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Review: ‘Monster Party’ Is A Soirée Of Carnage

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. With his father owing thousands to a violent loan shark, Casper (Sam strike) and his fellow thief friends Dodge (Brandon Michael Hall) and Iris (Virginia Gardner) need to make a big score. Opportunity strikes when Iris scores a job catering a rich family’s mansion in Malibu. The Dawson Family, including patriarch, Patrick (Julian McMahon), matriarch Alexis (Erin Moriarty), son Elliot (Kian Lawley), and daughter Roxanne (Robin Tunney) seem friendly, if a bit snobbish and quirky. They’re having a celebration with some other aristocrats led by Milo (Lance Reddick) in celebrating their sobriety. But not from drugs or alcohol… but from mass murder. And when somebody gets back on the kill wagon, the party goes straight to hell, with the caterers marked for death!

Image via Youtube

Monster Party is the sophomore feature by writer/director Chris von Hoffman, and in spite of a telling smaller budget, his style and ability really shines through. The build up to the inevitable party massacre is decently paced, with enough tension building to keep you hooked. The story deals with themes of wealth disparity and how the rich prey on the poor much like other socially conscious horror films such as Society and They Live, but doesn’t go too deep into them. The satire is apparent, but it felt more face value than anything.

Image via IMDB

The ensemble cast stands out, especially the three would-be thieves. The opening establishes their relationship well and shows the dire situation that brings them out of the frying pan and into the fire in the quest for money to save Casper’s father from his own greed. On the other side, the family and associates of killers were all right for the most part. The ones that caught the most attention were Kian Lawley and Lance Reddick’s characters. Elliot is an obnoxious and short-tempered psychopath who doesn’t care for their group’s homicide sobriety while Reddick’s Milo acts as a calculating leader to the patchwork group of millionaire maniacs. His character able to see the consequences of their actions and trying to rein them in with a charisma that leashes the others in… or at least, tries to keep them in check.

The cinematography of Monster Party by Tobias Deml is a highlight, showcasing the beauty of Malibu Beach and the Dawson Estate in parallel to the abject horrors taking place. The scares are low for the most part, operating more as a thriller like Green Room and Don’t Breathe but lacking quite the same punch. There are a few decent twists and turns by the end, but the plot line unfolds fairly straightforward once things go to hell.

Image via IMDB

While not the strongest modern thriller, Monster Party is a well made lower-budgeted thriller with a good sense of class and carnage.

Monster Party is in limited theaters and VOD/Digital starting November 2nd.

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John Wick in Development for a Sequel and a Video Game

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John Wick 4 was a complete blast and the ending pointed at the odd fact that John Wick might actually be… dead. I didn’t believe it for a second. Not John Wick. The dude is a tank. Lionsgate has already greenlit development for a John Wick 5.

That isn’t all the studio has in store though. It also appears that we will receive a big triple-A game based on the Baba Yaga.

“What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year,” President of Lionsgate Joe Drake said, “We’re in development on three others, including and including television series, “The Continental”, will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world and when that fifth movie comes, will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.”

In addition to those awesome projects, we also have The Continental TV spinoff coming and a whole new Ballerina film based on the assassins introduced in John Wick 3.

The synopsis for John Wick 4 went like this:

With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hit man John Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin.

Are you guys excited about a John Wick 5 and a full-on, shoot-em-up video game based on Wick? Let us know in the comments section.

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Tim Burton Documentary Features Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, and Other Regulars

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Tim Burton will always be a part of horror for us. He has a page indexed here and we love it. From Beetlejuice to Ed Wood the director has broken the mold time and time again. A documentary focused on Burton is headed to Cannes this year and will feature all of the director’s co-conspirators in action.

The four-part documentary features Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, composer Danny Elfman, Christopher Walken, Danny DeVito, Mia Wasikowska, and Christoph Waltz. All of these awesome actors to talk about their time with Burton.

“Tim continues to build his aesthetic, the Burton-esque style, derived from a wealth of art, cinematic, and literary genres,” the release says “The documentary explores how Burton brings his vision to life through his own joyous idiosyncrasy and his ability to meld the ominous and the frightful with a sense of whimsy. Tim’s films are just the tip of the iceberg.”

The documentary will take us through Burton’s life and many adored films.

Are you excited to see Burton’s documentary? Let us know in the comments section.

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‘The Last of Us’ Fans Have a Really Long Wait Till Second Season

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The Last of Us was a big hit with fans. It brought in both fans of the game as well as new fans entirely. It managed to give gut punches in the feels and still managed to create a terrifying experience. That’s great and all but the long wait for fans isn’t going to be an easy one.

While the writers strike wages on and the powers that be drag their heels to give the writers the wages that they should be getting paid, it is not an easy ride for fans.

The Last of Us was already going to take a year at the minimum to get back to season 2 premiere. But with the writers strike in action those timelines have been pushed even further back.

Writer, Francesca Orsi of The Last of Us says that it looks like at the moment there could be a 2025 date in mind… and that is saying everything does work out.

 “We will have to assess what is the end of the ’24 schedule, what are the shows that are going to be delivered for 2025. At this point, those shows that I’m looking to air wouldn’t necessarily be ready if this strike lasts six to nine months. So yes, that’s a big question for us, but I think we’ll cross that road once we come to it.” Orsi said.

We are all at the mercy of the writers and the hands that need to feed them. So, the wait could get really long depending on the amount of greed that the folks in charge have.

What do you think about the long wait for a second season of The Last of Us? Let us know in the comments section.

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