Greenwood) is alone–she’s pregnant. This woman doesn’t sit around for too long since a non-moving target is easy prey.

But in what this group finds is a government experiment gone wrong. The dinosaurs they’ve created are loose, and they now rule the wasteland that was once North America.

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Star Light, Star Bright. What’s Hiding in the Ghost Lights Tonight?

We may well have the perfect found footage movie in The Ghost Lights.

ghost lightsArriving on Digital August 26
Terror Films Channel Sept 2 and Kings of Horror Sep 9.

I can’t help but wonder if writer/director Timothy Stevens knew about The Brown Mountain lights of North Carolina when he wrote the screenplay to The Ghost Lights? The idea to explain where they come from is great, but that’s not where this movie goes. Instead, his film takes viewers in for a different ride.

The flashbacks which make up the bulk of this film hint at something sinister about those lights. Cinematically, I particularly liked the shift to a black and white presentation. It gives the narrative a bit of noir.

The tale presented here goes beyond the smuggling of Mexicans across the United States border. The illegal alien agenda may suggest something else about these ghost lights. They could be a wormhole instead of just a signal flare. I’m merely guessing, but to wonder where Aurthur (John Francis McCullagh) went, and the people referenced in the interviews he’s conducted, is the mystery his daughter Alex (Katreeva Phillips) has to investigate. 

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Riki the Rhino Aims to Tease with its Conservational Message

Ultimately, Riki the Rhino is about how he can learn to hold his head up high with or without his signature snout.

Riki the Rhino PosterUncork’d Entertainment
Available on Google Play Beginning July 5th, 2022

Riki the Rhino can easily get missed when parents are looking for wholesome animated films for their kids to watch. Thankfully, this film can be streamed too, as it’s uncertain if every big box store will carry the home video release.

This work not only teaches the value of friendship in the same vein as Disney’s The Lion King, but also animal conservation. In order to deal with the latter in a non-violent way, the fights are no less threatening than what one sees at Spanish bullfighting.

It won’t win huge awards because CGI is less than stellar. The production and pixel art is similiar to the effort put behind A Turtle’s Tale, and that’s only because in other countries (Indonesia, in this instance), the production houses don’t have the computer render farms PIXAR has. However, in terms of its narrative, every word and action counts here.

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It’s Dangerous to Vlog in A Town Full of Ghosts

In A Town Full of Ghosts, the scares are light and the suspense doesn’t work.

A Town Full of Ghosts' Haunts Digital on June 17Available on Digital

Mark (Andrew C. Fisher) and his wife Jenna (Mandy Lee Rubio) are living in A Town Full of Ghosts. Believe it or not, these entities are the least of their worries. Instead, what they have to deal with is each other as they are alone. 

This cabin in the wood scenario is more like a town located far, far away from Route 66. However, they have friends along for this thrill ride. They have a cameraman Justin (Ali Alkhafaji) and his girlfriend Lisa (Lauren Lox) with them as they video blog about their work to transform Blackwoods Falls from a ghost town into a tourist trap off the beaten path.

The fact writer/director Isaac Rodriguez is examining this vlogger/TikTok culture gives this film some oomph. This subplot concerning Mark wanting to up his viewership drives at least half the film. As a result, what people are witnessing is his descent to madness. It starts when he discovers this town’s sordid history. 

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Want to Feast on Some Cold and Cheesey Tales From the Other Side?

Halloween is early with today’s release of Tales From the Other Side. This horror anthology has both light and devil-may-care B movie style frights.

Tales from the Other Side (2022) - IMDbAvailable on DVD and VOD

Halloween is early with today’s release of Tales From the Other Side. This horror anthology has both light and devil-may-care B movie style frights where three kids are left on their own to go trick or treating. Just who they meet isn’t necessarily a friendly old grandma.

This film created by committee is an idea that has its moments. And although the title sounds like the makings of a new franchise ala Tales from the Darkside, there’s significant differences. Alternatively, maybe it’s more like an EC Comics publication.

Neither does it bear any semblance with the audiobooks by Raymond Singclare Cobb or Heather Christie’s play of the same name. The only similarity is with how each independent work seeks to enthral and entertain fans of horror with tales of the supernatural.

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