May 31, 2019 “Kiss Kiss” (* out of four) was a sleazy and stupid melodrama about four friends (Natascha Hopkins, Nathalia Castellon, and others) who embark on a wine-tasting tour but soon find that they’re fighting for their lives as they are soon forced to wrestle and fight one another but try to eventually turn the tables on their captors. Incoherent has periodic flashes of style but little flashes of anything else resembling intelligence or good filmmaking. Kiss this one goodbye and watch WWE and GLOW re-runs instead. Continue reading →
May 31, 2019 “Fatal Getaway” (** out of four) was a thoroughly predictable thriller about a group of friends (Anja Ankstin, Laura Ault, Christie Burson, and others) on a weekend getaway who rent property from a young charmer (Tilky Jones) who- to the surprise of no one- turns out to be a real sicko with a personal vendetta. Attractively shot but utterly lacking in any surprises or sparks. Original title was “Scare BNB” which would have actually been a more original title but somewhat didn’t trust the audience’s intelligence. Continue reading →
May 29, 2019 “The Kid” (** out of four) was a lumpy Western which is one more take on Sherriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke) and how he took Billy The Kid (Dane DeHaan) into custody and eventually had to kill him which sent ripple effects throughout the West. Handsomely shot and featuring a stirring music score like most Westerns but film sputters after a while and never fully regains its momentum until the climax. Several other actors (Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio who also directed, and Adam Baldwin) are surprisingly wasted and given little to do. Hawke is a standout in an unusually strong and forceful performance. Continue reading →
May 29, 2019 “Theater Of Horror” (0 stars out of four) was a bottom-of-the-barrel bore about four actors (Darren Assante, Matt Bruzzio, Barbara Bush, and Will Collazo Jr.) who go on an audition for a play in New York City but soon find out they are auditioning for their own lives in the title “theater of horror” in which they are all plunged in the middle of a sick game of life and death. Shrill and stupid movie with dreadful filmmaking and even worse special effects. All of the lead actors are terrible even playing bad actors! Film is only 71 minutes long but root canal is a lot faster than that and probably less painful. Continue reading →
May 28, 2019 “Deadly Assistant” (** out of four) was a standard-issue melodrama about a successful businesswoman (Jeanette Sousa) who attempts to reconnect with her estranged family but this results in suspicious deaths involving her assistant (Breanne Hill) and others in her family who she is unsure if she can trust or not. Of note mainly for being the directing debut of ’80’s siren Daphne Zuniga (“Spaceballs”)- she does a competent job and makes good use of music but is unable to ovecome the obvious and predictable plotting. Continue reading →
May 28, 2019 “The Legend Of 5 Mile Cave” (*** out of four) was a nicely done Western about a drifter (Adam Baldwin) with a mysterious past who finds solace and immerses himself with a woman and her son (Jill Wagner and Jet Jurgensmeyer) and they are all put in the crossfire against an evil lawman (William Shockley) who is returning to their land to seek long-lost gold. Leisurely but never slow and is helped immeasurably by Baldwin’s strong performance and his chemistry and camaraderie with the family. No masterpiece or legend but fans of Westerns will find it entertaining. Continue reading →
May 28, 2019 “Avengement” (**1/2 out of four) was a fairly entertaining action potboiler set on the streets of England in which a violent criminal (Scott Adkins) is given a furlough from prison and returns home and seeks revenge on his brother (Craig Fairbrass) and others who turned him into a cold-blooded killer and he has to retrace his roots to find the compassionate man he used to be. Never quite cuts loose as it should but keeps its grip thanks to strong performances from both Adkins and Fairbrass who play off each other well and some violent hand-to-hand combat scenes. Continue reading →
May 27, 2019 “The Poison Rose” (** out of four) was a wan detective story about a weary private investigator (a miscast John Travolta) hired by a femme-fatale (a facelifted Famke Janssen) to uncover a mystery but this puts him in the crossfire against a sinister doctor (Brendan Fraser), a ruthless businessman (Morgan Freeman), and a politically ambitious sherriff (Robert Patrick). Good cast is left high-and-dry by a tired story which feels like warmed-over Phillip Marlowe. At least the Georgia scenery is pretty and adds some atmosphere. One of the three (!) directors is George Gallo who wrote “Midnight Run” which had more juice and electricity in one scene than this entire movie. Continue reading →
May 27, 2019 “Booksmart” (** out of four) was a scattershot teen comedy about two high-school friends (Kaitlyn Denver and Beanie Feldstein) about to face graduation who come to the sudden realization that they should have played more and had more fun in their high-school years and try to pack four years of fun into one night before they graduate and have to become adults for the first time in their lives. Not bad, with engaging performances from the leads and some occasional laughs, but still film doesn’t cover any ground that wasn’t covered more ruthlessly and cleverly in “Mean Girls” or “Clueless” (in addition to many others). Inauspicious directing debut for Olivia Wilde. Lisa Kudrow (who starred in a much funnier high-school movie “Romy And Michelle’s High School Reunion”) has a token cameo. Continue reading →
May 25, 2019 “Assimilate” (** out of four) was a mediocre teen horror drama about three high-school friends (Joel Courtney, Andi Matachak, and Calum Worthy) who begin making a web series about their town but then uncover some dark secrets when they discover that their neighbors and other townsfolk are being killed and are being killed and replaced by creatures who are perfect copies of their victims. Reasonably well-directed and well-acted but is still a high-school version of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” and “The Stepford Wives”. For a movie about copying and cloning, it seems to copy an awful lot from those other two movies. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 