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20 articles
‘Sharknado: The Collection’ Review
1 hour ago
Combining Sharknado, Sharknado 2: The Second One, and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! – Sharknado: The Collection is a 3-disc boxset filled with shark-infested splatter-fest action! With the set due for release on May 2nd, here’s our review of all three Sharknado movies…
Stars: Ian Ziering, Jaason Simmons, Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, John Heard, Alex Arleo, Neil H. Berkow, Heather Jocelyn Blair | Written by Thunder Levin | Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante
When a freak tornado swamps Los Angeles, thousands of man-eating sharks are sucked into the swirling vortex, terrorizing the waterlogged populace and flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Surfer and bar-owner Fin (Ziering) sets out with his friends Baz (Simmons) and Nova (Scerbo) to rescue his estranged wife April (Reid) and teenage daughter Claudia from the sharks raining down from the skies. With nature’s deadliest killer ruling sea, land, and air, they soon realise that »
- Phil Wheat
‘The Phoenix Incident’ Review
7 hours ago
Stars: Michael Adamthwaite, Troy Baker, James L. Brewster, James C. Burns, Holgie Forrester, Karl Girolamo, Matthew Grant Godbey, William Goldman, Yuri Lowenthal, Elise Muller, Liam O’Brien | Written and Directed by Keith Arem
Strange and otherwise terrifying things tend to happen on Friday the 13th, at least according to superstition and a certain horror franchise featuring a machete-wielding maniac, but it was on Thursday the 13th of March, in 1997, that the residents of Phoenix, Arizona experienced a good deal of unusual activity. On that night, an unidentified flying object was spotted and filmed by thousands of people in both Phoenix and Sonora, Mexico, and to date, the strange v-shaped pattern of lights has never quite been explained – at least not in any sort of satisfying way.
Leave it to a horror movie to come along and offer up a possible explanation.
Written and directed by video game producer/director/engineer Keith Arem, »
- John Squires
Talking in Circles: Episode 106 – We Should Get Paid for This!
12 hours ago
Talking in Circles is a pop culture talk show/podcast where hosts Dan, Greg, and Chuck wax poetic about comic books, movies, television shows, and pretty much anything else in geek culture. Come for the witty banter stay for the exciting games, hilarious skits, and “crazy but true” news stories.
On this week’s episode we are bringing back one of our classic games: Sequel, Reboot, or Destroy. Some of the games topic include Batman v Superman, Con Air, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, M*A*S*H, and more! Before we get to that we have some reviews of London has Fallen, Son of Batman, and the Star Wars expanded universe book Mandalorian Armor. We also discuss the trailers for Doctor Strange and Jason Bourne. Make sure to stay to the very end for some special surprise.
Check out previous editions of Talking in Circles right here »
- Phil Wheat
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Elvis & Nixon’ Interviews
12 hours ago
Until February 1971, President Richard Nixon had meetings in the Oval Office unrecorded, unable to be called upon by him and his staff as well as those that came after him. One of those such meetings included the December 21, 1970 meeting he had with the king, Elvis Presley.
In a bizarre twist of actual historic events, Elvis Presley wanted a meeting with Richard Nixon in the hopes of becoming a “Federal Agent at Large” and carrying an official Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge. His wife Priscilla wrote that “the narc badge represented some kind of ultimate power to him . . . With the federal narcotics badge, he could legally enter any country both wearing guns and carrying any drugs he wished.” Well don’t we wish the same!
Liza Johnson directs this comedy, which stars Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley. Also in the film include Colin Hanks »
- Catherina Gioino
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: ‘A Hologram for the King’ Interviews
12 hours ago
Tom Hanks has become such a universal actor that you just can expect him to play any role and know that you’ll be entertained - even if one of those roles calls for him to pop a giant cyst growing on his spine. Blood and vomit aside, Tom Hanks shines in A Hologram for the King, a film directed by Tom Tykwer, who also directed Hanks in Cloud Atlas. The film, also starring Sarita Choudhury and Alexander Black, follows Alan Clay (Hanks) as he travels to Saudi Arabia to sell the king hologram technology.
