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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAIMEE: THE VISITOR \u2013 This low-budget science-fiction\nthriller from writer\/producer\/director Charles Band (Puppet Master<\/em>, the Gingerdead\nMan<\/em> series, the Evil Bong<\/em> series) follows an introverted computer\nhacker who doesn\u2019t like being around people. After code breaking and entering a\nsecret server, he discovers and communicates with an Artificial Intelligence\nProgram taking the form of a beautiful woman. The lead finds himself being\nmanipulated into committing horrible acts by the charismatic and charming software.\nFew have seen this picture so far, but a few notices from online reviewers are\navailable. They suggest the movie was definitely made on-the-cheap and doesn\u2019t\nprovide as much B-movie fun as hoped for, but that the performances are\ncompetent and that it should entertain those who enjoy the filmmaker\u2019s other\nwork. It features Dallas Schaefer, Felix Merback and Faith West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED \u2013 Artist and activist Nan\nGoldin is the subject of this documentary. Her work as a photographer and\nactivist exploring issues related to the LGBT community and the opioid epidemic\nis considered groundbreaking. Using interviews, photography, rare footage and\nmore, it tells her life story and details her work exposing how a\npharmaceutical company run by the Sackler family helped legalized oxycontin,\nresulting in more than 13 million cases of addiction in the United States (Goldin\nherself suffered from addiction for a period in her life). The film drew mostly\nraves from the press. A select few thought it attempted to chronicle too much\nand needed to focus in on one specific element to tell a clearer story.\nEveryone else called the movie powerful and compelling, showing the work of an\nincredible and empathetic figure who helped expose a major issue in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANYONE BUT YOU \u2013 After one great date and a brief fling, a\nrelationship between a man and woman completely implodes. When the lady\u2019s\nsister decides to get married in Australia, the lead is thrilled, but then\nrealizes her short-lived boyfriend has also been invited. They bicker intensely\nafter arriving, but realize that faking being a couple may land them the\npartners they desire. Of course, the more time they spend together on this\nruse, the closer they become. This rom-com was a box office hit but split critics.\nAlmost half complained that the plot was predictable, there was little onscreen\nchemistry between the leads and the jokes fell flat. Yet just as many and a\ncouple more gave the movie a pass. They liked the two stars and thought that\nthere were enough sparks present to keep them watching. It stars Sydney\nSweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd,\nDermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths and Bryan Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM \u2013 The latest superhero movie in\nthe DC comics universe has been reported to be the last before a new producer\ntakes hold of the line and reboots everything. This tale features the title\ncharacter spending time with a new arrival in the family. When enemy Black\nManta (from the previous adventure) returns to take revenge with a powerful new\nweapon called the Black Trident, the hero teams up with his parents to save the\nkingdom and his little baby. This effort was not particularly well-received.\nAbout one-third of reviews called it visually striking and thought the action\nand comedy beats were effective. Unfortunately, the majority stated that the\nstory felt too similar to the previous entry and didn\u2019t generate much\nexcitement or interest. There will be multiple editions of the film, including\na 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo as well as a regular Blu-ray. Jason Mamoa,\nPatrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen III, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Randall\nPark, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lungren and Martin Short headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BAD HOMBRES \u2013 An undocumented immigrant in the US struggles\nto keep his family afloat. To make ends meet, he and a day-laborer accept a job\nwatching over a nasty criminal taking part in a drug deal. When things go\nwrong, the two find themselves being targeted by numerous crooks and band\ntogether to survive the ordeal. Not a lot of reviewers have seen this\nindependent action film yet, but among those who have, reaction towards it was\nsplit. Half of write-ups noted that the movie relied on overly familiar tropes,\nfeatured underdeveloped characters and ultimately lacked thrills. The same\nnumber said that this was an entertaining B-movie with a good cast that\ndelivered some twists and a few darkly amusing moments. It features Thomas\nJane, Tyrese Gibson, Diego Tinoco, Hemky Madera, Luke Hemsworth and Nick\nCassavetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE COLOR PURPLE \u2013 Many are familiar with the\nOscar-nominated 1985 Steven Spielberg adaptation of the Alice Walker novel.\nThis picture is based on the 2005 Broadway musical based on the same story. It\nfollows an African-American girl living on a Georgia farm in the early 1900s.\nShe is abused and raped by her father, then treated horribly again when the\nparent arranges her marriage to another cruel farmer. As years pass, she\nfinds her self-esteem and builds a better life for herself. The press generally\nliked this adaptation. About one in five write-ups were negative, suggesting\nthat the brutal events being depicted felt out of place with the glossy\nproduction and up-tempo musical numbers. However, the majority thought it was a\nbeautiful looking and sounding musical with a great cast. They liked that it\nemphasized the leads rejuvenating themselves in the face of tragedy. It stars\nFantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey\nHawkins, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Halle Bailey, Ciaram H.E.R., David Alan Grier,\nDeon Cole, Jon Batiste and Louis Gossett Jr..