The First Purge Movie Review

July 4, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This action/horror franchise, produced by horror master producer Jason Blum of Blumhouse, was started in June of 2013 with ‘The Purge.’ We next saw it in appear in July of 2014 with ‘The Purge: Anarchy.’ Two years later, the third in the series, ‘The Purge: Election Year’ frightened us again. The first film, starring Ethan Hawke, took us to the year 2022 where the Sandin family is struggling to stay alive as masked strangers penetrate the safety of their home. The intruders are threatening to kill them because the Sandins helped someone the intruders had the intention of slaughtering on purge night. It’s legal to kill for twelve hours during ‘The Purge’ and they have every right to kill this person. This legal murder is the constant in each of the films.

This concept was fresh, and the movie grossed 86 million dollars more than it took to make. The films continue to make more money than what they cost to make. The total budget for the four films has been 35 million and the first three have already brought in 319.8 million. If they continue to be a success, Blumhouse will keep churning them out.

This fourth narrative ‘The First Purge’ is the origin story. It’s about how it all got started. The writer of all four films, James DeMonaco, came up with a demented idea with this. It’s a bit disconcerting to think that the American people would be fine with their government offering them the chance to murder and they’d accept it… and then actually follow through. This film opening on Independence Day of 2018 seems calculated. This storyline is even more politically motivated than the others. I say this as there is what appears to be a hard to hide direct message to Donald Trump himself. This happens when a woman screams a particular line out to a man who is grabbing her crotch. I’ll let your mind wander as to what that line might be. The poster for the film shows a bright red hat with white stitching to mirror the image of Trump’s MAGA hats so, the message to the Trump administrations isn’t subtle. Don’t fear though. It won’t be so in your face that it won’t make sense or make you uncomfortable. Everything in the film will advance the storyline. As I mentioned, the government conceives of a way to off poor minorities without lifting a finger… by allowing them to legally do each other in themselves. Watching this in 2018 while living in the United States might make you wiggle in your seat a little more than you might have with the previous films because you can see where this could become our reality. Okay, probably not. Well… let’s hope not. The political landscape is crazy right now and the franchise took full advantage of that in every conceivable way.

The old political parties are replaced by the NRA supported ‘New Founding Fathers of America’ or the NFFA who are very white and want only the rich and the white to survive. They start an experiment of death with a $5,000 monetary incentive for those who stay on Staten Island and participate. The national debt has tripled and with this purge, they will have fewer Americans to cover which means more tax dollars to go into their pockets. Protests erupt with one of the main characters, Nya (Davis), screaming out against incentivizing the murder of black people but the poorer of the community, including her younger brother Isaiah (Wade), knows that the $5,000 they’re being offered can mean the difference between life and death for the rest of the year. Having a beef with a drugged out lunatic named Skeletor (Paul) he’d like to settle, and without his sisters’ knowledge, Isaiah participates in the purge. However, unable to find Skeletor, he finds a purge party instead.

When they picked Staten Island as a launching point, the behavioral scientist or ‘The Architect’ of it all, named Dr. Updale (Tomei), is certain that the people living in the boroughs would willingly partake. Since everyone was offered more money the more they engaged, she is more than surprised when the strong bonds of the community prove her wrong. With almost only Skeletor being the exception, people are not only not active but they’re dancing. This isn’t good for the government and turns out not to be too good for Dr. Updale either. When the residents show that the experiment wasn’t a success, it’s time for the government to make it look like it was by any means necessary so they send in their own people to fix the problem.

Through the night, we meet several more strong characters, chief among them, Dmitri (Noel) a drug kingpin who ends up losing his crew, not to ‘purgers’ but to gunmen for hire. The love of his life, Nya, is in danger and he’s out to rescue her and several others. When he does, there are powerful scenes that symbolize race relations in America. White supremacists and members of the KKK move floor to floor of the public housing project building Nya is holed up in, executing everything that moves. The lighting and camera work in this particular scene is the most entertaining of the film and will have you riveted.

