Sheep Movie Review: Stay Out Stay Alive (2019) - Another Hole in the Head Film Festival

SF IndieFest Presents

16th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival

December 1 -15, 2019

https://www.ahith.com/

Stay Out Stay Alive

November 26, 2019 
Directed By: Dean Yurke
Screenplay: Dean Yurke
Production Company: Brainstorm Motion Pictures
Genre: Horror
Film Website: http://stayoutstayalivemovie.com/
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StayOutStayAliveMovie/
Length of Film: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Shadowed by a haunting presence in the redwood forest, five young hikers discover an abandoned goldmine dating back to the Gold Rush and descend into madness and greed as the pursuit of easy riches consumes them. STAY OUT STAY ALIVE depicts the struggle of human nature and the curse of insatiable greed, and poses the questions "What would YOU risk - what would YOU sacrifice - for unimaginable wealth?" After an earthquake plummets Donna - one of the hikers - down a mine shaft where she is pinned under a rock, the group must choose between saving their friend or taking their time to unlawfully mine the forbidden gold for themselves. As the group degenerates into conflict, a ghostly remnant of the mine's past ratchets up the horror of the unfolding events. 

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS: 

STAY OUT STAY ALIVE is based on true events and inspired by both the California Gold  Rush-era Mariposa Indian War and the curse of Chief Tenaya issued as a  result of that conflict between gold miners and Native Americans, as  well as the current phenomenon of people exploring the 500,000 abandoned  mines across the U.S. and falling afoul of the hazards these mines  pose. Learn more here.

WATCH NOW IN THE USA!

Amazon Prime | iTunes | YouTube | Vimeo 

Blu-ray/DVD: Amazon.com

Full list of video on demand sites HERE

This is the horror film about more than ghosts and the curse, but what people may do for wealth, no matter the costs. That sometimes, what has happened in the past will happen in the future. And in the long run, there really isn’t honor among thieves, at least for some in this movie. As the group degenerates into conflict, a ghostly remnant of the mine's past ratchets up the horror of the unfolding events. 

This is a haunted house and terror in the woods psychological horror set beneath the ground. It is an okay film, needed a bit more depth to the characters and more with the ghosts.

I give Stay Out Stay Alive 3 1/2 stars

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

Another Hole in the Head Festival Movie Review: Nina Forever (2015)

http://sfindie.com/festivals/another-hole-in-the-head-film-festival-2014/

Nina Forever (2015)
Rating: Unrated
98 min 

Genre: Horror, Comedy
14 March 2015 (USA)
Directed By: Ben Blaine, Chris Blaine

Written By: Ben Blaine, Chris Blaine
Stars: Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry
Official Site
Holly wants to save Rob and has fallen in love with him. She is training to be a paramedic and works a dead end job in a supermarket where Rob is the only remarkable thing; lost and angry since the death of his girlfriend Nina. Drawn into a relationship, the first time they're in bed together so is Nina. A tangled and bloody mess of broken limbs, she is very much dead but still here, still talking, still angry... However Holly doesn't freak out and run - she is determined to be the one who heals Rob's wounds. She can deal with the dead girl sharing their bed, their lives, their minds. If it's what Rob needs, it's what Holly will do, whatever the consequences...

After his girlfriend Nina dies in a car crash, Rob unsuccessfully attempts suicide. As he begins to overcome his grief, he falls in love with a coworker, Holly. Their relationship is complicated when Nina, unable to find rest in the afterlife, comes back to life to sarcastically torment them whenever they have sex. The premise of Nina Forever is one that could easily descend into camp or gratuitous territory, but instead deftly walks a fine line as it navigates its story and emotions. Holly (Abigail Hardingham) begins a relationship with supermarket coworker Rob (Cian Barry) as he works through his grief over the accidental death of his girlfriend, Nina (Fiona O'Shaughnessy), and a past suicide attempt of his own. As their relationship grows, things take a turn for the weird when every time they have sex Nina appears, usually in bed with them, looking as broken and bloody as she presumably did at the accident scene that caused her death. 

