October 26, 2018 “The Griddle House” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale melodrama about a young kid (Alex Shaffer) who is on the hunt for his birth mother but soon finds out she is a regular at the nearby title diner of which he hangs out all day long. Story is narrated in flashbacks as his older self (Luke Perry) reflects on the events leading up to their meeting. For a story about a diner, this is loaded with a lot of empty calories and wasted fat. Film plays like a photographed play but it’s an empty house. Paul Rodriguez has a minor role as one of the diner’s owners but even he can’t breathe much life into this one. Continue reading →
October 26, 2018 “A Raunchy Christmas Story” (* out of four) was a nearly unwatchable mess about a group of friends (Tanya Anderson, Jeremy Biltz, Monica Biltz, and Nathan Boren) who get together on Christmas to help a friend (Chris Andersen) get laid and have some excitement in his life but unbeknownst to all of them, an investigative journalist and a Soviet spy (don’t ask) are among the other guests. Full of stupid writing and obnoxious characters you can’t wait to get away from. Raunchy to be sure but also unpleasant and unfunny. This is one Christmas present you should return to sender. Continue reading →
October 25, 2018 “10 Year Reunion” (*1/2 out of four) was a forgettable thriller about four young women (Kacey Clarke, Kayla Ewell, Jillian Nelson, Anya Engel-Adams) who return home for their high-school reunion and unearth a time capsule which holds their darkest secrets which they realize holds the key to uncovering the mystery behind their best friend’s tragic death ten years earlier. If you went to school with people like these, no one would blame you for turning homicidal either. Plodding and predictable time-waster has a final plot twist that will surprise no one. Continue reading →
October 24, 2018 “Juliet, Naked” (** out of four) was a pleasant but predictable story of a woman (Rose Byrne) stuck in a tepid romance with her boyfriend (Chris O’Dowd) whose obsessed with a faded rock star (Ethan Hawke) whose long-lost demos fall in her hands which leads to a life-changing romance for the both of them. Interesting story of rock stardom and romance needed more fire and a more inspired screenplay. Hawke is amusingly cast and Byrne is charismatic as always but the two are unable to enrich the proceedings. Continue reading →
October 23, 2018 “Galveston” (*1/2 out of four) was a distant, sluggish melodrama about a dying hitman (Ben Foster) who pairs up with a prostitute (Elle Fanning) with numerous problems of her own and returns to his hometown of Galveston where he plans on revenge as he realizes his final days in life are coming to an end. Foster’s one-note performance and unpleasant character make this awfully hard to take and it takes an awfully long time for this to meander to its predictable conclusion. One scene in which Foster and Manning dance to “Fire On The Mountain” at a bar is the only moving scene in the film. Based on a novel from Nic Pizzolatto who wrote “True Detective” which had more tension and electricity in virtually one scene than this has in its entire running time. Continue reading →
October 22, 2018 “Malicious” (** out of four) was a tepid horror melodrama about a young college professor (Josh Stewart) and his pregnant wife (Bojana Novakovic) who move to a new house where they unwittingly release a malevolent entity that threatens their marriage, their sanity, and subsequently their lives. Umpteenth story about paranormal activity and demonic possession (yes there is a possessed child in the story also for anyone who was wondering) makes you wonder what the hell horror filmmakers would have done had “The Shining” or “The Exorcist” never been made. Still, this is admittedly better than many others due to intense performances and atmospheric filmmaking. Delroy Lindo has a key role as a mysterious college administrator. Continue reading →
October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 “Night School” (** out of four) was a mild comedy about an underachiever (Kevin Hart) who starts attending night school in hopes to obtain his G.E.D. and his teacher (Tiffany Haddish) is no-nonsense and has about as much sass and attitude as he does. Disappointing teaming of Hart and Haddish has only occasional chuckles and is utterly predictable. Haddish’ enthusiasm and charisma helps make this watchable but Hart can play this role in his sleep by now. Keith David has a funny cameo as Hart’s father. Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “Halloween (2018)” (*** out of four) was a chilling horror psychodrama which is a direct sequel to the 1978 original and ignores all other follow-ups and remakes. As it stands now, Michael Meyers has been held in captivity for 40 years since the night of slaughter of the original and he subsequently escapes and breaks loose but Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been awaiting him which results in a full-scale violent showdown between attacker and the attacked. Appears to be routine at first and to be just another exploitative continuation of the series but this soon incorporates complex emotional states of PTSD and anxiety for survivors of attacks which make it both relevant and interesting and the final third is one of the few (if only) of the series that can compare to the tenseness and horror of John Carpenter’s original. Plenty of homages to the original (and its first sequel) and John Carpenter’s re-working of his majestic score are definite plusses. Far better than the last Curtis/Myers reunion “H20” and the best “Halloween” entry since the fourth which was exactly 30 years ago Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “Bad Blood” (** out of four) was a moody but meandering horror thriller about a seemingly happy couple (Xavier Samuel and Morgan Griffin) who go on a vacation getaway when dark secrets from the past begin coming to the forefront and she gradually realizes he may be a demented murderer and she has to fight- both psychologically and physically- to stay alive. Well-directed thriller is layered with atmosphere and a good performance from Griffin but story plods for too long and never builds sufficiently. Yet another rehash of “The Shining” that is a shining example of why that film remains a classic. Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “The Super” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty lame horror thriller about a former cop (Patrick John Flueger) who becomes the superintendent of a large NYC apartment building in which people have gone missing and whose owner (a grizzled and dubbed Val Kilmer) is seriously demented. Better than the 1991 Joe Pesci comedy of the same name but not by all that much; very similar to the 2005 Jennifer Connelly horror thriller “Dark Water” but worse. Flueger’s sincere performance is wasted. Continue reading →
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