June 10, 2016 “Toy” (*** out of four) was a strikingly told melodrama about a young artist (Bre Blair) and an aging prostitute (Briana Evigan) who form an unlikely relationship and cling to each as two lost souls amid the degradation, drugs, and glamour of Los Angeles. Director Patrick Chapman shows strong mood and atmosphere and tells an interesting story of two women who fall in love despite their differences in age and professions. Both Blair and Evigan give very strong performances. Unfortunately, the story grows excessively weird and obscure as Blair’s character motivations become difficult to understand. Still though, it’s an original and compelling film worth watching. Continue reading →
June 10, 2016 “Andron” (*1/2 out of four) was a muddled rip-off of “The Hunger Games” and also “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner” about a group of young strangers who are plunged into a labyrinth while an evil megalomaniac (Alec Baldwin) broadcasts it to the rest of the world while they struggle to exit. It’s much easier to exit the movie instead. Well-made, with sleek cinematography from the great Gherardo Gossi and a strong music score by Riccardo Eberspacherm, but utterly empty and derivative. Continue reading →
June 10, 2016 “Wild Bill Hickok: Swift Justice” (* out of four) was an inept biographical Western about the famous gunslinger legend Wild Bill Hickok (Bill O’Reilly) and how he has to protect his town when it comes under attack by a group of gamblers and thugs. Lackluster writing and direction and cheap production sink this all the way. I wasn’t a big fan of Walter Hill’s 1995 action biography “Wild Bill” but it looks like Sam Peckinpah compared to this junior-high school production. O’Reilly’s meek presence and plain demeanor don’t exactly showcase Bill’s rough-and-tumble side and he should have been swiftly re-cast. Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “Urge” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash thriller about a group of friends on a weekend getaway in a tropical island who are induced by a rich and charismatic nightclub owner (Pierce Brosnan) to try a new drug called Urge which is fun at first but quickly leads them to losing their minds and killing one another. By the end of this violent mess, you may wish they all just attended an N.A. meeting instead. Viewers should resist the urge to see this and should watch “Requiem For A Dream”, “Senseless”, or “Formula 51” instead. Brosnan’s usual suave charisma gives this a boost but he’s in this very briefly and would have probably fared better attending a 007 reunion instead. Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Out Of The Shadows” (** out of four) was an unimaginative sequel about the four sewer-dwelling, pizza-loving ninja warriors who attempt to rescue NYC when it is threatened by the return of Shredder and the villainous Krang. Jammed with visual effects and features some good action scenes but never generates any real wonder or excitement. About on par with the 2014 version. The 1990 original remains the best to this critic. Megan is a fox as always as April O’Neill and Tyler Perry is on hand as a captured mad scientist. Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “The Sighting” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreadful time-waster about two friends (Adam Pitman and Nathaniel Peterson) on a road trip who are suddenly attacked and preyed upon by a mysterious sasquatch. Or so it seems. Low budget independent horror thriller is also unfortunately low on brains and thrills as well. Final twist ending is interesting for those who make it that far. Co-star Pitman was also the co-writer and co-director. Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “Before I Wake” (*1/2 out of four) was a deadly dull horror thriller about a young couple (Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane) who adopt an orphan child who (what else?) turns out to be possessed and wreaks havoc on their peaceful homelife. Strictly for those who’ve never seen “Orphan”, “Sinister”, “The Conjuring”, “The Possession”, or too many others to name here with virtually identical plots. Watch this one only before you need sleep. What the hell are Jane and Bosworth doing in this junk? Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “Gridlocked” (** out of four) was a mindless, derivative action thriller about a grizzled former SWAT leader (Dominic Purcell) who is forced to babysit a hard-partying movie star (Cody Hackman) when their police training facility is suddenly ambushed by terrorists (led by Stephen Lang). What begins as a mismatched buddy comedy similar to “The Hard Way” soon evolves into a bloody shoot ’em up similar to “Assault On Precinct 13”. Purcell is his usual one-note inexpressive self and Lang is unusually hammy but it’s worth half-a-star to see Purcell and main henchman Vinnie Jones in a hand-to-hand fight at the end. Not to be confused with 1997’s “Gridlock’d” with Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth. Continue reading →
June 5, 2016 “Green Room” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty lame horror thriller about a punk rock band who witness a murder at a tour stop in a remote club and are then menaced by a group of maniacal skinheads and the club’s owner (Patrick Stewart). But it’s much more of a slowdown than a showdown. Many horror fans praised this movie but I’m not one of them. One scene of a band member getting his head blown off provides the only jolt in the film. Despite the lurid premise, it’s dreary and forgettable. Continue reading →
June 2, 2016 “Dark Signal” (** out of four) was a visually moody but empty, pretentious horror thriller set in Wales about the spirit of a murdered girl who returns from the dead with a cryptic message and a stranded girl in the countryside (Joanna Ignaczewska) must team up with the staff of a local radio station to solve her death before it is too late. Director Edward Evers-Swindell displays a flair for atmosphere and shows some promise but his own absurd story sinks it all. Film has some scares in its opening but becomes slower and more unpleasant as it goes along and eventually breaks down. Continue reading →
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