As odd as the film is, it’s a brilliant odd that gets under your skin and makes you think about the nature of relationships, mourning, and closure. Rob and Holly’s relationship follows a believable progression and while there is a decent amount of nudity and sex, it’s never gratuitous. Instead, it emphasizes their growing romance and just how much of an imposition Nina’s presence is when she shows up. I was pleased that Rob and Holly’s relationship got away from just sex and into issues like learning who a person really is and the trials of moving in together – an event not helped along by Nina’s constant, taunting presence. It’s more of a relationship horror movie romance, but it’s one that has the ability to make you genuinely uncomfortable just as easily as it can make you laugh or empathize for the characters.

The cast is excellent all the way around. David Troughton has some wonderful moments as Nina’s father and Cian Barry brings a believable progression to Rob working through his grief and the strange turns it leads him through. Stand-out performances, though, are definitely O’Shaughnessy as Nina and Hardingham as Holly. Not only is it great to see such unique and multi-faceted women’s roles, but these ladies bring depth to both characters. O’Shaughnessy delivers a deliciously sarcastic performance while still coming off as a looming threat and, at times, genuinely vulnerable. Her physical acting is just phenomenal, as well, and when coupled with the special effects gives a performance that’s sometimes hard to watch but harder to look away from. Hardingham is impressive in the emotional range she showcases as Holly grows from naïve girl who doesn’t want to be seen as too sweet or too young, through the love she pours into her relationship with Rob, to where she eventually ends up. She makes Holly’s decision to not run from Nina believable, and her vulnerable performance makes watching how her good intentions turn around and bite her that much more poignant. At the end of the day, Holly’s journey dominates the film as Rob’s baggage and her insecurities eat away at her the more Nina gets in her headspace, and Hardingham makes it a tremendous journey to watch. Her exchanges with O’Shaughnessy are some of the high points of the movie.

The film showcases the themes of relationship baggage, grief, and self-consciousness, things everyone can relate to. The witty script by Ben and Chris Blaine and killer music are a bonus. The ending is a realistic take on closure, and I appreciated that they went there instead of trying to wrap everything in a neat bow.

4.5 bloody romantic sheep



Guest Reviewer: Selah Janel

Sheep Movie Review: Ant-Man

Ant-Man
Directed By: Peyton Reed
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll
Plot:
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man." Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

I remember when the first Ant-Man trailer came out, I watched it so excited to see all the amazing action coming, sadly I was disappointed. But my love for Marvel runs bone deep, so I didn't give up and call it a day. No, one bad trailer is not going to send me packing my Avengers backpack and heading to the dark side. And I am so glad. Ant-Man was worth the wait, worth the box office ticket price and worth sitting my ass in a public seat that's been filled by too many people. 

Marvel Comics has finally noticed us. I Smell Sheep must be doing big things and going all over the web. I say this BECAUSE you will see the sheep in this movie! That is no lie, at all. I may have cried out in joy when this scene happened, but trust me, we are represented in this one folks! Power to the Sheep! 

Michael Douglas may not seem like a comic book hero, but just wait. He's the kind of caliber you hope all in the cinema profession will end up like, the guy is movie gold. Please take notes from this man! Age is really just a number and he shows that you can still bring the badass no matter what year it is. Cover your faces, his fists are about to blow! 

I've been watching Paul Rudd since his days in the film Clueless, he's an actor I've grown up with and loved in just about every role he's take on. The man can deliver and has the comic timing to make you laugh out loud over and over. Paul truly becomes the Ant-Man and I certainly can not see anyone else in this role now. He's it! So don't you dare replace him. 

When it comes to secondary cast, sometimes you get a few wet noodles. It's not often that a lot of time is taken for the comic relief type of cast, but actor Michael Pena and rapper T.I. were hilarious! Mr. Pena is most often an under appreciated actor, and that's a damn shame because he is stellar! Give this man more parts in movies! His acting range has so many layers, you'd be silly not to invest more in this man. 

