Review: ‘Dead Envy’

Dead Envy

Release Date: August 24, 2018

Digital HD: September 3, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 11 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

Aging rock artist David Tangier’s (Harley Di Nardo) sense of identity is all but destroyed as he works cutting hair to provide a comfortable life for himself and his wife. His sound and age bind him to the rock of the 2000s when his band Katatonic Spin ruled the scene. David cannot tolerate that he has become a has-been. Taking one last long shot at maintaining his integrity, David sets out to organize the follow-up album that he never had the chance to make.

I was pleasantly surprised by Dead Envy. Most movies I have the pleasure of reviewing I try to go in with low expectations so I won’t be disappointed. Well, Dead Envy succeeded my expectations in all aspects. The acting, the storyline, the quality, even the soundtrack was pretty solid… you won’t hear many negatives (if any at all) from me. I really enjoyed how Adam Reeser portrayed the psycho-obsessed fan. He played the role great and honestly don’t think I could picture as anything else after this one. Harley Di Nardo also killed it with his role of washed-up musician, David, still trying to follow his dream. I don’t see this as a theatrical movie, but absolutely could see it being on TV or Netflix. Great movie for steaming. If you come across Dead Envy on one of those outlets, tune it. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Reel ROB Rating: 5.25 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Theatrical Release: June 29, 2018

Run Time: 2 hours 2 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

Sicario: Day of the Soldado, begins a new chapter. The cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war between rival cartels. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin’s daughter Isabela (Isabela Moner) to spark the conflict, but when the girl is seen as collateral damage the two men will have to decide what to do with her as they question everything they are fighting for.


I’d like to start by saying I loved the first Sicario. It had me on the edge of my seat from the opening scene and had my anxiety up to levels No Country For Old Men put me at. Easily a top 3 movie of mine. Anyway, when I heard they were making a sequel I was less than thrilled. I was worried it would take away from how good the first one was. However, since Sicario, I have been following Taylor Sheridan everywhere. Writing Hell or High Water and writing/directing Wind River with a new TV series Yellowstone. I liked them all. So of course I was checking out this one.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado brought the same intensity as the first movie. The action was raw and the acting was brilliant. Brolin and Del Toro are again, as good as it gets, in Soldado. Newcomer, Isabela Moner, was excellent as well. The movie turned out to be pretty politically charged with the immigrants at the boarder being the driving force of the plot. Soldado kept you on the edge of the seat throughout the entire movie. Just when you thought everything was going smoothly the whole thing flips on its head and all that was left to do was react. One of the most well done scenes comes as a group of terrorists enter a crowed store and blow it up. It is the few moments after the initial explosions that you see a mother and daughter slowly make their way to the door pleading the final terrorist not to do it. It is grip the seat kind of tension. And that is only one of many that leave you shocked. Taylor Sheridan leaves some loose ends for presumably a 3rd installment, which after seeing Soldado I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Reel ROB Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘A Wish For Giants’ Warms Your Heart

A Wish For Giants

Release Date: February 17, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 18 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

Sophie (Naysa Altmeyer) meets a kindred spirit in Roxie (Alexa Mechling), a young girl with an inoperable brain tumor and the impossible wish to meet Bigfoot. As if the task at hand isn’t hard enough, Sophie must contend with meddling from Derrick (Connor McClain), a fame-hungry classmate born into privilege from her graduate classes. As time grows short and pressures mount, Sophie must align herself with Derrick in order to see Roxie’s wish granted, even if not in the way she may have hoped for. Unknown to everyone is the possibility that there may be magic in the wish of a dying girl, and a truth beyond belief.

Going into A Wish For Giants, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The only other movie with Bigfoot I’ve seen is Harry and the Hendersons. When I was little, Harry used to give me nightmares… who knows why, but this would be my first Bigfoot movie since. So I began this adventure only knowing two things. One was, it was a Bigfoot movie, but not a typical Bigfoot movie. The other was, it won Best Dramatic Feature at a film festival and it is consideration for awards at several other festivals. I can certainly see why it won one award and is in consideration for more. A Wish For Giants was wonderful. It truly warms your heart. You can tell it’s a low budget film (i.e., sound and video quality), but that doesn’t change how great the story line is. I would love to see what a major Hollywood producing company could do with it. Reminded me of a movie you would find on Hallmark or Lifetime. It just had that feel. I think you’ll know what I mean. If you happen upon A Wish For Giants, it’s definitely worth the watch! It’ll leave you with a smile on your face. Now maybe I’ll give Harry and the Hendersons another shot… maybe.

Reel ROB Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘The God Inside My Ear’ – One Trippy Ride

The God Inside My Ear

Release Date: August 2017

Run Time: 1 hour 38 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

After experiencing a peculiar and sudden breakup with her boyfriend, Elizia discovers a world of conspiracies, strange voices and horrifying visions.

