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…

Independent film “Few Options” is making its way to DVD this January. The film, starring Kenny Johnson, Brad Dourif, Erin Daniels, David Marciano and Rainn Wilson, will be available for purchase Jan. 24. The DVD will be priced at $24.95. The synopsis of “Few Options” is: “When a convicted drug smuggler leaves prison after 22 years for one youthful mistake, he just wants to start over and obey the law. But, unable to find work, he’s forced to take a supposedly legitimate job with his old crime partners – and they have big plans for their newest employee. ‘Few Options’ stars Kenny Johnson (‘Saving Grace,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ ‘Blade,’ ‘The…

Title: Catch .44 Directed by: Aaron Harvey Starring: Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll, Brad Dourif, Forest Whitaker and Bruce Willis Running time: 94 minutes, Rated R, Available on Blu-ray Tess (Malin Akerman) and her two friends Kara (Nikki Reed) and Dawn (Deborah Ann Woll) are given a task to intercept a drug shipment for crime boss Mel (Bruce Willis), but the job turns out it’s not as simple as anticipated. This film is fast paced, but confusing as hell. Director Aaron Harvey (who provides the commentary as the only special feature on the disc) does an homage to non-linear storytelling much compared to Tarantino films, and the film…

Walt Disney Pictures rolled the dice with producer Robert Zemeckis’ “Mars Needs Moms”, which was trotted out in 3-D to great fanfare earlier this year, and took a critical and commercial beating, to the tune of a meager $39 million worldwide gross. The film — produced by the same team behind “A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express” — isn’t quite as much of a stinker as that dismissal might indicate, but neither is it a wonderful romp or, as Boxoffice Magazine’s Pete Hammond claims on the cover, “the perfect family film in every way.” The storyline — in which nine-year-old Earthling Milo (Seth Green, but also voiced by another,…

Title: Fading of the Cries Writer-director: Brian Metcalf Starring: Jordan Matthews, Hallee Hirsch, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Brad Dourif, Mackenzie Rosman, Elaine Hendrix, Jessica Morris, Julia Whelan, Lateef Crowder A hobbled sci-fi thriller that cobbles together various disparate mythologies, the independently produced Fading of the Cries clearly doesn’t have the money to compete with the genre big boys, but it also lacks an imagination in presentation or execution that might enable it to escape the downward pull of its limitations. Writer-director Brian Metcalf utilizes special effects as a sort of tech-age concealer, to try to spackle over various production cracks and shore up narrative deficiencies, but the result is a risible hodge-podge…

Independent film production encompasses many challenges as well as an inherently skillful touch with the necessary art of compromise. But you wouldn’t always know it from interviews with filmmakers, many of whom have a tendency to latch on to one or two good anecdotes or merely fall back on thematic talking points when discussing their project. Refreshingly, writer-director Brian Metcalf is not of that ilk. His feature debut, the sci-fi-tinged adventure “Fading of the Cries”, faced many bumps and hurdles over the course of a 10-year period from initial conception to its eventual theatrical release this week, but perhaps none quite as rocky as a production cycle beset with fire, a compacted…

Here’s the latest movie trailer from the horror film “Chain Letter” starring Twilight’s Nikki Reed. “Chain Letter” by director Deon Taylor (Terminated) stars Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2), Noah Segan, Keith David, Brad Dourif (Deadwood), and Michael B. Smith. Synopsis: Six friends receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac who’s hunting down teenagers who fail to forward his online chain letter. Who knew they should take the threats in the chain letter seriously? Or that chain letters using the teens’ favorite technologies to track them can kill? This…

The studio just released this brand new clip from the upcoming film “Chain Letter” to be released on May 21, 2010. “Chain Letter” by director Deon Taylor (Terminated) stars Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2), Noah Segan, Keith David, Brad Dourif (Deadwood), and Michael B. Smith. Synopsis: Six friends receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac who’s hunting down teenagers who fail to forward his online chain letter. Who knew they should take the threats in the chain letter seriously? Or that chain letters using the teens’ favorite technologies…

Title: Chain Letter Directed by: Deon Taylor (Terminated) Starring: Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1), Noah Segan, Keith David, Brad Dourif (Deadwood), and Michael B. Smith There are people today who believe technology will be the downfall of humanity, and New Films International’s newest horror film, ‘Chain Letter,’ happily plays on that fear. Lead by popular horror actress Nikki Reed of ‘Twilight’ fame, ‘Chain Letter’ aims to scare some respect of other people’s privacy and anger towards the evolution of technology into its audience. But trying to push such a moral lesson onto audiences through a horror movie seemed to have backfired. The movie follows several…

Watch the latest movie trailer for the upcoming film “Chain Letter” to be released on May 21, 2010. “Chain Letter” by director Deon Taylor (Terminated) stars Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1), Noah Segan, Keith David, Brad Dourif (Deadwood), and Michael B. Smith. Synopsis: Six friends receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac who’s hunting down teenagers who fail to forward his online chain letter. Who knew they should take the threats in the chain letter seriously? Or that chain letters using the teens’ favorite technologies to track them can kill? This maniacal game pits friend against…