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THE LAST TREASURE HUNT Review

Oliver and Lucy Sinclair were raised on an island. Every year their father, Robert, would create elaborate treasure hunts where the kids would need to run about the house and the island in order to find clues that would lead to a hidden treasure.

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The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2015: Animation Review

For the last several years before the Oscar telecast, the short films that have been nominated for an Academy Award are given a rare theatrical release. Presented as separate programs for each short category – Animation, Live Action and Documentary  –  moviegoers have the opportunity to see the shorts that, in the past, they would seldom ever get to see. For some, it’ll give them a leg up in their office Oscar pools; although that has never worked for this viewer, go figure. Outside of knowing that these films are nominated, it can be exciting for a filmgoer because you never know what’s in store, and this year’s selections were no different.

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AFI Fest 2015: MACBETH Review

When you mention cinematic works adapted from William Shakespeare to modern movie audiences, two things may come to mind: the name Kenneth Branagh and Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

For more than 25 years, Branagh has directed some of the most revered Shakespeare adaptations, including Hamlet, Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing. Luhrmann’s film was likely the most audience-accessible film, at least until the 1999 release 10 Things I Hate About You. Other notable directors, such as Roman Polanski, Akira Kurosawa and Orson Welles, have shared their striking visions of the bard’s work, Macbeth in particular.

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Screamfest 2015: PATCHWORK Review

Re-Animator, Frankenhooker and The Bride of Frankenstein are films whose stories were inspired by classic pieces of literature – each film being notable, or infamous, for its time. Now comes what can be best described as “Re-Animator for the 21st century.” It’s Tyler MacIntyre’s Patchwork, featuring Tory Stopler and Corey Sorenson.

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TALES OF HALLOWEEN Review

For years, the cinematic Halloween season was always marked by a new movie; recently it was more about Saw or Paranormal Activity.

For some reason, the powers that be decided it was more profitable to move the Michael Myers franchise, Halloween, to a late-summer release. Since then, horror fans were left with nothing more than standard, cookie-cutter horror flicks that didn’t really capture the spirit of the holiday but focused more on the scares, assuming the film actually delivered any.

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Screamfest 2015: NACIYE Review

Squatters. They are people who move into a vacant domicile and claim it to be their own. Taking advantage of loopholes in the law and doing their best to circumvent the system, they can be a property owner’s worst nightmare. Unlawful retainers

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GOOSEBUMPS Review

Every generation deserves its Twilight Zone. For this writer, horror anthologies, such as Night Gallery; the films Creepshow and Vault of Horror; and the original Twilight Zone series, were the type of shows to haunt my childhood. In later years it became Tales from the Darkside and Tales from the Crypt. But for most children growing up in the ’90s, the one name that stood out for them was not Stephen King but that of R.L. Stine.

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EVEREST Review

Baltasar Kormakur’s man-against-nature thriller, Everest, tells the harrowing true story of the greatest disaster to have ever hit the region at that time.

When one thinks of disaster films you can either have the “popcorn” spectacle, such as San Andreas or Armageddon; the all-star melodrama, such as The Towering Inferno or Airport; or the more compelling variety, which would be the docudrama, based on actual events. Everest is certainly the latter.

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DRAGON BLADE Review

Dragon Blade’s opening narration sets the stage for what’s to come. In 50 B.C., the Silk Road was a trade route that touched nearly 40 nations and was often deemed a place where trading could be done peacefully, however we are told that the remains of a Roman legion were discovered there and that this story is based on true events.

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FANTASTIC FOUR Review

We’re about seven years into the comic-book-adaptation Renaissance. Fifteen years ago, director Bryan Singer’s X-Men showed that comic book properties, other than Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, were commercially viable.

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ANT-MAN Review

After ten films, it’s safe to say that the worldwide audience is resting comfortably in the loving embrace of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With each new entry in the MCU, as it is known by fans, one can expect a fun, action-filled adventure, and ever since Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel has delivered just that.

After so many films you can certainly expect there to be a misfire, and many thought that would have been last year’s breakout hit Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn’s sci-fi epic featured an unknown cast of characters that included a gun-toting raccoon with attitude and a tree that speaks (but only says three words). Though it sounds crazy, it was loads of fun.

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THE DEATH OF “SUPERMAN LIVES”: WHAT HAPPENED? Review

Believe it or not, there was a time when comic-book films, particularly those involving superheroes, weren’t en vogue. Theatres were inundated with sub-par comic-book heroics.  It may also come as a surprise that it was less than 20 years ago when the only game in town was Warner Bros. and DC Comics. Marvel Comics was bankrupt, and no movie had ever broken the triple-digit milestone for an opening weekend.

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Filmquest 2015: Short and Sweet – The Shorts Part III

A daunting 150 short films are currently being screened at the Megaplex 17 at Jordon Commons in Sandy, Utah, for the Second Annual Filmquest Film Festival, which celebrates the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genres.

These films represent a wide variety of themes

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Filmquest 2015: Short Circuit – The Shorts Part II

A daunting 150 short films are currently being screened at the Megaplex 17 at Jordon Commons in Sandy, Utah, for the Second Annual Filmquest Film Festival, which celebrates the horror, fantasy and science-fiction genres.

These films represent a wide variety of themes