Holy ayahuasca trip, Batman! This is one trippy movie. Go into it with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed. This is certainly one of the better low budget films I’ve seen in a while. I believe the entire movie was completed in 13 days with only $8,000. Damn, that is impressive work! Linnea Gregg as Elizia did a wonderful job. Very impressed with her work. Although hard to follow at times, it had me going back and forth in my own head trying to figure out how it would end. It was certainly a bit of a jaw dropper, which is my favorite kind of movie so that helped make my decision on the higher rating easy. Can’t wait to see what Joe Badon produces next!

Reel ROB Rating: 5.75 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Battalion’ – Save Your Time & Money

Battalion

Release Date: January 9, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

After a war against an enemy from another world breaks out in the South Pacific, a group of freshly recruited U.S. Marines are sent to the front lines.

Save your money and wait until Battalion ends up on the SYFY channel at 3AM one week night and even then, save your time. The acting, the graphics, the sound, and the story line were all terrible. With Unlimited Graphic Design Service available, they could have created the best graphics. The story line was hard to follow. It had potential, in the beginning, but didn’t follow through. I sure wish I could get that hour and a half back… if I could, I’d spend it on another Infinity War session! Actually, you’re even wasting your time reading this. I wish I could find one minute aspect that was worth talking about, but unfortunately there isn’t. Maybe they were going for the Sharknado plan, where it was so bad that it turns out to be good… well, they missed there too. Battalion reminded me a bit of Starship Troopers, but much, much worse. Like a high school AV class version. Hopefully you’ll take my advise and skip this one and let’s keep our fingers crossed they don’t try to make a sequel.

Reel ROB Rating: 1.5 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘The Lullaby’ Definitely WILL NOT Put You To Sleep

The Lullaby

Theatrical Release & VOD: March 2, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 26 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

Chloe is overwhelmed by the birth of her first child. The incessant crying of her baby, the growing sense of guilt and paranoia sends her into depression. With a heightened urge to protect her son, Chloe sees danger in every situation. She starts to hear voices, the humming of a childhood lullaby and sees flashes of a strange entity around her child. Convinced that the entity is real, Chloe will do everything in her power to protect her son. Is she haunted by evil or is it just the baby blues?

Writing this review a few days after watching The Lullaby and we still can’t get some of the disturbing images out of our minds. This movie has a slight resemblance to Eraserhead (one of Scott’s favorite horror movies), as the plot of having a baby will have its repercussions. We found the acting to be really good, except for a couple characters (Chloe’s mom and the therapist). What we wish they had done differently is give a better back story on Chloe in the beginning because they gave us no real reason to root for her throughout the movie. Eventually they fill in the blanks on her story, but some more info in the beginning, we feel, would have been better.

We all agreed, The Lullaby could certainly be a straight to Netflix movie. Not a movie we would pay to see, but worth the one time watch for sure! With it being a struggle to find a good horror movie these days, The Lullaby is slightly above average.

Reel ROB Rating: 6.25 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

 

Review: ‘Surge Of Power: Revenge Of The Sequel’

Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel

Theatrical Release (Select Theaters): February 23, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Reviewed By: Adam

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Time has passed since Surge’s first big screen adventure. Surge has settled in as Big City’s superhero. His nemesis, the Metal Master, is out of jail again, trying to reconcile with his estranged parents (played by Linda Blair and Gil Gerard). Are they more concerned about their son being gay than being a supervillain? Metal Master is tempted to continue a life of crime by Augur (Eric Roberts), old arch enemy of Omen, the sage superhero from the first movie (played by Robert Picardo and Nichelle Nichols). Augur sends Metal Master on a mission to Las Vegas for a strange crystal with unique properties key to Augur’s diabolical scheme. Surge tracks Metal Master to Las Vegas and is out of his element in a strange town. Surge is soon aided by local college students, Wendy, Marvin and Todd, deploying their own talents to help Surge uncover Metal Master’s activities, which also puts Surge in awkward situations. Cut off from his support in Big City and in need of more help, Surge activates the artificial intelligence in his high-tech car, the Surgemobile (portrayed first by Bruce Vilanch, six-time Emmy Award winner, comedian and writer, and later another artificial intelligence personality played by Shannon Farnon, Wonder Woman from the Super Friends!). Their search leads them to famous Las Vegas headliner, Frank Marino, whose penchant for fine jewelry like this custom mens wedding ring allows Frank to recognize the crystals – precious Celinedioium! Frank guides Surge and his new friends. Surge faces off with Metal Master on the Hoover Dam, imperiling California, Nevada and Arizona. Metal Master escapes, leaving Surge with catastrophe to avert.

