The Brain (1988)

Released on video, sometime in December of 1988 in the US...

Filmed entirely in Canada.

The story: Jim is a smart teen but he also likes to have fun by causing mischief.

When Jim gets caught for a prank he pulls at school, his parents are advised that he must go to the local psychological institute for evaluation...

There, Jim is subject to some really strange brain wave tests conducted by the infamous, local TV show host/evangelist type Dr. Blakely.

The point is to get Jim to conform to another way of thinking.

But instead of the desired result, the tests only enlighten Jim about what's really going on.

The townspeople are being brainwashed by an alien-like brain whose intention is to take over the world, one clueless follower at a time...

Stars Susannah Hoffman, David Gale, Tom Bresnahan, Cynthia Preston, George Buza, Christine Kossak, Bret Pearson, Bernice Quiggin, Justine Campbell, Robert King, Kenneth McGregor, Vinetta Strombergs, Richard Gira, Wendy Springate, Harry Booker, Peter Read, Steve Mousseau, Garry Bron

Directed by Ed Hunt

Rated R
SCIFI/HORROR/MYSTERY

"Joe Bob says, 'Check it out...'"

News from Home (1976)

Released July 11, 1989, in the US...

Filmed entirely in New York.

The story:  Young Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman has left her home and family in Brussels for a new life in New York City.

There she captures places and people on a regular day and night basis.

Chantal writes letters to her mother and while we watch the scenes she so lovingly films, she reads us the letters her mother sends her.

Stars (voice) Chantal Akerman

Directed by (& story written) Chantal Akerman

Not Rated

French w/English subtitles

DOCUMENTARY/HISTORY

Female Trouble ; John Waters' (1974)

Released October 11th in the US.

Filmed entirely in Maryland.

The story: Teenaged Dawn Davenport is spoiled rotten.

She believes she knows everything and always just does what she wants.

When she doesn't get what she asked for from her parents on Christmas day, she hits the road.

That's when her real problems start.

A year later, Dawn is on her own and has a baby.

She tries many different things to make ends meet.

Finally, she lands a job at a local beauty salon.

Still eager to be the center of attention and get whatever she wants, Dawn soon marries.

But it's a big mistake.

Her daughter is still young and quite the horrible example of a child.

Nothing seems to go right for Dawn but that doesn't get her down.

After all that she's been through, she gets the job from her beauty salon bosses to be a model for women criminals...

Stars Divine, Cookie Mueller, Susan Walsh, Margie Skidmore, Berenica Cipcus , Betty Woods, Roland Hertz, Ramsey McClean, Michael Potter, Edith Massey, Ed Peranio, Paul Swift, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole, Susan Lowe, George Figgs, George Hulse 

Directed by (& story written) John Waters

Rated NC17

DARK COMEDY/FANTASY 

I Love You , Now Die :The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter , parts 1 - 2 (2019)

Made for HBO, airing July 9th in the US.

Filmed in Massachusetts.

The story: In 2012, Naples, Florida, 17- year-old Conrad Roy lll of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts was introduced by his aunt to 16 -year-old Michelle Carter of Plainville, Massachusetts while visiting with their relatives on vacation.

The two teens quickly took a liking to each other and began bonding.

Both Conrad and Michelle had been battling demons of social anxiety and depression and being medicated for them which made the two even closer.

They spoke about what was on their minds mostly through text messages after they returned home and realized they lived only 35 miles away from each other.

When Conrad began really struggling with his depression he grew more and more suicidal.

While Michelle believed in Conrad's pain she also believed she was closest to him and was helping him the only way she thought she could.

Conrad eventually took his depression to a whole other level when he committed suicide on July 13, 2014, in a KMart parking lot in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

It seemed to Michelle in a way that she had done the right thing by encouraging her friend to take his depression to the ultimate level.

But the people who loved and cared about Conrad saw things otherwise.

Stars Peter Breggin, Joseph Cataldo, Michelle Carter, Sam Boardman, Jesse Barron, Marin Cogan, H Conradroy, Emily Bazelon, Glenn Cudmore, Dana Curham, Lexie Eblan, Maryclare Flynn, Tom Gammell, Anne Glowinski, Becki Maki, Scott Gordon, Carolyn Mcgonagle, Bob McGovern 

Directed by Erin Lee Carr

Rated TVMA

HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY/DOCUMENTARY/SERIES

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)

Released November 10th in the US.

Filmed entirely in New York.

The story: Emily is a pre-teen who mostly keeps to herself.

Her mom works a lot and leaves Emily in the care of her uncle Casey, who she also doesn't have much in common with.

When Casey takes Emily to see the animals in a magical, traveling animal rescue she makes friends with a small red pup named Clifford.

Emily wants Clifford but knows she cannot have him.

Later that evening, Emily finds that Clifford actually made his way to her house.

Now she has to keep him.

Although, within hours it becomes out of the question to hide Clifford, considering he has tripled in size...

When Emily and Casey are trying to hide Clifford, he escapes into the streets of New York.

That's when the head of a genetics company plots to capture Clifford for his work and experiments.

Stars Darby Camp, Sienna Guillory, Jack Whitehall, Izaac Wang, John Cleese, Tony Hale, David Allan Grier, Horatio Sanz, Paul Rodriquez, Russell Peters, Keith Ewell, Bear Allen Blaine, Ty Jones

Directed by Walt Becker

Rated PG
FAMILY/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

Stillwater (2021)

Released July 30th in the US.

Filmed in Oklahoma and France.

The story: Bill is an oil rig worker in Oklahoma looking for work.

Five years ago Bill's daughter Allison, had been going to school in France, where she was living with her girlfriend.

Now she is serving a 9-year sentence for killing said girlfriend.

Allison claims she is innocent of the crime and Bill believes her.

When he visits her she gives him a note for her lawyer, a note that she believes will prove her innocence.

But when her lawyer refuses to do the work to look for the real person responsible for the crime, Bill takes it upon himself to do the looking.

Stars Matt Damon , Deanna Dunagan , Abigail Breslin  , Anne LeNy , William Nadylam ,Camille Cottin , Lilou Siauvaud , Idir Azougli , Moussa Maaskri , Isabelle Tanakil , Naidra Ayadi , Pierre Piacentino

Directed by Tom McCarthy 

Rated R
MYSTERY

Hogzilla (2014)

Released on video, December 15th in the US. 

Filmed entirely in Florida.

Loosely based on truths.
The story: Five years ago, Andy was hunting in the woods with his son Robbie.

When Bobby disappeared, due to the wild hog living in the woods, everyone believed Andy killed him and buried his son out in the woods.

Now, Andy lives in the woods, looking to one day track down that killer hog and destroy it.

Present-day, a group of tabloid news location scouts have located the area where Andy now resides.

They are also looking for the infamous killer hog to help get the story on it.

Just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse, a hurricane blows in, trapping the crew.

But what they don't realize is that being stranded is the least of their worries.

Stars Zachary Dubale, Joe Bloom, Wade White, William A Butland, Justin Kane, Tomey Sellers, Meredith Martin, Joey Malone, John Pagnam 

Directed by Diane Jacques

Not Rated

HISTORY/HORROR