Month: April 2017

“Sam Was Here” (* out of four) was an ugly and boring horror thriller about a nerdy salesman named Sam (Rusty Joiner) who is stranded in the desert and you’ll feel stranded right along with him as he begins to go out of his mind with being isolated from the rest of society and then a deranged lunatic suddenly appears and repeatedly attempts to kill him. Even at only an hour and 15 minutes, this moves at a molasses pace and still feels prolonged. If you’re looking to kill time, this beats it to death slowly and painfully. Some pretty shots of the Mojave Desert are this film’s only asset.

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“The Discovery” (* out of four) was a dreadful science melodrama about a scientist (Robert Redford) who discovers the existence of the afterlife but this discovery leads to an alarming rise in suicides; then his well-meaning son (Jason Segal) falls in love with an unstable girl (Rooney Mara) who is contemplating suicide herself. Potentially interesting and lurid story is a real yawner instead and blatantly rips off some ideas and scenes from “Flatliners”. Even Redford’s effortless charisma can’t breathe much life into this one. A considerable waste of Redford, Mara, and Mary Steenburgen who is only in one scene!

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“Aftermath” (**1/2 out of four) was a moving story about a devoted family man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is devastated when his wife and children are killed in a plane crash and begins falling apart mentally and sets out to find and confront the air traffic controller (Scoot McNary) who he thinks was responsible. Not an action movie but a melodrama about one man’s healing and grieving and trying to move on with life. Sober and somber but somewhat limited in its emotional power. Schwarzenegger is good in a very unusual role for him.

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“Misfortune” (*1/2 out of four) was a misfired action melodrama about two criminal losers (Desmond Devenish and Xander Bailey) who travel through the Midwestern desert searching for a hidden family inheritance while trying to evade police and other various criminals who are looking for them. Unlikeable characters make this really hard to get involved in and hard to care about. Various character actors (Kevin Gage from “Heat”, Nick Mancuso from “Under Siege”) pop up in supporting roles reminding you of the right way to make this type of movie. Devenish directed and co-wrote also with co-star Bailey but they’re unlikely to find much fortune with this one.

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“Mine” (*** out of four) was a tense, jaggedly exciting melodrama about a soldier (Armie Hammer) who engages in a failed assassination attempt in the North African desert and then his foot becomes locked on a land mine that will go off if he moves and he is then trapped physically and psychologically as he recounts his life and fends for survival. Riveting movie is intensified by Hammer’s first-rate performance and harrowing story line which recalls “127 Hours” and “All Is Lost” involving one man’s isolated struggle against certain death. Starts to dissipate in the final third but a strong surprise and a solid showing for directors Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro.

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“Better Criminal” (** out of four) was a by-the-numbers underworld action thriller about a shady cop (Jordan Belfi) who is forced to work for two warring crime syndicates in an escalating and bloody battle all the while trying to stay alive, keep his identity a secret, and also stay one step ahead of an internal affairs investigation he is under. Moves fast enough to make it reasonably watchable but overall action fans would be best renting a “better” movie instead. Yet another underworld thriller that practically cries out for the dazzle and complexity of Martin Scorcese or Michael Mann. Belfi is underwhelming in the lead.

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“Diamond Cartel” (*1/2 out of four) was an incoherent underworld melodrama about a ruthless mob boss (Armand Assante) who makes a deal to buy a diamond from a Hong Kong triad crime boss but is set up and robbed by one of his own which leads to a multitude of double-crossings and shootouts. Everyone has to pay the bills but what a waste of Assante, Michael Madsen (who is only in one scene), and Peter O’Toole of which this was sadly his final film. What a bloody mess.

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“Ghost In The Shell” (**1/2 out of four) was an elegant but empty adaptation of the Japanese manga series set in the future in which the line between robots and humans has become blurred and one woman (Scarlett Johannson) has become cybernetically enhanced to become a perfect soldier but years to learn of her past and how she became this way. Spectacular-looking film has stunning cinematography and usual plethora of futuristic “Blade Runner” like sets but the story isn’t very compelling or original. By now, we’ve seen too many movies about artificial intelligence and robots (“A.I.”, “Minority Report”, “The Matrix”) for this to have the impact it did when it was first released as a manga series. Johannson is good but her character too is familiar and is virtually the same as Black Widow.

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“The Last Scout” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary, derivative sci/fi thriller that makes you hope this is the last time “Alien” is ripped off about a team of astronauts (Blaine Gray, Simon Phillips, Rebecca Ferdinando) who search for an inhabitable place and new environment to save the human race after Earth is destroyed by war but things naturally don’t go as planned. You would hope filmmakers would search for new ideas and new storylines instead of re-churning out junk like this. Film also liberally rips off “Forbidden Planet” and “Event Horizon” and probably many others as well. Paul Salmons’ striking cinematography is film’s one asset.

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