Connect with us

News

Beyondfest Review: ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ Is an Epic of Tension and Beatdowns

Published

on

It’s that marvelous time of year in Hollywood. Halloween draws near. Horror and genre films are highlighted. And Beyondfest returns to blow our minds with premieres, revival screenings, and kick-ass shows! To start things with a brain-busting bang, opening night was the west coast premiere of Bone Tomahawk writer/director/composer S. Craig Zahler’s latest offering, Brawl In Cell Block 99.

I would like to caution that this review may contain some minor spoilers.

Brawl follows Bradley Thomas (Vince Vaughn), a down on his luck former fighter who is fired from his job as a tow trucker the same day he finds out his wife, Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) has been cheating on him. Desperate, and wanting to keep his family together, Bradley finds a new line of work as a drug runner. His wife apologizes, they live in a nice home together, and all seems to finally be going well. But after a pick-up goes wrong, Bradley finds himself behind bars in medium security for several years. To make matters worse, his former employers tell him to track down a man in maximum security and kill him as a reprisal… or else. With little choice, Bradley Thomas must fight his way into the deepest bowels of the penal system.

That’s about as bare a synopses as I can give, and this is definitely the type of movie you want to go into as blindly as possible. Much like Bone TomahawkBrawl is a masterwork in building tension before exploding in beautifully choreographed displays of violence and brutality. So, while it isn’t necessarily an action sequence a minute, when push comes to shove, you will be knocked to the back of your seat. Once again, Zahler shows his skills as every conversation and dialogue Bradley has with supporting characters can be rather riveting, such as a his tense refusal when a CO tries to get Bradley to join the prison boxing league.

Image via Youtube

The film features a well built ensemble cast, with Vince Vaughn taking the lead. Though his attempts to move out of comedy and toward more dramatic roles such as in season 2 of True Detective have been met with mixed success, this will definitely go down as the movie that cements Vaughn’s abilities. We learn a minimal amount of Bradley Thomas’ backstory, but Vaughn truly introduces us to the character and tells us more about him from his demeanor and course of actions than any flashback could. Not to mention you will be borderline frightened of just what Vaughn is capable of after watching Brawl. Jennifer Carpenter works well off of Vaughn’s character, giving the fighting juggernaut an emotional and human anchor outside of his gritty life and with an edge of her own. As well, Don Johnson and Udo Kier have prominent and quite memorable supporting roles throughout, and are their peak in terms of acting threateningly.

The film is evocative of a lot of prison, crime, and grindhouse films of the 60’s and 70’s, with a funky and catchy soundtrack composed by Zahler as the cherry on top.

So, if you’re game for a well paced fistfight through prison, I would highly recommend turning yourself in for Brawl In Cell Block 99 when it comes out on October 6th.

Image via IMDB.com

Feature Image via TIFF.com

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

on

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

on

Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

Published

on

Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading