Film Studies

It’s been a while since the last Film Studies but it’s been a while since there’s been movies out to review as well. So, we’re coming back with a double feature of sorts. We actually review several movies in this show including Unhinged, Hubie Halloween, Borat 2, and our headlining fetaures The New Mutants and Come Play. And if that wasn’t enough, our conversation evolves into a discussion about w...

The final episode of this year’s RetroSpooktive sees us talking about The First Purge. This movie was promoted as the film to show how the Purge was created and became a national holiday. But in its infancy, it was just a “social experiment” localized entirely on Staten Island.

enator Charlie Roan is running for President of the United States of America on a platform of ending the annual Purge. But the New Founding Fathers can’t let that happen and amend the rules of the Purge so that government officials can be targeted. Now, Leo Barnes, Charlie’s head of security, must keep her alive until morning with help from some Washington DC locals!

The 2020 RetroSpooktive rolls on as we take on The Purge: Anarchy. This time, we’re going out onto the streets where all of the action is. A group of strangers come together during the worst night of the year to protect themselves while surviving the annual Purge. But around every corner, there’s more trouble and more danger.

In a year where the unthinkable is reality, it was only fitting that the RetroSpooktive returns with The Purge and its series of films. For 12 straight hours on one night of the year, every crime is legal. The New Founding Fathers of America have designed a night of violent crapulence to cleanse your soul . . . or does it have ulterior motives.

Bill and Ted haven’t yet fulfilled the prophecy of creating the perfect song that will unite the world and now, they learn, that the song will also restore peace to space and reality as well. So they travel into various times in the future to steal the song from themselves. Meanwhile, their daughters are also time-travelling to put together the greatest band of all time!

In the near future, a service called Archive allows your consciousness to continue after death for 200 hours. After George Almore lost his wife in a car accident, he took advantage of Archive’s service in an attempt to create an android and transfer her into it. But the Archive company thinks his work is stealing from theirs and it’s a race against time to save his wife.

When their weekend away is interrupted by a group of violent criminals, a family is forced to turn over a key or die. But the key is currently around the neck of the teenager Becky in her private clubhouse. Now, it’s a showdown between the worst Neo-Nazi criminals and the most psycho teenager ever. Who will win? And what does it take to make the hero the villain?

India’s top drug lord is behind bars leaving his family open and vulnerable. His son is kidnapped by the king drug lord from Bangladesh. With his financial assets frozen by the Indian government, Ovi Sr. turns to a group of mercenaries to get his son back. Chris Hemsworth leads the group but soon finds that the mission has more to it than expected.

Well this week we’re bringing you three for the price of one. First, Al Capone is retired and living in a mansion in Florida. But there’s a smaller matter of $10,000,000 hidden on the property. Then, we go to Los Angeles where a Valley girl meets a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Finally, we found Simon Pegg trapped in an underground bunker and it’s up to a young District Attorney to find o...

This week, we’ve managed to work in a double feature. First, the gritty story of a man who had to become a criminal in prison to save his family on the outside. Second, the reboot/sequel of the Scooby Doo franchise updated for the 2020 family audience. Two more different movies there could never be.

Another two-for-one from quarantined isolation. This time, we’re depressing ourselves with two isolation themed horror films, Vivarium and The Platform. First, a young couple looking for a house gets tricked into a maze of a suburban neighbourhood that they cannot leave. Then, go into The Hole and scavenge as much food as you can from the lowering platform each day. One’s worth it and one isn’t.

Deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a drilling facility experiences a major malfunction. The entire facility collapses and all but six lucky employees survive. Now they have to get to the escape pods before being killed by the pressures of the deep, weird undiscovered sea creatures, and an H.P. Lovecraft God. Yep. That’s what actually happened!

With the worldwide pandemic is full effect, we’re taking a look at movies released on streaming services. This time around, we take a look at two Netflix originals. First, Ryan Ryenolds stars in an action-packed adventure where he forms a team of undercover badasses to take out an evil dictator in 6 Underground. Then we review Mark Wahlberg’s latest cop drama/mystery story in Spenser Confidential.

In a world where the political landscape is more toxic than it’s ever been, comes a movie that splits the rights and lefts both literally and violently. A group of wealthy Liberal elites kidnap and hunt down a group of ultra-right wing conservatives on a large compound. Dubbed Manor Gate, it’s up to one to turn the hunted into the hunter.

Cecilia (Cee) has left her abusive boyfriend, Adrian, and trying to get into a normal life. Finally, news comes that Adrian has committed suicide. No longer afraid to face the world, Cee starts to see and hear things leading her to believe that her ex isn’t really dead but somehow invisible. Is she right or is she slowly losing her sanity?

Well, after the Internet bitched and complained, Sonic finally has been released. Was it worth it? We have two very special guests to help us decided. Derek sits down with comedians Dylan Rhymer and Mike Storck to review this controversial movie. Movies based on video games are sometimes rough.

It’s the spin-off from DC’s much maligned Suicide Squad but starring Suicide Squad’s favourite character, Harley Quinn. She’s broken up with “Mista J” and without his protection, she’s wanted dead by every lowlife and scumbag in Gotham City. But she’s not the only bird looking for a new stool and a new song to sing.

It’s the beginning of Season 9 here on Film Studies and we’re kicking it off with a January horror release called The Turning. Mackenzie Davis is a live-in nanny to a young girl and her older brother in a creepy haunted house. Soon, the kids beginning acting strange and Mackenzie fights against herself and losing her mind.

Another year has come and gone so it’s time for our annual Year in Review show. The show where we hand out awards to movies and stars who won’t show up to accept them. But hey, that means no long, boring acceptance speeches. But seriously, we’ll take a look back at our favourite and least favourite movies and performances from the last year!

In 1977, a bold new movie hit theatres and changed the Hollywood blockbuster forever. In 2019, the Skywalker Saga comes to an end. Rey’s lineage is finally revealed, the ultimate battle between good and evil, and the end of the Force journey for some of the most beloved characters.

In this, the sixth film in the Terminator franchise, a new threat is on the horizon and Grace, a cybernetic-enhanced human from the future, comes back in time to protect Danni with help from Sarah Connor from the evil Terminator sent back to kill her. Yeah, sounds familiar to me too.

It’s been ten years since Columbus formed a family with Tallahasee, Witchita, and Little Rock and now there’s dissension among them. Little Rock and Witchita run off again and when Little Rock leaves Witchita for a young man named Berkely, it’s a race against time and a new strain of super zombies to ensure her safety.

It’s the most controversial and crowd-splitting movies of the year. Joaquin Phoenix brings to life a dark and gritty origin story of Batman’s most infamous villains, The Joker. Normally shrouded in mystery, we finally get to see what turned a down on his luck performing street clown into Gotham’s city’s worst nightmare. Or do we? We break it down and try decide what was real and what wasn’t.

Two years ago, horror movie box office records were broken when It Chapter One become the highest grossing rated R horror movie ever. Now, the story finishes as the Losers Club are grown up and must return to Derry to force Pennywise into a final showdown.