The film remarkably combines excellent visuals with a depressingly lonely story of Alan, almost akin to Lost in Translation. What is so remarkable about the film, however, is that it has no agenda in trying to compare and contrast Saudi Arabia from Alan’s American culture; but rather, we see the world through Alan’s »
- Catherina Gioino
’13 Cameras’ Review
27 April 2016 9:01 AM, PDT
Stars: Pj McCabe, Sean Carrigan, Sarah Baldwin, Brianne Moncrief, Neville Archambault | Written and Directed by Victor Zarcoff
Newlyweds Claire and Ryan have just moved into a new house. Both are hoping Claire’s pregnancy will be the cement needed to hold their already fraying relationship together. Little do they know their marital issues are the least of their problems. For unbeknownst to them, their scruffy, sleazy and lascivious landlord Gerald has installed numerous miniature cameras all over their home and has been spying on them from Day One. Then Ryan begins an office affair, and the landlord kits out the secret basement with chains and soundproofing…
There’s something to be said about the horror genre’s ability to tap into the mood of society. 13 Cameras is the latest movie to in a long line of genre films that captures and reflects what’s happening in the “real world”… We »
- Phil Wheat
‘Couple in a Hole’ VOD Review
27 April 2016 7:31 AM, PDT
Stars: Paul Higgins, Kate Dickie, Jérôme Kircher, Corinne Masiero | Written and Directed by Tom Geens
John (Higgins) and Karen (Dickie) used to have it all. They had uprooted from Scotland with their son to a small, yet idyllic cottage in the beautiful Pyrenees Mountain range of France. However, tragedy struck by the way of a fire that not only left them homeless, but even worse; childless. With their life destroyed, the pair decide to shut themselves off from the rest of the world and live off the land and take shelter in an isolated cave. After Karen is bitten by a deadly spider, John is forced to make his way in to the nearby town in search of some medicine for his wife. Although desperate to save his wife, an apparition of his recently deceased son causes him to panic and he begins to retreat. Thankfully, local farmer Andre (Kircher »
- Mondo Squallido
‘Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #2′ Review
27 April 2016 6:16 AM, PDT
Written by Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby | Art by Brian Williamson | Published by Titan Comics | Format: Paperback, 32pp
Until reading last issue featuring the iconic Tom Baker Fourth Doctor, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the character in comic book form. I was an avid reader of the Dr Who Marvel Comics which featured his incarnation back in the day, and it was a delight to read a new adventure. It was an excellent first issue, the highlight being the excellent capture of the personalities Of The Doctor and Sarah Jane, and especially their relationship. The story, which played out nicely like an old episode of the show, saw them pitch up in Victorian London where people have been mysteriously disappearing. Teaming up with Professor Odysseus James and his daughter Athena they discover alien involvement and the mysterious Lady Emily, who kidnaps Sarah Jane to show her a stone statue of… »
- Dean Fuller
The History of Bad Ideas – Episode 121: Feeding My Tamagotchi!
27 April 2016 4:07 AM, PDT
Emanating from their studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, The History of Bad Ideas sees hosts Jason, Jeff and Blake talk about all things geeky on their podcast. Whether it’s rumours of the latest comic book movies, debating who really is the worst villain of all time, discussing the latest comic issues or just wondering about life in general, you are sure to have a fun time with them! In theory.
If you haven’t listened to the show before (why not?) you can check out previous episodes of The History of Bad Ideas podcast on iTunes and look out for new episodes here on Nerdly each and every week…
Episode 121: Feeding My Tamagotchi!
The Hobi Gang is without a guest this week but that just means more rants about Game of Thrones, the Flash never being the fastest man alive and time traveling with the X-Men! The guys get »
- Phil Wheat
More Spider-Man action in new ‘Captain America: Civil War’ TV spot
26 April 2016 6:31 AM, PDT
Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led »
- Phil Wheat
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Youth in Oregon’
26 April 2016 6:31 AM, PDT
What happens when your father decides that it’s time to end it all, that he’s tired of causing you and your family so much grief and pain, that he himself is tired of suffering and just wants, well, to die?
