February 23, 2016 “Ratter” (*1/2 out of four) was an empty, boring thriller about a graduate student (Ashley Benson) living alone in NYC who is harassed and stalked by a sicko who hacks into her computer and begins to monitor every move she makes. Potentially scary look at the virtual domination of online information and access to one’s life is dull and forgettable. Only Benson’s sincere performance gives this any charge. One terrifying sequence at the very end is the only scary scene in the film. Continue reading →
February 21, 2016 “Wrong Swipe” (** out of four) was a wrong “Fatal Attraction” wannabe about a grad student (Blake Berris) who signs onto a dating website and then soon begins receiving stalking and threatening messages from an unknown user. If you can’t guess who it is, get a new hobby. Neither the best nor worst of its kind but it’s bland and predictable. Maybe she should have tried Match or Tinder instead. Continue reading →
February 20, 2016 “The Witch” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror drama set in 1630 New England in which a Puritan family is besieged by black magic and witchcraft. Cross-pollinate “The Crucible” with M. Night Shymalahan’s “The Village” and you might have an idea on what to expect but it’s a real snooze. Horror fans would probably find more scares or thrills watching a daytime soap opera instead. Many critics somehow liked this but I’m not one of them. Continue reading →
February 20, 2016 “How To Be Single” (*1/2 out of four) was a crude, stupid comedy about four females in NYC (Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Allison Brie) who have fun living the single life but can’t find fulfilling relationships and as the movie goes on it becomes very evident why. “Sex And The City” wannabe is undone by dumb writing and characters. Johnson’s performance is the single bright spot but she should start learning how to pick better scripts. Continue reading →
February 20, 2016 “Forsaken” (*** out of four) was a gripping Western about a gunslinger (Kiefer Sutherland) who journeys back home to reunite with his estranged father (Donald Sutherland) just as he and his community are under siege from violent landgrabbers which leads to a showdown. Exquisitely shot but it’s the strong characters and camaraderie between both Sutherlands that makes this definitely worth checking out. Kiefer Sutherland does his strongest work in years and both Michael Wincott and Demi Moore are solid in key supporting roles. Continue reading →
February 19, 2016 “Remember” (***1/2 out of four) was a powerful story of a Holocaust survivor (Christopher Plummer) with dementia who goes on a cross-country odyssey to confront the Nazi guard who killed him and his family during the war which leads to many unexpected complications. Plummer’s terrific performance anchors this interesting drama which takes many unexpected twists and turns. Shattering ending will have you on the edge of your seat! Terrific supporting turns by Dean Norris and Jurgen Prochnow and this is easily one of director Atom Egoyan’s best works. Continue reading →
February 19, 2016 “Babysitter’s Black Book” (** out of four) was a predictable drama about four teenage friends who start a babysitting business to save up for college. When this just isn’t cutting it, they expand their ambitions into opening a prostitution business! Shades of “Risky Business” but unfortunately there’s no Tom Cruise or Rebecca De Mornay here. Allegedly inspired by a true story but it should have inspired a juicier movie. Continue reading →
February 18, 2016 “Riot” (** out of four) was a standard-issue action melodrama about a cop (Matthew Reese) who purposefully commits a bank robbery to become incarcerated so he can avenge his family’s death against a Russian crime kingpin who (logically enough) controls the police and orchestrates the criminal underworld of the city from behind bars as his cover. Ridiculous story has a few good action scenes and features aging Dolph Lundgren’s unintentionally hilariously awful performance for a few chuckles; hard-core action fans would otherwise do better re-watching Van Damme’s “Death Warrant”, Eastwood’s “Escape From Alcatraz”, or “Lockout” again instead. Continue reading →
February 17, 2016 “The Demolisher” (** out of four) was a pretentious and weird melodrama about a repairman (Ry Barrett) whose wife is disabled followed a gang-related assault and becomes involved in a world of vigilantism and extreme violence as his mental health and paranoia take a dangerous turn to the extreme. Director Gabriel Carrer shows some promise and some good ideas in trying for an art-house version of “Death Wish” but his good attempts are demolished by too many long pauses and bizarre touches. Continue reading →
February 17, 2016 “Zoolander 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a dumb-and-dumber sequel to the 2001 cult hit that I don’t think anyone was exactly crying out for a sequel to about the continuing adventures of Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) who begin modeling again when an opposing company threatens to take them out and (yawn) take over the world. One-joke idea which quickly wears thin, much like the original. Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, and Sting among others all show up in unfunny cameos. Fans of Stiller and Wilson (I’m not) may like this a little better but even they would fare better watching “The Wedding Crashers” again. Continue reading →
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