A short repast allows Surge some downtime while Todd shows him around Las Vegas. Their quiet time is interrupted by further news on the Metal Master. Augur and Metal Master realize Surge and his friends frustrated their plan. An infuriated Augur confronts Surge, causing Omen to step into the fray, sending Surge and the Surgemobile elsewhere while he/she grapples with his/her nemesis. Meanwhile, Metal Master faces an even greater challenge – his disapproving parents.

Unbeknownst to Surge, Augur is part of a supervillain community, The Council, each member of which is as powerful as Omen, and stirred to emerge from the shadows after many years of peace with Omen and her cronies. Find out what happens next with cinema’s first out gay superhero when an array of legendary superheroes and villains clash, with more zany antics in this all-ages, light-hearted, star-studded sequel!

I was having this discussion with Scott recently about how movies now a days are trying way too hard to be really artsy and there isn’t as many mindless action/comedy movies anymore. Well, Surge brings that back! Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a burn on Surge at all. It made it more enjoyable. Not going to lie… after I watched the trailer for Surge, I was a little worried it was going to be really lame and corny. It did have it’s corny moments, but that didn’t stop this one from being a fun watch. You could tell director, Vince Roth was going for the Adam West Batman vibe to this movie. In my eyes, it was a terrific idea! Loved the throwback look. My hands down favorite part of this movie were all of the cameos! So many former actors that played super heroes “came out” for Surge. It was fantastic. This is what the made the movie so fun to watch. Who will show up next!? If you’re a fan of super hero movies, Surge is certainly worth the watch. Be careful though because you may just “get the urge, to surge!”

After watching Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel, we were able to have a little Q&A with Director and lead actor, Vince Roth. *WARNING – SPOILERS!*

Q: What gave you the idea of Surge?

A: I grew up watching the “Super Friends” cartoon, which is where I developed my penchant for the superhero genre. In my adult years, I made a lot of costumes of other people’s characters, which has now become its own thing called “cosplay.” Then in my professional life, as a corporate attorney for a high-tech company, the marketing department created a superhero character for one of its marketing campaigns called “Commander X.” I made, at that time, what was my piece de resistance of costumes and the company liked it so much, that when trade shows came around, they would transfer me out of the legal department and into the marketing department and send me off to be the living embodiment of Commander X. It was at a trade show that I decided I should do something with a character of my own. Surge had been in my head for many years, and the movie was a vehicle for me to bring Surge to life.

Q: Will Surge be making any Comic Con appearances?

A: Surge typically shows up at San Diego Comic Con and Salt Lake Comic Convention. In fact, many of the celebrity interviews and many of the celebrities who came on board from the sequel are as a result of Salt Lake Comic Convention. We’re just now finishing the theatrical run, and I’m still pretty busy with distribution for the sequel at the moment, but when time permits, I’ll see what cons we can have Surge show up.

Q: Were you able to get any superhero tips from the one and only Stan Lee?

A: I barely met Stan Lee only once, but was not able to discuss Surge of Power or anything for that matter, he was so busy. But, if he is not prevented by MARVEL from doing cameos in other movies, we’ll invite him to join us.

Q: How did you get so many big names to make cameo appearances?

A: We had 20 cameos in the first movie, and our 3 featured celebrities from the first movie all came back for the sequel – Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek’s Uhura), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) and the late Noel Neill (Lois Lane from Adventures of Superman). This gave a lot of credibility to the sequel. We’ve developed a shtick with having celebrities show up, kind of like the also campy Batman TV show from the 60s. So, it’s a staple in our world of Big City to have celebrities. In the sequel, we take it even farther, by having celebrities cast in dramatic roles, not just cameos, throughout the movie.

Q: Were you going for an Adam West Batman type look with the quality?

A: Yes, I knew that if I was going to introduce a new superhero, especially an indie movie, I would need to differentiate our world. There hadn’t yet been an openly gay superhero on the big screen, so that became my mission and decided to use comedy as a platform, because humor has been an effective vehicle for gay characters to be accepted by mainstream audiences. Look at the success of “Will and Grace” for example, which,
incidentally, was brought back after 10 years, so why can’t Surge return after a lengthy
hiatus. Camp is a common trope in gay entertainment, and a natural superhero parallel is the campy Adam West Batman TV show. Both Surge of Power movies have a similar campy flavor as the 60s Batman. We’re not shy about it. There’s even a line Bruce Vilanch
delivers that homages Batman when he tells Surge, “that cape is a throwback to the 60s.”
The inspiration from Batman is noticeable, and I think we added our own flare in our
contributions to the superhero genre.

Q: Why did it take so many years for a Surge sequel?

