November 15, 2016 “100 Streets” (** out of four) was a drab story about three separate lives (Tom Cullen, Gemma Atherton, Idris Elba) in London and how they are separate from one another but eventually coalesce as all go through various degrees of personal struggle. Unfortunately, none of the characters or their plights are interesting so story never develops spark, momentum, or involvement. Even the usually dynamic Elba fails to be able to inject much life into his character and just seems to be going through the motions. Multi-character study harks back to early period Robert Altman and Jonathan Demme but is a multi-disappointment. Continue reading →
November 15, 2016November 15, 2016 “Jack Goes Home” (*1/2 out of four) was a lifeless horror melodrama about a young man (Rory Culkin) who travels home to Colorado after his father is killed in a car crash and attempts to reconcile with his mom (Lin Shaye) and nurse her back to health but he begins to uncover scary family secrets from the past that threaten their future. Umpteenth movie about exorcisms, demonic possession, and a haunted house proves sometimes you really can’t go home again. Culkin looks wasted and co-stars Britt Robertson, Nikki Reed, and Natasha Lyonne are wasted in nothing supporting roles. Luminous cinematography by Austin Schmidt is film’s only asset. Continue reading →
November 15, 2016 “Trash Fire” (*1/2 out of four) was an apt title for this horror movie trash about a young man (Adrian Grenier) and his girlfriend (Angela Trimbur) who seek refuge from their various problems by living with his bizarre grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) who turns out to be a serious sicko who watched one too many re-runs of “Mommy Dearest.” Heavy-handed horror show is done in by well-worn story and Grenier’s weak performance. One sequence involving a snake in the toilet provides movie’s only scares. Continue reading →
November 14, 2016 “1st Strike” (*1/2 out of four) was a strike-out about a young Latino kid (Johnny Ortiz) growing up in gang-infested L.A. who is arrested for the first time for a crime he didn’t commit and is torn between loyalty to his former gang-banger uncle (Danny Trejo) and taking his “1st strike” in the criminal justice system. Well-meaning story about loyalty, ethics, and the reality of life on the streets is also preachy and artificial. By now, we’ve been down these L.A. streets one-too-many times in the movies and so has Trejo who could easily play this role in his sleep. Continue reading →
November 13, 2016 “Operator” (** out of four) was a stale romantic comedy that makes you want to hang-up after about 45 minutes about the relationship between a programmer (Martin Starr) and a comic performer (Mae Whitman) who attempt to use one another in their work to bolster their careers but naturally, complications arise. One wishes more complications would arise from the script which is too predictable and dry. Good cast and production helps keep this watchable but it’s mediocre at best. Continue reading →
November 13, 2016 “Advance And Retreat” (** out of four) was a thoroughly predictable romantic comedy about a yuppie executive (Riley Voelkel) who reconnects with an old flame (Casey Diedrick) who now owns the summer camp where they originally met and rediscovers that (shucks) she misses him and misses her old life. Quite a change of pace from the director of “I Spit On Your Grave” (both 1 and 2) but this feels like warmed-over Nicholas Sparks, without his spark or conviction. Voelkel’s sincere performance is just about all that keeps this afloat. Continue reading →
November 13, 2016November 13, 2016 “The Monster” (** out of four) was a glum horror thriller about an estranged mother and daughter (Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine) who are besieged by a terrifying monster when their car breaks down on an isolated road. Derivative and sluggish thriller alternates between the monster stalking them and flashbacks to the mother-daughter relationship and why they dislike one another. A game attempt by director Bryan Bertino but doesn’t have enough scares or thrills to sustain a feature-length film. Extremely stylish cinematography from Julie Kirkwood is a definite plus. Continue reading →
November 13, 2016November 13, 2016 “Bad People” (*** out of four) was a sharp, clever black comedy about various personalities who intersect in Los Angeles- a crack-addicted politician (Christopher Goodman) seeking re-election, a religious scam artist, a reality t.v. star addicted to his own fame, and two surfer girls (Sara Fletcher, Anne Girard) seeking sex on online dating! Director-and-writer Alex Petrovich throws in everything but the kitchen sink and winds up with a movie that’s distasteful, uneven, and often very funny. And it never stops moving as it weaves from one character to the next. Not for all tastes but may remind some of early period Kevin Smith (“Clerks”, “Mallrats.”). Continue reading →
November 13, 2016 “Come And Find Me” (** out of four) was a grim melodrama about a boyfriend (Aaron Paul) whose partner goes missing and he attempts to track her down but soon realizes she was not who she appeared to be and there is a lot more to her story and their relationship. Too long and too dour and story never sufficiently gets going. Good cast and interesting story aren’t enough to make this one worth finding. Not all that different than “Gone Girl” but lacking David Fincher’s style and precision. Continue reading →
November 12, 2016 “Scathing” (*1/2 out of four) was a scathingly violent, unpleasant horror pic about a giant madman serial killer who hunts down a couple (John Kyle and Allie Sparks) who are stranded in the desolated wilderness when their car breaks down. Strictly for those who found “Wolf Creek” and “Saw” to be too tame and intellectually challenging. Even the killer looks disinterested and bored. Continue reading →
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