Ryan Reynolds Shines In Lionsgate’s New Horror/Thriller

Courtesy: Lionsgate

Ryan Reynolds’ new horror flick The Voices is one of the most disturbing and unsettling movies in its genre to be released so far this year. The movie is billed as a dark comedy. But on a deeper level, it is a much deeper, troubling story that stands completely apart from all of the other slasher flicks that crowd theaters each year. What’s more, it isn’t just another CSI, Criminal Minds, or Law & Order: CI, either. It is something far more disturbing. So disturbing in fact that it puts even the likes of Psycho to shame. That is just one part of what makes The Voices a piece that even horror fans will find so unsettling that they can’t help but watch. Star Ryan Reynolds’ work in the role of Jerry adds even more interest to the movie. Being that he is more familiar with comedies and action flicks than horrors in large part, this movie was a big risk for him. And he succeeded in a big way here. Simply put, his work in this movie is the kind of work that will give audiences nightmares. Rounding out the movie in whole is its bonus material. The standard “making of” featurette is there. There is also a look at how Reynolds brought to life the voices of Jerry’s dog and cat as well as deleted and extended scenes among other bonuses. All three elements pose their own part in the strange success of this so grotesque and troubling that one can’t ignore it movie. Collectively, they make this movie one of the most original and strangely entertaining movies of this year.

The Voices is one of the most unsettling and disturbing horror flicks to come along in a very long time. The story follows Jerry (Ryan Reynolds), a schizophrenic who murders a trio of his female co-workers. It is obvious in committing the murders that Jerry’s schizophrenia has almost completely overtaken him as he has almost no sense of morals in regards to his horrible, grotesque acts. While he does show great separation from reality throughout most of the story, he shows that he does have some sense of what he’s doing albeit not until the story’s thrilling climax. It is one of the most original stories to come along within the horror genre this year if not the most original. Instead of just being another run-of-the-mill, cookie cutter slasher flick that throws out a bunch of blood and gore for shock value, it uses it to illustrate just how far gone Jerry proves to be. The comic elements are darkly funny. And audiences will find themselves to be ashamed of themselves for laughing at the comic elements in question. But they serve, too to illustrate the depth of Jerry’s mentality or rather lack thereof. Considering all of this, the script behind The Voices proves that it is not only not just another carbon copy slasher flick but that it even stands out from the likes of Criminal Minds, Law & Order: CI, CSI, Dexter, and any of those TV crime dramas. It proves to be something much deeper and more unsettling right to the end. It is a work that is so deep, unsettling and grotesque that audiences won’t be able to help but watch it.

The story behind The Voices proves undoubtedly that this movie is one of the year’s most original horror flicks if not the best of the genre. It stands out completely from its big screen slasher flick counterparts and even all of the crime dramas that over-populate television’s broadcast and cable networks today. It is just one part of the whole of this movie that makes it one of those works that audiences can’t help but watch. Lead star Ryan Reynolds’ work in the role of Jerry adds even more reason to watch this movie. Anyone that is familiar with Reynolds’ body of work know that he is more commonly associated with comedy and action flicks than horror. Aside from this new movie, Reynolds is also starring in another new thriller from Lionsgate titled The Captive. Other than that movie, the only other well-known experience that he has in the horror/thriller genre is the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror. Considering his overall lack of experience in the horror/thriller realm in comparison to his work in comedies and actions, Reynolds is to be highly commended for his work in this movie. His performance as Jerry makes Norman Bates look like a saint as he basically chops up and disembowels (yes, disembowels) the three women and puts their remains in Tupperware and pizza boxes. This is the kind of behavior that puts even the crimes from Se7en and Silence of the Lambs to shame. Reynolds is especially frightening as he finally begins to realize (without his medications) that there is something seriously wrong with him and confronts his psychotherapist Dr. Warren (Jacki Weaver–Silver Linings Playbook, Gracepoint, The Five-Year Engagement) in the movie’s climax. He knows what he has done and is now desperate for some kind of help, any help. His reaction here is especially interesting because it shows that Jerry is not entirely gone and has at least some sense of humanity left in him. It is just one more of so many moments in which Reynolds shines in his role and proves his surprising versatility as an actor. That surprisingly entertaining portrayal shows both Reynolds’ potential as an actor worthy of being taken seriously and one more reason that audiences won’t be able to help but watch The Voices.

