April 10, 2018 “The Last Movie Star” (***1/2 out of four) was a heartbreaking story about an aging former movie star (Burt Reynolds) who has to accept that he’s getting older and his glory days are behind him, as he is selected to take part in a low-rent film festival which he contrasts to the fame he had when he was younger. A perfect part for Reynolds, who is alternately hilarious and moving in a role that easily echoes his own career and life and is also one of his most moving performances. Ariel Winter is strong also as his tormented assistant and particular kudos to one amazing scene which inserts Reynolds into his older movie “Smokey The Bandit.” Continue reading →
April 10, 2018 “Sleeper” (*1/2 out of four) was an aptly titled misfire which will either put you to sleep or in a state of disbelief about a woman (Kara Killmer) who finds out that her seemingly perfect marriage and husband (Brett Donahue) was a lie and that he has been involved in duplicity and may actually be a Russian spy! Ludicrous script and story goes especially haywire and loony in the second half which will really leave you howling. No relation to the Woody Allen movie of the same name but “Bananas” might have been a good Allen title for this one as well. Continue reading →
April 10, 2018 “Global Meltdown” (** out of four) was a mediocre disaster-thriller about an environmental scientist (Leeanne Khol Young) and a stubborn survivalist nut (Michael Pare) who lead a group of other survivors to find a safe haven through the wilderness after a cataclysmic event causes the Earth’s crust to fall apart. Umpteenth end-of-the-world movie is strictly for those who’ve never seen “2012′, “Independence Day”, or “The Day After Tomorrow” and special effects are pretty threadbare. Pare’s amusing performance provides some sparks of life. Continue reading →
April 10, 2018 “Paterno” (** out of four) was a disappointingly bland, superficial biography of legendary college football coach Joe Paterno (Al Pacino) whose career ended in disgrace amidst allegations regarding sexual abuse involving the Jerry Sandusky scandal which caused his personal and family life to unravel. Film holds your attention but isn’t especially powerful, compelling, or entertaining and doesn’t tell you much about Paterno or the scandal you don’t already know. Pacino is OK in the lead role but is actually out-acted by supporting players Riley Keough and Kathy Baker. A disappointment from director Barry Levinson who in better days directed the superior “Avalon”, “Rain Man”, and “Diner.” Continue reading →
April 9, 2018 “Double Date” (*1/2 out of four) was a double dud about two friends (Danny Morgan and Michael Solcha) who meet two girls (Georgia Groome and Kelly Wenham) in a bar one night and think they’re getting lucky but little do they know that the women have debauchery and murder up their sleeves. Director Benjamin Barfoot piles on the blood and mayhem but it’s all a lot of energy expended over nothing since none of the characters are likeable or worth caring about. Final third has its moments but most of the film is a bloody mess. Lead actor Morgan also wrote this. Continue reading →
April 9, 2018 “Cover Versions” (** out of four) was a flashy but empty “Rashomon”-like story told from the point of view of four band members (Katie Cassidy, Drake Bell, Jerry Trainor, and Austin Swift) as they are interrogated by the police while recounting a decadent night of sex, drugs, and eventual murder before playing a music festival. Interesting in parts and loaded with style and music but like so many movies told from different points of view (“Vantage Point”, “Vanilla Sky”) it gets tiresome after a while and hard to care about. Continue reading →
April 9, 2018 “10 X 10” (** out of four) was an ungainly story of a guy (Luke Evans) who seems ordinary on the surface but harbors an obsessive revenge against a woman (Kelly Reilly) and eventually kidnaps her and holds her hostage until he can extract a dark secret from her past. Well-acted story about obsession and the past coming back to haunt us is too strange and too aloof to hold your involvement. By the end, it’s really hard to care about anything or anyone in the story. Continue reading →
April 8, 2018 “Deep Blue Sea 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a fairly awful sequel to the original which came out nearly 20 years ago about a group of scientists (Danielle Savre, Rob Mayes, and others) who are led by an unscrupulous billionaire (Michael Beach) to his private resort where he is doing experiments on bull sharks but they soon realize they’re all on the menu. More-or-less a remake, rather than a sequel, to a movie that was pretty weak to begin with but at least the original had some thrills and unintentional laughs. Thomas Callaway’s striking cinematography provides only highlights but otherwise this is a real bore. Continue reading →
April 7, 2018 “You Were Never Really Here” (** out of four) was a blah melodrama about a traumatized war veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who tracks down missing girls for a living but when a new job becomes more complex than he anticipated- he uncovers a gradual conspiracy that could be the signifier of either his death or his spiritual awakening in life. Phoenix’ aloof and one-note performance is the emblem of this bizarre and pretentious story. Has some moments of undeniable grim power but you’ll eventually feel lost in the haze and wish you never really were here. Continue reading →
April 7, 2018 “Assassin’s Code” (**1/2 out of four) was an absorbing underworld thriller about a rookie detective (Justin Chatwin), son of a disgraced former cop, who works to solve his first major murder case all the while being trailed by a ruthless assassin (Peter Stormare) and trying to sort out the mobsters and cops he can trust. Story of corrupt cops and mafia ties is familiar and predictable but Chatwin is strong in navigating the lead role and the writing and filmmaking are better-than-average. Ironically, film only slows down during scenes with veteran actor Stormare. Continue reading →
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