January 8, 2016 “Diablo” (*1/2 out of four) was a draggy Redbox western that moseys along too slowly through familiar terrain as a young Civil War veteran (Scott Eastwood) goes on a journey through the wilderness to save his kidnapped wife and along the way is encumbered by a bad guy (Walton Scoggins) who is determined to stop him. Beautifully photographed but offers little action and little else you haven’t seen done before- and done better- in “Lonesome Dove”, “Unforgiven”, or the more recent “The Revenant.” Aburrido! Continue reading →
January 8, 2016 “500 Miles” (** out of four) was an interesting but downbeat drama about a young party girl (Ebony Nave) who becomes stranded in the middle of nowhere and then attempts to put her out-of-control life back together with the help of her new supportive boyfriend (Pete Valley). Director Ashlee Jensen shows some promise and film has a few nice moments but grows sluggish and tired, especially in the second half. Must win some award, however, for most amount of scenes that take place in a bathroom. Continue reading →
January 7, 2016 “Temporal” (** out of four) was a muddled and obtuse psychological thriller about a young man (Theodore Divanis) traumatized by the sudden death of his girlfriend and who finds a door to an alternate reality that eventually leads to him being placed in an asylum. Is he losing his mind or is he a prophet with visions of the future? Interesting ideas about reality, grief, and loss are blunted by film’s dull execution and presentation. Nicely handled final scenes can’t save it. Many critics raved about this but I’m not one of them. Continue reading →
January 7, 2016 “Little Dead Rotting Hood” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous Redbox horror thriller about a small town besieged by mysterious werewolves who are attacking and mauling locals in the woods; local sherriff (Eric Balfour) investigates and finds there may be more than meets the eye. With a title like that, you know you’re not expecting Oscar class material but it’s laughable and dumb and (after a while) boring. Only Balfour’s strong, sympathetic performance gives this any vitality. Continue reading →
January 7, 2016January 7, 2016 “The Wrong Roommate” (** out of four) was a thoroughly predictable Redbox thriller about a recently divorced college professor (Dominique Swain) who becomes entranced with a new housemate (Jason Shane Scott) who she starts to fall in love with but to the surprise of no one, he turns out to be a serious nutjob. Mediocre material will offer no surprises to any who have seen “Single White Female”, “The Roommate”, or too many others to mention but Swain and Scott’s strong and believable performances and decent production make this watchable. Eric Roberts and Vivica Fox both give this a boost in solid supporting roles but this is still overall a “wrong” choice. Continue reading →
January 5, 2016 “Beeba Boys” (** out of four) was an empty, by-the-numbers underworld gangster melodrama set in Vancouver about an Indian gang leader (Randeep Hooda) and his young and vicious crew who are competing with another crime syndicate to take over the drugs and arms scene. Directed with some flash and style by Deepa Mehta but unable to transcend well-worn material that Martin Scorcese and Frances Ford Coppola blazed through 20-30 years ago. Continue reading →
January 5, 2016 “Mercury Plains” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired, boring Redbox thriller about a brave drifter (Scott Eastwood- son of Clint) who runs away to Mexico and joins a paramilitary group fighting the drug cartels but he soon gets swept up in a personal war against one of the drug cartel members (Nick Chinlund) and begins to question their motives. Eastwood who was last seen in Nicholas Sparks’ “The Longest Ride” is a promising actor but you’ll eventually get numbed by all the sleaze. Later scenes involving shootouts and chases through the desert cry out for Sam Peckinpah in his prime but unfortunately there’s no “Wild Bunch” here. Continue reading →
January 5, 2016 “Boiling Pot” (*1/2 out of four) was an amateurish jumble set on a college campus in which various factions of racism erupt leading to a multitude of fights and legal troubles that eventually threaten to destroy the university. Give writer-director Omar Ashmawey credit for trying to make an important statement about race relations and their impact on society but the result is heavy-handed and limp and is undone by some seriously weak acting. Similar in some ways to John Singleton’s 1995 “Higher Learning” but that was done with higher acting and style. Continue reading →
January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 “All About E” (** out of four) was an elusive and erratic drama about an Australian DJ named E (Mandahla Rose) who stumbles on to a bag of cash forcing her to hit the road to the Australian outback where she falls back in love with her ex-girlfriend (Julia Billington). Muddled drama can’t make up its mind whether it’s a road movie, an underworld melodrama, or an outlaw romance and as a result none of it gels. Even a spicy sex scene between Rose and Billington fails to liven things up. Watch “All About Eve” again instead. Continue reading →
January 4, 2016 “Return To Sender” (** out of four) was a genuinely bizarre Redbox melodrama about a small-town nurse (Rosamund Pike) who is brutally raped in her home by a man (Shiloh Fernandez) she meets on a blind date. Upon his capture and arrest, she then strikes up a relationship and befriends him (!) for her own gradual purposes for revenge. Odd and aloof drama features a strong performance from Pike but takes too long to unfold. More-or-less, Pike seems to be playing the same character she played in “Gone Girl.” Nick Nolte looks grizzled and hungover as usual playing Pike’s supportive dad. Continue reading →
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