Tag Archives: Ethan Embry

‘THE HOUSE FROM’ (2024) A nostalgia-filled, pop culture delight.

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smodfest 2024 selectionTHE HOUSE FROM
The House From... (2024) - www.imdb.com

Tommy Avallone‘s film delves into the positive and negative effects of being the homeowner of famous homes. Jason Lee narrates with his perfectly delicious tone and delivery. From Twilight to Home Alone, and Full House to Sex And The City, THE HOUSE FROM is every movie and television fan’s dream doc.

The House From Full HouseThe editing is clever. For example, one former owner of Jesse’s house in Breaking Bad house was a teacher, so Avallone cuts to scenes of Walter White in his chemistry classroom. She was able to buy her son his first car from the profits of filming. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the current owner of Walter White’s house aggressively hates tourists.

The House From FridayTHE HOUSE FROM counters this negative fan experience with the owner of The Goonies‘ home. Susan Preston got a bad rap. This redemptive story is authentically heartwarming. Bushnell Ave, in South Pasadena, is the ultimate film fan’s dream. From Back to the Future to Old School, it boasts several famous houses, and the owners love the fans. The Rubio House in Altadena is iconic. I lost track of the number of films and television shows listed by the owner, Liz. Ethan Embry visits the house, and his excitement and nostalgia are infectious.

The House From Home AloneThe doc also uses TikTok and other social media clips of fan visits. The behind-the-scenes footage from Home Alone takes the cake. The lovely neighbors across the street took camcorder video from their front yard during the 1990 production, and it is a coup for Gen X and Millennials.

Some locations become pilgrimages, delivering the warm fuzzies and catharsis for fans. From museums to Airbnbs, whether these locations are now for-profit venues or warm family homes, THE HOUSE FROM is a joy from start to finish. Audiences will find themselves smiling and maybe even digging up some old VHS tapes from their parent’s basements after the credits roll. Speaking of, stick around for even more fun.

The House From Trailer:


The documentary premiered at Kevin Smith’s Smodcastle Film Festival in New Jersey on October 25, 2024. It will be released on Fubo and executive producer Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Channel on October 27, 2024, and will be available on VOD platforms the next day.

 

For more documentary coverage, click here!

Review: ‘The Devil’s Candy’ offers up sweet scares and hard rock.

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Presents
THE DEVIL’S CANDY

Sean Byrne, USA, 2015, DCP, 90m
Six long years may have elapsed since Aussie writer-director Sean Byrne made The Loved Ones—the closing-night film of Scary Movies 4, and perhaps the most satisfying horror film of the last decade—but it will come to no genre fan’s surprise that his follow-up was more than worth the wait. As exquisitely crafted as his debut feature, The Devil’s Candy stars a captivatingly intense and nearly unrecognizable Ethan Embry as an artist struggling to support his devoted wife (Shiri Appleby) and preteen daughter (Kiara Glasco). But the real fight for survival begins when the tight-knit family moves into a new house, unaware that its previous occupant is a royally disturbed child-killer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who wants his home back. And even worse, the devil’s demands that swirl around in the sick man’s head—muted only by heavy-metal music—also begin taking hold of the artist and his paintings. After witnessing this intensely emotional and haunting work, audiences too will struggle to shake those demonic voices.

I had to look twice, nay, three times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Ethan Embry is a ripped, rock god in this surprising feature. I cannot express how much adored this film. With a slight Amityville feel, the latin voices heard in this film will get under your skin immediately. Loaded with seriously sick tunes from bands like Metalica and Queens of the Stoneage, the music takes on a life of its own in The Devil’s Candy. The film has an 80’s throwback feel in approaching the death metal and satanic ritual link. Visually, one of the coolest flicks I’ve seen in a while, especially for a horror. High-end effects are beautifully juxtaposed with unique paintings as each is being assembled… or disassembled as it were. The entire cast is spot on awesome. The Devil’s Candy has gorgeous framing and jump scares galore. I HIGHLY recommend you catch this particular selection if horror is truly your genre of choice. It will make your head spin and your skin crawl. It’s one of the best of 2017.

See THE DEVIL’S CANDY on VOD (iTunes; Amazon Video) or cable On Demand (XFINITY; Spectrum; Optimum or you local provider)

Review: ‘THE PACK’ & ‘THE DEVIL’S CANDY’ are two of this year’s Scary Movies 9 at Lincoln Center.

