November 2, 2016 “Crushed” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary mystery drama set in Australia about a young woman (Sarah Bishop) who returns home to her family vineyard after her father mysteriously dies. His death is initially ruled as a suicide but the more she uncovers, the more she suspects her mother (Roxane Wilson) may be involved and she must uncover the truth. Overlong and sluggish movie is best left for wine connoiseurs only. One brief sequence of watching wine being made and produced is more compelling than the central murder mystery. Good music score though by Aaron Kenny. Continue reading →
November 1, 2016 “Plan Z” (*1/2 out of four) was a grade-Z zombie apocalypse thriller about (yawn) a zombie outbreak and one man (Stuart Brennan) who attempts to find the cure and roam the streets of Europe with other fellow survivors and stay alive. Fittingly enough, this rips off “World War Z” right down to its title and while we’re at it “28 Days Later” and just about every George Romero movie he made about zombies. Even the zombies look bored! Some good performances are swallowed up by film’s minimalism and dire low budget. Film doesn’t end so much as stop. Continue reading →
November 1, 2016 “Accidentally Engaged” (*1/2 out of four) was a plastic romantic comedy about a struggling actress (Lexi Giovagnoli) who returns to her hometown and claims to be engaged to a celebrity actor (Brant Daugherty) but things take a turn for the worse when the story goes public and the actor decides to go along for the ruse to escape bad press. Naturally, they eventually fall in love! As contrived as it is unbelievable and features a meager amount of laughs. “Accidentally Made” may have been a better title for this trifle. Continue reading →
November 1, 2016 “The Night Before Halloween” (** out of four) was a hokey horror thriller about a 16-year old (Bailee Madison) and her friends who take part in a Halloween prank that lands one of their friends (Natalie Ganzhorn) in a coma but one year later, they come to find that she still may be alive. Or so it seems. Both overlong and overdone although some of the special effects and performances are good. Story alternately rips off “Sorority Row” and also “April Fool’s Day.” Continue reading →
November 1, 2016 “The Maid” (*1/2 out of four) was a predictable, by-the-numbers horror thriller about a college student (Kathryn Newtown) who soon discovers that her new maid (Fay Masterson) is a serious sicko and has been involved in many of the recent problems and wrongdoings at her school and in her house. Unfortunately, the writer and director are involved in many of the wrongdoings in this movie which is utterly generic and routine. Fran Drescher’s “The Nanny” had more scares and laughs than this does. Newton’s sincere performance is wasted. Continue reading →
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