November 6, 2016 “The Sin Seer” (** out of four) was a pretentious mumjo-thriller set in North Carolina about a woman (Lisa Arrindell) with psychic gifts who tries to solve a murder with her ex-con partner (Isiah Washington) but finds the path to the truth is a swampy wasteland. Needlessly overlong and meandering with only the good performances of its stars to carry it. Nice to see the beautiful North Carolina scenery as always but the atmosphere is more soggy than sultry. Arrindell and Washinton previously played husband-and-wife in Spike Lee’s “Clockers”, a much more dynamic and visceral murder mystery. Continue reading →
November 5, 2016 “The Charnel House” (** out of four) was a well-made but empty, by-the-numbers horror show about an abandoned slaughterhouse which is transformed into modern lofts but remains (yawn) haunted by evil spirits that threatens one family in particular who move into one of the lofts. Had this family watched “Poltergeist”, “The Shining”, “The Amityville Horror”, or many others- they would have known better. Viewers will know better and re-watch any one of those classics and skip this pointless retread. Continue reading →
November 5, 2016 “Hacksaw Ridge” (*** out of four) was an absorbing WWII war drama about the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a religious boy from Virginia who enlisted in the military and stubbornly refused to carry a weapon and was chagrined by his platoon but became a hero who saved 75 American soldiers at Okinawa. Less than perfect with a script that feels like two movies in one and takes a while to get going but Garfield’s stirring performance and hair-raising battle scenes make this definitely worthwhile. Final half-hour is particularly powerful and moving. A solid comeback effort from director Mel Gibson whose battle scenes here at times recall his earlier “Braveheart”. Continue reading →
November 5, 2016 “Before The Flood” (***1/2 out of four) was an excellent documentary both narrated and starring Leonardo Dicaprio as he covers the various environmental destruction we are doing to our planet on a daily basis as he travels over several continents and looks at pollution, fossil fuels, and what this means for our future. Dicaprio is first-rate but this is no performance as he shows in scary detail how our planet is literally dying. Features interviews with Bill Clinton, Obama, and the Pope among others. One of 2016’s best and most important documentaries. Continue reading →
November 4, 2016November 4, 2016 “Supersonic” (***1/2 out of four) was an impressive, supercool documentary of British rock band Oasis who took the rock ‘n’ roll world by storm in the early-to-mid 90’s due to the brilliant and volatile chemistry between two brothers who could not have been more unlike. Bizarrely, the film begins and ends with their monstrous show at Knebworth in 1996 and does not feature anything afterwards. Still, this is a feast for hard-core fans (like myself) with tons of behind-the-scenes interviews, early demos, scenes of drug use and mad drinking, and early shows on their rise to the top. Continue reading →
November 4, 2016 “The Darkest Dawn” (*1/2 out four) should have been retitled “The Darkest Yawn”; umpteenth story of a zombie invasion, this one set in Britain, as two sisters (Bethan Mary Leadley, Cherry Wallis) realize it’s apocalypse now and try to stick together and survive as all of Britain descends into chaos. Tired zombie invasion movie only for those who have never seen “28 Days Later” or any episode of “The Walking Dead.” Good cast is left high and dry and can’t breathe any life into this worn material. Continue reading →
November 4, 2016November 4, 2016 “American Conjuring” (*1/2 out of four) was an American dud about a family who moves into an abandoned orphanage which they soon realize is inhabited by (yawn) evil spirits and they soon realize they need to fight to stay alive. Attractive cast can’t compensate for lame filmmaking and a well-worn plot and script. Can we please have a moratorium on movies about haunted houses and kindred spirits? It’s time they all went back to Hell where they belong. Continue reading →
November 3, 2016 “Men Go To Battle” (*1/2 out of four) was a lumbering period drama set in 1861 Kentucky in which two brothers (Timothy Morton and David Maloney) struggle to hold onto their crumbling estate in the midst of the escalating Civil War. Film moves at a tortoise pace and film’s characters are so vaguely defined that it’s hard to care about any of them or their plights. A real snooze, even for history and war buffs. Exquisite cinematography by Brett Jutkiewicz is film’s only virtue. For a much richer and elaborate period piece about the Civil War, go to watching “Gettysburg” instead. Continue reading →
November 3, 2016 “Hands Of Stone” (*** out of four) was a fiery, compelling story of legendary boxer Roberto Duran (Edgar Ramirez) whose biggest enemy outside the ring was himself, as he clashed with his trainer (Robert De Niro) and gradually lost control and threw in the towel. Searing performances help this hard-hitting boxing story detonate: Ramirez is ferocious in the title role, De Niro is commanding in one of his best supporting performances in years, and Usher is first-rate as Sugar Ray Leonard. A small winner all around. Only weakness is you wish it featured more boxing scenes. Continue reading →
November 2, 2016 “Swing State” (*** out of four) was a very entertaining comedy about a struggling Seattle radio DJ (Alex Beh) who creates a fictitious conservative radio personality and becomes an overnight sensation that sweeps America and results in numerous complications with both politicians (Billy Zane) and news anchors (Sean Astin). Beh is dynamite in the lead role and is backed by a strong supporting cast. An impressive directorial debut for Jonathan Sheldon who also wrote and seems heavily inspired by early-period Barry Levinson and Jonathan Demme. Continue reading →
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