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film-society-of-lincoln-centerFESTIVALS • OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 05, 2015
Scary Movies 9

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Now in its ninth edition, New York’s top festival for quality horror from around the globe is back with a vengeance. This year’s fright fest includes 12 of the best new titles out there, including Sean Byrne’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy,and the gut-wrenching Australian feral-dog thriller The Pack, plus horror movies of all stripes from Ireland, Denmark, Spain, and Turkey. Revival offerings include Juan Piquer Simón’s ’80s cult classics Pieces and Slugs, and in tribute to the dearly departed Christopher Lee, a 35mm screening of the Hammer gem The Gorgon. We will also be presenting evenings with Larry Fessenden, whose company Glass Eye Pix is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and Bernard Rose, whose new film, Frankenstein, a wildly original update set on the streets of L.A., closes this year’s festival with large doses of both heart and gore.

On Opening Night, we begin our journey into nightmare with Southbound, an anthology road film from some of the key players behind V/H/S, followed by a blow-out Halloween bash where prizes will be given for the best costume.

Programmed by Laura Kern, Rufus de Rham, and Gavin Smith.

The Pack still filmlinc

THE PACK

Nick Robertson, Australia, 2015, DCP, 90m
Not to be confused with Robert Clouse’s 1977 when-animals-attack classic (which screened as part of last year’s Scary Movies), Nick Robertson’s directorial debut The Pack does feature killer canines, but their prey here is a family of four—already battling assorted harsh realities—who must rely on their own ingenuity to survive a night of sheer terror, as they are relentlessly stalked by ravenous dogs on their remote Australian farm. The film is horror of the most jarring, edge-of-your-seat kind, with the added bonus of a cast of characters actually worth rooting for.

Filled with really solid characters and performances, The Pack is not necessarily anything new in story. You will route for this family to not only save their land but survive the night in a violent attack from these very cunning and hyper-intelligent wild dogs. The practical effects are gruesome and well played. The plot ramps up as we slowly learn about each member through family dynamics and circumstance. You will not be indifferent to their survival and will find yourself on edge at each near miss. The Pack is worth seeing. Australian horror is getting better and better with recent hits like The Babadook and These Final Hours. The Pack does distinguish itself with great camera work, mixed with an intriguing combo or quick cuts and slow motion sequences. While it does take a good 30 minutes to really set up the plot properly, it’s worth the wait. Think CUJO but with more than one attacker minus the rabies, just evil. Using all the old horror tropes but with dogs as the villains, The Pack will not help anyone with Cynophbia.

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THE DEVIL’S CANDY

Sean Byrne, USA, 2015, DCP, 90m
Six long years may have elapsed since Aussie writer-director Sean Byrne made The Loved Ones—the closing-night film of Scary Movies 4, and perhaps the most satisfying horror film of the last decade—but it will come to no genre fan’s surprise that his follow-up was more than worth the wait. As exquisitely crafted as his debut feature, The Devil’s Candy stars a captivatingly intense and nearly unrecognizable Ethan Embry as an artist struggling to support his devoted wife (Shiri Appleby) and preteen daughter (Kiara Glasco). But the real fight for survival begins when the tight-knit family moves into a new house, unaware that its previous occupant is a royally disturbed child-killer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who wants his home back. And even worse, the devil’s demands that swirl around in the sick man’s head—muted only by heavy-metal music—also begin taking hold of the artist and his paintings. After witnessing this intensely emotional and haunting work, audiences too will struggle to shake those demonic voices.

I had to look twice, nay, three times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Ethan Embry is a ripped, rock god in this surprising feature. I  cannot express how much adored this film. With a slight Amityville feel, the latin voices heard in this film will get under your skin immediately. Loaded with seriously sick tunes from bands like Metalica and Queens of the Stoneage, the music takes on a life of its own in The Devil’s Candy. The film has an 80’s throwback feel in approaching the death metal and satanic ritual link. Visually, one of the coolest flicks I’ve seen in a while, especially for a horror. High end effects are beautifully juxtaposed with unique painting as each are being assembled… or disassembled as it were. The entire cast is spot on awesome. The Devil’s Candy has gorgeous framing and jump scares galore. I HIGHLY recommend you catch this particular selection if horror is truly your genre of choice.

The festival starts today and runs through November 5th.