The script behind The Voices and lead actor Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of schizophrenic killer Jerry are two clear reasons that audiences won’t be able to help but watch this sleeper hit of a horror flick. Both are solid reasons that audiences won’t be able to help but watch, too. They are not all that should be taken into consideration in what makes this movie surprisingly worth the watch, either. The material included with the movie as bonus features makes it even more worth the watch. More specifically, the bonus “Making of” featurette and (surprisingly) deleted scenes make the movie more worth the watch. Audiences learn in the bonus “making of” featurette how those behind the cameras brought Jerry’s four-legged friends to life and the real feelings of the cast among many other tidbits. It’s interesting to learn that those behind the cameras actually took a real dog and cat, and completely reconstructed their heads via CG to make them talk. They didn’t just go the cheesy route and make it look like they were talking. The special effects crew discussed how they went to painstaking efforts to make the animals look as real as possible as they talked. Those efforts paid off in spades. Just as interesting to hear is that most of the cast echoed the sentiment that they were drawn to the movie because of its original script. That is a powerful statement considering that Lionsgate is not typically thought of as one of Hollywood’s Power Five Studios. The deleted scenes hold their own importance as bonus material. There are some scenes presented that audiences will agree deserved to be cut. In another case such as when Jerry meets his now deceased, abusive father and discusses his [Jerry’s] fate, one can’t help but wonder if maybe such a scene should have been left in the movie. The same can be said of the scene in which Fiona’s remains are discovered by the police. It is actually a scene that really could have been left in or taken out. Its removal neither hinders nor boosts the story in any way. But it is a good part of the whole story even in its short few moments. It’s one more example of how the deleted scenes presented here help to enhance The Voices and prove that sometimes a movie’s bonus material can in fact make a movie better and even as worth the watch as any major name horror and/or thriller.

The bonus material included with Lionsgate’s home release of The Voices actually goes a long way toward making this movie so surprisingly worth the watch even as unsettling and grotesque as it proves to be. The same can be said of lead actor Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Jerry, and of course the movie’s script. All three elements combined, The Voices proves itself to be one of the most surprisingly intriguing and original works to be released so far both in the horror world and in terms of movies overall. It is a movie that because of not just its unsettling nature but its depth that audiences won’t be able to help but watch. It is available now in stores and online and can be ordered online direct from Lionsgate’s online store both on DVD and Blu-ray at http://www.lionsgateshop.com/search_results.asp?Search=The%20Voices. More information on this and other titles from Lionsgate is available online now at:

Website: http://www.lionsgate.com

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Shout! Kids’ Latest Pound Puppies Compilation Is Another Great Watch For The Whole Family

Courtesy; Shout! Factory/Shout! Kids/Hub/Hasbro Studios

Shout! Kids released the latest collection of episodes from Hub’s award-winning series Pound Puppies this week.  The latest collection of episodes from this update on the original 1980s series is just as much a jewel as the series’ previous compilation DVDs.  The episodes included in this compilation make it so enjoyable first and foremost because of the episodes’ writing.  By connection, audiences will appreciate the subtle lessons taught through some of the episodes.  Intentional or not, there are some subtle lessons taught through some of this set’s episodes.  It makes the set all the richer.  And last but not least, viewers (especially parents) will appreciate this latest compilation is the list of guest appearances.  Some very big names lend their talents to Pound Puppies in this collection.  Whether it be the guest talent, the lessons, the writing or all three factors together, Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match proves to be another wonderful set of episodes for the whole family.