<\/p>\n\n\n\n DON\u2019T SAY ITS NAME \u2013 A trucker driving through an indigenous\nreservation runs over and kills an anti-mining activist. Tribal police get\ninvolved and investigate the death and mining business, but end up probing a\nnew series of brutal slayings. They learn that the deceased person\u2019s spirit has\nreturned as a supernatural entity called a Wheetago and is seeking revenge.\nThis independent chiller from Canada was shot during the pandemic and made\navailable on streaming platforms a couple of years ago. It has recently been\npicked up for a Blu-ray release. A limited number of reviewers have seen it,\nbut they were all positive about the final product. The critics all asserted\nthat this was not only an effective monster movie, but one that had\nwell-written characters and much deeper meaning than a typical genre effort.\nThe cast includes Sera-Lys McArthur, Madison Walsh, Julian Black Antelope and\nSamuel Marty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DOUBLE BLIND \u2013 This chiller from Ireland deals with a young\nwoman who decides to take part in a drug trial. She and the six other test\nsubjects arrive at a facility and are given mysterious pills. It ultimately\nbecomes clear that there is a terrifying side-effect to the medication\u2026. it\nkills the user when they fall asleep. As panic sets in, the protagonist\nand other group members do all they can to stay awake and escape their holding\narea. Reaction towards the movie was extremely upbeat among the limited number\nwho have seen it. They all said that the film showed a great deal of promise on\nthe part of the production team. Notices also stated it was claustrophobic and\ntense throughout, leaving them on the edges of their seats. Millie Brady,\nAkshay Kumar, Diarmuid Noyes and Pollyanna McIntosh headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FERRARI \u2013 Enzo Ferrari is the subject of this period biopic\nfrom noted director Micheal Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, Ali,\nCollateral<\/em>). After retiring from the F-1 racing circuit to develop cars in\nhis homeland, the title figure finds himself in a financial crisis. In order to\navoid bankruptcy and prove the worth of his new vehicle line, he pushes himself\nand his drivers to compete and win the Mille Miglia, a 1000-mile race across\nItaly. Overall, the press liked this movie, but didn\u2019t exactly rave about it.\nSlightly more than one-quarter of them found the film aloof and uninvolving. A\nfew of them even described it as melodramatic and silly. Still, most called the\nmovie unusual but intriguing, presenting a fascinating story in an\nappropriately dramatic manner that was bolstered by some excellent\nperformances. It features Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah\nGadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O\u2019Connell and Patrick Dempsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FREELANCE \u2013 A retired Special Forces operative finds himself\nbored with his office job and decides to add some adventure to his life by\ntaking on freelance work. He agrees to act as a bodyguard for a journalist\nhoping to revitalize her career by interviewing a dictator. A military coup\noccurs after they all get together, leaving the three people lost together in\nthe jungle and needing each other to survive. This action\/comedy was panned by\nreviewers. Only two critics in North America liked the movie, stating that the\ncast were talented enough to keep them watching and chuckling. Every other\nvoice called the movie a complete misfire. They commented that there was no\nonscreen spark between the leads. They also wrote that the jokes landed with a\nthud and the action scenes weren\u2019t exciting. A few even noted that it felt like\nan action film parody, when clearly this was not its intention. It stars John\nCena, Alison Brie, Jaun Pablo Raba and Christian Slater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IMMEDIATE FAMILY \u2013 This documentary is from the filmmaker\nbehind the award-winning effort The Wrecking Crew<\/em> (2008), which\nchronicled the work of a group of session musicians in the 1960s (for those\ncurious, the movie was made in 2008 but it took until 2015 to clear the music\nlicenses and get it released). This follow-up to the previous picture details\nfour individuals who acted as session musicians on many of the greatest albums\nof the 1970s. The musicians converse about their work and how some of these amazing\ntunes came together. Artists like Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Don Henley,\nCarole King, Lyle Lovett, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Linda Ronstadt and Neil\nYoung share their memories and appreciation for the artists too. Every critic\nwho saw the picture enjoyed it. They called it a nice history lesson and sweet\ntribute to the great, unrecognized figures who helped make some of the best\nmusic of the era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I.S.S. \u2013 Set aboard the International Space Station, this science-fiction thriller follows a team of astronauts and scientists from the US and Russia stationed on the satellite. When a devastating war breaks out between the two countries below on Earth, each group receives instructions from their governments that they are to take over the orbiting spacecraft using any means necessary. The movie earned slightly more recommendations than pans from the press. A large number did note that after a promising set-up, the movie fell into a predictable genre routine and failed to deliver shocks in an effective manner. Yet a few more were taken by the cinematography, thought it was anxiety-inducing and liked the work of the cast. Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Masikova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbaek appear in the picture. Read this site’s review of the movie here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n JONAH \u2013 A journalist still suffering from repressed\nchildhood trauma begins taking on assignments involving paranormal phenomena.\nOne day, he and his writing partner head out to investigate a claim made by a\nyoung mother that her son was abducted by aliens who have changed his persona.