Seven mercenaries make up The Glorious Seven in writer-director Harald Franklin’s homage to Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film The Seven Samurai.

The film has already been remade before. In 1960, director John Sturges turned it into The Magnificent Seven, which led to three sequels, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven Ride. There was also a TV series that lasted from 1998-2000. In turn, it was remade in 2016.

The A-Team was another sort of remake that combined The Magnificent Seven with The Dirty Dozen. It was to originally star James Coburn, who played Britt in the film as Hannibal. That role went to George Peppard and Robert Vaughn, who played Lee in Sturges’ film, would appear in the final season of the show.

Speaking of Peppard and Vaughn, they both show up in another Seven Samurai reimagining, 1980’s Battle Beyond the Stars, with Vaughn playing nearly the exact same role as Gelt, down to even some of the same dialogue. It’s an intended homage, as the planet they seven defend in this film is called Akir, named for Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa.

That movie also features Sybil Danning, who would go on to be in yet another Seven Samurai-inspired movie, Seven Magnificent Gladiators.

The opening credits of The Glorious Seven directly reference both Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven by showing how each character in this movie relates to who they were inspired by in those films, including Yul Brenner’s Chris Adama and Toshiro Mifune’s Kikuchiyo. That’s pretty audacious and a lot for any movie to live up to.

Ex-military commander David Guerra has been hired by a crooked millionaire to rescue his wife, who was kidnapped by the leader of a guerrilla group. So he recruits six of his former special forces buddies to be part of his impossible mission.

The issue here is that the filmmakers want us to believe that this is a heartfelt homage to the films that inspired it — the aforementioned credits sequence pretty much shouts that out loud — yet the mission isn’t to protect people who can’t defend themselves. Instead, it’s to rescue the kept wife of an evil man who we’re shown is wrong in no uncertain terms.

Instead, this is simply an action movie with leanings toward being seen in the same light as the aforementioned films. It can’t live up to that, no matter how many MMA fights and bullets get fired. It’s fine at that, but when judged against to the movies that it makes a direct comparison to in the opening credits, it can’t help but suffer.

Glorious Seven is available on demand and on DVD as of March 12.

DISCLAIMER: We were sent this movie by its PR firm, but that doesn’t impact our review.

Deep in the forest, two teenage boys accidentally discover the entrance to a secret military bunker hidden since World War II. They awaken an undead soldier who soon wipes out everyone he comes in contact with, including the police who are trying to solve the crime. Only a World War II vet with dementia (John Rhys-Davies!) knows how to stop the killing.

I really enjoyed this British horror film that has high production values despite its low budget. There’s more than enough gore on display and the actual practical effects of the zombie soldier are pretty impressive.

Usually, most films suffer when they leap genre. Here, the film effortlessly moves from police procedural to slasher film to supernatural zombie film. There are also elements of rural horror here.

This is one of the better independent releases I’ve seen in a while. I’d compare its look and kills to a favorite 80’s slasher, The Prowler, but with a modern edge. The story of the soldier never stopping in his mission gives this film’s antagonist plenty of reason to be and the old soldier that must conquer age and doubt to stop him is just as well-formed.

Look for this on Amazon Prime now and on DVD April 9.

NOTE: The film’s production company sent us this, but that has no bearing on our review.

Steve’s marriage is just about over. To escape, he and three of his closest friends head to the mountains to relax for the weekend. However, things are only beginning to go wrong, as a killer is on the loose and what was once a getaway has turned into a battle to survive.

Soon, our protagonists SUV has been vandalized and strange inhuman footprints are found all around their cabin. Add in some definitely monstrous screams and it seems everyone is in trouble. They are, that is, until they shoot the monster.

All good? Nope. It turns out that the beast they got was just the kid version…

I liked Michael Draper’s nerdy character the best here, wearing a ridiculous sweater and throwing up nearly any time he’s in danger. And oh boy, these guys are in danger for most of the film.

This is a fine monster/rural horror low budget movie. It’s quick, has some surprises and scares.

Between the Trees is available on Demand and digital HD March 5 and on DVD June 11.

NOTE: We were sent this movie by its production team but that doesn’t impact our review.

