As Jonathan revives the Daily Dose section of DFF, he dives into today’s DVD and Blu-ray offerings. Caution: there’s sharks in the water!
Rave Party Massacre
Produced by my wife, Maggie D. Hickman, and directed by my friend Jason Winn (“The Fat Boy Chronicles,” “Shifting Gears”), “Rave Party Massacre” was previously named “DeadThirsty,” the name of the drug and rave culture featured in the movie. I get a co-writing credit for this political horror-thriller, which takes place in 1992. Viewers should understand that the narrative unfolds over a couple days and involves a domestic terror subplot. As renown terror expert Brian Michael Jenkins once said, “Terrorism is aimed at the people watching, not at the actual victims.”
So far, “RPM” has provoked some critics and enchanted others. It appears that those writers that rant about the movie complain that there isn’t enough exposition. They want more explanation, it appears, instead of considering the terror subplot and the random nature of terrorism in general. Needless to say, the passion that the film has evoked with critics is encouraging—a recent review ran well over 1000 words.
The official trailer appears below and here’s the description from “RPM’s” website:
On the eve of an abandoned hospital’s demotion, evil walks its empty corridors to the pulsating echo of 150 beats per minute. It’s 1992, an uncertain time of uprising, of violent revolution against the so-called New World Order. When Rachel, Branson, and others attend an illegal rave party held in the facility, they encounter the malevolent presence lurking within. A hallucinogenic drug nightmare infused with illicit partying and forbidden sex, these young ravers will soon discover the murderous world of the DeadThirsty.
The Post
In my annual top ten list, I named this old fashioned Spielberg, Streep, Hanks entry the 4th best film of 2017. DFF critic Jeff Marker liked “The Post” in his review offering words of encouragement to would be audience members:
Take your children if they are in their pre-teens or older. It manages to be both fun to watch and an important reminder of the role journalism plays in our democracy, at a time when many people need such a reminder.
The Commuter
Liam Neeson re-teams with director Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop,” “Unknown,” and “Run All Night”) for this tale of an everyman who is drawn into some kind of conspiracy while making his daily commute. The trailers tease Neeson’s signature action moves, which will likely include punching people in the face—ouch.
Deep Blue Sea 2
After 19 years, the smart sharks are back. Remember in the first film these genetically altered beasts were pretty sharp—for sharks, that is. And they swam backwards!
Gone is director Renny Harlin and star Saffron Burrows (spoiler, tell me if she survived the first one, because I honestly can’t remember). The plot of the sequel appears to be an almost complete rehash of the first film with Michael Beach stepping into the ill-fated Samuel L. Jackson crazy billionaire role. Looks like cheesy fun, and with sharks, it’s really hard to go wrong.
