![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Asteroid-City-01-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nASTEROID CITY \u2013 The latest from writer\/director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel<\/em>) involves the production of a stage play and the story going on within the fictional work. The show follows a group of teenage scientists and their parents arriving in a small desert town to receive prizes from the military for their work. After a very strange occurrence one evening, all attending end up being quarantined. The picture earned mostly positive notices, although those who panned it really disliked it. One-quarter found the characters and tone so eccentric that it frustrated them, and felt that the story didn\u2019t add up to anything. However, the rest called it gorgeous to look at, very funny and also felt that trying to identify the complicated meaning and themes kept them engaged. It stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Live Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Steve Carrell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe and Margot Robbie. Click here to read a full review of the picture.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n BABYLON 5: THE ROAD HOME\u2013 Anyone who enjoyed\nscience-fiction TV shows in the 1990s might remember Babylon 5<\/em>, a series\nabout characters working at an intergalactic space station. Located in neutral\nterritory, the setting became the center of drama involving political intrigue\nand wars between alien nations. This animated feature film is a follow-up that\nplays catch up with the characters and sets the main protagonist on a new\nadventure. After he is transported through multiple timelines and alternate\nrealities involving the people he served with, the hero desperately searches\nfor a way back to his own place in the universe. The film was made for the\nstreaming and direct-to-disc market, so there haven\u2019t been many reviews. One\nthat has been posted online states that fans of the show will be impressed and\nwill make them hope for more follow-ups. The voice cast includes Bruce\nBoxleitner, Claudia Christian, Paul Guyet, Peter Jurasik, Phil LaMarr, Bill\nMumy, Rebecca Riedy and Tracy Scoggins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACK LOTUS \u2013 A member of the special ops decides to ignore\norders while working on a hostage negotiation for hundreds of millions of\ndollars. His unusual tactic works and saves those being held, but costs the\nlife of a friend and annoys a mob boss connected to the crime. As retaliation,\nthe villain takes the deceased figure\u2019s little girl as a hostage. The furious\nprotagonist hunts down those responsible, vowing to not only get the youngster\nback, but end the criminal empire. There aren\u2019t many reviews available for this\nlow-budget action picture and most of them are negative. The notice states that\ndespite some nice Amsterdam locations, every element of the story is\npredictable and the movie generates little in the way of tension. Many noted\nthat they didn\u2019t even understand what the title of the picture had to do with\nthe events onscreen. It features Rico Verhoeven, Frank Grillo, Marie Dompnier,\nPeter Franzen, Rona-Lee Shimon and Magnus Samuelsson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT \u2013 Two narcotics agents are tasked\nwith finding a cop killer during a crack epidemic. When one of them receives a\nterminal diagnosis, he and his partner cook up an elaborate scheme. They make a\ndeal with their informant to have the officer killed in the line-of-duty so\nthat his family can receive hefty benefits. But things don\u2019t go according to\nplan and the two become targets of an internal affairs agent. Notices for this\naction picture are hard to come by, but unfortunately everyone who did see it\nwas disappointed. They all commented that the concept was intriguing, but that\nthe strong cast was wasted and that it wasn\u2019t well put together. In fact, many\nwrote that the end product was dull. Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl,\nKate Bosworth and Arielle Raycene headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FROM BLACK \u2013 A woman becomes a drug addict after the tragic\ndisappearance of her son. Several years later, she runs into a person who\nclaims to know what happened. After following his instructions, she discovers a\nstrange cult and learns that the price to pay for knowledge is incredibly\nsteep. Viewers witness how far she\u2019s willing to do to find her child. This\nindependent feature premiered on the Shudder streaming service and is now\narriving on disc. Overall, reviews were downbeat. A small number found the\nconcept chilling and thought the screenplay did a good job with the characters\nand depicting the agony of not knowing what occurred to a loved one.\nUnfortunately, the majority thought that, after a promising set-up, the picture\ndevolved into supernatural silliness and over-the-top performances. It stars\nAnna Camp, Travis Hammer, John Ales and Ian Casselberry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HOLY SPIDER \u2013 This multi-national co-production is based on\na true story and involves an Iranian journalist investigating a string of\nmurders in Mashhad. She travels to learn more and discovers disturbing facts\nabout the culprit. As it turns out, he is a family man on a religious quest to\nrid the streets of prostitutes. His crimes increase after becoming incensed\nabout the lack of news coverage he is receiving. Indeed, as the writer compiles\ndamning evidence, she becomes concerned that the public will wrongly embrace\nhim as a hero. This foreign-language film earned a lot of upbeat buzz. A\nlimited contingent thought that the message was contradictory given the way the\nstory and slayings were presented. However, the consensus was that the movie\nwas compelling, powerful and disturbing, all presented in an effective manner that\nwas difficult to forget. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani and Arash Ashtiani\nheadline the picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KILL SHOT \u2013 Looking for more independent action films? This\ntale follows an ex-Navy who now works as a hunting guide in rural Montana.\nDuring a trip in the mountains with a mysterious female client, the pair come\nupon a plane crash. Inside is $100 million in stolen drug money. The two decide\nto carry the cash back to civilization. But before you can say, \u201cThis sounds\nlike a really low-budget rip-off of Cliffhanger<\/em>,\u201d the leads find\nthemselves being pursued by terrorists eager to get their hands on the money.