Title: Room 237 Director: Rodney Ascher Reviewed by @Rudie_Obias Stanley Kubrick is known as, arguably, the greatest filmmaker of all-time. Each one of his films is so rich that it feels like 10 films from any other filmmaker. His most ambiguous film is his 1980 release of “The Shining.” The adaptation of Stephen King’s widely-popular novel was critically and commercially disappointing. It was even nominated for a few Razzie Awards including worst movie and worst director of 1980. How could, arguably, the greatest filmmaker of all-time have such a magnificent failure in his body of work? The new documentary from Rodney Ascher explores many conspiracy theories behind “The Shining’s” content…

Title: Fading of the Cries Directed by: Brian A. Metcalf Starring: Brad Dourif, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Makenzie Rossman, Hallee Hirsh,  Jessica Morris, Julia Whelan, Jordan Matthews and Elaine Hendrix. Running time: 93 minutes, Rated R, Available on Blu-ray Michael, (Thomas Ian Nicholas) a widower writer suffering from depression finds solace in practicing necromancy. His niece Sarah (Hallee Hirsh) finds an old amulet he had given her years ago, and as soon as she puts it on, her world is ambushed by hollow eyed zombies and supernatural demons led by a necromancer named Mathias (Brad Dourif). A lone samurai sword wielding teen named Jacob (Jordan Matthews) appears out of nowhere, and…

Title: The Innkeepers Directed By: Ti West Starring: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis, George Riddle, Alison Bartlett, Lena Dunham, Jake Ryan, John Speredakos Sick of all the same old tricks in the horror genre? Well, get ready because The Innkeepers uses them all. Eerie tracking shots, spooky noises and an unoriginal story, but, oddly enough, writer-director Ti West manages to put enough of his authorial expressivity on the piece to deliver something that may not feel fresh, but is still refreshingly nostalgic. It’s the Yankee Pedlar Inn’s last days in business and Claire and Luke (Sara Paxton and Pat Healy) are the only two employees left, assigned to keep…

Title: Sarah’s Key Directed by: Gilles Paquet-Brenner Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Frederic Pierrot and Aidan Quinn Running time: 111 minutes, Rated PG-13, Available on Blu-ray Based on the international bestselling novel by Tatiana de Rosnay is the story of Julia, an American journalist living in Paris who is writing an article on the anniversary of France’s notorious 1942 Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup of Jews in World War II. Julia (Kristin Scott Thomas) discovers that her French husband’s family’s apartment belonged to the Starzynski family, who were involved with the roundup and sent to concentration camps. In order to get a more personal feel to her pending article,…

Title: One for the Money Director: Julie Anne Robinson (‘The Last Song’) Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata (‘Gone,’ TV’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’) Movies based on successful novels and feature high-profile actors are often destined to become popular and entertaining, as they already have a built-in fanbase. But the new action comedy ‘One for the Money,’ which is based on Janet Evanovic’s 1994 book of the same name and features Katherine Heigl and Jason O’Mara in the lead roles, is one of the unfortunate adaptations that fails to live up to its source material. While the two actors have an easy-going and natural working relationship, the film lacks any…

Title: Shut Up and Play The Hits Director: Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern Cast: James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem and Chuck Klosterman LCD Soundsystem’s last show was on April 2nd 2011. The band dismembered afterwards but announcement the upcoming breakup was released a few months before. Going into this last performance was captured on film and the result is this documentary by Will Loveless and Dylan Southern. It serves as half a documentary and half interview by writer Chuck Klosterman with the mastermind behind it all, James Murphy. In the interview, Murphy reflects on the last 6 years of LCD Soundsystem, the reasoning behind the breakup and his future. But in…

Title: Needle Directed by: John V. Soto Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Tahyna Tozzi and Travis Fimmel Running time: 89 minutes, Rated R After the death of his father, Ben receives an intricately decorated 18th century mechanical box which is labeled “Le Vaudo Mort.” The box itself is actually a supernatural tool for revenge, as the victim’s photo is placed into the box, and a wax voodoo doll is formed after turning the hand crank. Ben shows the box off to his college friends, and after a party it’s discovered that the box was stolen. Soon Ben’s friends start dying in very gruesome and horrible ways. Ben’s estranged brother Marcus, a forensic…

Title: The Words Director: Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal Cast: Dennis Quaid, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons and Olivia Wilde Writing is a fundamental practice in communication. To make yourself understood through written words is probably the most engaging and intimate feeling you can have with someone without actually meeting them. Through your words is how we know you. So in Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal’s film, “The Words,” examines the truth behind words but only does it in a piecemeal, surface level and cinematically lazy way, that I question why couldn’t these words be more clear. After all, aspiring for mediocrity is a fool’s errand. “The Words” follows…

Title: The Theatre Bizarre Directors: Jeremy Kasten, Richard Stanley, Buddy Giovinazzo, Tom Savini, Douglas Buck, Karim Hussain and David Gregory Starring: Udo Kier, Catriona MacColl, Virginia Newcomb, Suzan Anbeh, Andre Hennicke, Debbie Rochon, Tom Savini, Lena Kleine, Victoria Maurette, Lindsay Goranson, Guilford Adams Six discrete stories of varying levels of effectiveness come together in “The Theatre Bizarre,” a macabre horror anthology that eschews the laborious weirdness of something like Christopher Landon’s “Burning Palms,” and instead focuses more forthrightly on crafting and sustaining a mood of uneasiness. The main commingled narrative ingredients are genre staples — sex, compulsion, paranoia and obsession – which work well for a movie that doesn’t shy away from…

Title: John Dies At The End Director: Don Coscarelli Cast: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Fabianne Therese and Fred Chu There’s a tradition of horror movies screening at the Sundance Film Festival that will shock, delight but always entertain the usual highbrow moviegoer. What I love about this festival is simply capturing the indie spirit of filmmaking no matter what the genre. So every year there are a few oddball horror films that you wouldn’t believe unless you saw. I can honestly say, I have never seen a film quite like “John Dies At The End.” The new film from director Don Coscarelli,…