You can check out all the films at http://www.filmlinc.org/festivals/scary-movies-9/

Tickets

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Michael’s Review: ‘Echoes of War’

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Echoes of War Movie Poster (1)Director Kane Senes’ western Echoes of War resurrects some very familiar themes as  we witness the homecoming of a man who has faced the brutalities of war and now finds himself struggling of adjust to life after battle.  James Badge Dale, Ethan Embry and William Forsythe lead the cast in this morally conflicted period piece which yearns to reminds us how wonderful the western genre is, but ultimately finds itself lost on the frontier.

112Wade (James Badge Dale) returns home to Texas after the end of the Civil War to his brother in law Seamus’ (Ethan Embry) farm to help mend his family after the passing of his sister. Seamus tends to his farm with his daughter Abigail (Maika Monroe) and his son Samuel (Owen Teague), both of whom idolize Wade and convince the weary farmer to allow their uncle to stay. Wade begins to settle in and Seamus puts him right to work assisting in the daily chores. During a run to check the traps for food, Wade and Samuel come across Dillard McCluskey (Ryan O’Nan), son of Randolph McCluskey (William Forsythe), neighbor to Seamus and cattle owner who has fallen on hard times stealing their catch. Feeling that he must takes it upon himself to put a stop to the McCluskey’s stealing his families food, Wade confronts the elder McCluskey, which sparks a battle between the families. With tensions running high, will anyone be left standing when the dust settles?

213Co-writers John Chriss and Kane Senes have provided a screenplay filled with way too many western cliche’s and not enough original content. Senes, in his feature film directorial debut, has an understanding of how the story should play out, but the sluggish pace of the film causes this film to spiral out of control. The acting in the film is also very hit or miss. James Badge Dale is very one dimensional in his role as the war veteran. The role seemed ripe for some intense scenes but never captured the true nature of a man returning from war. William Forsythe‘s role is also lost in interpretation. Acting as the antagonist in the film, you neither understand, nor do you care, why the events of his past have lead to the man he is now. The relationship between Ethan Embry‘s Seamus and Randolph really needed to be flushed out more in the telling. Maika Monroe, coming off the critically acclaimed film It Follows, is never truly given the opportunity to show off the acting skills in this film as her character plays out most of the film with the same somber delivery.

ct-echoes-of-war-review-20150514 Overall, Echoes of War is a film that struggles to resonate any true enjoyment for its viewers. A story that is not all that bad, but is destined to ride off into the sunset and out of our memories.

Stars:

2  out of 5

After Credit Scene?

No

Trailer:

Arc Entertainment Acquires The Western Thriller ‘Echoes of War’

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Screen Shot 2014-10-15 at 11.34.45 pmARC Entertainment has acquired all US rights to the western thriller Echoes of War. Directed by Kane Senes and co-written by Senes himself along with John Chriss, the film stars James Badge Dale  (The Walk, Spectral, 13 Hours), Ethan Embry (Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” Cheap Thrills, The Guest), William Forsythe (Boardwalk Empire), Maika Monroe (The Guest, The Bling Ring, Labor Day) and Rhys Wakefield  (The Purge, Nobody Walks). ARC Entertainment will be releasing the film on VOD and in-theaters on May 15, 2015. The deal was announced today by ARC Entertainment’s Head of Acquisitions, Scott Moesta.

 “We are proud to release this powerful film and distribute Echoes of War across all platforms,” said Moesta. “The cast delivers a powerful performance shedding the truths and hardships of war.”

 In post-Civil War Texas, two neighboring families are grieving tragic losses while they struggle to survive in this rural drama. The cattle-ranching McCluskeys have lost both a son and their entire herd to the war. The Rileys, mourning the loss of wife and mother Mary to illness, eke out a living trapping animals and selling their pelts. When Wade Riley (James Badge Dale, The Lone Ranger, Iron Man 3) returns from fighting for the Confederacy, he discovers that Randolph McCluskey (William Forsythe, The Rock, Once Upon a Time in America) and family have been stealing animals from his family’s traps. He decides to take matters into his own hands, sparking yet another tragic and senseless war.

Echoes of War is executive produced by American Film Production’s George Voskericyan and produced by Dave Szamet (Hot Air), Provenance Pictures’ Steven J. Berger (The Pretty One, Spoonful), Kyle Fischer (Hot Air), American Film Production’s J.M.R. Luna (Tell, Helicopter Mom), Country Club’s John Chriss and Kane Senes. The deal was negotiated by ARC Entertainment’s Head of Acquisition, Scott Moesta and Highland Film Group brokered on behalf of the filmmakers. Highland Films served as the international sales agent.