April 28, 2016 “Crossing Point” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy, derivative action melodrama about an American couple (Shawn Lock and Maria Gabriela de Faria) on vacation in Baja when she is kidnapped by a vicious drug dealer who demands that he smuggle a backpack of cocaine into the U.S. or else she will be killed. Promising story is bungled by low production budget and you’ll eventually be numbed by all the sleaze. Not all that different from last year’s “No Escape” which was far more harrowing and suspenseful. Tom Sizemore and Luke Goss pick up a couple of bucks in wasted supporting roles. Cross this one off your list. Continue reading →
April 28, 2016 “Temps” (** out of four) was a predictable, unexceptional romantic comedy about a slacker temp-worker (Grant Rosenmeyer) who falls in love with an ambitious hard-worker (Lindsey Shaw) whose relationship forces him to change his priorities in life and broaden his ambitions. Plays like a sitcom pilot that’s no longer fresh. Corporate boardroom comedies like this were much more fun in the ’80’s (“Big Business”, “The Secret Of My Success” just to name a few). Shaw’s strong performance is films only real bright spot Continue reading →
April 27, 2016 “Boned” (*1/2 out of four) was a heavy-handed “comedy” about a struggling actress (Angela Landis) trying to save a valuable Maltese puppy from a group of murderous thugs, a lurid dominatrix (Bai Ling), and a conniving and manipulative doctor (Josh Randall). Fittingly enough- the movie that all of these weirdos are stuck in is a real dog itself. All of them should have said “woof” to this dumb and unfunny script. Comic book fans will remember Bai Ling from the 1994 masterpiece “The Crow” but she was more convincing cutting people’s eyes out and foretelling the future than as a dominatrix. Continue reading →
April 27, 2016 “The Driftless Area” (** out of four) was a hazy, remote melodrama about a bartender (Anton Yelchin) who returns to his hometown after his parents die when he crosses path with a nutjob criminal (John Hawkes) and becomes involved with a sultry town girl (Zooey Deschanel). Attempt at a David Lynch/Sam Shepherd small-town film noir doesn’t add up to much, despite decent performances. Film isn’t bad but becomes overly weird after a while. Watch “Blue Velvet” again instead. Continue reading →
April 27, 2016 “Criminal” (**1/2 out of four) was an intriguing futuristic thriller about a convict (Kevin Costner) released from prison and injected with the memories of a dead federal agent (Ryan Reynolds) to stop an international terrorist. Only problem is he begins to waver between the memories of his dead inhabitant and his own violent nature. Mixture of large-scale action, Phillip K. Dick style science fiction, and social commentary isn’t a complete success and is marred by Costner’s miscasting but offers plenty of interesting ideas and good action scenes. Superb cast including Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman and nice ending makes this worthwhile and it’s much better than a lot of reviews have been saying. Continue reading →
April 25, 2016 “Precious Cargo” (** out of four) was a routine Redbox action thriller about a crime boss (Bruce Willis) who is ripped off by one of his cohorts (Claire Forlani) and pursues her and another thief (Mark Paul Gosselaar) to the death until he can recap his money. Nothing too spectacular or precious and nothing Bruce Willis hasn’t done in virtually 100 other movies (even if he is playing the bad guy) but moves fast enough to make it watchable. Continue reading →
April 25, 2016 “Sniper: Special Ops” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring Redbox action drama about a Special Ops military force (led by Steven Seagal) who become under siege when they attempt to rescue wounded soldiers in an Afghan village. Seagal mumbles and sleepwalks and is barely in any of the movie. Tim Abell is much better as a sympathetic sergeant but he can’t overcome a talky script without much firepower. Veteran military actor Dale Dye has a small role as the major of the army base. Watch “Saving Private Ryan” or “Sniper” again instead. Continue reading →
April 25, 2016 “The Boss” (**1/2 out of four) was an occasionally funny comedy about a business woman (Melissa McCarthy) sent to prison for insider trading and tries to rebuild her reputation upon being released. McCarthy is actually pretty good in a tailor-made role. Uneven script has some ups-and-downs but provides some laughs. Fans of McCarthy (I’m not) will probably want to boost my rating by a half star. Continue reading →
April 25, 2016 “Nina” (** out of four) was a one-dimensional biography of jazz pianist Nina Simone (Zoe Saldana) whose biggest enemy was always herself as she destroyed herself with drugs and booze. Saldana (in heavy makeup and prosthetics) is good but movie is superficial and doesn’t tell you much about Simone that you don’t already know. You could just as easily be watching a biography on Whitney Houston or Amy Winehouse. This stirred up controversy from Simone’s family who disavowed the film. Continue reading →
April 22, 2016 “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (*1/2 out of four) was a joyless action drama about the huntsman Eric (Chris Helmsworth) who falls in love with a fellow warrior (Jessica Chastain) while trying to stop the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) and her plans for (yawn) destroying society. Prequel to 2012’s “Snow White And The Huntsman” liberally rips-off both “Labyrinth” and also (!l 2014’s “Maleficent”. Visually spectacular at times but where is the fun in any of this? Where is it Kristen Stewart when you need her? Nonstop visual effects and sets provide nonstop waste of money and time Continue reading →
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