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Fantasia 2022 review: Zombies, comedy, remakes, Oh My! ‘Coupez!’ brings bloodbath and laughs.

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COUPEZ!

*Full disclosure, I have not seen Shinichiro Ueda‘s One Cut of The Dead (Fantasia 2018). This review is solely my take on COUPEZ!*

An eccentric director who activated a curse in order to get the best film possible? Sounds more like an industry documentary than a horror comedy to me. Coupez! turns filmmaking on its head with a structure that keeps on giving. Do not get comfortable because you’re about to enter the world of money, fame, indulgence, and the ridiculous in three distinct acts. 

Coupez! is unafraid to make fun of the collective zombie/ horror genre. At times, it’s like watching Film Twitter arguing with itself. This meta take on the industry will delight to no end. The handheld camera puts the audience into the action in a one-take, real-time unfolding of hilarious chaos. One can only imagine the amount of rehearsal it required to coordinate. The practical FX are cleverly achieved just out of sight. 

These actors give 200% in this splatterfest. The cast’s unwavering commitment sells this film. Romain Duris as Remi is just trying his best to make the movie he created on the page. But, like Hollywood, everyone has their hand/opinion in the proverbial pot. Duris has an upbeat energy that pulls you into his story. In truth, Coupez! is a masterful ensemble film. The double entendre dialogue never misses. It’s kind of like an amped-up version of Shawn of the Dead meets Noises Off. It was a risky move for writer-director Michel Hazanavicius to bring Coupez! to Fantasia 2022, but a massively successful one.

Click here for all things Fantasia 2022!

Trailer for ‘BLOODFEST’, in Theaters and On Demand August 31st!

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presents

BLOODFESTSynopsis:

Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. As attendees start dying off, three teenagers with more horror-film wits than real-world knowledge must band together and battle through every madman, monstrosity, and terrifying scenario if they have any hope of surviving.

In Theaters & On Demand on August 31, 2018

 Written and Directed by: Owen Egerton

Starring: Tate Donovan (The Untouchables, The Only Boy Living in New York,”The O.C.”), Robbie Kay (“Once Upon a Time”), Seychelle Gabriel (The Last Airbender, “Falling Skies”, “Sleepy Hollow”), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, Every Day, and The True Don Quixote), and Barbara Dunkelman (RWBY), Nick Rutherford, Chris Doubek, Rebecca Wagner and Zachary Levi

Executive Producers: Matt Hullum, Burnie Burns, and Ryan P. Hall

Producers: Seth Caplan, Will Hyde, and Ezra Venetos

 

Review: ‘The Mind’s Eye’, an unapologetic homage to David Cronenberg.

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THE-MINDS-EYE_THEATRICAL_HICWritten and directed by Joe Begos (Almost Human), The Mind’s Eye reunites him with his Almost Human film star Graham Skipper along with cast members Lauren Ashley Carter (Premium Rush, The Woman), John Speredakos (The House of the Devil), and Noah Segan (Some Kind of Hate, Looper). THE MIND’S EYE is undeniably an homage to  David Cronenberg‘s Scanners. Low budget and over the top schlock are at it’s best and tailored for the midnight audience.

(L-R) John Speredakos as Dr. Michael Slovak and Graham Skipper as Zack Connors in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE” an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

(L-R) John Speredakos as Dr. Michael Slovak and Graham Skipper as Zack Connors in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE” an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

Here’s the skinny on the plot: A couple with psychokinetic capabilities are held hostage by a whacked out doctor who wants to harness their energy for his own personal uses. If you didn’t know what you were signing up for when sitting down, you might be turned off by the acting, the better for tv cinematography, and a final act that resembles something more akin to a constipation battle than a mind-melding fight to see you who eff up the other person first with their overexerted brain power. But, if you know what you’re in for, you’ve come to the right place.

(L-R) Lauren Ashley Carter as Rachel Meadows and Graham Skipper as Zack Connors in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE” an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

(L-R) Lauren Ashley Carter as Rachel Meadows and Graham Skipper as Zack Connors in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE” an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

Graham Skipper‘s Zack connors sounds a bit too green in his line readings for my taste, but his look is awesome. His chemistry with Carter is spot on. John Speredakos as the mad Dr. Slovak is so over the top that I’m surprised his character didn’t appear in the Buffy series (which in a strange way is a compliment, I loves me some Whedonverse). The shining star of this film is hands down the performance of Lauren Ashley Carter as Rachel.  Every moment is actually believable, filled with panic, and immensely effective. The entire cast is slotted with actors who are no strangers to the genre. It’s kind of cool to see a little indie horror love-fest going on here.

Lauren Ashley Carter as Rachel Meadows in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE”an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

Lauren Ashley Carter as Rachel Meadows in the horror film “THE MIND’S EYE”an RLJ Entertainment release. Photo credit Joe Begos.

The practical effects are on point. This is where The Mind’s Eye excels. Heavy handed with the splatter and some truly sick prosthetic casts, these are the shining moments. In a time where Netflix‘s Stranger Things is blowing up, the release could not be more perfectly timed. Check out the trailer below. The Mind’s Eye arrives in theater today and is available on iTunes and VOD.

THE MIND’S EYE – RLJ Entertainment

IN THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD AND iTUNES: August 5, 2016
DIRECTED BY: Joe Begos
WRITTEN BY: Joe Begos
CAST: Graham Skipper, Lauren Ashley Carter, John Speredakos, Noah Segan
SYNOPSIS: Zack Connors and Rachel Meadows were born with incredible psychokinetic capabilities. When word of their supernatural talents gets out, they find themselves the prisoners of Michael Slovak, a deranged doctor intent on harvesting their powers. After a daring escape, they are free from his sinister institution, but the corrupt doctor will stop at nothing to track them down so that he may continue to siphon their gifts for his own use.
GENRE: Horror, Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: RLJ Entertainment

Liz’s Review: ‘IT FOLLOWS’ an unexpected path.

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It Follows poster

Most horror films are relatively formulaic. I can appreciate that as a fan, but every once in a blue moon, something truly special comes along. It Follows is the story of 19 year old college girl, Jay. During the early stages of a relationship with a boy named Hugh, Jay is knocked out by chloroform and tied to a chair. He explains that since they have slept together he has passed a curse onto Jay. A thing, a force, an entity, call it what you like, will now follow her wherever she goes. It will take many forms, oftentimes of a loved one, sometimes deceased. Never let it touch you, for if you do, it will kill you. The only way to pass along the curse it to sleep with someone else. Absurd premise, yes. Scary as hell, absolutely. Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell takes us into a world that was created from one of his childhood nightmares. A presence that stalked him slowly and incessantly. We’ve all had these dreams; something or someone following us. The main difference here is we always wake up. Read More →