"Upgrade" Review by Tim Hellman

'UPGRADE': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A sci-fi horror flick written and directed by Leigh Whannell, who also co-wrote such hit horror movies as 'SAW' and 'INSIDIOUS' (and their first sequels). The film stars Logan Marshall-Green as a paralyzed man who uses an experimental computer chip to give him special powers and avenge his wife's murder. The film costars Betty Gabriel, Benedict Hardie and Harrison Gilbertson. It's received mostly positive reviews from critics, and it's also a modest hit at the Box Office as well. I loved it.

Grey Trace (Marshall-Green) is involved in a car accident, with his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo), and then the couple are viciously attacked by criminals. She's murdered in the incident, and he's paralyzed for life. Grey is then offered a chance to walk again, by having a computer chip embedded in his spinal cord. The operation is a success, but the computer chip also begins talking to him as well, and turning him into a super human fighting machine. With his new skills, Grey can also now avenge his wife's murder, but he quickly puts himself back in grave danger (in the process) too.

Like his buddy James Wan, Whannell is really good at creating a nostalgic genre movie feel, similar to the B-movie hits of yesteryear. Marshall-Green is decent in the lead, and he actually goes beyond just doing a poor man's Tom Hardy imitation this time. The film is fun, disturbing, memorable, and it has a really good and dark twist at the end too. I'm sure genre movie fans will love it, and a sequel is inevitable.

New Stills and Official Poster for the Upcoming Horror Comedy "Cooties"

Lionsgate Premiere recently released a couple of new stills for the upcoming horror comedy "Cooties". The film stars Elijah Wood, Allison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Leigh Whannell and Jorge Garcia.

"Cooties" hits theaters in limited release and VOD on September 18th.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://lionsgatepremiere.com/cooties

Plot Synopsis:

When a mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the pre-adolescent children into a feral swarm of sadistic monsters, an unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives against the hideous pupils.

"Insidious: Chapter Three" Review - Written by Jim Herling

In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that the Insidious series has easily become one of my favorite horror series of all time, if not my outright favorite, so impartiality isn’t a simple thing for me when it comes to reviewing Insidious: Chapter 3. That being said, I have to admit that Chapter 3 did have some flaws, but overall I found it to be better than Chapter 2, which honestly had a bit of a bloated storyline, but not as good as the original, which I absolutely loved.

Written and directed by Leigh Whanell (also the writer of the first two, but not director; that job in both cases fell to James Wan),Insidious: Chapter 3 is a prequel to the first installment. It begins an unknown amount of years before the haunting of the Lambert family, and focuses on Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a teenage mourning her mother and looking for a way to contact her beyond the grave. Her quest brings her to the home of psychic medium Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye, who played the same role in the first two installments), who has retired and refuses to help her except to offer her the free advice to stop trying to contact the dead before the wrong spirit answers her. Of course, her warning comes too late, and Quinn begins to be haunted by a spirit who wears a breath mask and wants to possess her soul. The Man Who Can’t Breathe (Michael Reid Mackay) throws her around, hits her, chokes her, and physically moves her to places she couldn’t possibly get to on her own. It’s this last bit that convinces her father Sean (Dermot Mulroney) that something supernatural is happening to his daughter, and he eventually convinces Elise to help, as well as returning characters Tucker and Specs, which explains how they hooked up with Elise in the first place. Throughout the plot, Insidious: Chapter 3 is a tight, thrilling ghost story full of jump scares that actually work and real tension the audience can feel.

What makes the movie, though, are its heart and its performances, something it shares with the rest of the franchise. The movie is moved along by the love of a daughter for her mother, and a father for her daughter. Stefanie Scott is great as the victim, and is terrific at making her fear and pain feel real. Mulroney, who I usually can barely tolerate, is just as good as a desperate father. The real star is Lin Shaye, though. Her portrayal of Elise is truly memorable, filled with emotion and growth as she takes her from refusing to help because of her fear that the Bride in Black (a connection to the first two, simultaneously a callback and a bit of foreshadowing as well and not the least of the touches that ties the movies together) will kill her to a strong warrior fighting for Quinn’s soul.

