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Review: ‘Lake Michigan Monster’ is an Inventive, Crowd-Pleasing Delight

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Lake Michigan Monster

Lake Michigan Monster is a deliriously fun homage to the classic monster and adventure movies of the 1950s. Every detail is lovingly crafted to create this perfect little capsule of a film that is absolutely soaked with character. As a self-funded microbudget film, the simplistic effects and in-camera tricks add buckets of charm that will make you fall in love with every ridiculous minute.

In Lake Michigan Monster, the eccentric Captain Seafield hires a crew of specialists to help him plot revenge against the creature that killed his father. After several failed attempts, Seafield is forced to take matters into his own drunken hands. What began as a simple case of man versus beast soon plunges down a rabbit hole of mysterious unknowns and Lovecraftian hijinks.

The film has already hit the festival circuit, winning the Audience Award for Best International Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019 — and for good reason. In a world of franchises and slow burn atmospheric dread (not a bad thing, mind you), Lake Michigan Monster is a delightful reminder of how joyfully bonkers film can be.

Visually, it’s everything you’d want from a stylized period-inspired genre comedy. With simple sensibilities, at times it’s hilariously low-budget, while others give you that feeling of a surreal drug-fueled fever dream. The VFX and the editing (both done by Mike Cheslik) have a perfect marriage that hits every comedic mark just a little bit harder.

The film stars Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as Seafield, Erick West as weapons expert Sean Shaughnessy, Beluah Peters as sonar whiz Nedge Pepsi, and Daniel Long as former N.A.V.Y. (Nautical Athletes and Venture Yunit) officer Dick Flynn.

It’s no surprise that the film’s dynamic lead, Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, also wrote and directed the film. His performance as Seafield — the self-appointed Captain of this motley crew — is absolutely golden. He’s perfected the line delivery and goes over-the-top to build a precise caricature, but it’s never ostentatious. Tews walks straight up to that line, flirts with it constantly, but never crosses.

If you’re a fan of truly absurd campy comedies, this low-budget marvel is an absolute treat. What Tews and the team are able to pull off is insane and wildly impressive. Lake Michigan Monster has all the makings of a beloved cult classic, with a script laced with whip-smart quips that are shot like a quick-draw gunslinger.

But as goofy as the film is, it shows a mature understanding of — and passion for — the world of cinema. The camera tricks and moments of visual comedy perfectly capture that maverick spirit of the early days of film. It’s inventive, engaging, and consistently fun.

Lake Michigan Monster is — incredibly — Tews’ first feature film, and with all honesty I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.

 

If you’d like to check it out yourself, Arrow Video will be hosting a 24-hour virtual premiere on AltaVOD on July 31st that comes equipped with an introduction from the filmmaker and a Q&A session featuring members from the cast and crew. Or, you can catch it streaming on The Arrow Video Channel in the UK & US from August 3.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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