Month: November 2017

“Dead Draw” (** out of four) was a tepid crime melodrama about four criminals (led by Gil Bellows) who steal $25 million in a theft gone wrong in Mexico but someone kills the getaway pilot and leaks information and they don’t know who to trust as they all gradually turn against one another to find out the truth and come out alive. Story begins well, with sharp dialogue and clever storytelling, but it gradually runs out of juice and steam, and turns into a tiresome rip-off of Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Bellows is solid as usual.

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“24 Hours To Live” (*1/2 out of four) was a murky conspiracy thriller which viewers will probably forget in 24 hours or less about an assassin (Ethan Hawke) who is given a second chance at life and seeks redemption for his past wrongs and their consequences. Hawke is OK in the lead but this unwieldy and heavy-handed thriller needed someone with more of an edge. Rutger Hauer has a key supporting role as a Hawke’s father in law. Films like this make you appreciate “The Bourne Identity” series more and more

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“Spreading Darkness” (*1/2 out of four) was a fairly awful melodrama about a corrupt CEO (Eric Roberts) who begins to suffer a mental breakdown and thinks he is being stalked by his former victims and his psychiatrist (Dominique Swain) who may be even more loony than he is. You may endure a mental breakdown if you make it to the end of this mess as well. Roberts is still an excellent character actor but it’s unpleasant junk like this that killed his career. The kind of movie that makes you want to take a shower immediately afterwards.

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“Skybound” (** out of four) was a mediocre action thriller about five passengers (Scarlett Byrne, Gavin Stenhouse, Rick Cosnett, and others) who take off in a plane for a fun-filled vacation but are unable to land after a mysterious disaster occurs on the ground and they are stranded in mid-air. Frightening story isn’t played out for full effect and never fully takes off although it remains watchable. Performances range from passable to one note. Not bad but you can only imagine what filmmakers like Roland Emmerich or Walter Hill might have done with this material.

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“Woodshock” (*1/2 out of four) was a maddeningly pretentious and boring drama about a young woman (Kirsten Dunst) dealing with her mother’s illness and alienation from her partner who gradually loses herself in her fractured mental state and the altering effects of some potent marijuana she begins using and abusing. Genuinely strange movie has long pauses and stretches of Dunst walking around her house and no dialogue; result is arty, stilted, and dull. Second half is particularly tough to endure. Dunst tries her best in an almost unplayable role.

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“Truth Or Dare” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless, stupid horror show about eight college friends who go to a Halloween rental house but when they attempt to re-play a game which made the house both famous and infamous, they find that they have awakened an evil spirit which is intent on killing them all. No relation to the Madonna 1991 documentary but owes more than a bit to “Saw”. Some creepy moments towards the end but also some dumb dialogue and uneven performances. Horror fans will note a cameo from Heather Langenkamp who explains the rules of the game but she probably would have fared better collecting her “Nightmare On Elm Street” royalties.

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“Marshall” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable if limited biographical drama of Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) in one of his career-defining cases in the 1960’s in teaming with insurance lawyer Sam Freedman (Josh Gad) attempting to get a wrongly arrested African-American off from a rape case and how he later went on to become the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Boseman once again shows he’s first-rate in playing biographical characters (he previously played Jackie Robinson and James Brown in their films), and him and Gad work well together, but courtoom scenes and proceedings are hackneyed and you wish film showed more of his accomplishments later in life. An earnest attempt from director Reginald Hudlin who previously has been known for comedies (“House Party”, “Boomerang.”).

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“The Humanity Bureau” (** out of four) was a muddled story set in the year 2030 in which the world is in a permanent state of economic recession and global warming, and how one investigator (Nicholas Cage) attempts to help a young woman (Sarah Lind) and her young son (Hugo Lind) stay alive and out of danger. Cage is really good in one of his most quietest and charismatic performances in years but this mix of futuristic drama, social commentary, and action thriller never gets off the ground. Obviously inspired by “Mad Max” but lacking George Miller’s grand sweep and humor.

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“Thor: Ragnarok” (*** out of four) was a nicely done third entry in the Marvel comic series showing Thor (Chris Helmsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who find themselves imprisoned in a gladiatoral arena where they are pitted against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) but soon find they all must join forces again to thwart the destructive force of Hela (Cate Blanchett) before she eradicates Asgardian civilization. Full of the requisite amount of psychedelic visual effects and large-scale action scenes and Helmsworth is first-rate again. Starts to lose its momentum towards the end and goes on too long but revs up again for a spectacular finish. As usual, there are many other Marvel characters (Dr. Strange, Black Widow) who pop up.

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