You may never again look at ants the same, and that's okay. I had some big flashbacks to "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and that reminded me of the only other film I can think of which had some cool ants. My son now wants to learn about ants! That's amazing stuff. Fun CGI effects, great scripts across the board, Stan Lee cameo, Thomas the Tank going on a rampage and so much more I don't want to spoil. 

I would just like to add that my first job was at Baskin Robbins, which was so hilarious to see in this film. We are watching you! 

Overall, you totally get your money worth on this one. Great edition to the franchise, but make sure to stay past the credits! 

Getting 4 and 1/2 'I need a tank keychain" Sheep 

KD 

Press Release: Another Hole in the Head Film Festival 2012

I Smell Sheep will be screening 4 films from Another Hole in the Head Film Festival #9! Here is the list of the movies I will be reviewing along with links to their trailers followed by the press release for AHITH#9. Good times!

The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse

Animated Feature, Justin Paul Ritter 2012

President Wolfman

Mike Davis 2012

Deadball

Yudai Yamaguchi 2011

Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever

Calum Waddell 2012

Press Release

ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD

FILM FESTIVAL 2012

November 28th to December 9th, 2012

At Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison St, Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St, Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St, and Vortex Room 1082 Howard Street in San Francisco

Attention freaks: ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD FILM FESTIVAL is back for its 9th year of psychotic savagery and bloody pandemonium. San Francisco's original genre film festival will screen 54 films in 11 days, November 28 through December 9, 2012, at Terra Gallery, Victoria Theater, Roxie Theater and Vortex Room. For Tickets and more information, please call (415) 820-3907 or visit www.sfindie.com

Viewers will be soul-sickened and morbidly offended as they watch murderous maniacs, evil ghosts, Nazis in space, a werewolf President, and zombies galore! 28 features and 26 shorts from here and abroad will screen at four venues in the Mission and SOMA. If you’re truly hard core about horror, if you’re a dork for dark fantasy, or if you’re a freak for crazy sci-fi, then you can’t miss ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD #9

Click for more info about times, pricing and movies being shown...

Mercy Burns...not so great.

Mercy Burns, by author Keri Arthur, is the second book in her Myth and Magic series. The book is slated as an UF, but it holds a big romance flavor which I did enjoy. Unfortunately the characters left a lot to be desired and left a bad taste in my mouth. :P

Plot:

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.
Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

The story revolves around a pretty naive reporter in San Fran (Woot to Nor Cal!) who is trying to figure out who killed her best friend and why. Mercy was outright frustrating at times; she has very little common sense and keeps getting herself into some really sticky situations. It's a wonder this gal is not dead in a gutter someplace. She has to constantly rely on friends for help, and she seems to vacillate during the whole story between whining and insisting she can handle things on her own when she really can't. I wanted to shake her a few times throughout the story. Mercy is so stuck on being "less than" other people that she is constantly complaining about how bad she has it. Well if it's so bad then I say leave, start your own posse or go off solo. Don't complain about politics and do nothing to change them, it was really annoying after a while.

Enter Damon, an Enforcer for the Dragon Council and also the same group that is supposed to hunt down and kill any half breeds. Mercy falls really quickly for Damon even though he is supposed to kill people like her. They end up teaming up to find out who is doing a bunch of killings affecting different Dragon tribes in the area. I don't know if I would be all over a man that wanted me dead, I would probably be running far away and never looking back. But that's just me. If these two were talking it always seemed to turn to Mercy and her going on and on about how she is a half-breed and how bad her life sucks because of it. Again annoying. Best times where when no talking was happening and Damon was taking over in the bedroom. I would have gagged her. lol I'll admit that last comment was bad. :)

Overall the plot was pretty weak that by the time I finished the book I didn't really care who did what or why. To give credit to Keri her first novel, Destiny Kills, is pretty amazing so I would recommend you read that book instead of this one.

Getting 2 Golden Gate Sheep

KD