March 25, 2017 “Killer App” (** out of four) was a flashy but empty and obvious thriller about a young girl (Ashley Rickards) who designs an online app that matches those with their enemies. However, when many of her friends start winding up dead, she has to discover whose behind it before it’s too late. Good-looking horror thriller has very stylish lighting and cinematography and an original storyline that should have been told with more originality and creativity and thrills. Rickards is solid in the lead. Continue reading →
March 25, 2017 “Zombies Have Fallen” (** out of four) was a grim action thriller about a young woman (Finn Hurde) with visions of the zombie apocalypse and supernatural abilities who is aided by a tough bounty hunter (Tony Gardner) in an attempt to thwart the zombies, save the planet, and stay alive. Action, zonbies, and gore by-the-numbers in this routine retread of “The Walking Dead” and “Resident Evil”. Films poster is almost a take-off on “Olympus Has Fallen” with Gérard Butler; if it’s supposed to be a parody, it’s about as hilarious as “Grand Theft Auto”! Continue reading →
March 22, 2017 “The Little Mermaid” (*1/2 out of four) was a trashy adult adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story about a young mermaid (Rosie Mac) leaving the sea for the human world she thinks she is ready for but she must face the harsh realities of the world and street life, especially when she discovers sex and becomes a stripper! For anyone who loved the 1989 Disney classic, it’s bewildering; for anyone else, it’s unpleasant and boring. Hard to believe Christian Anderson would want his name on this. This makes the recent live-action “Beauty And The Beast” look like Oscar material. Continue reading →
March 22, 2017 “Vengeance: A Love Story” (**1/2 out of four) was an interesting but limited death-wish melodrama about a single mom (Anna Hutchinson) who is brutally raped and assaulted in front of her young daughter. All of the assailants are subsequently freed but the investigating cop (Nicholas Cage) on the case takes matters into his own hands and seeks to restore justice his own way. Features an unusual amount of character development for this type of movie and features good performances (including one of Cage’s best in a while) but is hurt by lapses in logic and credibility. Don Johnson is strong also as the rapists’ slick defense attorney. Continue reading →
March 19, 2017 “A Bigger Splash” (*1/2 out of four) was a listless melodrama about a rock star (Tilda Swinton) and her filmmaker husband (Matthias Schonaerts) whose vacation in Italy is disrupted by the arrival of her old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson). Both Fiennes and Swinton are poorly used in a story of infidelity and lost love that turns out to be a big bore. Even the Italian scenery looks lackluster and drab. The Rolling Stones allowed several songs used to be used for key scenes and supposedly helped with the script for this but evidently time wasn’t on their side. Continue reading →
March 19, 2017 “Altitude” (*** out of four) was a tense action thriller about a tough female F.B.I. agent (Denise Richards) who is onboard an airplane when it is taken over by hijackers (led by Dolph Lundgren) and she has to defeat the hijackers, save the passengers, and also uncover why they are attempting to hijack the plane in the first place. Nonstop action thriller actually recalls “Nonstop” and also “Passenger 57” but is filled with action and slick visual effects, and features probably Richards’ best performance ever. Very well-directed by Alex Merkin. Continue reading →
March 19, 2017 “Beauty And The Beast” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable but uninspired live-action retelling of the classic Disney story about Belle (Emma Watson) going to find and rescue her father (Kevin Kline) and is subsequently imprisoned and falls in love with the beast (Dan Stevens). Enchanting story has good performances and delightful musical score but is weakened by costumes and sets that look cheap, despite the films hefty production budget. Adds some minor contemporary touches but lacks the magic and passion of the 1992 version and feels like a pointless remake. Fans of the story and kids should probably take a look but they should take a look at earlier versions first. Continue reading →
March 17, 2017March 17, 2017 “The Shack” (** out of four) was a mushy Christian-themed religious drama about a grieving father (Sam Worthington) whose daughter was recently murdered who receives an invitation from God (Octavia Spencer) to heal and rejuvenate at a holy ground called the Shack. Religious fundamentalists and hard-core Christian followers may find something more of merit here but it’s awfully heavy-handed and not all that moving. Glowing cinematography and Worthington and Spencer’s effortless charisma are bogged down in the corn. Continue reading →
March 17, 2017March 17, 2017 “Elle” (***1/2 out of four) was a fascinating psychodrama set in France about a successful businesswoman (Isabelle Huppert) who is viciously attacked and raped in her home which causes her to re-evaluate all the men in her life as she plays cat-and-mouse and tries to discover the actual attacker but adamantly refuses to report the incident to police or change her lifestyle. A lurid and sometimes disturbing look at the traumatic post-effects of being violated and sexually assaulted but it’s very well-told by director Paul Verhoeven and Huppert is absolutely sensational in the lead role in an Oscar-nominated performance. Not always easy to watch but very difficult to forget. Continue reading →
March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 “Mean Dreams” (** out of four) was a flat Midwestern drama about two young teenagers (Sophie Nelisse and Josh Wiggins) who try to escape her from her abusive and corrupt policeman father (Bill Paxton) and go on the run while experiencing first love together. Beautifully shot on Midwestern locations but story never gathers much momentum and covers all-too-familiar territory. Sadly, this was Paxton’s final film. Continue reading →
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