August 13, 2016 “Mechanic: Resurrection” (*** out of four) was a dynamite sequel to the 2011 remake starring Jason Statham as a retired assassin forced to come out of retirement when the love of his life (Jessica Alba) is kidnapped by a ruthless businessman (Sam Byzantine) who wants him to kill 3 targets. Dazzling stunts, lots of hand-to-hand combat, and beautiful scenery make this not only better than the 2011 original but one of Statham’s best action movies ever. And casting Jessica Alba was definitely a plus! Tommy Lee Jones also has a small but crucial role as one of Statham’s targets. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Rough Cut” (** out of four) was a murky underworld thriller set on the French Riviera about various back stabbings involving the police and the mob revolving around synthetic diamonds. Attractive scenery and camerawork can’t compensate for a script and story hard to follow and (thus) hard to care about. Neither the best nor worst of its kind but not worth chasing after. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Daylight’s End” (** out of four) was a derivative post- apocalyptic thriller about a rogue drifter (Johnny Strong) trying to survive after a mysterious plague has devoured the planet and he stumbles upon a group of survivors and tries to lead them all to safety. Just a series of ideas borrowed from other (and better) movies but at least it moves at a reasonably fast pace. One wonders if Danny Boyle gets royalties everytime “28 Days Later” gets ripped off on a weekly basis. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Batman: The Killing Joke” (**1/2 out of four) was an animated sequel involving The Dark Knight (voiced by Kevin Conroy) who hunts for the escaped Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) especially after he viciously assaults Batgirl (voiced by Tara Strong) and engineers a diabolical plan to attack the Gordon family. Dazzling animation and the dialogue and story are stronger than you would expect. Batman and Batgirl have interesting characterizations and a new kind of relationship in this entry. Ironically, though, the story starts to sag once The Joker is introduced and later becomes campy and over-the-top. Still, a better-than-expected entry in the series and worth checking out for comic-book fanatics. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Newcomer” (** out of four) was a murky underworld espionage thriller about a rookie field agent (James Floyd) whose mistake costs him the lives of his team and his mentor (Anthony Lapaglia). When he is forced to take it on the run, he must piece together what went wrong with only the audio recordings of the incident to guide him. Intriguing storyline never builds significant momentum, despite good cast and gorgeous cinematography. Worth watching for fans of spy melodramas and John Le Carre fans but overall comes up empty. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Honeymoon From Hell” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale horror melodrama about a young couple (Lexi Giovagnoli and Adam Hagenbuch) on their honeymoon who stay in a coastal bed which is inhabited by a legendary ghost. If that sounds like little to get excited about, you wouldn’t be wrong. Kudos though to original “Child’s Play”/”Star Trek IV” star Catherine Hicks who plays the loony owner of the coastal bed and looks almost exactly the same as she did 30 years ago! Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Viral” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror thriller about the outbreak of a virus that leads to the quarantine of a small Midwestern town, and how one teenager in particular (Sofia Black-D’Elia) tries to protect her sister (Analeigh Tipton) who has already been infected. Good-looking and well acted but unfortunately covers too much familiar ground, in the vein of “28 Days Later” and “Outbreak”. Michael Kelly is solid as usual as the girl’s protective dad. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “The Interior” (*1/2 out of four) was a drably downbeat drama about a young man (Patrick McFadden) who finds out he is seriously ill and then leaves society behind and ventures alone into the British Columbia woods to ruminate and meditate on the complexities of life. Well-intentioned movie about dying and reflecting on life is extremely odd and dull. McFadden is good under the circumstances but is unable to enliven the proceedings. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Sniper: Ghost Shooter” (** out of four) was an umpteenth entry in this mediocre and wearily repetitive series starring Billy Zane and Chad Michael Collins as sharpshooters entrusted to protecting an American gasline. When a ghost shooter mysteriously appears and starts killing both foreign and American subjects, everyone starts to wonder. In keeping with the motif, I’m starting to wonder why they have made so many sequels to a 1993 action movie that was terrible to begin with. First-half is sluggish; second half has some good firepower. Seriously though, folks, the thrill is gone. For a movie with more riveting action and emotional complexity than all 6 of the “Sniper” films combined, watch “American Sniper” instead. Continue reading →
August 13, 2016 “Ghostbusters” (*** out of four) was an unexpectedly winning remake of the 1984 cultural phenomenon starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as paranormal enthusiasts who band together when Manhattan becomes under attack from otherworldly forces. Carried along by the fun chemistry of its lead actresses and affectionate homage touches to the original. Nowhere near as groundbreaking or hilarious as the first naturally but much more entertaining than the awful 1989 sequel and much better than many expected from its terrible coming attractions. Features amusing cameos from original veterans Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, (oh yeah) and Slimer and The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Continue reading →
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