Logan Myerz reviews Steven Spielberg’s nostalgic ride into the Oasis, Ready Player One.
“When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.”
We wanted to congratulate the winner of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Blu-Ray #PhellasGiveAway
Stay tuned for another giveaway next month!
As a writer, Alex Garland has had a hand in some of the best sci-fi of the 21st Century with 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Dredd under his belt. He continued that trend into his directorial debut, Ex_Machina, which ended up as my top film for that year. When his latest film, Annihilation, got in the news for being considering too ‘smart’ for the average audience and sent straight to Netflix everywhere except the US, Canada, and China, you couldn’t help but wonder exactly how smart Garland had made his film. Especially, when you factor in that both Garland and one of the producers refused to bow into the studio demands to dumb the movie down.
Having now finally seen it, I’m glad Garland stuck to his guns because Annihilation is one of the most unapologetic cases of Hard Sci-Fi I’ve seen for a while.
by Kevin Muller
The Worst Films of 2017
10. Suburbicon
George Clooney took a shot at directing a film that was scripted by the Coen Brothers. Unfortunately, the groundwork laid by the brothers wasn’t strong enough for Clooney to make a good film. It is spectacular failure. The first half of the film leads us through an interesting story that drops the ball in the second half. Clooney decided to combine an unproduced script, a crime film, and the true story of a black family living in a white suburb, into one movie. The problem is that both scripts have totally different tones and themes that could’ve worked if they had their own movie, but by mashing them together, it created a narrative mess that you can’t pinpoint where it starts and ends.
Logan Myerz returns from the portal to hell to review Zak Bagans (Ghost Adventures) new documentary Demon House.
We are giving away a free Blu-Ray copy of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
We will announce the winner on March 27th at 7 pm CST! Also, don’t forget to use #PhellasGiveAway
After making its critically acclaimed debut at Sundance last year, Cory Finley’s Thoroughbreds finally saw the light of day last weekend. The film was originally titled Thoroughbred, but shortly after the premiere, Focus Features acquired the distribution rights and decided to make changes to its name. Currently with a certified fresh rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, first time director has certainly maintained an exquisite status with critics.
After 10 years, we get The Strangers sequel! Check out Logan Myerz review of The Strangers: Prey At Night.
By Henry Hill
Sometimes when you haven’t seen an actor or actress in a film for a few years, they slip into the back of your mind, and it isn’t until you see the trailer for their next movie that you are reminded just how great they are at their craft. That was the case when I saw the trailer for Hostiles with Christian Bale starring. Ten years ago, Bale and Russell Crowe were in a terrific remake of the 1957 western, 3:10 to Yuma. The trailer for Hostiles hinted that we were in for another great western with Bale, and after seeing the film, I can say that it is a great western.
Matthew Cooke talks art, activism, and Survivors Guide to Prison
What does it mean to be an activist? On the basest level, it means promoting social change by raising awareness about an issue or idea. Activism is often depicted in historical narratives through larger-than-life figures and mass movements. But the greatest activism takes place when ordinary individuals work to connect with others on a one-on-one level. From those small gestures, hope transforms into promise for everyone. Director Matthew Cooke (How to Make Money Selling Drugs) and I discussed this interpersonal activist approach as it appears in his latest documentary project, Survivors Guide to Prison (2018).
Cinephellas 