December 20, 2018 “The House That Jack Built” (*1/2 out of four) was a lurid melodrama set over the span of 12 years following a serial killer (Matt Dillon) and his path of murderous destruction involving prostitutes and other various individuals who get in his way. Story is narrated by Dillon as he tells his story to a psychiatrist. By the end of this mess, you may feel as if you need a psychiatrist as well. Dillon is good in an unusual and difficult role but this descent into the psyche of a killer is numbing, ugly, and (after a while) boring. What’s more- the film goes on forever at over two-and-a-half hours and shows numerous scenes of women and children being tortured and killed. Similar to Joe Spinnell’s 1980 “Maniac” but that’s not meant as a compliment. Continue reading →
December 20, 2018 “Skateboard Or Die” (* out of four) was an artless action thriller about two lifelong friends (Nicholas Gunn and Ty Hungerford) who run into each other after a time apart and both become immersed in a group of organized crime and murder called The Hunter’s Club in order to stay alive. Ironically, film doesn’t feature that much skateboarding but features plenty of wooden dialogue and characters you can’t care less about. Byetheway, this is not an adaptation of the great video game “Skate Or Die” so video-game addicts can save their quarters and skate right past this. Continue reading →
December 19, 2018 “Bird Box” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically effective and creepy horror thriller set in a dystopian future in which a worldwide virus has erupted causing a feisty mother (Sandra Bullock) and her two children to go through civilization blindfolded and they stumble upon a household with other survivors (John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, and others). Film cuts back and forth from them being in the house to them being on their own in civilization. Bullock and Malkovich’ usual strong performances and intermittent scares and clever moments are dissipated by film’s overlength. Its cutting back-and-forth narrative structure also becomes annoying after a while. Same story was told more-or-less in M. Night Shymalahan’s “The Happening” in 2008. Continue reading →
December 18, 2018 “Springsteen On Broadway” (** out of four) was a rambling filming of Bruce Springsteen’s blockbuster autobiographical one-man play which concluded it’s record-breaking run this past weekend. Die hard Springsteen fans will want to check this out but it’s awfully long-winded and self-indulgent at nearly three hours. Springsteen is a captivating and charismatic storyteller but you’d just as well read his autobiography “Born To Run” or experience the thunder and power of one of his live shows. Highlights are a stark rendition of “Thunder Road”, “Born In The USA” which sounds strikingly different without its bombast and synthesizers, and his duets with wife Patty Scialfa on “Tougher Than The Rest” and “Brilliant Disguise.” Continue reading →
December 18, 2018 “Spider Man: Into The Spider-Verse” (*** out of four) was a colorful animated action spectacular about a young boy named Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) who is bit by a radioactive spider and morphs into Spider Man but this brings the attention of Peter Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson) who tries to teach him how to be a real superhero which in turn makes him cross paths with the other Spider Men from other dimensions so they can all join forces and stop a ruthless crime lord (voiced by Liev Schreiber) from taking over the city. Plenty of action and striking animation which compensate for the sometimes cluttered story and characterizations. A bit overstuffed but still fun for animation fans and “Spider Man” completists. Continue reading →
December 15, 2018 “Backtrace” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably stylish crime melodrama about the lone surviving thief (Matthew Modine) of a violent car robbery gone wrong who is paroled from a high-security facility and given an experimental drug to help him fully restore his memories of his actions and his cohorts but he soon finds that two hard-noses cops (Sylvester Stallone and Christopher McDonald) and his former criminal partners are onto him. Imperfect and uneven, as story takes its time getting going, but once it does it shoots into high-gear as Modine’s strong lead work and film’s explosive pacing end up carrying you away. Stallone and McDonald are both good in minor roles and both make a good team. Continue reading →
December 14, 2018 “Aquaman” (*** out of four) was a majestic adaptation of the DC comic book about the story of half-human/half-Atlantean Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) who goes on a journey of the abyss and a personal journey within himself to step forward and lead his underwater people on a war initiated by his evil half-brother (Patrick Wilson). Full of eye-popping effects and good action scenes and grounded by absorbing dramatic elements in the character’s relationships and a superb supporting cast including Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, and Dolph Lundgren. Director James Wan’s first comic book extravaganza but this is far more sturdy and sure-handed than many of his horror movie hits. Continue reading →
December 14, 2018 “Instant Family” (** out of four) was a hapless comedy about a couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) who find that they get much more than they bargained for when they adopt three foster children (Isabella Moner, Gustavo Quiroz, Julianna Gamiz) which leads to numerous complications for them and the children. Charismatic cast helps and there are some scattered laughs but film becomes more tiresome and contrived as it goes along and final third really rings false. Octavia Spencer is solid as always in good supporting role. Third teaming of Wahlberg and writer/director Sean Anders but this cannot match their first collaboration “Daddy’s Home” which this sometimes resembles. Continue reading →
December 13, 2018 “Leprechaun Returns” (*1/2 out of four) was an unlucky sequel in which the Leprechaun (Linden Porco) is once again resurrected by a group of girls (Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett) when they tear down a cabin to build a sorority house. By the end of this clunker, you may wish he just had some Jack Daniels and Lucky Charms instead. Direct sequel to the 1993 original ignores all of the sequels that came after but who cares? Despite good production values, it’s really just more-of-the-same and gets tiresome. Porco replace Warwick Davis as the Lep and Mark Holton reprises his role from the original. Begorrah! Continue reading →
December 12, 2018 “A Fistful Of Lead” (** out of four) was a leaden Western with a fittingly appropriate title about four outlaws (James Groom, Tom Nolan, Duncan Casey, Kaitlyn Riordan) who carry out a daring bank heist and then take it on the run but soon find out that they’ve been double-crossed and have no one to trust, including each other, and a determined sheriff (Chris Rogers) is on their trail. Opens with a bang and continues promisingly but soon sputters to a halt and flattens out and never gets back on track. Title is an obvious play on “A Fistful Of Dollars” but no one will mistake this for Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood work anytime soon. Continue reading →
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