This Week in Macabre & Mysterious Media: Aug. 10 – 16, 2015

(sorry I’m a day late ~ technical difficulties)

~YOUR MUSICAL INTERLUDE~

Delta Rae – Scared

~THE MOVIES~

NEW ON NETFLIX & IN REDBOX:

Very quiet on the Netflix / Redbox front this week. You could try:

The Skeleton Twins (2014) R

Available on DVD from Netflix.
No longer Available streaming on Netflix.
No longer Available from Redbox.
Just saw this one by accident 🙂 Ogre was watching it behind me while I worked. It caught my attention, then drew me in. I watched with him to the end, then started it over so I could catch the beginning. It’s a drama with some great touches of comedy. Nothing supernatural about it at all. Good movie. It turns out the whole story is set right around Halloween, so now it’s an alternate on the 13 Movies set on or around Halloween list.

Having both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

Area 51 (2015) R

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Not yet Available streaming on Netflix.
Might be Available from Redbox.
Two reasons why I’m not going to bother with this unless someone tells me it’s surprisingly great: 1) Found footage-style. 2) Teen conspiracy theorists. 

Three young conspiracy theorists attempt to uncover the mysteries of Area 51, the government’s secret location rumored to have hosted encounters with alien beings. What they find at this hidden facility exposes unimaginable secrets. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

(FORMERLY) IN THEATERS:

Amnesiac (2015) R

In general release Aug. 14, 2015.

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Available streaming on Netflix.
No longer Available from Redbox.
I don’t see it coming to any local theaters yet, but I’ll be keeping an eye out. I do love a good amnesia story.

The story of a man who wakes up in bed suffering from memory loss after being in an accident, only to begin to suspect that his wife may not be his real wife and that a web of lies and deceit deepen inside the house where he soon finds himself a prisoner. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

Final Girl (2015) R

In general release Aug. 14, 2015

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Available streaming on Netflix.
No longer Available from Redbox.
Huh. Well, the trailer puts me in the same state of mind I was in when I recently lost. my. mind. after watching Kingsman. (That’s a whole-nother story though, and I haven’t yet calmed down enough to write it.) So. Here’s what I will say about the trailer for Final Girl: It looks stylish. It looks cool. And it looks completely heartless. That can work … but I doubt this movie will pull it off. (Damn you, Tarantino, for spawning this genre.)

A man teaches a young woman how to become a complete weapon. 13 years later, at 18 she will approach a group of sadistic teens who killed blonde women for unknown reasons. The hunting season begins. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

Phoenix (2015) PG-13

I’m assuming this is art house fare, supposedly in release now.

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Available streaming on Netflix.
No longer Available from Redbox.
Certainly not paranormal, but the reviews and descriptions say it’s a great noir-ish mystery with touches of sci-fi. That, and the fact that it’s a period piece, intrigue me. (In German and English, with subtitles.)

A disfigured concentration-camp survivor (Nina Hoss), unrecognizable after facial reconstruction surgery, searches ravaged postwar Berlin for the husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) who might have betrayed her to the Nazis. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

The Falling (2014) NR

Released to streaming services on Aug 7th.

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Available streaming on Netflix.
Never was Available from Redbox.
From BBC Films. I’m betting I won’t get to see this until it comes to Netflix. I gotta say, it looks like a (slightly) updated Picnic at Hanging Rock. (Which IS one of my favorite films.)

It’s 1969 at a strict English girls’ school where charismatic Abbie and intense and troubled Lydia are best friends. After a tragedy occurs at the school, a mysterious fainting epidemic breaks out threatening the stability of all involved. (From IMDb.)
On IMDb here.

Harbinger Down (2015) R

Released to streaming services on Aug. 7th.

Available on DVD from Netflix.
Available streaming on Netflix.
Never was Available from Redbox.
Another one I’ll have to wait for. Normally I don’t bother featuring these straight-to-streaming films, but both The Falling (above) and Harbinger Down are especially interesting to me. This one is a film funded via Kickstarter … and its intention is to take a stand for practical effects in a world of CGI. Starring Lance Hendricks, which is good for me too.

UPDATE: Still haven’t watched it, but I notice that it has a ONE-STAR rating on Netflix. Not a good sign. I’m still going to give it a shot. On principle. 

Thawed from ice after three decades, mutated creatures terrorize a group of graduate students on a fishing trawler in the Bering Sea. (From MovieFone.)
On IMDb here.

~ON TV~

It’s summer. There are reality shows.

~***~

That does it for this week. Not a lot on offer, but recent weeks have been more productive. Most of those previous features are still around, so check out:

INDEX TO ALL MACABRE & MYSTERIOUS MEDIA FEATURES HERE

The color of the title is keyed as follows:
Black = Have not yet experienced. I’m interested … or I think you’ll be interested.
Red = Have experienced. Not recommended. Worse than the reviews or buzz indicated.
Orange = Have experienced. Recommended, with reservations or cautions.
Green = Have experienced. Recommended. A good movie that lives up to its reputation.

Last Updated: 2016.06.03

Advertisement

---