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Director's Cut (2024) – Movie Review

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Director's Cut (2024) – Movie Review

Director’s Cut, 2024.

Written and Directed by Don Capria
Starring Louis Lombardi, Tyler Ivey, Brandy Ochoa, Haley Cassidy, Greg Poppa, Lucy Hart, Danielle Kotch,  Darren Hickok, Louis Rocky Bacigalupo

SYNOPSIS:

A punk band are tempted into the Pennsylvania woodlands by the promise of a professionally made music video. 

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The ‘rocksploitation horror’ sub-genre of slasher movies has a long tradition of teaming guitar squeals alongside inventive gore-flecked set-pieces and stalking creeps.

Trick or Treat from 1986 is one of the best-known of these ‘crank it up to 11’ horrors. Featuring Kiss’s Gene Simmons (and also Ozzy Osbourne as a televangelist preaching on the evils of heavy metal) as a dead rocker summoned back to life by an alienated teen metalhead, the film is an excellent intro to this gnarly style of horror flick.

I mention this as an intro because the excellent punk band starring Director’s Cut pays quite a bit of homage to Trick or Treat and others in the rocking Halloween branch. In more recent years, Green Room (2015) also focused on a punk outfit uncovering grisly killings, and while that is also an excellent addition to the guitar and horror genre, it is more of a crime film than a slasher.

This particular sterling effort while not having access to rock god cameo, does have a similar affinity for operatic blood and guts and a focus on the single-minded drive of music creation. Director’s Cut sees a punk band eager for success brave the unknowns of the wild woods on the promise of a professionally made video.

Unfortunately for the band, the mysterious filmmaker turns out to be something of a sociopath, to say the least. To say the most, would be to tell all about the stock of inventive horrors he has in store for the hopeful punks.

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So, after setting up at the lonely location in the woods and meeting with the said filmmaker (the hilariously scary Louis Lombardi) and his assistant Babs (Lucy Hart), the punkers decide to get on with the video. Well, they’ve come this far, they think, and ok, he’s a bit weird, but who gets a video for free?

What follows is a slasher film without the stalking; the band is essentially going into the killer’s lair of their own volition, which makes an interesting twist. There is a lot of (actually pretty good) music around, as each member of the band sets out their musicianship to the ever-seeing Mr Director.

Band leader Jay (Tyler Ivey) is desperate for success and allows that to cloud his judgement. Initially driving away when the director goes too far at one of their initial interviews, Jay is brought back into the fray, not through thoughts of his bandmates’ well-being, but from the potential rewards that a new promo could deliver.

It’s a smart and dark look at how the aspiration of fame and riches can overpower absolutely everything. But there is also plenty of dark humour in the film that horror fans will enjoy. The balance between gruesome kills and character interplay is well judged, and the fact that the acting is good and the band are all likeable brings it up a notch above the average slasher.

There is also a depth to the story often missing in slasher films, as backstories are kept to a minimum and you get the feeling that every character has a tale to tell. This adds weight to a low-budget gem that is a twisted piece of punk metal horror. Add it to your Halloween watch list (witch-list?) and rock out.

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Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert W Monk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/playlist

 

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Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review: USA Premiere Report

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Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review: USA Premiere Report

U.S. Premiere Report:

#MSG Review: Free Flowing Chiru Fun

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It’s an easy, fun festive watch with a better first half that presents Chiru in a free-flowing, at-ease with subtle humor. On the flip side, much-anticipated Chiru-Venky track is okay, which could have elevated the second half.

#AnilRavipudi gets the credit for presenting Chiru in his best, most likable form, something that was missing from his comeback.

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With a simple story, fun moments and songs, this has enough to become a commercial success this #Sankranthi

Rating: 2.5/5

First Half Report:

#MSG Decent Fun 1st Half!

Chiru’s restrained body language and acting working well, paired with consistent subtle humor along with the songs and the father’s emotion which works to an extent, though the kids’ track feels a bit melodramatic – all come together to make the first half a decent fun, easy watch.

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– Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu show starts with Anil Ravipudi-style comedy, with his signature backdrop, a gang, and silly gags, followed by a Megastar fight and a song. Stay tuned for the report.

U.S. Premiere begins at 10.30 AM EST (9 PM IST). Stay tuned Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu review, report.

Cast: Megastar Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh Daggubati, Nayanthara, Catherine Tresa

Writer & Director – Anil Ravipudi
Producers – Sahu Garapati and Sushmita Konidela
Presents – Smt.Archana
Banners – Shine Screens and Gold Box Entertainments
Music Director – Bheems Ceciroleo
Cinematographer – Sameer Reddy
Production Designer – A S Prakash
Editor – Tammiraju
Co-Writers – S Krishna, G AdiNarayana
Line Producer – Naveen Garapati
U.S. Distributor: Sarigama Cinemas

 Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Movie Review by M9

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Primate

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Primate
Every horror fan deserves the occasional (decent) fix, andin the midst of one of the bleakest movie months of the year, Primatedelivers. There’s nothing terribly original about Johannes Roberts’ rabidchimpanzee tale, but that’s kind of the …
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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy

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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST

Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.

We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.

Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.

The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.

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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.

Black Moon Rising

What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?

Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.

Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.

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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.

1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.


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