A: Homophobia is why it took so long. There were some people who really did not want this movie to be made, which made it all that much more important for me to get it done. Pixar’s “The Incredibles” was released in 2004 and its sequel is due out later this year, 2018, which is 14 years, so I think we’re still within range for superhero movies, haha. The first movie, “Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes,” started screening in 2004 and was released in 2006. I was busy promoting the first movie at cons for a few years before I was talked into embarking on the sequel, but homophobia and life interruptions caused us to put the sequel on hold for several years. This actually turned out to be a blessing, because it allowed us to improve on scenes not yet shot, expand the script to add new scenes, and, of course, we went gangbusters on celebrities, putting them in roles throughout the movie from start to finish, and we enlisted a lot more focus group feedback to give the audience what it wanted. So, the delays allowed us to arrive at a better end result and audiences are enjoying it.

Q: We saw the post credit teaser scene… is there another Surge in the works?

A: We actually have already shot scenes with Nichelle Nichols as Omen for the third movie, “Surge of Power: Call of the Champions,” and for our web series, “Big City Chronicles.” There is a little sneak peek of Nichelle on set for “Call of the Champions” that is on the Blu-Ray and DVD as a Special Feature that runs for almost 5 minutes. So, Nichelle will appear as Omen throughout all Surge of Power projects. We also have already shot a handful of cameos for “Call of the Champions.” Now, how many years it takes me to actually make the whole movie, remains to be seen, but, folks can keep an eye on our activities and our progress by watching “Big City Chronicles” episodes, which is a variety show consisting of celebrity interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at all the movies, sneak peeks and new mini adventures of Surge. Keep an eye out at www.surgeofpower.org

Reel ROB Rating: 5.25 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: Yes

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘The Misguided’

The Misguided

Theatrical Release: January 26, 2018

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

University dropout Levi (Caleb Galati) is a young man incapable of holding down a steady job and has a reputation of taking advantage of his romantic partners for his own selfish reasons, especially in gaining financial support. Having suddenly become single and homeless, he begrudgingly has to approach his overbearing big brother Wendel (Steven J. Mihaljevich) for temporary help with a place of residence until he can sort out his troubled relationship. Wendel truly loves Levi, and is a captivating and manipulating personality with a special talent of drawing others toward him. He has big dreams for himself but is ill equipped to fulfil any of them, being a drug addict and part time dealer with a deficient memory. He also struggles with personal sexual and mental issues and a fear of loneliness. Shortly after lodging with his brother, Levi begins a romance with his Wendel’s ex-girlfriend Sanja (Jasmine Nibali), and plans to start a new independent life for himself with his partner in a new city to finally become self-sufficient. But when he learns of a deadly predicament Wendel faces, his loyalties between those closest to him and his sense of familial duty become divided, and a reciprocal sense of duty to assist his bro results in a tricky scheme of subterfuge.

When we first heard about The Misguided, we kept reading how this would be Katherine Langford‘s (13 Reasons Why) first film role. This got us extremely excited as we loved her in the Netflix hit. Well, we found ourselves disappointed on this end because although, yes, it was her first film role, it was a very minute role with very few scenes.  Jasmine Nibali did however do a spectacular job as the lead woman. Between Nibali and Mihaljevich the acting was far better than expected. We found ourselves really enjoying Nibali and couldn’t get enough of Mihaljevich‘s dark story. The premise of The Misguided is great! Feels as though you are watching an in-depth documentary. A classic story between love and family. We didn’t see the ending coming either. Those however, are the only few things we liked about The Misguided. We found it extremely hard to follow. It was very jumpy and things weren’t cleared up before they threw us into the next scene… and we get that’s what Shannon Alexander was going for, but it just didn’t work for us. With a few tweaks and (in our opinion) a little more Katherine Langford, The Misguided had potential to be a top movie this year. If we were to give it a second watch, we do think we’d understand A LOT more. Thus making it more enjoyable (even earning a higher rating from us), but it doesn’t seem likely we’ll be getting around to that anytime soon…

Reel ROB Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: Get Entangled In ‘Entanglement’

Entanglement

Theatrical Release: February 9, 2018

Available On Demand & Digital HD: February 9, 2018

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

While searching for the meaning of his existence, Ben Layten (Thomas Middleditch) uncovers a family secret that leads him to a woman named Hanna… But when he and Hanna (Jess Weixler) inadvertently fall in love, his life becomes increasingly and strangely complicated. Ben starts to realize that everything is amazingly and incredibly connected – and that the world might just be more inexplicable than he ever imagined.