\nIt doesn\u2019t appear as though anyone has seen this picture yet and it is debuting\non disc and on streaming sites at the same time, so there are no reviews\navailable just yet. The lack of coverage suggests interested parties should\nproceed with caution. It features Rachel Cook, Rib Hillis, Bobby Maximus and\nXian Mikol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE MACHINE \u2013 Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer leads the\ncast in this feature. Apparently, a significant portion of his stand up\nrecounts his experiences 23 years ago as a college student getting mixed up\nwith the Russian mafia. This film recounts what happened and then jumps to the\npresent day. It seems the mob are none-to-pleased with the routine and kidnap\nKreisher and his estranged father. After being taken to Russia, the lead and\nhis pop have to figure out a way to escape. The press gave this effort a low\ngrade. About one-quarter of reviews wrote that it was fast-paced, sharp-witted\nand would entertain those who enjoy the comedian\u2019s work. Still, most complained\nthat it would not appeal to anyone unfamiliar with the routine and that the\nattempts at humor were clunky and ineffective. It also features Mark Hamill,\nJimmy Tatro, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Jess Gabor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NEFARIOUS \u2013 A condemned serial killer sits in prison\nawaiting his execution. With just hours to go before the end of his life, the\nman gets a psychiatric evaluation. The maniac tells the mild-mannered\ninterviewer that he is actually a demon. He also claims that, before the end of\nthe day, the psychiatrist will murder three people. As the time passes, viewers\nend up seeing if the killer truly is what he says. Generally, this independent,\nfaith-based horror picture wasn\u2019t well-received. A few complimented it as being\na solid genre effort that delivered plenty of tension along with interesting\nphilosophical debate. However, everyone else wrote that it was essentially a\nsilly and heavy-handed sermon that was blatant in its intentions and therefore\nlacked thrills or chills. Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi and Tom Ohmer\nheadline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OUIJA SHARK 2 \u2013 This micro-budgeted genre flick is a\nfollow-up to a 2020 picture about a ghost shark that gobbles up victims. The\ndeceased father of the protagonist from the first film finds himself trapped in\nHell after his run-in with the title monster in the previous entry. When he\ndiscovers that a sinister demonic figure is planning on unleashing the shark on\nthe entire world, the hero uses everything in his power to stop the evil plan.\nBack on Earth, the lead\u2019s wife and a medium try to make contact with him.\nReaction was all over the board, but this sequel earned more praise from online\ncritics than the original feature did. One reviewer thought it would only\nappeal to bad movie fans, but the majority wrote that the characters were\nbetter written than in the original and that the film was superior to other\nmicro-budgeted monster flicks. They also stated that it fully embraced its\ncomedic side and included a bevy of amusingly outrageous moments. It stars John\nMigliore, Deborah Jayne Reilly Smith, Kylie Gough, Simon Wheeldon, Lena\nMontecalvo, Lloyd Kaufman and (full disclosure) a very brief voice-over cameo\nfrom, well, me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SCHEME QUEENS \u2013 At the beginning of this independently\nproduced crime film, four female friends struggle to make ends meet. When the\nlead crosses paths with a Rastafarian smuggler\u2019s henchman who is set to sell\nsome diamonds on the black market, the woman hatches a plan and calls on all\nher pals for assistance. The group set out to dupe the henchman and take the\njewels for themselves. Unfortunately, all of the ladies begin double-crossing\none another, endangering all of their lives in the process. This picture earned\na limited release a couple of months ago, but there haven\u2019t been any notices\nfor it. Alas, anyone curious about the movie will have to go in cold and hope\nfor the best. The cast includes Brii Renee’, Ernestine Johnson, B. Simone,\nJacky Oh, Nicole Acosta and Sean Baker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE THIEF COLLECTOR \u2013 This documentary details one of the\nstrangest art thefts ever committed in the United States. In 1985, Willem de\nKooning’s painting, Woman Ochre<\/em>, was sliced from its frame and stolen\nfrom an Arizona art museum. The $160 million dollar painting disappeared\nwithout a trace for decades. That is, until it was recently discovered in a remote\ntown in New Mexico. Using interviews and reenactments, filmmakers tell the\nstory of what occurred and the unusual way in which the work was recovered. The\nmajority reaction from the press for this picture has been strongly upbeat. A\nsmall number took issue with the presentation of events and noted that it often\nwasted time on interpretive dramatizations instead of focusing on facts. All\nothers were fascinated by the tale, the unusual people who committed the crime\nand called the unique reenactments fun to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WRONG REASONS \u2013 A popular Los Angeles-based punk singer struggles with drug addiction issues between performances. Things get considerably worse for the star when she is kidnapped by a mysterious, masked individual. The event sets off a media circus, adding pressure to not only those directly involved, but also for media crews covering the story and officers searching for the artist. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma<\/em>) is credited as executive producer of this independent, low-budget effort that was shot in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. It has played at a couple of film festivals and is debuting on disc and on streaming sites this week. That means that no one has seen it yet and reviews won\u2019t be available for another few days. The cast includes Liv Roush, Ralph Garman, Kevin Smith, Dave Koechner and James Parks. Here’s a full review of the Blu-ray.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Babylon-5-Road-Home-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Black-Lotus-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Confidential-Informant-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-From-Black-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Holy-Spider-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Kill-Shot-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Machine-movie-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Nefarious-cell-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Ouija-Shark-2-pic.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Scheme-Queens-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Thief-Collector-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Wrong-Reasons-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Broken-Mirrors-poster-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Instinct-to-Kill-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Doll-1919-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Roman-Holiday-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/DVD-Only-Way-fixed.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n