There are several reasons to see this. If you’re a fan of the genre or of what Blumhouse Productions offers, you won’t be disappointed. The clear message to ‘never give up’ that is reiterated in several scenes and by almost everyone the government has taken for granted, should be witnessed. FYI, it’s stated at the end that it’s over but then someone says, ‘For now.’ You know what that means so if you’ve seen one, you might want to just keep going and seeing this on the Fourth of July? Why not?!

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Movie Review

June 22, 2018 (updated June 21, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

In the 25 years since “Jurassic Park” opened (on the screens of the world), there have never been enough people who dared to ask, “What could possibly go wrong?” Also, when they do ask that pondering question, the answer is usually “Plenty!” That is the case for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”, which is the sequel to “Jurassic World” and also a descendant of “Jurassic Park”. The little island of Isla Nublar never looked so disastrous.

When John Hammond and his business partner Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) attempted to open the Park many years ago, disaster stuck. The Park soon fell into disrepair. A new company took over and recreated it as “Jurassic World”, where new levels of disaster struck. Some people who worked there (and survived) were Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Dr. Henry Wu (B. D. Wong). Dr. Wu oversaw creating newer and bigger dinosaurs, and Clair was in charge of marketing. Owen was a wiz at raising and gaining the trust of some Velociraptors, including Blue. But the Park was abandoned when the dinosaurs all escaped.

Now three years later, a new crisis has arrived. A long dormant volcano is about to rip up the island and send the dinosaurs back to extinct status. But Sir Lockwood has a personal assistant named Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) who has come up with a plan. He wants to evacuate almost all the dinos to a new, safer island. Clair agrees to get Owen to help. They are also assisted by a couple of people that Clair works with at the Dinosaur Protection Group she founded to save her ‘friends’. Along with them are paleo-veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and IT genius Franklin Webb (Justice Smith). They are met by a large group of mercenaries led by Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine).

With the dinos running everywhere and the volcano about to blow, the team gets the last few dinos ready to leave. It is up to Owen to try and locate Blue, the lone Velociraptor. But before you can say bait-and-switch, the tables are turned and Clair, Owen, Franklin and Zia find that there is trouble afoot. The dinos are taken instead to a remote mansion owned by Lockwood in Northern California. Eli Mills has some other intentions for the dinosaurs, which all include making lots of money. He has been paying Dr. Wu to come up with more lethal versions of the dinos, and he is paying Wheatley and his team to get the prehistoric monsters back to the mansion in the woods. He plans for an auctioneer named Eversol (Toby Jones) to auction off each dino to the highest bidder.

Sir Lockwood has a granddaughter named Maisie (Isabella Sermon) who is fond of the sickly old man. But Eli Mills is a fiend who can kill off anyone who gets in his way, and he also threatens Clair and Owen. But due to some amazing timing, there is some monkey business that goes on the night of the auction. There are people running and fleeing many dinosaurs, because, you know… “Life Finds a Way”. Meanwhile, a Senate committee is in session and they are questioning noted chaos theory specialist, Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). He says, based on all that has happened, mankind will just have to get used to dealing with dinosaurs “Welcome to Jurassic World!”

Visually, this movie is a virtual treat. There are lots of great shots with many types of dinosaurs, and they all look fantastic. The level of the story, however, does reach the height of a Brachiosaurus. It is trite retread of the prior movies, with the added weird idea to take all the action from a large island, and instead put it all of the action into a confined mansion. The evil bad guys are portrayed over-the-top, even to the point of Wheatley collecting teeth from the dinos – like some type of serial killer getting trophies. The new characters do not add much, except they can scream on cue.

This series of movies has gone from “Jurassic Park” to “Jurassic World”, but now it got squeezed down to “Jurassic Mansion”. What could be next? “Jurassic Double-Wide”…

2001: A Space Odyssey – 50th Anniversary Re-Release Movie Review

June 18, 2018 Published by JMcNaughton

When 50 years goes by, and a movie released in 1968 is still shown in theaters, it must be a classic. That is the case for “2001: A Space Odyssey”, which is now a “2001: A Space Odyssey – 50th Anniversary Re-Release” version. The upgraded release is a throwback to the old days. Since this is an ‘unrestored’ 70mm print of the director’s groundbreaking science fiction epic. A true photochemical film recreation, this print was struck from new printing elements made from the original camera negative. That means; to see it in theaters with the 70mm print brings out the same experience as people had 50 years ago.