Thomas Middleditch (yes, the guy from the Verizon commercials) nails the role of hopeless moper. Thomas takes Ben’s story of wanting to give up on life and trying to figure out where it all went wrong and makes it entirely relate-able. So much so, that it caused us to become completely invested in his story and rooting for him to find the answers he was looking for. To continue on the acting, Jess Weixler as Hanna was absolutely captivating! We became as fixated on her as Ben. We can’t leave out Diana Bang either. Shout out to whomever put the cast together on this one. They didn’t miss.

Part of the plot was, every decision you make splits into many parallel universes. This is something we LOVED! We’ve heard theories on this throughout the years and its a theory we always get caught up in. To think there is a parallel universe out there that took the path we didn’t choose blows our minds because we can totally see it. Just imagine, there is a parallel universe somewhere out there and Reel Reviews Over Brews is writing about how much they hated this movie. It made us even more invested in Entanglement.

There were a few scenes that were taken over by images of fantasy. We wish the director had stayed away from this and stayed more grounded to reality… although we do understand why Jason James did this, it just felt unnecessary.

With that being said, we really enjoyed this movie and believe it’ll be very easy for viewers to become “entangled” in Entanglement.

Reel ROB Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Stratton’… Your Typical Mindless Action Movie

Stratton

Theatrial Release: January 5, 2018

Available On Demand & Digital HD: January 5, 2018

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Stratton (based on the novel series of the ​same name), a Special Boat Service operative for MI6, and his American counterpart Marty, scope a laboratory complex in Iran in order to intercept deadly biochemical weapons. This most complex of missions goes spectacularly wrong however and in the mayhem Marty (Tyler Hoechlin) is mortally wounded. Stratton (Dominic Cooper) knows his trusted friend isn’t going to make it. Back at base Stratton is summoned by the big boss at MI6 (Connie Nielsen). She has received intel that a former Soviet operative, Barovski (Thomas Kretschmann), has gone rogue. Thought to be dead for the last 20 years, it is believed Barovski has plans to take revenge on his former paymasters by using stolen chemical weapons. From hereon in, Stratton and his team (Austin Stowell, Gemma Chan, Jake Fairbrother, & Tom Felton) must draw on all their training and experience to race against time and stop the unimaginable happening.

Stratton is your typical mindless action movie. Reminded us of a lower budget James Bond or Jason Bourne. We found ourselves getting caught up in the plot (at the time), but in a few days we’re sure it will blend into every other movie that’s similar and we’ll forget exactly what the plot was. It was nice seeing Malfoy (Tom Felton) in another movie, that isn’t Harry Potter, but it did lead us to make assumptions about his character in Stratton (and we weren’t too far off). Also in reference to the acting, Gemma Chan… give her more scenes! That certainly wouldn’t have disappointed us if she was more involved.

We’d recommend waiting for Stratton to hit Netflix or a free movie channel as opposed to paying to see it in theaters or renting through On Demand, but we do suggest giving it a watch. And to be honest, we wouldn’t be opposed to seeing a sequel.

Reel ROB Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘The Family I Had’

The Family I Had

Release Date: December 21, 2017 at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Charity walks a fine line between love and fear of her son Paris. It’s been ten years since he killed her daughter and she is left questioning his chance at redemption and her ability to forgive. We peel back the layers to reveal a family history previously marked by intra-family violence as she embraces motherhood for a third time with a new baby boy. Widely varying accounts from family members concerning how this tragedy came about crossed with intimate family videos, diaries and other personal media render a deeply nuanced and complicated portrait of a broken family striving to overcome the unthinkable.

The Family I Had grabs your attention from the first 5 minutes and doesn’t look back. It takes a look into the lives of Charity and Paris Bennett. Paris murdered his younger sister, Ella, when he was 13 and is currently in prison for 20 years until he can be released. In the mean time, Charity has been trying to figure out why. This is the question that follows throughout the movie and every stone uncovered leads to more questions of what Paris’s motive was or even if he is really as empathetic as he seems in the interviews.

If you are a fan of crime documentaries, then this one is a must see. We don’t see a need to watch any more than once, but it’s definitely worth the initial watch. It would have been informative to hear from the psychologists working with Paris (or at least a written statement) explaining to the viewers what a sociopath diagnosis is and how what Paris was presenting to the camera (a high level of empathy and regret) is not true to that diagnosis.

By the end of The Family I Had we were wondering how Paris will actually be upon his release. Will he be true to his word? Or are Charity and her new son, Phoenix, in danger of a repeat from the past. Only time will tell.

Reel ROB Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Gridlock’

Gridlock

Release Date: March 2016

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Gridlock is an Irish spin on an American style thriller, set during a traffic jam on a narrow country road. When Eoin’s young daughter Emma goes missing from their car, he forms a desperate search party to find her, and soon everyone is a suspect.

