April 22, 2017April 22, 2017 “The Follower” (** out of four) was a so-so thriller about a famous singer (Erika Christensen) whose plane crashes in the wilderness and the only other survivor (Bethany Lauren James) turns out to be an obsessive fan and a serious sicko who holds and torments her in an isolated cabin while her family and other fans struggle to find her. Solid work from Christensen and James do their best to enrich and enliven mediocre material. Reasonably good fillmmaking can’t hide the fact that this is basically a reworking of “Misery”. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “Sticky Notes” (**1/2 out of four) was a fairly well-done family melodrama about a grouchy father (Ray Liotta) who is dying of terminal cancer and how this affects his strained relationship with his self-destructive daughter (Rose Leslie) but that they try to mend their difficult relationship before it is too late. Strong performances by both Leslie and Liotta boost this uneven story which ranges from effective and incisive to meandering and unpleasant at times. Still, a worthwhile showing for writer-director Amanda Sharp and a good actor’s showcase overall. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “Earthtastrophe” (** out of four) was a jerry-made, umpteenth post-apocalyptic movie about the disappearance of the moon which causes a flash of light that eradicates Earth. 11 months later, civilization gradually collapses forces a group of heroes (Andrew J. Katers and Alexa Mansour) to struggle to “safe ground” before it is too late. Mediocre acting and special effects make this only for those who never saw quality disaster movies like “2012”, “Independence Day”, or even “The Day After Tomorrow.” The future just ain’t what it used to be. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “Personal Shopper” (* out of four) was a lifeless drama set in Paris about an American personal shopping assistant (Kristen Stewart) who refuses to leave the city until she makes contact with her twin brother who died there recently. Complications further arise when a mysterious person begins texting her. Stewart’s usual one-note expressionless performance perfectly suits film’s flat and drab look and molasses pace and that’s not meant as a compliment. If she’s trying to prove her acting strength in independent dramas, she needs to “shop” around for better scripts and directors. Ciao bella! Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “Before I Fall” (**1/2 out of four) was an imperfect but compelling story about a high-school teenager (Zoey Deutch) who finds herself in a time loop a la “Groundhog Day” living the same day over and over again in which her and her friends go to a party and are involved in a deadly crash but she tries to change fate and change their consequences and learn the true meaning of her life and making every day count. As is the case with many of these time-loop movies, the story starts to get repetitive and never shifts into high gear but it keeps its grip thanks to Deutch’s first-rate performance and some striking touches from director Ry Russo-Young and cinematographer Michael Fimognari. Adam Taylor’s haunting music score is another definite plus. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “The Belko Experiment” (**1/2 out of four) was an interesting, if not altogether successful, mashup of “The Purge” and “Ten Little Indians” about 80 Americans (including Tony Goldwynn, John C. McGinley, and John Gallagher Jr.) being locked in their high-rise corporate skyscraper office and being directed by an unknown voice on an intercom to participate in a deadly game of kill-or-be-killed and pretty soon the bodies start piling up. Mixture of parody of corporate office politics and intense carnage doesn’t fully gel and gets progressively uglier and violent in its final third. Still, a respectable try and at least it holds your attention through-out. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “Female Fight Club” (** out of four) was an unspectacular exploitation action melodrama about a former underworld fighting champion (Amy Johnston) who reluctantly returns to the underground fighting world to help her sister survive and to fight against the maniacal nutjob who runs it. The type of movie that would have been playing at grindhouse cinemas in the 70’s and 80’s but since they’re not around anymore, this went to straight to Redbox. Some good fights and one original sex scene but it’s all pretty by-the-numbers. Continue reading →
April 19, 2017 “The Fate Of The Furious” (***1/2 out of four) was an extravagant thrill machine which shows this is one of the rare series that gets bigger, bolder, and better as it goes along in entry #8. This time around, Vin Diesel goes rogue and turns against his team (Ludacris, The Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson) when he is blackmailed by a mysterious evil lady (Charlize Theron) to steal nuclear launch codes that could lead to the end of the world. Packed with the series usual eye-popping action scenes and stunts in Cuba, NYC, and Iceland, and features Kurt Russell’s best role in years and a welcome return for Jason Statham. Final hour will have you on the edge of your seat! Extremely well-directed by F. Gary Gray. Somewhere, Paul Walker is looking down and smiling. Continue reading →
April 12, 2017 “Robot Wars” (*1/2 out of four) was a junky action-thriller set (yawn) in a dystopian near future in which a corporate heist goes wrong and the thieves struggle to escape with a massive stolen weapon all the while trying to stay alive and fend off brutal gangs and robotic death squads over an ugly landscape of urban hell. Utterly disposable thriller fittingly enough seems like it was made by robots and features endless parts and pieces from other (better) movies. Strictly for those who found any of the “Transformers” movies too subtle or intellectually challenging. Continue reading →
April 12, 2017 “The Fast And The Fierce” (** out of four) was a mediocre action thriller that never manages to be as memorable as its title about a group of terrorists who plant a bomb aboard a commercial 747 plane and the passengers (Dominique Swain, Adrian Paul, Jason Tobias and others) must fight to keep the plane in the air and fend off the terrorists after realizing the plane will detonate if it dips below 800 feet! Nail-biting story with obvious echoes of 9/11 is reasonably fast-moving but hindered by weak acting and production values. Not bad but could have benefited from a higher budget and a more large-scale director like Ridley Scott or James Cameron. Continue reading →
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