As early as the 1980’s, Church of Satan founder Dr. Anton LaVey advocated the use of Artifical Human Companions, saying, “These humanoids will be constructed to be as realistic as possible, and available to anyone who can afford one. Recognizing that the human animal often raises himself up through the denigration of another, this would provide a safe outlet for such behavior. Have the lover of your dreams, regardless of your own prowess.” As we’ve seen through the real doll and now actual robots growing closer, he wasn’t far off. Now, we have a movie to add to the conversation.

2050 is all about a married video game developer who discovers the idea of androids for human companionship from his brother-in-law, who wants to give his up and try to win his ex-girlfriend back. Meanwhile, Superman himself, the man who took Brooke Shields’ virginity, Dean Cain plays Maxwell, the man who owns the warehouse with all of the amorous androids.

Can sex bots save a marriage? Will they destroy it? And what happens when the bots get their own personality and maybe even soul?

It all reminded me of the Image Comic Alex + Ada, which was more about the personalities of the robots becoming actual souls and the ethical questions of their slavery. That goes a bit further than this film, which is more concerned with the ways that relationships are changed by the introduction of a lover that’s exactly what you’ve always desired.

I kind of love that Dean Cain has been showing up to add star power to smaller films, like he did in The Incantation. I miss American stars turning up in Italian horror films, so this is pretty much the closest we’ll get.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day, 2050 started playing theatrically in New York City. Soon, it will head out on the road, with the cats and crew making appearances in Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, and Baltimore. You can also catch it at select AMC theaters and soon on VOD.

For more information, check out this movie’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.

NOTE: I was sent this movie by its PR team but that doesn’t have any bearing on this article.

In a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk city of the future that’s been destroyed by crime and corruption, a District Attorney finds the information he needs to finally arrest a gang of cyborg criminals. Too bad he’s killed before he can do anything about it. But then again, his car has come back, looking for revenge. And that’s how the kinda, sorta sequel to The Car begins. If you were expecting another Anton LaVey quote to kick this off, you picked the wrong movie.

Where the original film hinted that the titular vehicle may or may not be powered by Satan — seriously, this was a never-ending debate in the HBO fueled 1980’s in our immediate family — this movie has a very simple motivation. Well, two of them. Revenge and misguided love, as the DA pretty much has been stalking his ex. And it turns out she likes it, no matter how much her friend tries to explain how crazy their relationship was.

Soon, though, the police, both good and corrupt, as well as an army of cyborg ruffians, including a cowboy, several punks and some guy who wandered in from A Clockwork Orange are after her. And yep, The Car is both there to protect and pretty much continue stalking her. It gets blown up real good, but a mechanic (played by Ronny Cox, who was in the original) uses old parts to make it look a lot more like the 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III that it should be.

This felt way closer to Upgrade that to The Car. That said, I’m still wondering how any movie that has cybernetic gangs and killer women can leave so little of an impression.

The Car: Road to Revenge was directed by G.J. Echternkamp, who also directed last year’s Death Race 2050. As long as genre titles have some life, it seems like we’re going to see direct to Redbox and streaming sequels. This has the smallest of connection to the film that inspired it, so if you’re hoping for more marching bands being chased through cemeteries, sadly you’ve come to the wrong place.

Scream queen Debbie Rochon stars in Jon Keeyes’ (The Harrowing) latest* film, which is all about a woman (Johanna Stanton) who wakes up locked in a small room with no memory of how she got there. She can’t escape and is taunted by paranormal entities who are keeping her from learning how she got there and who she really is.

The beings that the nameless woman encounters have names like Husband, Wife and Innocence. Some of them are kind to her and others are anything but. So what are they? Figments of her insane imagination or actual demons?

The entire movie feels like a stage play that’s been captured for film. It’s way artier than you’d think and I really had the feel of British horror and BDSM infused in every frame. It’s talky at times, but I took that as a way of dealing with the small budget and have seen plenty of grindhouse-style movies of old that felt the same way.

There’s plenty of slut-shaming and male on female coarse dialogue here though, so if these things disturb you, this probably isn’t the movie for you. I’m sure that six years ago, that felt pretty cutting edge when it was filmed, but today it feels rather forced and shock for shock’s sake.