The last of the short films we have been reviewing, Gridlock is another home run! Like Penalty and Lost Face, Gridlock is also up for an Oscar nomination. This short film is roughly 20 minutes long and we certainly wish it had been a feature length because it had us from the beginning. Trying to figure out what happened to Eoin’s daughter and thinking that each character was more suspect than the last. Gridlock is a thrill from start to finish. Like the last few, we don’t want to give away too much, but this is another MUST SEE! Good luck to whoever has to decide which shorts will receive Oscar nominations… because we believe all three could take the cake. Gridlock, however, was our favorite. It had us locked into our seat, causing us to leave work late on a Friday to see the end. So we watched a movie about a traffic jam which then caused us to be in a traffic jam… totally worth it!

Reel ROB Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Lost Face’

Lost Face

Release Date: September 14, 2016

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

This award-winning short is based on Jack London’s short story.

In mid-1800’s Russian America, Subienkow finds himself the second-to-last survivor of a group of Russian fur-thieves who have just been defeated by liberators from the local tribe they have enslaved as forced labour. Now Subienkow faces a long, protracted and painful death unless he can come up with a plan for escape.

Subienkow calls over the tribe’s chief, Makamuk, and he begins to bargain…

Lost Face is another one of the shorts we’ve recently watched that is up for an Oscar nomination. This movie grabs you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. We found ourselves wishing that it was a full length movie. Lost Face is about one survivor/prisoner trying to bargain for his life. We felt the whole time as though this could be the original con man. Now that we know this is based on a short story, you better believe we’ll be finding it to read on our next flight. Again, we don’t want to say too much and give away the whole movie, but we’ll be extremely surprised if Lost Face doesn’t get the Oscar nomination, yet alone win the whole thing. Another movie that if you have 15 minutes to spare and want to be on the edge of your seat the entire time, you need to go watch NOW!

Reel ROB Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Penalty’

Penalty

Release Date: September 23, 2016

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Aldo Iuliano’s award winning drama Penalty has been making waves in the film world, as this wonderful film has received nearly thirty awards and has been selected for five Academy qualifying Film Festivals. Penalty shares the story of a group of guys playing football in the middle of nowhere. There is a much more than a simple victory at stake.

Penalty is one of three short movies we’ve recently watched that are up for Oscar nominations. It’s no surprise why they are all up for nominations either. Penalty starts off a little tough to follow with a bunch of guys playing soccer, but something seems to be a little different… and that is the only reason why we rated it a little lower than the other two shorts. About halfway through is when it all begins to make sense. It’s amazing that in just 15 minutes you can feel like a movie is so complete. There are movies that are two to three hours long that don’t do that. What is even more amazing is none of the actors in this movie were profession actors… they were just guys that the director got to know by living alongside of them. Makes it even more amazing that it turned out so well. We don’t want to give away too much from any of these movies so our reviews will be a little shorter than normal, but if you have 15 minutes to spare, you should absolutely see Penalty.

Reel ROB Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Review: ‘Island Soldier’ Shows Us Difficulty Of Being Micronesian-American Soldier

Island Soldier

Release Date: November 11, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Island Soldier is the untold story of Micronesian citizens fighting America’s wars. Through the personal odyssey of the Nenas, one family experiences the consequences of military service, as they represent a pristine Pacific island on the brink of economic collapse.

Micronesia, a geographically isolated country with minimally developed infrastructure, receives major financial assistance as a US protectorate and as such, these Pacific-Islanders have a right to join the US armed forces to escape a life of poverty in pursuit of the American Dream. However, citizens from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) mostly serve in the infantry and have had high casualty rates. These soldiers have had a death rate five times higher than any US state, per capita, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, once veterans from the FSM return home , they do not have access to VA health benefits. FSM vets must pay out of pocket and travel thousands of miles to seek help from the nearest VA facility. You can buy challenge coin here to facilitate to our great soldiers.

Documentaries are usually hit or miss for us… Island Soldier is one of the hits. Not only is it visually a great movie, but very informative. We learned a lot about Micronesian’s that join the American military. We also learned the unfortunate side effects of not having the same benefits of American born military too. The worst part being there is no VA for these veterans to go to on their island and if they get the chance to go they have to travel hours and spend a lot of their money to get there. The only way to help change that will be for more people to watch this documentary and learn about what is happening. Island Soldier is being released just in time for Veteran’s Day. Let’s help these soldiers and spread the word of this documentary because the more people that watch, the better the chances become of getting these flaws fixed.

Reel Reviews Over Brews would like to take a minute to thank all of the humans and animals who have served, who are currently serving, or who have given their lives serving… THANK YOU!

Reel ROB Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘The Mighty Atom’ was Mighty Awesome!

