Review: ‘The Owners’ is a twisted home invasion.

SYNOPSIS:  A group of friends think they found the perfect easy score – an empty house with a safe full of cash. But when the elderly couple that lives there comes home early the tables are suddenly turned. As a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues the would-be thieves are left to fight to save themselves from a nightmare they could never have imagined.

The film has a simple enough setup but the script goes off the rails in the darkest way possible. There is a thread of manipulation that runs deep with Sylvester McCoy‘s dialogue. It’s not even hidden but it is enthralling to watch. As a Doctor Who and The Hobbit fan, this was so far out of the box for my experience with his persona it made my skin crawl. Can someone be too good at being bad? Maisie Williams holds her own against this maniacal couple and the group of misogynistic thugs in her sphere. The violence in the film is extremely high and she bares the brunt of much of it. Handling it like a pro, we are rooting for her survival from the very beginning. Writer-director Julius Berg (along with co-writer Matthieu Gompel) turns up the weird and evil with a subplot that is downright heinous. You’ll be sweating and yelling at the screen as you watch what happens to every single character. Another interesting subplot is centered around dementia. It goes hand in hand with manipulation but at times, you have to respect the way in which it ties in. It’s just so sick you cannot look away. The practical fx are gag-worthy but completely appropriate. I can easily admit that my anxiety was through the roof while viewing. Rita Tushingham‘s performance, in particular, gave me flashbacks to The People Under The Stairs and more recently, Villians.  Under all the madness is both one of the saddest love stories I’ve ever seen and one of the most ghoulish. The Owners is totally unexpected. The ending is like a punch in the face. There is so much happening in this film that you’ll be stuck in this whirlwind of violence and mayhem just as I was. This one will take a bit to shake.

RLJE Films will release the thriller THE OWNERS in Theaters, On Demand and Digital on September 4, 2020.

THE OWNERS  stars  Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones,” The New Mutants),  Sylvester McCoy  (The Hobbit franchise, “Doctor Who”),  Jake Curran  (Spotless”, Stardust),  Ian Kenny  (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Sing Street),  Andrew Ellis  (Teen Spirit, “This Is England”),and Rita Tushingham  (“The Pale Horse,” Vera). The film is directed by Julius Berg (“The Forest,” “Mata  Hari”) who co-wrote the film with  Matthieu Gompel (The Dream Kids).

Review: ‘Then Came You’ rises above the rom-com tropes.

THEN CAME YOU

In Theaters and On Demand on

February 1, 2019

A hypochondriac working as an airport baggage handler is forced to confront his fears when a British teenager with a terminal illness enlists him to help her carry out her eccentric bucket list.

Then Came You manages to bypass the usual rom-com tropes and fleshes out a story about kids navigating a real emotional journey. Asa Butterfield has a naturally emo kid look about him but has the sincere chops to shine in every role that’s thrown his way. He appears genuinely grounded on screen and that makes him easy to watch. If you’re not crying at the end of this film you may have no soul. There is more than meets the eye Butterfield’s backstory which makes for an honest to goodness tug at the heartstrings in the end. The shining star of the film is undoubtedly Maisie Williams. Her comic timing and natural snark own you from the very first scene. I need her to be cast in all the things from here on out. Our two leads have a wonderful chemistry that builds organically. It reminds me of the dynamic of Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin in My Girl, which is clearly a compliment. Then Came You is simply a lovely film that can be enjoyed by a wide audience.

Asa Butterfield (The Space Between Us,The House of Tomorrow), Maisie Williams(Game of Thrones), Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Tyler Hoechlin (Fifty Shades Freed), David Koechner (The Goldbergs), Peyton List (The Outcasts), Tituss Burgess(Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Sonya Walger (Lost), Margot Bingham (Boardwalk Empire) and Ken Jeong (Crazy Rich Asians)

Directed by: Peter Hutchings (The Outskirts, Rhymes with Banana)

Written by: Fergal Rock (Fairy City)

RT: 96 minutes
Not Rated

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episodes 4 & 5 Titles and Synopses Released!

game-of-thrones

HBO has released the titles and synopses for the fourth and fifth episodes of Game of Thrones Season 6 and we have it for you!

Episode 4 is entitled “Book of the Stranger” and it debuts on Sunday May 15th (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) strikes a deal. Jorah (Iain Glen) and Daario (Michiel Huisman) undertake a difficult task. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) try to improve their situation.

The episode is written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss; directed by Dan Sackheim.

Episode 5 is entitled “The Door” and it debuts on Sunday May 22nd (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Tyrion seeks a strange ally. Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) learns a great deal. Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) goes on a mission. Arya (Maisie Williams) is given a chance to prove herself.

The episode is written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss; directed by Jack Bender.

The executive producers of GAME OF THRONES are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield; co-executive producers, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis and George R.R. Martin; supervising producer, Bryan Cogman; producers, Chris Newman, Greg Spence and Lisa McAtackney.