The implications of Youth in Oregon is far greater than what’s seen on screen.
Written by first time writer Andrew Eisen, the film brings us on a poignantly sadistic journey as we see Raymond Engersol (played by Frank Langella) suffering from some unknown illness as he tries to convince his daughter Kate Gleason (Christina Applegate) and son-in-law Brian (Billy Crudup) that they should let him commit assisted suicide, or euthanasia, in Oregon.
Well that’s a mouthful. While director Joel David Moore has been acting since the late ’90s and has racked up an impressive resume of films and series, this is his second directorial feature, but it’s hard to tell. »
- Catherina Gioino
‘Man Plus #4′ Review
26 April 2016 5:01 AM, PDT
Written by Andre Lima Araujo | Art by Andre Lima Araujo | Published by Titan Comics | Format: Paperback, 32pp
As I’ve pointed out in my reviews of the previous issues, this is on the surface a very derivative series, mixing up a wide variety of genres but also managing to blend them together into a nice, cohesive story. Anyway, one man’s imitation is another man’s homage, is it not. What makes this melting pot of genres work is to a degree the strong, though obviously still establishing themselves, cast of characters and the living, breathing city of Olissipo City. You always get the impression that a lot is going on in that city in the background, though we are only following the main storyline ourselves. It reminds me of that classic TV show intro, ‘There’s a million stories in the Naked City. This is just one of them’.
A lot happened last issue. »
- Phil Wheat
New trailer for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ offers a little extra tease…
26 April 2016 3:31 AM, PDT
Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-Men: Apocalypse, which stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Lucas Till, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, and Ben Hardy.
Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X »
- Phil Wheat
WWE: This Week in Review (Raw/Smackdown/Nxt)
26 April 2016 2:01 AM, PDT
This week we stay on the road to Payback in the aftermath of WrestleMania season. The roster has been shuffled up a little and some new faces are plodding around Raw, Smackdown and Nxt. Let’s see what this past week brought us, shall we?
Raw (18th April 2016) Results: Chris Jericho beat Sami Zayn via pinfall Enzo & Cass beat The Dudleys to advance to the finals of the Tag Team Tourney Baron Corbin crushed Fandango The New Day and Cesaro defeated Sheamus, Rusev, Del Rio & The Miz Natalya, Becky Lynch, Paige & Sasha Banks beat Charlotte, Summer Rae, Naomi & Tamina The Vaudevillains beat The Usos to advance to the finals of the Tag Team Tourney Apollo Crews squashed Heath Slater Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens
This week’s Raw emanated from the United Kingdom. While not on par with last week’s very good show, this week had some good parts, »
- Chris Cummings
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: ‘The Phenom’
26 April 2016 12:31 AM, PDT
The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival saw its fair share of first time filmmakers as well as returning and well experienced actors and directors. In an eclectic ensemble of actors, writers and directors, The Phenom stars Ethan Hawke and Paul Giamatti as they play the father and psychiatrist respectively of a rookie pitcher who loses his A game. Johnny Simmons stars as that pitcher, while Yul Vazquez plays his coach.
Performance anxiety, a pretty bad father, and relationship issues. What can go wrong, especially if you’re playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people who aren’t quiet about their boos? They demote you, and that’s exactly what happens to Hopper Gibson (Simmons) a rookie pitcher who gets demoted to the Little Leagues after completely losing his game.
The film was written and directed by Noah Buschel, who also wrote and directed Glass Chin, nominated for 2014 Tribeca’s Best Narrative Feature. »
- Catherina Gioino
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Poor Boy’
25 April 2016 11:27 PM, PDT
At your wit’s end and you have nowhere else to go, what do you do? Obviously, you become a thief and a robber, and eventually become so good at that that now other con-men start coming to you for help and you start robbing them.