The writing behind this collection of episodes is the central point of impact for this DVD.  Those that are familiar with this incarnation of Pound Puppies and with the original series from the 1980s know that both series emulate the classic WWII-themed sitcom Hogan’s Heroes in their theme songs.  The new Pound Puppies has taken things to a higher level, actually giving Ace and his canine friends an underground base just like Col. Hogan and his Allied forces friends in Hogan’s Heroes.  As viewers will see in this set’s opening episode, the writers even emulate Hogan’s Heroes in terms of the writing, too.  In “The Yipper Caper”, viewers see McLeash bring in a giant dog feeding machine just to impress his superiors much like Col. Klink would do in Hogan’s Heroes.  Klink was always taking on some wild, hair-brained scheme to impress his higher-ups.  On the other side of things, audiences hear Ace tell Yipper that the Pound Puppies have homes outside the shelter, but they stay there to help others.  Audiences familiar with Hogan’s Heroes will again recognize quite the similarity there.  This writing is a wonderful homage to the golden era of television and takes things one step farther than the original Pound Puppies series.  That homage is just the tip of the iceberg in what makes the writing so fun in these episodes.  Just as impressive to note is the fact that the show’s writers are able to time and again find ways for the Pound Puppies to complete their missions without McLeash ever knowing.  This is the case throughout all five episodes, not just the opener.  Again, this is an homage to Hogan’s Heroes.  It’s one more way to potentially get young viewers started on the road to an appreciation for television’s Golden Era.  And for that, the show’s writers are more than deserving of their applause.

As one should be able to tell by now, the writing behind the episodes included in the latest Pound Puppies compilation DVD is key to the collection’s overall enjoyment.  Even older viewers will appreciate the writing thanks to its throwback to what is one of television’s greatest ever sitcoms.  Just as important to these episodes are the lessons taught through the episodes.  “Hello Kitten” teaches a not so subtle lesson about the ability of people to get along and be friends despite opposing backgrounds.  It does this by having the youngest of the pound puppies help a kitten find his perfect person.  There’s just one problem.  The Pound Puppies’ feline counterparts, led by a feline mirror image of Ace is set out to keep the young kitten from becoming friends with dogs and finding a person for the kitten themselves.  In the end, the cats learn that it’s okay to be friends with dogs.  The secondary lesson taught here is that one must let go of things from the past.  All holding onto the past does is make a person bitter.  “Beauty is only Fur Deep” teaches a lesson about being one’s self when a much talked about dog comes to Kennel 17.  The Pound Puppies have their hands…*ahem*…paws full when the seemingly humble dog turns quite self-centered on getting a new coat of fur.  It creates lots of problems for the Pound Puppies especially when he shoots down the little girl they said was his perfect person. He of course learns a rather valuable lesson from this experience that viewers of all ages will appreciate.

The lessons taught through the episodes culled for Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match and the general writing that pays homage to Hogan’s Heroes both make this latest compilation of episodes just as enjoyable as previous Pound Puppies DVDs. There is one more factor to consider in this DVD that makes its episodes so fun. That final factor is the list of guest stars that lent its talents to each episode. J.K. Simmons (Spiderman 1 – 3) and Tress MacNeille both share their talents in the episodes included in this DVD. Go figure, Simmons voices a character in “Working K-9 To 5” that is a newspaper man. Hmmmmm, now where have we seen that before? His character is even presented much in the same vein as J. Jonah Jameson from director Sam Raimi’s Spiderman Trilogy. MacNeille (The Simpsons, Futurama) voices a fellow canine in another episode. It’s only a bit part. But parents that know McNeille’s voice will love hearing her voice here, too. And of course, the true queen of comedy herself, Betty White, returns once more as the voice of McLeash’s not so nice mother. These are just some of the guests that appear in the episodes collected for this DVD. Also on board on these episodes are: Tara Strong (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly Odd Parents), E.G. Daily (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, Chalk Zone), Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Napoleon Dynamite, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Danny Cooksey (Salute Your Shorts, Diff’rent Strokes, Tiny Toon Adventures) and so many others. The fact that so many well-known actors and actresses would lend their talents to these episodes shows just how respected a series it proves to be. Parents will recognize most (if not all) of the names mentioned here. And that alone is enough to give the DVD just one watch if not more. And it is most definitely deserving of far more than just one watch.

Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online direct from Shout! Factory’s online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/pound-puppies-perfect-match. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory and Shout! Kids is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.