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[Sundance Review] Nicolas Cage Wreaks Bloody Vengeance In Nightmarish ‘Mandy’!

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How is it that Mandy is the first Nicolas Cage movie I’ve seen at Sundance. I’ve only been coming for eight years and he was doing a lot of blockbusters in that time, but also a lot of indies that went to TIFF and Sundance. Well, it was worth the wait because Mandy is exactly the Sundance Midnight movie you’d expect from Cage and director Panos Cosmatos.

Red Miller (Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) live a peaceful existence in the Shadow Mountains. Cult leader Jeremiah (Linus Roache) sees Mandy out one day and sends his flock to grab her. His cenobite Road Warrior minions grab Red too and leave him to witness her torture.

The first half is a harrowing torture of this couple. In some ways, Mandy is more than Jeremiah can handle and that’s satisfying, but ultimately this couple is punished in a red fog lit hellscape akin to Cosmatos’ previous feature Beyond the Black Rainbow. It seems like it’s not reality, as traumatic events do feel nightmarish, but it isn’t ambiguous. You can sense a deep mythology to this cult, of which we only see glimpses but we know it’s there, and there is a pretty horrific fire torture.

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The second half is the unleashed Cage you’re waiting for, and it’s smart to make you wait for it. Red screams for real in the aftermath of this ordeal. We have heard Cage scream on many occasions, for many reasons, both outlandish and vulnerable. This certainly sets a high bar for the sincere passion behind rage.

He forges a badass blade to go after the cult and wreaks bloody vengeance. Highlights include a neck wound pouring all over Red’s face and a chainsaw fight. Cage could hold his own with Bruce Campbell, Gunnar Hansen and Chow Yun-Fat as chainsaw warriors. In fact, that’s a really good idea. Someone should make that.

Mandy is an intense two hours. Cage and Riseborough are captivating actors so the buildup is compelling even when they’re just camping under the sky or watching ‘80s TV. The score is unrelenting, so none of your senses get a break from this evil. Cosmatos fulfills the promise of his first film and pushes his style to the next level.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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