Beyond the Grave Poster 1.5

BEYOND THE GRAVE Review

Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro wrote and directed Beyond the Grave, setting it in his native Brazil and filming it in Portuguese. The result is one of the most incoherent films I have seen as I remained at a loss for what has happening from moment to moment. There seems to be – at its heart – a supernatural story involving a demon in a post-apocalyptic world and the police officer hell bent on killing it; I like that idea, but the execution left much to be desired.

Godzilla Poster 7

GODZILLA Review

If you crave an above-average monster movie, then Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla is just the ticket for you. It combines a few memorable characters with a mega-monster that – like any previous Godzilla movie – wreaks havoc on a major city. The 2014 version tells a story different from previous Godzilla outings and its originality is one of its greatest assets. This is a film that could have been clichéd and mediocre at best, but it manages to rise above with pulse-pounding special effects and true-to-life human drama.

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DON PEYOTE Review

Just over halfway through Don Peyote, there is a scene in which star Dan Fogler breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience. The film then cuts to a cameo by Topher Grace acting as Dan’s agent watching said scene and Grace’s character comments that since Fogler wrote the script, he has only himself to blame for what (a) is happening with his character or (b) what the audience is seeing or perhaps both.

CHLORINE Review 2.5

CHLORINE Review

Release Date: February 28, 2014 (Limited)
Currently Playing on VOD Platforms
Director:
MPAA Rating: R
Film Pulse Score: 2.5/10

Chlorine is easily one of the most boring films I have seen in

Todd’s Top 10 Films of 2013

Todd’s Top 10 Films of 2013


I have followed last year’s policy and created my list in alphabetical order rather than numbered order.  There are a few films which might be on this list if I had seen them in 2013 such as Labor Day, August:

S#X ACTS Review 7

S#X ACTS Review

Release Date: December 6, 2013 (Limited)
Currently Available via OnDemand Platforms
Director: 
MPAA Rating:  NR
Film Pulse Score:  7/10

When the movie begins, we find that the title is “Six Acts”

SWEET TALK Review 5

SWEET TALK Review

Release Date: December 13, 2013 (Limited)
Available on VOD platforms December 15, 2013
Director: 
MPAA Rating:  NR
Film Pulse Score:  5/10

As I watched Sweet Talk, I thought, “This might make

RISE OF THE FELLOWSHIP Review 2.5

RISE OF THE FELLOWSHIP Review

December 3, 2013 (VOD Platforms)
Director:
MPAA Rating: NR
Review: 2.5/10

Only those who have seen Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy – and especially the first of the series, The

BET RAISE FOLD Review 7

BET RAISE FOLD Review

Release Date: December 1, 2013 (VOD Platforms)
Director:
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 7/10

Bet Raise Fold tells the story of online poker’s rise and fall through the eyes of three

PHILOMENA Review 6.5

PHILOMENA Review

Release Date: November 27, 2013
Director:
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Review: 6.5/10

Philomena is a film I truly wanted to enjoy and expected to rate higher than I did.  Despite a terrific performance

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Review 8

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Review

Release Date: November 22, 2013
Director:
MPAA Rating: R
Film Pulse Score: 8/10

Although not unfamiliar with the general fight to get AIDS drugs quickly approved by the Food and Drug Administration

PHANTOM Review 1

PHANTOM Review

Release Date: TBA (Currently Available via Amazon.fr)
Director:
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 1/10

Although not the norm, some important and truly great films have been made as “two-handers”

GO FOR SISTERS Review 4.5

GO FOR SISTERS Review

Release Date: November 8, 2013 (Limited)
Director:
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 4.5/10

John Sayles is truly one of the “fathers” of independent cinema.  Unlike some of his colleagues in this

MR. NOBODY Review 7.5

MR. NOBODY Review

Release Date:  November 1, 2013 (Limited)
Director: 
MPAA Rating:  R
Film Pulse Score:  7.5/10

Mr. Nobody has existed under most movie-goers radar because its 2009 release only happened in European countries

SKINWALKER RANCH Review 2.5

SKINWALKER RANCH Review

Release Date: October 30, 2013 (Limited and VOD)
Director:
MPAA Rating: R
Film Pulse Score: 2.5/10

As soon as the opening sentences hit the screen, I cried out:  “Not another ‘found footage’