March 16, 2019 “Finding Steve McQueen” (** out of four) was a stalled homage to 1970’s action melodramas set in 1972 in which a group of none-too-bright thieves (Travis Fimmel, William Fichtner, Rhys Coiro, and others) from Ohio attempt to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from then-President Richard Nixon’s secret banking fund but naturally things don’t go as planned. Sporadically clever but mostly empty and derivative. Obviously inspired by early works of Tarantino and Scorcese but never catches fire, Continue reading →
March 16, 2019 “Triple Frontier” (*** out of four) was a nerve-wracking action melodrama about 5 ex-Special Forces soldiers (Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaacs,Garrett Hedlund, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal) who have all moved on in their lives and are settling into middle-age but reform and regroup to improve their various finances and snubs from the government to rob a millionaire cocaine cartel boss at his estate in the Amazon jungle but find there are life-altering risks every step of the way which they may not have been prepared for. Punctuated by jagged scenes of hair-raising gunplay and standoffs but what really makes this connect is the chemistry and camaraderie of all of the soldiers. Isaacs and Affleck stand out as usual in the strong cast. Continue reading →
March 13, 2019 “American Kamasutra” (* out of four) was a laughably awful imitation of the “50 Shades” series about a young girl (Ashlynn Yennie) who gets involved in a dangerous sex triangle when she becomes involved with the none-too-bright writer (Justin Berti) of a popular steamy novel who introduces her to the pleasures and pains of S & M. This lame melodrama whips and beats you with so much dreadful acting and stupid writing and direction that you may feel more abused than the characters are. Strictly for die-hard S & M fans and those who thought their lives were over when “Red Shoe Diaries” was cancelled. Maybe “Showgirls” really wasn’t as bad as we thought back then. Continue reading →
March 12, 2019 “The Landlord” (*1/2 out of four) was a nonsensical thriller about a young girl (Molly McCook) who moves into a luxury apartment complex but soon finds out that her seemingly sweet and accommodating landlord (Ted McGinley) is seriously disturbed and has hidden cameras around her apartment and is watching her. For anyone who has wanted to see a mash-up of “Sliver” and “Fatal Attraction” (with elements of “Psycho” thrown in the mix), look no further, but the film is utterly laughable and predictable. Film geeks may remember McGinley as the main villain Stan Gable from “Revenge Of The Nerds” but I don’t think this role is going to spark his comeback. Continue reading →
March 11, 2019 “The Neighbor” (*1/2 out of four) was an aimless melodrama about a quiet, middle-aged man (William Fichtner) whose seemingly stable life is interrupted by a beautiful young girl (Jessica McNamee) who moves in next door and he realizes she is in an abusive relationship. A good showcase for the long-underappreciated Fichtner but this dour and sluggish film lets him down. By the end, you realize how much film echoes both “Heavy” and “Sling Blade” but lacks their resonance and power. Continue reading →
March 10, 2019 “Kiss Kiss” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy melodrama that viewers should kiss off about four friends (Natascha Hopkins, Nathalia Castellon, Tamra Dae, Janae Bolina) who embark on a trip to a ranch which is supposed to involve luxurious wine tasting but instead end up fighting for their lives as they are subjected to sadism and other forms of brutality. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hills Have Eyes”, and “Mother’s Day” all told virtually this same story with much more scares and style (and a lot more coherence) several decades ago! Re-watch those classics instead of this mindless retread. Continue reading →
March 10, 2019 “The Hard Way” (** out of four) was a fairly basic underworld melodrama about a former Special Ops soldier (Michael Jai White) who learns that his brother died on a mission in Romania and teams up with a former ally (Luke Goss) to hunt down the criminal mob organization responsible and enact bloodthirsty revenge. Both Jai White and Goss have played these roles so many times by now they could easily play them in their sleep which they seem to be doing at times and you can’t exactly blame them. Routine action blowout has some good hand-to-hand fight sequences and martial arts sequences but is enervatingly predictable. Byetheway, this is not a remake of the Michael J. Fox/James Woods 1991 cult classic of the same name. Continue reading →
March 9, 2019 “Captain Marvel” (*** out of four) was a fun adaptation of the Marvel comic book series about the origin story of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) who morphs into one of the universe’s most powerful superheroes in the midst of an escalating war on Earth between two alien races while she is investigated and later assisted by dogged federal agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and mentored and trained by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Full of great action scenes and incredible special effects that are eye-catching and give you your money’s worth but what really makes the film work is Larson whose strength and charisma holds the film together. Story gets a little choppy in the second half but never fails to entertain. Jackson is a standout as usual and Annette Benning is strong also as Dr. Wendy Lawson. Continue reading →
March 7, 2019 “Pretty Broken” (** out of four) was a pretty bland story about a young girl (Jillian Claire) whose father goes missing on a mountaineering expedition while she tries to sort out her own life by going to work at a car dealership and deal with her mother (Stacy Edwards) who already starts moving on and starts dating again! Bizarre movie moves in all different directions but never congeals or coheres into a satisfactory whole. Claire’s engaging in performance and some sweet moments at the finish can’t save it. Watch re-runs of “My So-Called Life” instead. Continue reading →
March 5, 2019 “Isn’t It Romantic?” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritatingly stupid and unfunny comedy about a young girl (Rebel Wilson) disenchanted with both life and love and suddenly finds herself trapped in her own romantic comedy movie and finds her own inner strength and confidence in life. Potentially funny idea is undone by dumb writing and annoying characters, with only Wilson’s bright performance to keep this pushing forward. One exuberant scene of Wilson singing karaoke in a bar of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is the only funny scene in the movie. Continue reading →
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