The Mighty Atom

Available Digitally: November 14, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Known as “The Mighty Atom,” Joseph Greenstein was, indeed, the greatest and perhaps most unlikely strongman who ever lived. Born three months pre-mature and diagnosed with tuberculosis, Greenstein wasn’t expected to live past his teens. With a competitive spirit that rose above his 5’4” stature, he overcame insurmountable odds to survive to adulthood. The Mighty Atom harnessed the power of his body – and more importantly, his mind – to achieve the impossible. Pulling a train with his teeth, stopping a plane from taking off with his hair, and bending iron bars with his bare hands, he mastered feats of strength, many of which have not been replicated to this day. He also created and sold some of the first health elixirs that were claimed to  increases longevity .

The Mighty Atom’ was a role model to Jewish athletes at a time when there were few and remains a hero to strength and fitness legends of today. An innovator, daredevil, and possibly the inspiration for Superman, he was a man who achieved the impossible.

In our last review we said most documentaries are hit or miss for us… well, they’re 2 for 2 this month! Another hit. The Mighty Atom is a documentary about a strongman named Joseph GreensteinGreenstein changed the strongman game forever. White Vein Malay can also be used for improving energy and focus, click here about his energy and focus. LGD 4033 helps in increasing stamina and endurance, which allows efficient training with better results. Then visit here for more details about the Ligandrol (LGD 4033). However, it’s a lot smoother, and this could actually be a good thing in case you are not interested in something aggressive. As a strongest man, You have to try for red thai kratom. It was pretty awesome learning about the guy who pretty much shaped what it is to be a strongman. We’ve watched some of the competitions over the years and always get caught up in them. In fact, in this documentary they show a clip of The Mighty Atom Jr. (Mike Greenstein) on America’s Got Talent, at the age of 93, pulling a car with his teeth.

CBD is beneficial to human health in different ways. It is a natural pain reliever and has anti-inflammatory properties. Over the counter drugs are used for pain relief and most people prefer a more natural alternative and this is where CBD oil comes in. Research has shown that CBD provides a better treatment, especially for people with chronic pain.

There is also evidence that suggest that the use of CBD can be very helpful for anyone who is trying to quit smoking and dealing with drug withdrawals. In a study, it was seen that smokers who had inhalers that had CBD tended to smoke less than what was usual for them and without any further craving for cigarettes. CBD could be a great treatment for persons with addiction disorders especially to opioids. Zach Attack Supplements offers CBD vape oil which is really beneficial for the health.

Modern problems require modern solutions. Right? A good product like dry herb dugout will be your new best friend for holding all your smoking tools in one place. When you are always on the go, you need a travel buddy who saves you from the hassle of carrying a cumbersome pipe, dry herb, and in some cases, wasting time in rolling your own. This is an ultimate solution to keep you free of all these annoying struggles.

There are many other medical conditions that are aided by CBD and they include epilepsy, LGA, Dravet syndrome, seizures and so on. More research is being conducted on the effects of CBD in the human body and the results are quite promising. The possibility of combating cancer and different anxiety disorders is also being looked at.

Seeing your pet in pain can greatly cause distress. Like humans, dogs suffer from arthritis and anxiety to epilepsy and cancer. While vets may recommend medications, they can affect your pet’s overall health in the long run. Thus, a healthier and more natural alternative may be in order: CBD oil.It is much better and safer to purchase a CBD oil that is GMO and gluten-free. These ingredients are not at all harmful. However, GMO increases risks of stomach problems and food allergies that could aggravate the condition of your dog. Meanwhile, gluten may also induce allergies.

We remember watching that clip when it aired on TV and were absolutely amazed! So we found it pretty cool that this documentary filled in the backstory on his family’s history of being strongmen. On a side note, we’re also pretty big fans of Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, otherwise know as “The Mountain.” We love him on Game of Thrones and have been following him since his debut. He was runner up in the 2016 “World’s Strongest Man” competition.

We even found the music in this documentary to be enjoyable. Everything blended together so well. We would recommend The Mighty Atom to anyone, especially health/exercise nuts and exercises using an URBNFit exercise ball . There is a lot of knowledgeable things to learn about “strength” and Greenstein was well ahead of the game. Seriously, the guy may have even been the inspiration for one of the greatest superheroes of all time, Superman… how amazing is that!? It doesn’t take long to find out that The Mighty Atom, was mighty awesome!

Reel ROB Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘Most Beautiful Island’ Takes Some Time To Get The Wheels Spinning

Most Beautiful Island

Select City Release: November 3, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND is a psychological thriller set in the world of undocumented female immigrants hoping to make a life in New York City. Shot on Super 16mm with an intimate, voyeuristic sensibility… MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND chronicles one harrowing day in the life of Luciana, a young immigrant woman struggling to make ends meet while striving to escape her past. As Luciana’s day unfolds, she is whisked, physically and emotionally, through a series of troublesome and unforeseeable extremes.