\nTheir work on the case ultimately brings back memories from the reporter\u2019s past\nthat suggest something similar may have happened to him. This independent\nscience-fiction\/thriller was picked up by a distributor at a film festival last\nyear and appears to be debuting on disc. As a result, no one has seen it yet or\nknows anything more about it (or maybe they just have repressed memories of\nviewing the film). Whatever the case, interested individuals will have to watch\nit cold. It features Osric Chau, Alaina Huffman and Ken Kirby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MALUM \u2013 A rookie police officer believes that there is a\nconnection between her father\u2019s death and a cult. She learns that a station\nnearby with vital information is closing down. In order to learn more about the\ncase, the lead decides to take a late-night shift there. After going through\nthe files, the cop begins experiencing paranormal events and discovers the\ntruth about her family, as well as the cult leader and his crazed devotees.\nThis independent horror picture is a remake of Last Shift<\/em>, a 2014 effort\nfrom the same director. Despite its familiarity, it earned reasonably high\nmarks from the press. A small number described it as an overly familiar\nlow-budget chiller that offered little in the way of surprises. However, the\nvast majority called the movie well-acted and visually impressive, delivering\nplenty of squirm-inducing moments. Jessica Sula, Candice Coke, Chaney Morrow\nand Clarke Wolfe headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ONE-PERCENT WARRIOR \u2013 Also known as One Percenter<\/em>,\nthis foreign-language feature from Japan involves an aging martial arts movie\nstar. While on set of his latest production, he\u2019s interrupted by the arrival of\ntwo Yakuza gangs. When violence erupts and over one-hundred enemies decide to\ntarget him, the actor has to become a real-life action hero and use his own\nskills and lessons from the movies to emerge victorious. Not a lot of critics\nhave seen this picture yet, but those who have were delighted by what they saw.\nThey noted that the action doesn\u2019t really heat up until the second half, but\nthat the first sections are very funny. Apparently, when things eventually go\ncrazy, the movie is an absolute blast to behold. A few even suggested it was\nthe finest action film of the year. The cast includes Tak Sakaguchi, Sho\nAoyagi, Itsuji Itao and Keisuke Horibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n POOR THINGS \u2013 An eccentric surgeon discovers a pregnant\nwoman who has killed herself and decides to replace her brain with that from\nthe unborn fetus. He and his medical student attempt to raise the adult woman\nwith a baby\u2019s brain. Yet they, and those who come into contact with their\ncreation, are overcome by desire. In the meantime, the reanimated figure yearns\nto learn about the world and ultimately decides to find her own way, ignoring\nsocial cues and living freely. This drama\/comedy earned plenty of raves from\nreviewers and garnered a Best Actress prize for its star. A small number\nthought the characters were unrelatable, plot points were repetitive, and that\nthe filmmaker was being provocative without really dealing with the issues\nraised. Still, the vast majority called it a gorgeously shot and very funny,\nmaking important points about misogyny. They also praised the lead performance.\nIt features Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod\nCarmichael and Ramy Youssef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WISH \u2013 The latest from Disney Animation Studios is a fairy tale about a village protected by a King who possesses magical powers and can make any wish come true. A 17-year-old girl applies to be his apprentice, hoping that she can convince him to fulfill her grandfather\u2019s deepest desire. He sees the youngster as a threat and decides to imprison her. In the meantime, she encounters a magical star that helps her develop her skills and tries to fight back. The press was split on the final results, with the picture earning slightly more negative write-ups than positive ones. Those who liked it thought the animation was impressive, the villain memorable and appreciated that the story was fresh and new. Slightly more stated that the tale didn\u2019t pull on the heartstrings, featured weak songs, a predictable story and ultimately delivered too many references to finer Disney pictures. This film will be available in a couple of editions, including a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook (which is a Walmart exclusive) and a regular Blu-ray. The voice cast includes Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral and Victor Garber. Read a full review of the movie here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n THE WOODS ARE REAL \u2013 A Brooklyn couple pride themselves on\nmaking the right choices in life, buying the proper products and supporting\nvarious causes. However, they are challenged by a friend who has attended a\npilgrimage in the country and suggests they do the same. The pair agree and\nfind themselves in a remote cabin with nothing but analog devices. When their\nrotary phone rings and tells them that their personal records and bank accounts\nhave been drained, the two try to escape and reclaim their lives. This\nindependent fantasy\/horror effort appears to be debuting on disc and streaming\nplatforms. So far, only one review is available, so you might want to hold off\nuntil more people have seen it. The notice suggests that the picture is an\ninteresting attempt to emulate folk horror pictures out of the UK and suggested\nthat there are some sharp satirical elements. This picture features Matt\nDellapina, Chinasa Ogbuagu and Campbell Scott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also a busy week for older features receiving upgrades. Arrow Video is releasing a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray of The Shootist<\/em> (1976). This is the last film starring John Wayne. The actor plays a gunman dying of terminal cancer. He wants to quietly pass on, but many townspeople either want to finish him off or profit off of his name. It earned plenty of praise during its initial release and was directed by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Escape from Alcatraz<\/em>). The film co-stars Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, Hugh O\u2019Brian, Harry Morgan, John Carradine and Scatman Crothers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DVD-All-the-Beautry-and-the-Bloodshed-fixed.jpg\")
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