October 30, 2017 “All I See Is You” (** out of four) was a curiously detached and unmoving story about a blind woman (Blake Lively) who regains her sight after an operation but this gradually changes her relationship with her husband (Jason Clarke) as she begins to regain control of her life after years of darkness. Director Marc Forster melds some striking and hallucinogenic imagery with a woman’s painful story of struggle and survival but story is plodding and muted, and film’s ending is pointlessly obscure. Lively is good as always but is unable to enliven the material. Continue reading →
October 30, 2017 “Suburbicon” (** out of four) was a muddled story set in 1959 about a home invasion that rattles the lives of a seemingly mild-mannered insurance executive (Matt Damon), his sister (Julianne Moore), and his young son but it turns out there is more to this crime than initially meets the eye and it rattles their community. Pointless mix of 1950’s social satire, racial commentary, and murder mystery; particularly disappointing because it’s script was co-written by The Coen Bros. who recycle many plot elements from their own far superior “Fargo” and “Blood Simple”. Oscar Isaacs fares best as a suspicious insurance investigator when the story gradually takes off in its final third. Continue reading →
October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 “Jigsaw” (** out of four). Now hear this! Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the senior sicko from the “Saw” entries, really didn’t die in part IV! Apparently he’s been living peacefully and only resurfaces because the producers decided they needed to continue this once exhausted series which enables him to re-enact his gruesome and over-elaborate traps and torture numerous others with skeletons of personal guilt. Really just more of the same but good-looking and features the requisite amount of gore and scares for those who still care. Better than most “Saw” entries but undermined by terrible ending. Bell makes an obligatory appearance towards the end but he is mostly heard and not saw. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Acts Of Vengeance” (** out of four) was a fizzled action melodrama about a slick lawyer (Antonio Banderas) who makes his living exonoreating murderers and other criminals but becomes deranged and hellbent on revenge when his wife and daughter are both murdered and turns him into a vigilante on the streets against the same people he used to defend! Potentially juicy story of a defense attorney who becomes a vigilante avenger is bungled, as story loses its way and is underdone. Banderas is solid as usual. Terrific story makes you only wonder what Martin Scorcese or David Fincher could have done with this. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Jeepers Creepers 3” (** out of four) was an unnecessary third sequel that I don’t think anyone was exactly waiting at the multiplexes over about the return of the killing monster and how one determined sherriff (Stan Shaw) rallies the support of the local town to hopefully destroy it once and for all. No better and no worse than the previous two entries but is for hard-core fans of the series only. Takes too long to get going although final hour has a few good thrills and action scenes. Final scene leaves the door open for yet another sequel, for those who care. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 “Christmas Crime Story” (*** out of four) was a cleverly done melodrama about a botched robbery on Christmas Eve told from the vantage points of several different characters: a troubled cop (Scott Bailey) trying to reconnect with his mother, a photographer (Adrian Paul) with escalating mental health problems, his vindictive fiancee (Neraida Bega), and a drunken and desperate Santa (Eric Close). Story is a little hard to believe and goes a little too far by the end but is well-acted and well-told and holds your attention with its pungent story involving its plethora of characters. An impressive showing for director Richard Friedman. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Espionage Tonight” (*1/2 out of four) was an incoherent supposed satire of reality television about some sleazy broadcasters (Sean Astin and Chasty Ballesteros) who devise a reality show about spies and their trials and tribulations in life. It’s movies like these that make you wish that reality t.v. would just stay dead and buried. A one-joke idea needlessly stretched out well beyond its limits at nearly an hour-and-a-half. Astin should get work on “The Goonies II” rather than waste his time on junk like this. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Birth Of The Dragon” (** out of four) was a hazy biographical story set in 1960’s San Francisco in which a young Bruce Lee (Phillip Ng) was spurred on by one of his students to challenge Shaolin monk and tai-chi master Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) to a fight which began the seeds of his status as a martial-arts legend. Interesting story for hard-core fans of Bruce Lee but there are too many murky secondary characters and subplots, and final showdown between Lee and Man isn’t all that exciting. Watch 1993’s “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” for a more passionate and intense story of Lee’s life and fights. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 “Geostorm” (** out of four) was an unexceptional disaster thriller about a scientist (Gerard Butler) and his estranged brother (Jim Sturgess) who realize it’s apocalypse now and race against the clock to save Earth when the network of satellites designed to control the global climate begin to attack creating massive destruction. Serviceable action thriller liberally rips off “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Armaggedon”. Second half offers some flashy visual effects and action scenes but movie still feels unnecessary and hollow. Top-notch supporting cast including Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, and Abby Cornish are mostly wasted. Inauspicious directing debut for Dean Devlin who was one-half the creating team behind “Independence Day” which come to think of it, is another movie this rips off. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Bunnyman Vengeance” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror thriller about the continuing adventures of The Bunnyman as he finds some new brats (and bad actors) to terrorize. Third movie in this series is no improvement on imperfection; beware of musical interlude and video-game like sequences in the second half. Terrible acting and filmmaking is far scarier than anything else in the movie. Who the hell liked the first two in this series anyhow? Continue reading →
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