March 18, 2016 “The Confirmation” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring melodrama about an 8 year-old (Jaeden Lieberher) who goes to stay with his alcoholic father (Clive Owen) for the weekend but plans go awry when his dad’s tools are stolen but this leads to the father and son becoming closer. Heavy-handed and never terribly moving. Maria Bello is wasted as the boy’s mother and Owen is unusually bland. Terrible script could have probably used more confirmation before filming began. Continue reading →
March 18, 2016 “The Divergent Series: Allegiant- Part 1” (** out of four) was an overblown, overlong third entry in this popular series with Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) trying to escape the encircled wall of Chicago to seek out the truth outside. Much like the previous entries, this starts off exciting and then precedes to drag and never gets going again. Woodley’s terrific performance and beautiful eyes are virtually the only points of interest. Still, this is only really for fans of the series. Continue reading →
March 18, 2016 “Algorithm” (*1/2 out of four) was a miscalculated sci/fi thriller about a computer hacker (Raphael Barker) who finds out about a government conspiracy which could soon mean worldwide danger. Potentially intriguing story of cyberterrorism and online information is a yawner instead with too much talk and not enough action. A few clever ideas here and there but overall doesn’t add up to much. Watch “Hackers” or “The Net” instead Continue reading →
March 18, 2016 “10 Cloverfield Lane” (** out of four) was a dreary horror thriller about a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is badly injured in a car accident and awakens in an imprisoned apartment with a stranger (John Goodman) who claims he is sheltering them from an alien invasion outside. Or so he says. Holds your attention at first but story soon sputters and becomes monotonous. After a while, you begin to realize that the movie has no point. Allegedly a sequel to “Cloverfield” but has virtually nothing to do with the original. Continue reading →
March 18, 2016 “Last Girl Standing” (** out of four) was a muddled horror thriller about a survivor (Akasha Villalobos) of a brutal massacre in which four of her friends were murdered and the psychological and emotional trauma she endures when she thinks the killer may still be alive and may be coming back after her. Some interesting psychological layers regarding the post-traumatic effects survivors go through is a game attempt at a new kind of horror story; unfortunately, the movie is weakened by its sluggish pace and it never shifts into high gear. An interesting movie that never quite becomes riveting Continue reading →
March 18, 2016 “Skeleton Krew” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismal horror thriller set in London as as group of factory workers are stalked and killed one by one by a mysterious masked figure. Gloomy and boring thriller makes one nostalgic for the 1980’s when horror movies like these were actually stylish and fun. Competently acted but otherwise forgettable and not helped by awful makeup effects. Continue reading →
March 16, 2016 “Hangman’s Game” (*1/2 out of four) was a ugly and uninvolving thriller about an American contractor (Jason Chad Roth) who wakes up in the middle of a jungle in a foreign country and is threatened with death unless he complies with giving them a secretive password which carries numerous implications for him and for a woman he is held captive with. For masochists and for those who thought the “Saw” movies were too tame and too intellectually challenging. Game over. Continue reading →
March 16, 2016 “Excess Flesh” (*1/2 out of four) was excess trash about an overweight and insecure young girl (Bethany Orr) who becomes increasingly obsessed with her sexy roommate (Mary Loveless) and then violently imprisons her in an attempt for them to become closer and enact her revenge. By the end of this lurid mess, you may feel just as imprisoned as her roommate. Good performances can only do so much with this unpleasant material. For a more nonexploitive look at a similar story, watch 1992’s “Single White Female” instead. Continue reading →
March 16, 2016 “MILFS vs. Zombies” (0 stars out of four) was a repellent, unwatchable horror thriller about a group of none-too-bright moms celebrating ladies night when they are forced to fight for their town when it is taken over by flesh-eating zombies. With a title like that, you know you’re not expecting Oscar material but the movie is stupid and boring and filled with disgusting characters. Worthless movie makes any of the “Resident Evil” series look like a masterpiece by comparison. Continue reading →
March 12, 2016 “AWOL 72” (** out of four) was a tired, by-the-numbers action programmer which could have starred Steven Seagal or Van Damme 20 years ago. An AWOL marine (Luke Goss) in possession of incriminating government information is pursued by Russian intelligence, the L.A.P.D., and also a dangerous assassin. Violent and ugly thriller has a few good fight scenes but not much else to make it stand out from the pack. Goss is a good action hero but needs to start picking better scripts before his audience starts to go AWOL. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 