Insidious: Chapter 3 packs scares and heart in equal measure, and wraps them both up in a decent amount of fright and, of course, The Further, the series’ hallmark. It all combines to make for a truly memorable horror movie, one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. I give it four stars out of five

Horrorpalooza 2014: "Saw" Review - Written by Anthony T

It’s Halloween and it’s our final post for our Horrorpalooza 2014 coverage. “Saw” first hit theaters on October 29th, 2004. During that time with the exception of “Shaun of the Dead”, it was not a good time to be a horror fan. The genre was riddled with bad sequels and really bad Japanese remakes. At the time, it was great that “Saw” came out as it brought a new wave of horror in the form of torture porn. This subgenre would last for a couple of years before an ultra-low budget film called “Paranormal Activity” would change the direction of the genre yet again.

The film follows two strangers (Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell), who find themselves trapped to the room and chained. They don’t know how they got there and realize that they’re in a secret lair of a serial killer who is only known as Jigsaw. The two are forced to play Jigsaw’s sadistic and twisted game which has rules that must be followed. In order to escape, they must either play Jigsaw’s game or try to outsmart him and escape. The film also costars Danny Glover, Monica Potter and Michael Emerson.

“Saw” is still one of the best horror films to have come out during 2000 to 2010 period. This film still has the same suspenseful and intense impact today that it had ten years ago when it was first released.

One of the things that I liked about this film to this day is James Wan’s direction. He does a very good job making sure everything has a creepy feel to it in the way that he directs the scenes. Every scene in the film had a very dark and frightening tone to them. It helped with the look of the film and how it keeps you edge throughout. The other thing that I liked about Wan’s direction was the way that he manages to get the performances to fit this film’s dark and twisted tone. This helped made some of this film’s more horrific and intense scenes work. When that happens especially with the film’s dialogue scenes, it keeps you on edge. It’s something that isn’t seen in many horror films today.

The other thing that makes this very good was its screenplay written by co-star Leigh Whannell. What makes his screenplay very good was the fact he’s able to develop each of the scenes. Every scene is methodically intense. From the jump scares to the film’s most intense scenes, it keeps you engage with the film’s story. The other thing made this good was the way that Whannell develops his characters. I liked how he takes his time to develop its characters. By giving the major characters backstories, it helped me be interested in the characters. This made me curious to what was happening in the film. The other thing that I like to talk about is its ending without giving too much away. At the time when it was first released, the ending to “Saw” felt original. It provided a great twist that works on all levels and requires you to re-watch the film. It’s very rare for an ending to make a film great, but this film did that. It’s truly one of the best endings to a horror film.

This film is worth checking on in theaters this week for fans of the film or newer horror fan who haven’t seen it yet. “Saw” still has the same shocking and intense action that it had back in 2004.

Review Rating: Five Stars

Horrorpalooza 2014: Final Poster for the 10th Anniversary Re-Release of "Saw"

Lionsgate recently released the final poster for the 10th anniversary re-release of "Saw". The film released in 2004 introduced us to director James Wan, who has gone to direct "Insidious", "The Conjuring" and the upcoming "Fast and Furious 7" and "The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist". It stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell and Leigh Whannell. "Saw" is currently in theaters for one week only.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://sawmovie.com

Plot Synopsis:

With a dead body lying between them, two men wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw". The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them.

Horrorpalooza 2014: Second Official Poster for the Upcoming 10 Anniversary Re-Release of "Saw"

Lionsgate recently released the second of five poster for the 10th anniversary re-release of "Saw". The film released in 2004 introduced us to director James Wan. It stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell and Leigh Whannell. "Saw will return to theaters for one week only on October 31st.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://sawmovie.com  

Plot Synopsis:

With a dead body lying between them, two men wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw". The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them.

Horrorpalooza 2014: Official Trailer and Poster for Upcoming 10th Anniversary Re-Release of "Saw"

Lionsgate recently released the official trailer and the first of five poster for the 10th anniversary re-release of "Saw". The film released in 2004 introduced us to director James Wan. It stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell and Leigh Whannell. "Saw will return to theaters for one week only on October 31st.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://sawmovie.com

Plot Synopsis:

With a dead body lying between them, two men wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw". The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them.

"Saw 10th Anniversary Trailer": Official Trailer