That said — it has a great look and feel, as well as a unique story unlike many recent direct to streaming films I’ve seen. I stayed with it until the end and wasn’t ever bored, which is certainly a good thing.

*While this film was originally created in 2013 as Nightmare Box, this is the first actual release of the film, however.

Doom Room is available January 15 on demand.

NOTE: We were sent this movie by its PR team but that has no impact on our review.

If you’re the kind of person who sees Vivica A. Fox and Daniel Baldwin on the cover of a science fiction movie and instantly gets excited, I have some good news. You’re my kind of movie watcher. I’ve got the movie for you. After all, in the world of streaming video, the recognizable stars of the 80’s and 90’s have become much like the American stars of Italian or Japanese exploitation films.

In the near future, the President of the United States has hired a team of cybertronic military commandoes to retrieve an alien bio-weapon from a top-secret research facility that’s spinning around our planet. Of course, the cargo escapes and all hell breaks loose, pitting cyborg against alien in a battle to the finish.

I loved that the cyborgs in this basically have pieces of machinery stuck to their faces. I really got a Shocking Dark vibe from this — without people constantly being thrown off high places or anyone as cool as Geretta Geretta being in the movie. There are shout outs to Timecop and Predator in the movie, so it’s 80’s feel is no accident.

Interestingly enough, the original press release published by The Hollywood Reporter went viral within hours of its publication when it was cited that Vivica A. Fox would be portraying the first cinematic African-American Female President. This role was teased in the latest Sharknado film, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, when Vivica A. Fox’s character Skye was seen in a political ad and someone yells how she will be President some day. Even better, her character, Ellen Henricksen, is named for a certain actor we all love.

Speaking of the 80’s, Vernon Wells is in this. Let off some steam, Bennett! If you want to see someone that knows how to always be working, you should totally check out his IMDB page.

If you’re in the mood for low budget silliness where robotic dudes high five one another and shoot machine guns at aliens, well, Crossbreed has you covered. This movie arrives on demand and digital HD February 5, 2019. You can pre-order it from iTunes right here.

NOTE: We were sent this film by its PR team, but that has no impact on our review.

Every 25 years, it begins. A family of untold occult power — bound to an ancient pact — must visit a small town and sacrifice four souls, including one of their own family. Now, they’ve come into the life of Kerry, a pregnant 18-year-old who just wants to escape her rural roots. Now, as her friends die around her, she’s looking for an even bigger escape — one that helps her avoid the sacrifice of her unborn child.

Directed by Richard LeMay, who also helmed the remake of Dementia 13, Blood Bound starts as a coming of age tale, as Kerry (Eden Brolin, daughter of James) tries to decide between leaving friends and family behind or being part of their druggy culture. But soon, everyone is caught up in the ritual and no one will escape unharmed.

By the end, the visions and nightmares turn into real demons, leading to major decisions being made. It takes awhile to get there, but if you ever wanted to see a mix of River’s Edge or Kids wih a possession movie, good news!

Blood Bound is available on demand from January 15, 2019.

NOTE: This film was sent to us by its PR company. That has no impact on our review.

Imagine this: the gene for violence is discovered — turns out it’s all based on the bloodline of Judas Iscariot — starting a worldwide crisis when governments force people to be tested to determine whether or not they’ll commit a violent crime. College student Lexi Smith is in the middle of all of this, as science and religion becomes one thing, demons and angels start showing up and humanity prepares for the end of all things.

Produced and directed by Jenni Ivers, this movie kind of surprised me when it took a sudden religious turn, getting into the Nephilim and fallen angels. I wasn’t put off by it, but had no idea that’s what I was getting into.

Filmed near me in Morgantown, WV, it’s all about two college students who find themselves battling the forces of Samyaza, a demon who comes to Earth every 17 years with the goal of destroying creation. There’s also a flash forward to a future where religion doesn’t exist and people dress like extras from an Italian post-apocalyptic movie. So there’s that.

I actually loved the part of the movie where it becomes a history lesson of the Lost Books of the Bible and how the flood happened and demons on Earth. Probably most folks would be put off by so much exposition — it honestly grinds the film to a halt — but it was my favorite part of the entire thing.

Want to see it for yourself? Loophole is available On Demand on January 8.

NOTE: We were sent this movie by its PR team. That doesn’t impact our review.