August 24, 2016 “Range 15” (*1/2 out of four) was an unbearably stupid horror comedy about a group of veterans who wake up after a night of partying and hangovers to find out that the zombie apocalypse is now and has spread across the United States and they must find a cure and try to stay alive before it’s too late. Brain-dead movie offers viewers an unholy cross between “The Hangover” and “28 Days Later” although that probably makes it sound more fun than it really is. Danny Trejo, Sean Astin, and William Shatner all pick up a couple of extra bucks in supporting roles but they would have been better going on unemployment. Continue reading →
August 24, 2016 “The Whole Truth” (*1/2 out of four) was a predictable and ordinary courtroom drama about a defense attorney (Keanu Reeves) trying to get his teenage client (Michael Basso) acquitted of murdering his wealthy slimeball father (James Belushi) and begins to suspect the involvement of the father’s long-abused wife (Renee Zellwegger). Despite the good cast, this mostly plays out as t.v. movie with a story that pretty much leads where you expect it to go….until a ludicrous and laughable twist ending. Belushi is good as the boy’s loutish father but Reeves is about as convincing playing a lawyer here as he was in “The Devil’s Advocate”. Continue reading →
August 24, 2016 “Bastille Day” (*** out of four) was an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a former C.I.A. agent (Idris Elba) who is forced to team up with a young con artist (Richard Madden) to prevent terrorist attacks in France. Explosive action movie offers plenty of hand-to-hand combat and international intrigue. Elba is terrific as usual and commands the screen, and him and Madden make a solid team as they race the clock to save the world. This controversial movie was delayed multiple times and barely released because of its unfortunate similarities to the recent attacks in France but deserves to be seen and find an audience. Continue reading →
August 17, 2016 “Bachelors” (*** out of four) was an entertaining comedy about a hedonistic young advertising executive (Colin Egglesfield) who throws a wild party to remind his best friend (David Faustino) whose about to be married of the joys of bachelorhood but he soon begins to question his own direction in life and his commitment to being single. Sharp, often very funny script combines with Egglesfield’s likable performance to make this fun for 20 and 30 somethings although it starts to get excessively silly in its second half, especially when some annoying supporting characters are introduced. A funny and perceptive ending brings things back on course. Continue reading →
August 17, 2016 “Let’s Be Evil” (** out of four) was a visually hypnotic but murky and aloof sci/fi mind-bender about a young social worker (Elizabeth Morris) who begins working at a learning center for gifted students but becomes unwittingly involved in a disturbing virtual reality game involving students whose minds are being altered and taken over. So visually stylish and trippy it’s almost worth watching for a little while but the story is a mess and is difficult to care about. Director Martin Owen is a stylist to watch out for although he evidently watched “Village Of The Damned” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” several times before this. Striking music score by Julian Scherle is another asset. Continue reading →
August 17, 2016 “Planet Of The Sharks” (*1/2 out of four) was a toothless shark sci/fi fizzle set in the near future in which glacial melting has overtaken Earth and sharks now dominate the planet and operate as a massive school led by a mutated alpha shark. So crummy and low-rent it makes any of the awful “Jaws” sequels look like Hitchcock by comparison. Many of the sharks are better actors than the humans. Watch “Planet Of The Apes” instead. Continue reading →
August 17, 2016 “Pete’s Dragon” (** out of four) was a leaden remake of the 1977 Disney classic about a young orphan named Pete (Oakes Fegley) and his best friend Elliot who is a dragon and how they’re taken in by a kindly family (Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, and Robert Redford). Lacks the magic and fun of the original and takes way too long to get going although it’s touching final half-hour almost make it worthwhile to sit through. Howard is terrific as a forest ranger who first finds young Pete and Redford is well-cast as her lovable dad. Continue reading →
August 17, 2016 “Nerve” (** out of four) was a flashy but empty, monotonous thriller about a high-school senior (Emma Roberts) who becomes immersed in an online game called Nerve, a truth-or-dare game to dangerous extremes, where her life becomes manipulated and analyzed by an anonymous group of watchers. Some interesting commentary about our culture of social media and digital entertainment combined with a few hair-raising sequences may make this worthwhile for its teen target audience but underneath it, the story is thin and gets tiresome after a while. Interestingly, star Emma Roberts is Julia Roberts’ niece and her on-screen boyfriend Dave Franco is James Franco’s brother. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Ozark Sharks” (*1/2 out of four) was an uninspired sci/fi fizzle about deadly sharks who infiltrate freshwater Arkansas lakes and find there are plenty of young people on the menu. It must be Shark Week given all the shark movies that have been released but do they all have to be so toothless and stupid? Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Amateur Night” (*** out of four) was a funny comedy about an out-of-work architect (Jason Biggs) with a new child on the way who in desperation takes a job as a Craigslist driver, only to learn that it’s a job driving a prostitute (Janet Montgomery) and her various friends and clients. Biggs (of “American Pie” fame) has never been better and makes this movie endearing and entertaining, despite its seamy subject matter. Opening phone call scene is especially funny. Continue reading →
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