November 27, 2017 “The Christmas Train” (*** out of four) was a sweetly engaging story about a cynical journalist (Dermot Mulroney) who boards a holiday train to Los Angeles and starts to become friends with many of the passengers (Danny Glover, Joan Cusack, Kimberly Williams-Paisley) which gradually makes him realize the changes he needs to make to his life to open him up to more happiness. Not much plot per se but the upbeat spirit of its first-rate cast and holiday surroundings and settings make it entertaining. Mulroney is terrific in the lead. Continue reading →
November 25, 2017 “Out Of The Wild” (*** out of four) was a gentlemanly story about an alcoholic cowboy (John Diehl) with a dark past who starts working on a ranch and falls in love with the ranch owner (Jean Louisa Kelly) and tries to help an ailing horse whose as much in need of redemption as he is. No masterpiece but nice and engaging and both Diehl and Kelly work well together. Overly reminiscent of “The Horse Whisperer” and Cormac McCarthy novels at times but fans of those works should like this Continue reading →
November 25, 2017 “Lazer Team 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a dumb-and-dumber sequel to the brainless 2015 original that I don’t think anyone was exactly crying out for a sequel to; when one of their team is lost in another dimension, the five wacky team-members have to band together to find them and bring them home. Recommended only for those who thought “Power Rangers” was too intellectually challenging and overwhelming; this team makes the Power Rangers look like Rhodes scholars by comparison. Film’s ending leaves the door open for yet another sequel but count me out of the search party. Continue reading →
November 23, 2017 “Never Hike Alone” (*1/2 out of four) was an artless spin-off of the “Friday The 13th” series about a curious hiker (Drew Leighty) who stumbles upon the remains of the old Camp Crystal Lake and discovered its long-buried secrets and finds that Jason Voorhees (Vincente DiSanti) is alive and well and still has his hockey mask and knives ready for murder. In all fairness- this is better than the horrendous “Friday The 13th” remake and some of the last few entries in the series (such as “Jason X” in space) but don’t consider this a series re-starter just yet. Series fans will note the return of Thom Matthews who played Tommy Jarvis and has a minor role at the end as a paramedic but this is unlikely to resuscitate his career. Continue reading →
November 23, 2017 “Kiss And Kill” (*1/2 out of four) was a laughable soft-core sex melodrama about an unhappy housewife (Kira Noir) who has an affair with a stranger (Kyle Knies) that turns into a whirlpool of blackmail, deceit, and murder. Even the frequent sex scenes are badly acted and choreographed. Hilariously awful dialogue and performances make this a real groaner and that’s not meant as a complinent. Kiss this one goodbye Continue reading →
November 22, 2017 “Death On Scenic Drive” (* out of four) was an unholy mess about a young woman (Stephanie Ash) who encounters a devilish entity that turns her into an incarnation of the devil as she slips into psychotic alternate realities in which she is precipitated to kill anyone in her path. Amateurish horror show is gory and disgusting (there’s a scene where she kills and eats the family dog) but also empty and boring. Ash has to carry the movie almost single-handedly but doesn’t have a chance with this grisly material. Not exactly the type of movie that makes the Thanksgiving holidays any cheerier. Continue reading →
November 22, 2017 “Hangman” (*1/2 out of four) was a wretched horror thriller about two homicide detectives (Al Pacino and Karl Urban) who try to track down and piece together the murders of a brutal serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the game Hangman of which there doesn’t appear there will be any survivors left. Pacino is at his hammy worst and Urban is dull; why these two signed on for this dreary and ugly thriller (which liberally rips off “Seven”) is a bigger mystery than who the murderer is. A Southern accent is simply not to Pacino’s advantage. Continue reading →
November 21, 2017 “Black Luck” (*1/2 out of four) was an incoherent melodrama about a young hitman (Garrett Sheeks) who struggles with the morality of his profession and whose dark past comes back to haunt him in the form of past colleagues, underworld sleaze, and ex-girlfriends. Sheeks holds the screen for a little while but plot and character threads are hard to follow and you’ll eventually be numbed by all the sleaze. Mickey Rourke played a similar role in “A Prayer For The Dying” and he didn’t have much luck either. Continue reading →
November 21, 2017 “Unwanted” (* out of four) was a laughably solemn thriller about a young couple (Wynter Fielder and Julia Foster) who move into an affordable old house…..only to find out that the house is inhabited by (yawn) paranormal activity and evil spirits that make them both lose their sanity. You would think horror filmmakers would get bored churning out the same story in movies on a monthly basis but evidently not. “Unwatchable” would have been a better title for this turkey. It’s movies like these that give independent horror films a worse name than they already have. Continue reading →
November 21, 2017 “Days Of Power” (** out of four) was a grim horror thriller about an international rock star (Jenny Hutton) and her band who travel abroad and mysteriously disappear when they are kidnapped by locals and have to fight, both physically and psychologically, in order to survive. Director Jason Pagnoni shows some promise as he displays a flair for mood but story is so familiar and unpleasant that it sinks. By now, there have been too many kidnapped-and-escaped movies as it is that they don’t carry any surprise. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 