In case you do not know the story… There is a ‘Dawn of Man’ section that shows a group of humanoid apes that are brought in contact with a large black monolith. What is it? They don’t know, but it spurs on a understanding of how to use tools. A large bone comes in handy for killing animals for food, and other humanoid apes. But the bone quickly becomes…

A space transport shuttle going from Earth to an orbiting space station. A very slow and elegant process to land in the station is helped along by beautiful ‘The Blue Danube’ waltz music. Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) is an important guy on a secret mission. There has been a mysterious find on the moon in a crater. Buried deep is a large black monolith. What is it? They don’t know, but it sends a piercing radio transmission to Jupiter. Then before long…

About a year and a half later, a spaceship is headed to Jupiter, with a crew and supercomputer named HAL 9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain). The crew consists of Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood), plus three other members in hibernation. As they approach closer to Jupiter, the HAL 9000 begins to show some unusual strain. Bowman and Poole decide that the reliability for HAL is gone, and they will shut his systems down. But then HAL fights back. During a spacewalk, Poole is killed (as are the three other crew members). Bowman attempts to save him, and when he comes back to the ship – he gets the cold shoulder from HAL.

Bowman breaks into the ship and takes over the operations, but then he sees something. It is a large black monolith. What is it? He doesn’t know, but will investigate. The sequence turns into around 20 minutes of mind-bending visuals and an unusual set of events for Bowman. But in the end, there is a Star Child, who is in utero — staring at the Earth…

The End.

Sorry to ‘spoil’ anything from this movie, but you have had 50 YEARS to see it. So that’s on you! Stanley Kubrick decided to take a complex subject (meeting up with extraterrestrial life) and made the most interesting movie that could be made. In every manner, this movie is ground-breaking. From the visuals, to the production design, to the special effects – this is a movie that displays some gravitas on the big screen. Only the acting is a little stiff and wooden.

Also, when it viewed with a 70mm film created from the original movie negative, the visual are intense. You can even see a couple of places where there is a bad spot or two. But this adds to the authentic nature of how this was created. If there is any movie that benefits from a big screen and large frame format, it is “2001: A Space Odyssey”.

GET A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT DIRECTOR TRAVIS KNIGHT’S VISION FOR ‘BUMBLEBEE’

June 13, 2018 (updated June 13, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

Bumblebee (2018)

In Theatres December 21^st, 2018

DIRECTED BY:

Travis Knight

PRODUCED BY:

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy, Michael Bay

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY:

Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner, Mark Vahradian, Chris Brigham

STARRING:

Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, Pamela Adlon, Stephen Schneider

Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) brings his expertise in the world of stop-motion animation to Transformers with Bumblebee. By combining meticulous craft skills with cutting-edge technology, Travis showcases his ability to develop characters and inspire emotions through a unique storytelling vision that brings fan-favorite Bumblebee to life.

2001: A Space Odyssey – 50th Anniversary Re-Release

June 11, 2018 Published by Shari K. Green

Warner Bros. Pictures re-release of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY will be opening in Phoenix on Friday, June 15^th exclusively at Harkins Tempe Marketplace.

Widely considered among the greatest films of the 20^th century, 2001: A Space Odyssey will return to select U.S. theatres in 70mm. Stanley Kubrick redefined the limits of filmmaking with this film and cemented his legacy as one of the most revolutionary and influential film directors of all time.
Originally released on April 4, 1968, the film ignited the imaginations of critics and audiences alike and its impact continues to resonate to this day.

Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the seminal film, Warner Bros. Pictures is releasing an “unrestored” 70mm print of the director’s groundbreaking science fiction epic. A true photochemical film recreation, this print was struck from new printing elements made from the original camera negative. There are no digital tricks, remastered effects, or revisionist edits.
Christopher Nolan, a longtime admirer of the late American auteur, worked closely with the team at Warner Bros. Pictures to oversee the mastering process.

www.2001spaceodysseymovie.com

Hotel Artemis Movie Review

June 8, 2018 (updated June 6, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

If you put yourself into the year 2028 and you are in L.A. then the “Hotel Artemis” might be the safest place to stay. There are riots (over lack of water) out on the streets, and the hand-basket is full on its way to Hell. The problem is that the Hotel is about to experience the worst night ever, which makes for crazy, loopy movie full of odd characters and violent situations. Kinda like a normal day in L.A. The Artemis is a members-only hotel, which also operates as a make-shift hospital for criminals. But something major is afoot…

The person in charge is Nurse Jean Thomas (Jodie Foster), who runs the underground operation on the penthouse floor of the building, located in mid-town L.A. She is quick with a kind word and high-tech medical supplies that can fix up all types of bad guys and gals. There is an elaborate list of rules that all the guests must follow, the most important is not to hurt or kill other guests or the staff. When the other person on staff is the muscle-bound hulk called Everest (Dave Bautista), it is better not to get him riled up.

But on this night, all the valued guests are checked into their rooms. And each guest then referred to by the decor theme of that room. Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown) is an injured thief checked into a room with Pacific Ocean scenes on the walls. Nice (Sofia Boutella) has a bullet wound in her room with an Italian countryside flair. Acapulco (Charlie Day) is a loud and obnoxious arms dealer with a room that shouts Ole. Waikiki has a brother in very bad shape in room Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry), and he might not make it. But the final open room is going to Niagara (Jeff Goldblum) who is a major crime kingpin in L.A. — and he owns the building. He is also known as ‘The Wolf King’ because — it’s a cool name…

But this will be no ordinary night. There is a mobster in Detroit that is paying Nice for an assassination of a highly prominent person at the Hotel. Acapulco is attempting to get out of the country and flee from some bad deals he made. Waikiki and Honolulu are fresh from a robbery that has laid up Honolulu bad. They also are in possession of some precious jewels but these belong to ‘The Wolf King’ and he gets upset when they go missing. Nurse also happens to see a police officer named Morgan (Jenny Slate) right outside the back door who needs help. Everest tells Nurse it is a terrible idea to try and help her, and things will not go right. He is right, as usual…

When ‘The Wolf King’ arrives with his crazy son Crosby (Zachary Quinto) the wheels are set in motion, just before it all goes off the track. The people in the Hotel are avoiding the riots below, but there are plenty of violent moments up in the penthouse. Some of the guests will not survive the night, and there will be many blood infusions — but just as much blood spilled. Nurse has some deep secrets in her past, and the Officer Morgan helps her to remember the awful truth of her history. ‘The Wolf King’ has more to do with the Nurse’s tragic back-story than she first thought, and now revenge creeps into her mind.

The story is a little cliché and the concept a bit derivative of the “John Wick” universe. All the characters are mostly stereotypes, and only Nurse Jean Thomas has any real humanity in her story. Jodie Foster does a fine job with her portrayal of a shut-in with issues from the past and issue with any spaces bigger than the hallway. Every other character is pretty much a one-note look at a specific type. Dave Bautista does have a lot of fun as an orderly with pretty big chip on a pretty big shoulder. More likely than not, this set up would work for ‘John Wick’ just as well as it does for ‘The Wolf King’. But even as a copy of other ideas, this works out well.

Drew Pearce does a lot with the concept, even when it does not become fully-fleshed out. The idea is wild, and the futuristic setting has some nice touches. The characters are stock, for the most part — but everyone plays them with a lot of gusto. There are a few big fight sequences, and a much longer series of build-ups to the finale. The production design goes full Art Deco for the interior of the Hotel, which gives it a glamorous, yet old-timey look.

