April 21, 2016 “Dirty Grandpa” (*1/2 out of four) was a crude, stupid and proud-of-it comedy starring Robert De Niro as a perverted senior citizen on a road trip with his uptight grandson (Zack Efron) to Florida where he is about to be married. Some nasty laughs in the opening half-hour are soon dissipated as film becomes endlessly raunchy and dumb. Seeing De Niro play such a wacky character eventually proves tiresome, just like the film itself. Film makes fun of homosexuals, blacks, and of course senior citizens in equal measure so no one feels left out of the party. Watch “Bad Grandpa” instead. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Blood Sombrero” (0 stars out of four) was a dreadful Redbox melodrama about a thief (Billy Blair) in a Texas nowhere town who is hired by a ruthless crime lord (Nick Gomez) to find a mysterious box whose contents are unknown. But a violent actress (Paula Solinger) is holding the box while on the run from corrupt cops and- oh yeah- a cult she once belonged to. (Are you following this LOL?) So incoherent you could watch this backwards and it would probably make just as much sense. Terrible filmmaking is matched by even worse acting. Strictly for the 42nd street grindhouse crowd. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Reluctant Witness” (** out of four) was a flat mafia-underworld thriller about a woman (Mia Kirshner) who turns her mobster husband into the police and attempts to start a new life in the witness protection program but finds that the past is difficult to escape from. Both obvious and confusing, and never ignites, although Kirshner is good as usual in the lead. Any one scene in “Good Fellas” or “Donnie Brasco” tops this hands down. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Get A Job” (*1/2 out of four) was a dumb, often disgusting comedy starring Miles Teller and Anna Kendrick as young lovers who find that life after college isn’t what they were expecting as they float through a series of increasingly strange jobs. Made in 2012 and sat on the shelf for 4 years where it didn’t exactly age like fine wine. Teller’s usual charismatic performance is helpless against unfunny material. “Get A Script” would have been a better title for this timewaster. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Sky” (*1/2 out of four) was a bizarre, boring melodrama starring Diane Kruger as a woman on a holiday with her overbearing husband (Gilles Lelouche) which takes more than a few strange turns which lead her to attempt to break free and embark on a journey of emancipation. Potentially powerful and affecting material is hazy and remote and the story itself takes more than a few strange turns. Norman Reedus is wasted in a supporting role as Kruger’s lover. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Stranger In The House” (** out of four) was a predictable story about a daughter (Emmanuelle Vaugier) who hires a conniving caregiver (Jordana Largy) to look after her millionaire father; upon returning from her honeymoon, she finds that the caregiver has seduced and married the old man and has plans to kill him. Anyone who has seen a movie will be miles ahead of this “thriller”. Good performances can only do so much with a cardboard story without any surprises. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Holidays” (* out of four) was a disastrously lame horror anthology story of different holidays and their origins told by seven different directors. None are worth listening to. As stupid as it is ugly and completely lacking in any scares or thrills. Kevin Smith is one of the directors and stars but after this and “Tusk”, horror movies don’t exactly seem to be his specialty. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “I Am Wrath” (**1/2 out of four) was a solidly made revenge thriller starring John Travolta as a grieving husband out for revenge after his wife (Rebecca De Mornay) is brutally murdered and the cops and justice system let her killer go. Charles Bronson did this same plot over 40 years ago in “Death Wish” and Liam Neeson only last year in “Taken 3” but having said that it’s well-acted and reasonably tense and well-made. Starts to get ridiculous towards the end but still watchable and maintains its grip. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Mr. Right” (** out of four) was a wrong-headed comedy about a young girl (Anna Kendrick) who falls in love with the seemingly perfect guy (Sam Rockwell) but is unaware that he is a professional hitman with a contract out on him and others whom he is involved with. Silly and contrived script runs out of steam after a while, with only the good natured performances of the cast to keep it afloat. Kendrick is certainly more tolerable here than in other recent ventures but she should still proceed on making “Pitch Perfect 3.” End credits and terrific closing song are the best parts of the movie if you make it that far. Continue reading →
April 19, 2016 “Hardcore Henry” (*1/2 out of four) was a headache-inducing action melodrama shot entirely from the eyes of Henry- an assassin resurrected from death with no memory and must re-discover his identity and save his wife and his country from a warlord’s plan to bio-engineer soldiers. P.O.V. camera movements may quickly have you reaching for the dramamine or Advil. Wall-to-wall action and violence for those who want it but it’s pointless, ugly, and pretty wearying after a while. You have to give this some points for being original and experimental but you can get the same sensation from strapping a power drill to your head. Continue reading →
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