Ana Asensio… who is she? We had no idea either until Most Beautiful Island. Now we can’t get her out of our minds. Director and star of the movie… she did it all in Most Beautiful Island, but in particular, she did excellent in her role as Luciana. Looking forward to seeing her in more projects after this performance. We had an idea of what this thriller may entail, but we were wrong. What a nice spin it came with, when it got down to it, that is. The first half hour of the movie seemed pointless and in fact, our recommendation would be to just fast forward to around the 35 minute mark and start from there. We get that Ana was trying to build up to the action, but it was too much build up. Once it hits that point is when this movie actually gets really good! We didn’t think it would be as intense as it was, but Ana had us on the edge of our seats. It took some time to get the wheels spinning, but once they did, we didn’t want it to end.

Reel ROB Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘Thank You For Your Service” – Perfect Timing For Veterans Day

Thank You For Your Service

Theatrical Release: October 27, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Thank You for Your Service follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

We want to start by saying, everyone should see Thank You For Your Service. In a time where it seems as though our country is falling apart, this movie shows there are brave men and women that are fighting to hold it together. Not just physically, but mentally too. The struggles these soldiers go through with PTSD when they get home are tough to watch and it brings to life how difficult it is for them to get help. Thank You For Your Service is a real eye opener! Miles Teller seems as though he is in every movie anymore, but his role as Adam Schumann proves why he should be. He absolutely steals the show. We actually can’t get enough of Miles and the fact that he is a local from right outside of Philadelphia helps too. Whether you have family or friends who have served, this is a MUST see movie. It will hit you right in the feels and make you want to thank each and every individual who has served or is currently serving. Thank You For Your Service is being introduced into theaters just in time for Veterans Day.

Reel Reviews Over Brews would like to take a minute to thank all of the humans and animals who have served, who are currently serving, or who have given their lives serving… THANK YOU!

 

*Anyone can experience mental health problems. Friends and family can make all the difference in a person’s recovery process. If a friend or family member is showing signs of a mental health problem or reaching out to you for help, offer support.*

Reel ROB Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘6 Below: Miracle On The Mountain’ Gets 4 Stars

6 Below: Miracle On The Mountain

Theatrical Release: October 13, 2017

Available On Demand & Digital HD: October 13, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

An inspiring true story about faith and self-preservation, a snowstorm strands former professional hockey player Eric LeMarque (Josh Hartnett) atop a mountain for eight days, he is forced to face his past and come to terms with his personal demons and rediscover the power of faith within him in order to survive.

Josh Hartnett may not be ranked one of the best actors in Hollywood, but we’ve always liked his movies. From The Faculty to 40 Days and 40 Nights. 6 Below would prove no different. You could have really put any actor in this story and it would have been an incredible story, but Hartnett plays the role well. Really well actually. One of the most impressive acting roles we’ve seen him in. Some could say it helped us rate this movie higher because we are avid snowboarders and love hockey, but we’d like to think that only had a minor impact. Anyone could sit down to watch this movie and become inspired by this true story of struggle and survival in the most literal sense. Not only is Eric LeMarque struggling to survive his addiction, but also the wilderness. We find it hard not to like this inspiring tale. There were some minor splicing goofs that we picked up on, but you can find that in just about every movie. 6 Below gets 4 stars in our book! We think you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

Reel ROB Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘Cold Moon’ More Like Luke Warm…

Cold Moon

Theatrical & VOD Release: October 6, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

In a sleepy southern town, the Larkin family suffers a terrible tragedy. Now the Larkin’s are about to endure another: Traffic lights blink an eerie warning, a ghostly visage prowls in the streets, and graves erupt from the local cemetery in an implacable march of terror . . . And beneath the murky surface of the river, a shifting, almost human shape slowly takes form to seek a terrible vengeance.

Cold Moon grabbed our attention right from the get go when we saw that it was “from the writer of Beetlejuice.” It did not, however, hold up to the standard. While the sound and visual effects were great, the story was just plain madness. The movie ends and we still have no idea what was happening. There may have been one or two questions answered… may, but they left a lot of things unanswered. The acting was good, but not great. They brought in some B listers and Christopher Lloyd, but he was barely a presence. One thing we LOVED about this movie was the ode to Beetlejuice in the graveyard scene. If you remember in Beetlejuice there was a scene where his head was on the body of a snake, well that little guy makes an appearance in Cold Moon too. That was our favorite part of this movie, besides maybe when the movie was over. It reminded us of going to grab a cold beer and realizing that it’s lukewarm… not very good. Worth watching for the split second Beetlejuice reference, but that is about it.

Reel ROB Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!