June 30, 2019 “Play Or Die” (*** out of four) was a stylish, suspenseful horror melodrama in the vein of “Saw” about two friends (Charley Palmer Rothwell and Roxanne Mesquida) who decide to take part in a life-or-death game called Paranoia in which they are put through a series of elaborate torture devices and riddles and have to psychologically- and physically- persevere in order to survive and win. Good-looking film wastes no time in putting the two leads into jeopardy and breathlessly moves after that although it goes a little too far and goes overboard with gore towards the end. Still, this is a far better film than many of the “Saw” entries and most others in the torture-porn genre. Continue reading →
June 29, 2019 “Staged Killer” (** out of four) was a fairly obvious and predictable thriller about an ambitious and wormy yuppie (Jason Dolley) who works his way into the career and life of a successful morning t.v. host (Chrishell Hartley) when bodies start suddenly piling up and many in her personal life start dying. Who could possibly be behind all this skullduggery? Attractively shot and competently acted but lacking in any surprises, especially when it’s pretty apparent who the “killer” is. Not the worst of its kind but not too memorable either. Continue reading →
June 29, 2019 “Tapestry” (** out of four) was a hokey melodrama about a middle-aged family man (Stephen Baldwin) who enters a personal/career/religious crossroads in life after he is demoted at his job, his mother is dying of cancer, and his relationship with his estranged father (Burt Young) comes to the forefront. Well-meaning story of religion and faith and introspection in life may mean more to Christian audiences and fundamentalists but it’s too maudlin and heavy-going for others. Baldwin is strong in the lead role. Continue reading →
June 29, 2019 “Mr. Cleaver” (* out of four) was a jarringly awful horror show about seven young punks (Dwight Baker, Danilo A. Daniel, Patrick Donahue, and others) who break into an abandoned warehouse and are subsequently terrorized by its nutjob owner who doesn’t take too kindly to their presence and uses (you guessed it) a cleaver as his weapon of choice. Throwback to ’80’s horror movies is something you’ll want to throw out instead. It’s schlock like these that killed the genre before “Scream” brought it back from the dead in the mid-90’s. Continue reading →
June 29, 2019 “No Man’s Land” (** out of four) was a pale Western melodrama about a family man (Kyle Jacob Henry) who goes on a road trip to meet his lover’s family but when she is kidnapped by a vicious gang- he must venture into the backwoods and to the heart of the West to find and save her. Henry tries in the lead role but he’s no Tommy Lee Jones or Robert Duvall and this is no “Lonesome Dove”, with a pretty basic and familiar story and characterizations. No relation to the 1987 cult classic with Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney Continue reading →
June 29, 2019 “No Doubt” (** out of four) was a tiresome melodrama about two singles (Tara Kaye Burgh and Marquis Wood) who meet on an online website and gradually converse and open up to one another and decide to spend the night with each other. Some occasional clever dialogue and interplay between the two when talking about other films and pop-culture references is drowned out by film’s overall monotony and static presentation. Both leads do what they can to carry the film and keep it afloat with a thin script and story. This might have worked better as a play, rather than as a feature fllm. Continue reading →
June 28, 2019 “Jurassic Galaxy” (*1/2 out of four) was a low-rent action thriller set in the desolate future in which a group of space explorers (Jonathan Nation, Eric Paul Erickson, Doug Burch, and others) crashland on an unknown planet and soon discover that the planet is inhabited by monstrous dinosaurs and that they’re on the menu. Yet another cheesy rip-off of “Jurassic Park” (in case anyone couldn’t guess from its clever title) which stomps this into the ground nearly 30 years later. Special effects aren’t bad considering the threadbare production budget but the dinosaurs easily outshine any of the characters, performances, and plot here. Continue reading →
June 28, 2019 “Annabelle Comes Home” (** out of four) was a wan sequel in this horror series about the title killer doll who is now locked up in the artifacts room of the paranormal investigators (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) from previous entries but it subsequently awakens the room’s evil spirits which results in all Hell breaking loose for the couple’s daughter and friends. Neither no better nor worse than any of the previous “Annabelle” entries, with occasional scares in the final third and some flashes of style, but it’s really just more of the same by now. For anyone keeping count, this is the third in the “Annabelle” series and the seventh in “The Conjuring” series altogether. Continue reading →
June 27, 2019 “Disappearance” (** out of four) was a lumbering thriller about a wealthy author (Matthew Marsden) who disappears from his sailboat one night prompting a determined detective (Reggie Lee) to investigate and interrogate his wife, his girlfriend, and his captain (Jemma Dallender, Chloe Catherine Kim, and Brian Thompson) to sort out what really happened and find him before it is too late. Muddled attempt at a Hitchcock-like “Rashomon” story with flashbacks and story twists. Attractively shot and well-produced but fails to connect. This one should “disappear” from Redbox machines pretty quickly. Continue reading →
June 26, 2019 “Bittersweet Symphony” (** out of four) was a leaden melodrama about a young musician (Suki Waterhouse) who starts to gain some prominence after completing a soundtrack to a Hollywood film just as personal and family problems threaten to overtake her. Good performances are stymied by script and direction that are adrift and story never attains the emotional resonance or connection it wants. One-time 80’s star Jennifer Grey re-appears here as the girl’s mentor and gives a bright performance. Byetheway, this has no relation to The Verve smash of the same name. Continue reading →
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