January 15, 2018 “The Post” (*** out of four) was an absorbing true story about a cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents regarding the Vietnam War and how the first female news publisher (Meryl Streep) and a hard-nosed and determined editor (Tom Hanks) at the Washington Post sought to expose the truth, in spite of the consequences with the government and other media. An interesting old-fashioned story about the determination of journalism and truth is well-acted and well-detailed but offset by a certain remoteness which prevents it from excelling. A solid effort from director Steven Spielberg but this cannot match the intensity or sweep of the recent newspaper-journalism drama “Spotlight.” Continue reading →
January 14, 2018 “Trafficked” (*** out of four) was a searing, engrossing story about two young girls (Elizabeth Rohm and Kelly Washington) who are abducted and sold into the sex-trafficking business and enslaved in a brothel in Texas where they become friends with other inmates and make a daring attempt to reclaim their freedom. Almost nail-bitingly intense at times and all-too-real and well-captured by its cast and by director Will Wallace, even if the subject matter is often hard to watch. Both Ashley Judd and Sean Patrick Flannery are terrific in change-of-pace and key supporting roles. Continue reading →
January 13, 2018 “The Howling” (0 stars out of four) was a stupefyingly awful horror show about a group of teenagers and bad actors (Elizabeth Saint, Zane Casablanca, Wendy Morgan) on a night out in a remote farmland who soon realize that the terrifying myth of bloodthirsty creatures is true and they are soon attacked and rampaged. Dreadful filmmaking and acting and complete lack of scares and thrills turn this into a rockbottom bore. Film features some of the ugliest black-and-white cinematography of recent memory. Incidentally, this is not a remake of Joe Dante’s “The Howling” but makes it and its sequels look like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by comparison Continue reading →
January 13, 2018 “The 13th Friday” (* out of four) was a laughably inept horror movie that looks like it was made and put together for about as much as it’ll cost to rent on Redbox. A group of thrill-seeking teens (Lisa May, Khu, Melissa L. Vega and others) return to the haunts of a terrifying serial killer and (yawn) all hell breaks loose. Title is the most clever thing here but this has absolutely nothing to do with the “Friday The 13th” series which looks like Hitchcock at his prime compared to this. It’s no wonder 13 is such an unlucky number. Avoid at all costs. Continue reading →
January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 “Acts Of Violence” (** out of four) was a violent and unpleasant action melodrama about an ex-soldier (Ashton Holmes) whose sister is kidnapped by human traffickers and he teams up with his military brother (Cole Hauser) and a burned-out cop (who else but Bruce Willis) to track her down and end the large-scale ring of trafficking. Holmes is no Liam Neeson and this is no “Taken” (or even “Taken 2”) but good cast and action scenes make it watchable despite its sordid subject matter. Hauser once again proves he’s a solidly underrated character actor; Willis sleepwalks his way through his umpteenth role as a cop Continue reading →
January 12, 2018 “Cats Kill” (*1/2 out of four) was a horrendous horror thriller about a group of young girls who are tourists from NYC (Alanah Rafferty, Kay LOren, Caycee Black) and travel for a weekend getaway to upstate NY in the Catskills (get the title now?) but they are besieged by a female lunatic who attempts to trap and torture them. Numbingly bad acting and dialogue and low-rent production make this a real chore to sit through even though it’s mercifully short at only over an hour. Upstate NY deserves better horror movies in its name. Continue reading →
January 12, 2018 “Battalion” (** out of four) was a standard-issue action melodrama made right off the assembly line about a group of newly recruited U.S. marines (Jesse Richardson, Ellen Williams, Michael Thomson) who are sent to the front lines of an escalating battle in the South Pacific with otherworldy and bloodthirsty aliens. Yet another rip-off of “28 Days Later” and “Alien” but doesn’t have the style or originality of either; a few decent action scenes and performances but that’s about it. Continue reading →
January 11, 2018 “Madtown” (** out of four) was an unsatisfying melodrama about an aspiring comic (Milo Ventimiglia) who is haunted by memories of his sister (Amanda Aday) and is confronted by her after she’s released from prison and their numerous childhood secrets come back to haunt and affect both of them. Aptly titled story starts off well but then becomes progressively more weird and flat to the point that it’s hard to care about anything. Both Ventimiglia and Aday’s strong performances are definite plusses and keep you watching Continue reading →
January 9, 2018 “The Shape Of Water” (**1/2 out of four) was an alluring but overall disappointing fantasy melodrama set at a top secret research facility in the 1960’s about a lonely and mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) who forms a relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity and she then decides to free the creature and bring it home and is pursued by the villainous colonel (Michael Shannon) in charge of the research team. Director Guillermo del Toro provides his usual imagination and visual pallette of dazzling sets and colorful cinematography but story is unfocused and aloof and overlong at over two hours and thus- it never fully connects. Good performances (including Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins) keep you watching but this pales in comparison to Toro’s previous triumphs “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Cronos”. Continue reading →
January 8, 2018 “Insidious: The Last Key” (** out of four) was an enervated horror sequel about the continuing horror adventures of the parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) who returns to her own family home to face down further personal hauntings and has to contend with her biggest personal demon yet and (yawn) all hell breaks loose. Fourth (and hopefully final) entry in this popular series is virtually identical to the others and for hardcore fans only or those in a state of depression now that the “Paranormal Activity” series has ended. Some style and scares towards the end but seriously guys- the thrill is gone. Shaye is strong in the lead but hopefully she finds the key for other roles soon. Continue reading →
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