Much easier said than done, at least what the cast of Poor Boy can agree with. First time director Robert Scott Wildes shows off his directing chops in Poor Boy, a film that follows two brothers as they continue a series of robberies in order to survive – until one day they come across a woman who threatens their home and livelihood. Faced with trouble with the law and with other con-men, the two brothers resort to making the greatest heist of all as they try to get away scot-free.
The film stars Michael Shannon as Blayde Griggs, Amanda Crew as Charlene Rox, Justin Chatwin as Jackie Clean, »
- Catherina Gioino
‘Game of Thrones 6×01: The Red Woman’ Review
25 April 2016 5:27 AM, PDT
“All I could think about when she died was what would happen to her now. every day, every night, what does mama look like now? Has she started to bloat? Has her skin turned black? Have her lips peeled back from her teeth?”
Cersei’s monologue about her childhood obsession with her mother’s corpse is ‘The Red Woman’ in a nutshell. Season 6′s melancholy premiere sets its scenes in desolate courtyards and silent harbors. Characters look down at their departed leaders and loved ones or ride through yawning canyons in pursuit of a vanished queen, their eyes fixed firmly on the past and all that they have lost. The camera lingers on wreckage both literal and personal. The ships that burn in the Bay of Meereen are a home placed beyond reach. The ragged fringes of hair Cersei fingers are the bloody wound where her pride was cut free. »
- Gretchen Felker-Martin
‘Speedy’ Blu-ray Review
25 April 2016 5:23 AM, PDT
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff, Brooks Benedict, Babe Ruth | Written by John Grey, Lex Neal & Howard Emmett Rogers | Directed by Ted Wilde
One of the three giants of silent cinema in Hollywood (the others were Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton), Harold Lloyd is well-known for his impressive stunt work (albeit overshadowed somewhat by Keaton’s own feats). There aren’t so many feats of physical daring in Speedy, Lloyd’s final silent picture, but there are plenty of opportunities to witness the actor’s not insignificant acting abilities. In a medium and genre known and often derided for its mugging, ostentatious performances, Lloyd’s face could convey nuanced shifts in tone. This is perfect for a low-stakes comedy like Speedy, during which a good chunk of screentime is dedicated to a day out at Coney Island, as it’s the little things that stand out.
Which isn’t »
- Mark Allen
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: Nicole Kidman & Jason Bateman talk ‘The Family Fang’
25 April 2016 5:19 AM, PDT
Just what do you do when your parents are performance artists and go missing? Are they crying wolf and trying to pull another stunt? Or rather, are they actually in trouble and need your help?
This is the dilemma Annie and Baxter Fang find themselves in, in The Family Fang. In Jason Bateman’s second directorial film since Bad Words, he stars as Baxter Fang, alongside Nicole Kidman as Annie Fang, the children of previously notorious performance artists Caleb (Christopher Walken) and Camille (Maryann Plunkett) now turned jokes.
Based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Wilson, The Family Fang turns to the unexpected, especially in terms of the pranks on screen as well as toying with the audience’s emotions. In a matter of seconds, you go from thinking “This is a normal family” to thinking “Wow, I can’t believe they got away with that.” Considering »
- Catherina Gioino
2016 Tribeca Film Festival: NY Shorts Program
25 April 2016 5:17 AM, PDT
Of the many films the Tribeca Film Festival shows, one of the biggest categories that often gets overlooked is the shorts category. Shorts are most definitely much harder to make considering their limited screen time and the need to fit a whole story within that time. Taking that into consideration, the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival decided to split up its shorts submissions into various categories, including New York Now shorts program.
This array of shorts all contained some form of New York City within them, whether through history, character, story, or anything in between. There were seven shorts in the program, and they are as follows:
Mildred & The Dying Parlor: Directed by Alex Gayner, starring Zosia Mamet, Jane Krakowski, Steve Buscemi, and Evan Jonigkeit; about a family who runs a dying parlor out of their home until an unexpected visitor shows up. Wannabe: Directed by Matthew Manson, starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, »
- Catherina Gioino
20 articles