What to Watch: Fishbowl, All In, Come Play, The Call, Blackjack, Cut Throat City, Cats, and Bad Therapy

For An Indie Gem - Fishbowl (Digital)

Fishbowl's fantastic style, understated humor, wonderful performances, and subtle touches showcase a family and spiritual crisis surrounded by small town angst and judgment.  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Looking to Vote - All In: The Fight For Democracy (Amazon, Youtube)

All In; The Fight for Democracy is an important film about modern voter suppression techniques, with poignant examples and valuable advice to ensure that all Americans are able to exercise their rights to vote.  It is free to watch this weekend on Youtube so make sure to check it out!  For more information, check out the news story!

For Those Looking For Digital Horror - Come Play (Theaters)

Come Play is a modern Babadook, with fantastic sounds, a creepy modern creature, and palatable tension.  For more information, check out our review!

For 80s Kids and Scream Queens - The Call (Digital)

The Call gives Lin Shaye a platform to shine as a different, insidious type of character, surrounding her with a young cast and a creepy setting for this atmospheric 80s horror callback.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Showboats - Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story (Digital)

Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story is a slam dunk portrayal of the legendary street baller, with a boisterous performance by Finley and a loud style to match the street ball subject and hot-tempered athlete.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of Thrillers and Tension - Cut Throat City (Digital / Redbox)

Cut Throat City has a lot more going on than meets the eye, from its complex characters, to its involved story, and wonderful dialogue, this film steals the spotlight.  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Looking For A Different Type of Horror - Cats (HBO)

Yes, this movie was universally panned.  Yes, it is a strange film.  But it is also catchy and has enough in there that I'm sure you'll be singing through the fever dream that is this film.

For Fans of Awkward Comedy - Bad Therapy (Hulu)

Bad Therapy has three great leads in a dark comedy with funny moments, awkward humor, and ridiculous situations.  For more information, check out our review!

The Call Review: Lin Shaye Shines In This 80s Horror Callback

Release date: October 30, 2020
Running time: 92 minutes
Starring: Lin Shaye (Insidious, The Grudge), Tobin Bell (Saw, Jigsaw), Chester Rushing, Erin Sanders, Judd Lormand 
Director:  Timothy Woodward Jr
Writer:  Patrick Stibbs 

From the creator of Final Destination, Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell star in this tale of death from the fall of 1987. After a tragic accident, a group of small town friends must survive the night in the home of a sinister couple. One by one, their worst nightmares quickly become reality as they enter the realm of The Call.  Each must call a strange phone for 60 seconds and hope that they can survive the night.  

You'll instantly recognize the main star of this film, Lin Shaye.  She has become a modern day scream queen as one of the main driving forces behind the Insidious series.  In this film she gets to play a more insidious character than in the namesake movies, and it was a lot of fun to see her play this.  And her husband in the film, Tobin Bell, is another easily recognized actor that is fun to see in a horror role.  They play the two adults in this film who have a confrontation with the group of young friends.  The rest of the cast are mostly young but well cast.  The characters aren't incredibly deep, and only little bits of their backstory are revealed at first.  You learn more as the movie progresses, but it would have been nice to have some more build up before the call part. 

And when the film gets into the call part of it, the horror really starts.  The call takes place in a creepy setting with a good horror aesthetic. And initially the film has a good amount of tension as you try and figure out what will happen next.  This is accompanied by some atmospheric music and sounds to keep you on edge.  And the call itself is a creepy experience, though it feels like it has been done before.  The unknown parts of the film really drive this, and you learn more as the characters learn more.  And as you learn more about the characters, the reveals do help to paint a fuller picture of what is going on.  However, the ending of the film left something to be desired.  Some characters make some uncharacteristic and frankly bad choices towards the end that cause the ending to fall flat.  The film tried to go for a horror ending but some of it feels forced.  

The Call gives Lin Shaye a platform to shine as a different, insidious type of character, surrounding her with a young cast and a creepy setting for this atmospheric 80s horror callback.

Rent it.

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And make sure to check out our interview with Erin Sanders, who plays Tonya!  We discuss the film, her love of horror, what it was like filming an 80s period piece, and her Halloween plans!

Interview: Erin Sanders From The Call, New Horror Film With Lin Shaye, Tobin Bell, Chester Rushing

Erin Sanders, who plays Tonya in the all new horror film, The Call joins to discuss the film and her love of horror. We also discuss what it was like working with Lin Shaye, what drew her to this film and role, how much fun it was to film a period piece, and what she is doing this Halloween! So give it a watch and make sure to check out The Call, digitally and premium on demand on October 30. Starring: Lin Shaye (Insidious, The Grudge), Tobin Bell (Saw, Jigsaw), Chester Rushing, Erin Sanders, Judd Lormand Director: Timothy Woodward Jr Writer: Patrick Stibbs Synopsis: From the creator of Final Destination, Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell star in this tale of death from the fall of 1987. After a tragic accident, a group of small town friends must survive the night in the home of a sinister couple. One by one, their worst nightmares quickly become reality as they enter the realm of The Call. Each must call a strange phone for 60 seconds and hope that they can survive the night. Please subscribe to be updated on the latest videos: https://bit.ly/3ajxSle

What to Watch This Weekend: June 28, 2013

In Theaters: 20 Feet from Stardom

This documentary gives backup singers the spotlight. Their stories about their numerous career roadblocks can be heartbreaking, but that just makes it more satisfying to hear about their rare triumphs. Their winning personalities are funny and engaging. It's at less than a handful of DC-area theaters, but it's worth the effort. Here's the review.

On DVD: The Call

Alright, I haven't actually seen The Call, and it has a pretty bad critic rating. But, it does feature Halle Berry in Jheri curls and has a high audience rating. Not much came out this week so if you want to see Halle Berry kick butt in this thriller, check it out. Did I mention it has Halle Berry in Jheri curls?

Streaming (Amazon Instant): For Ellen

I just realized this movie was available on Amazon Instant video and I can't wait! It's got Paul Dano, so that's all you really need to know. It looks like an interesting and serious story about a dad struggling to connect with his daughter while balancing his own attempt to revive an almost career. It's the movie I'm definitely going to be watching this weekend! 

Streaming (Netflix): The Avengers

All your favorite Marvel superheroes (who aren't X-Men) team up to stop an alien force. This movie has a great cast and a very comic book story. It's also required watching if you're going to truly appreciate Iron Man 3 when it comes to DVD later this year.