At the “Hotel Artemis”, you can check in any time you like, and only if you are still alive – then you can leave…

Solo: A Star Wars Story Movie Review

May 25, 2018 (updated May 22, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

At last, there is now going to be a “Star Wars” movie that will delve into the origins and back-story of one of the series most favorite characters. This is a guy who is a mysterious loner with a just a hint of being a scoundrel. You know who I mean — Boba Fett. No wait, it’s not about the Fett-meiseter? It’s about Han Solo? Oh well, here is a new Star Wars movie about one of the original good guys…

Back in the first “Star Wars” (some people want to rename to “A New Hope” – fat chance!), there was smuggler and rogue who was the self-proclaimed best pilot in the universe. Han Solo was at home in a “wretched hive of scum and villainy” on the planet Tatooine where he could shoot first at Greedo. His co-pilot Chewbacca was a big walking carpet of a Wookie who is Han’s best friend and defender. But how did these two get started, and what the heck is a Kessel Run, you ask?

Back in earlier times, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) was scraping around for a living with a fellow survivor named Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke). They both try to escape, and only Han makes it. He meets a con man named Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and his crew. Beckett makes a living taking other people’s stuff. Han meets up with a very hairy Wookie named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) who first wants to fight him, but soon figures out that they both want to get out of a bad place. They join up with Beckett, but a major job goes very wrong. There is a major gangster to whom Beckett owes a great deal of money, and now he is very short. Han comes up with his own idea of how to fix that. Plus he finds that Qi’ra, whom Han thought was missing forever, was working for the crime boss, Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany).

But they need a fast ship, and Beckett knows just the man. He is a rogue smuggler and gambler named Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). Lando has nice little ship called Millennium Falcon, which is the fastest around and good for moving contraband. Han and Chewy meet up with Lando, and Han tries to win the Falcon on the card table. Lando wins, but he wants in on the new heist. Han, Lando, Chewy and Beckett all go to a planet with resources, where they turn it into special fuel. It they can get the fuel back to Dryden Vos, thru the Kessel system, all within 12 parsecs – then you have new catch-phrase right there.

But which side is Beckett really on, and will Qi’ra still have any deep feelings for Han? Will the Rebel alliance on that little planet have any chance to get the help they need, or will Han keep only to himself? Are there any people who actually need to be shot first? Well, stick around and this movie will help you get the answers that you need. Maybe you did not know those answers before, but it would be more than enjoyable to learn them with this crew. Basically a space-based Western, with holdups, train robberies and outposts in the desert, this movie gets Han to wear a white hat in the end.

Alden Ehrenreich has a good deal of charm when he is playing Han. Woody Harrelson is a nice addition as a dubious mentor for the young Han. Donald Glover then really shines as Lando, and gets the most mileage out of the hot-shot gambler. Emilia Clarke and Paul Bettany play their roles OK, and Joonas Suotamo is really fun as everyone’s favorite Wookie.

Ron Howard deserves credit for taking over the duties for directing this movie, after it had gone a bit off track. But using the screenplay from Lawrence Kasdan (writer of some really fine Star Wars movies) and co-written with his son Jonathan, there is a good foundation for the film. And of John Powell comes through with the soundtrack, especially when he reuses a couple classic themes from John Williams.

So, the only thing left to say is – when that Boba Fett movie coming out?

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – Red Band Trailer

May 17, 2018 (updated May 17, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Release Date: July 6, 2018 (Limited) / July 13, 2018 (Wide)

Synopsis: In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe.

Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover

Director: Boots Riley

Writer: Boots Riley

Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles D. King, George Rush

Production Company(s): Significant Productions, MNM Creative, MACRO, Cinereach

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Distributor: Annapurna Pictures

In need of a new car?
Well, lucky you because The ‘SORRY TO BOTHER YOU’
OFFICIAL PARAPHERNALIA STORE IS OPEN: https://store.sorrytobotheryou.movie

GET BOTHERED

Facebook: Facebook.com/sorry2botheryou

Instagram: Instagram.com/sorry2botheryou

Twitter: Twitter.com/sorry2botheryou

Merch Site: https://store.sorrytobotheryou.movie/

#SorryToBotherYou

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In Theaters July 13th

http://www.fandango.com

Upgrade Advance Movie Screening

May 14, 2018 (updated May 14, 2018) Published by markdeli

Movie Screening Summary

After his wife is killed during a brutal mugging that also leaves him paralyzed, Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, PROMETHEUS) is approached by a billionaire inventor with an experimental cure that will “upgrade” his body. The cure–an Artificial Intelligence implant called STEM–gives Grey physical abilities beyond anything experienced, and the ability to relentlessly claim vengeance against those who murdered his wife and left him for dead.

https://www.upgrade.movie

See more advance movie screenings from tmc

Advance Movie Screening For UPGRADE

Find your chance to receive special advance movie screening passes below.

Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Wednesday, May 30th
Location: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
[button link=”https://goo.gl/forms/qhHlHs5Uv5pRiNIw1″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Get Passes[/button]

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Advance Movie Screening Information

To redeem a pass, simply click the Get Passes button. You will taken to our movie screening partner site (where you can sign up for a free account). Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to print out your pass and bring it with you to your screening or event.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

The Endless Movie Review

May 6, 2018 (updated May 10, 2018) Published by JMcNaughton

Sometimes a movie can sneak up on you and take your idea of reality and throw it in the trash can. “The Endless” can do just that. It can lift out your brain, put it in the blender, and hit ‘Frappe’. But when you are finished watching, you realize that the movie that you just saw has taken you on a trip into an alternate dimension Fun House. Be careful, you still might be stuck somewhere in the Hall of Mirrors.

Two brothers have escaped ten years ago from a weird ‘UFO death cult’, as they called it. Aaron Smith (Aaron Moorhead) rememebers things much differently than his older brother Justin (Justin Benson). Being far removed from that time, they both feel isolated without contact with the cult members. They are living dull and drab lives, and they wish to make a final closing statement to the other cult people. So they head back for just single night to confront them. But at the same time, Aaron thinks they might be able to take them back.

Justin and Aaron stop at the roadside marker that shows where their mother was killed in a car crash and the cultists found the two boys alone. The cult took them in and cared for them, and Aaron has some fond memories. Back at Camp Arcadia, Aaron and Justin meet with many of the people with whom they used to live. The group has no actual leader, but Hal (Tate Ellington) is the one who talks the most and explains things to them. But how to explain that 10 years have gone by, yet the entire group seems to have not aged? There is Anna (Callie Hernandez) who is sweet to Aaron and might be using her charm to make him stay. There is Tim (Lew Temple) who is big and brawny and might be an enforcer who can make people stay.

Justin wants to get going quickly, because he feels something is not quite right at the camp. The members of the group never leave, and there are very odd things that he sees. Gravity does not seem to work in the same way. The full moon is shown to be two moons in the sky. There are things that Justin cannot explain, Aaron is not paying attention at first, but soon he also gets the idea that there are unnatural forces at work. Justin tries to leave, and he gets lost in the woods.

Justin finds a fellow named Carl (James Jordan) and he explains some things to Justin. But he does not believe Carl, until he sees the results of what happens. There is an unseen force or an entity that is controlling these people, at the camp and in Carl’s cabin. Justin goes not he finds a couple of guys in a cabin where unusual things happen with time. In some areas, there is repeating loop where time is not advancing into the future. Justin and Aaron reconnect and both decide that it is time for them to go. But will they be able to get out of the mystery location, without a way to know what the hell is going on?

Justin Benson has come up with a story that takes you and gives you a very strange tingle of your spidy-sences. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead manage to not only direct the entire film, but also two play the two key roles. As brothers who had been able to escape the clutches of a strange death-cult, they return to find things were more bizarre then they thought. The story unfolds very slowly and methodically, with just enough unexplained images and dialog to make you wonder if the two guys are just insane.

For a very small independent movie, this reaches and succeeds far better than a handful of major Hollywood releases. It explores the presence of an unseen entity better than “Annihilation”. It takes a stab at displaying time loops that can rival the movie “Edge of Tomorrow”. It takes a clever look at what being in a cult can do to mess up the brain of young kids, better than any other major movie.

“The Endless” does a credible job of breaking out of a ‘cult status’ movie and being able to become a well-respected and interesting movie that will be talked about for ages.

In Phoenix, playing the FilmBar

Tag: Sci-Fi