December 17, 2016 “A Kind Of Murder” (** out of four) was a kind of dud set in 1960’s NYC about a wealthy architect (Patrick Wilson) whose aloof and estranged wife (Jessica Biehl) is murdered soon after she learned of him having an affair and this subsequently leads to him being plunged into a whirlpool of rage, jealousy, and guilt as he is suspected of her murder. Voluptuous and vibrant cinematography and striking art direction capturing the allure of 1960’s NY can’t stop this from ringing hollow, simply because we don’t care about any of the characters or story. Good attempt at a throwback to film-noir could have used more mystery and plot twists. Continue reading →
December 17, 2016 “City Of Dead Men” (** out of four) was a flashy but empty, unpleasant horror drama about an American tourist (Diego Boneta) who travels to South America and ends up living with a group of violent misfit troublemakers at an abandoned hospital with a troubling past that soon affects all of them. Visually striking with lots of stylish cinematography and sets but both the story and characters are difficult to care about and thus- film has little impact. The kind of film that one can enjoy looking at without actually watching. Continue reading →
December 15, 2016 “Criticsized” (** out of four) was a by-the-numbers horror melodrama about a tough cop (Callum Blue) who begins being targeted by a serial killer who teases him into an ugly game of cat-and-mouse that threatens the lives of his family and those he works with on the police force but it turns out the killer also has other exterior motives. Hybrid of police procedural thriller and a “Saw”-like torture melodrama is skillfully made and given a boost by Blue’s intense performance but is too routine and unpleasant to stand out. “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Seven” covered this ground in the 90’s already with more passion and grandeur. Possibly the one and only movie though in film history in which the serial killer turns out to be a filmmaker and is targeting film critics who didn’t like his work as a result! Continue reading →
December 15, 2016 “The Thinning” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably engrossing thriller set in the future in which population control is dictated by a high-school aptitude test; two students (Login Paul and Peyton List) subsequently find out that the test hides a larger governmental conspiracy at play and they set out to expose the truths about society while at the same time running for their lives. Overly derivative of “The Maze Runner”, “Divergent”, and other numerous post-apocalyptic stories about society and government conspiracies but it’s impressively directed with style and skill and never stops moving. Promising directing debut for writer and director Michael Gallagher. Continue reading →
December 14, 2016 “Incarnate” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average horror thriller about a scientist (Aaron Eckhart) who has the ability to enter the subconscious minds of the possessed and must save a young child who is possessed by (what else) the devil and at the same time must face and try to resolve the horrors of his own past which resulted in him nearly dying. Yet another derivative horror movie about a possessed child and religious entanglements but it’s efficiently made with enough scares, style, and thrills to make it much better than most horror incarnations. Eckhart’s usual solid performance gives this a strong boost. Continue reading →
December 13, 2016 “Contract To Kill” (** out of four) was a fairly watchable but by-the-numbers timekiller starring Steven Seagal going through the motions as a CIA/DEA enforcer who uncovers a brutal terrorist plot in Istanbul against America and must race around the clock to prevent its hatching and worldwide destruction. Seagal can play this role in his sleep by now and often looks like he is. It’s pretty amusing to see him mumbling and moving in his thick black suits yet still somehow able to stop terrorists who are about a third of his age. Smoothly directed and features a few good fight scenes but you’ve seen it all before and done better. Continue reading →
December 12, 2016 “Moana” (*** out of four) was a nicely done Disney animated feature set in ancient Polynesia when a historic curse reaches the island in which a Chieftain’s daughter lives and she subsequently answers the Ocean’s call to seek out the demigod to resolve the curse and set things right. Less-than-perfect music score and flimsy (and at times strange) story are more than compensated by likeable characters and Disney’s usual spectacular and colorful animation. Not one of Disney’s best animated features but still entertaining. Continue reading →
December 10, 2016 “Burn Country” (** out of four) was a mild crime melodrama about a former war journalist from Afghanistan (Dominic Rains) who settles in a small town in California and takes a job at a local newspaper but stumbles into a local corruption plot involving small-town cops and others which puts him and the townsfolk in the crossfire. Never terribly exciting or compelling, despite interesting subject matter. Rains is good but film doesn’t match his fervor or conviction. Good supporting cast including Melissa Leo and James Franco is wasted. Continue reading →
December 10, 2016 “Max Steel” (*** out of four) was a likeable adaptation of the comic book and cartoon series about a high-school teenager (Ben Winchell) who is turned into the turbo-charged superhero Max Steel and is befriended by an alien robot who guides him as he tries to evolve into his new powers and also solve the childhood mystery of the death of his father. Winchell’s strong and sincere performance helps make this into an imperfect but surprisingly entertaining teenager/comic book drama. Highly similar in story and structure to “Spider Man” but also highly better than most critics have said. Continue reading →
December 10, 2016 “Nocturnal Animals” (**1/2 out of four) was an engrossing but pointless psychological thriller about an art gallery owner (Amy Adams) who becomes fascinated and scared by the title book from her ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) about a violent rape and kidnapping. Film alternates between the events of the book and Adams’ reactions to them in her own life. Film has some chilling and tense moments which keep you watching, and Adams is dynamite as always, but doesn’t lead to a satisfying conclusion, with an abrupt ending that is strange to say the least. Gyllenhaal is OK but Aaron Taylor Johnson is scary as one of the film’s main villains. Continue reading →
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