June 5, 2019 “Mollywood” (* out of four) was a trashy and stupid thriller about a serial killer (Micah Fitzgerald) who disguises himself as a drug dealer to give people a potent street drug (molly in case anyone didn’t guess) that will soon kill them; meanwhile, a determined street cop (Vincius Mercado) tries to track him and bring him down. Cleverly titled misfire is visually ugly and no fun at all. Continue reading →
June 4, 2019 “Rocketman” (*** out of four) was an entertaining look at the early life of Elton John (Taron Egerton) who became a pop phenomenon in the 70’s but still had to come to terms with his place in rock music and with his homosexuality and various personal and family problems that led him to drugs and depression and threatened to end his life. Not so much a biography as a musical, which encompasses his upbringing and the early part of his career, but it is well-done and features plenty of his early great music. But the film wouldn’t work so well without Egerton who is first-rate in the lead and a dead-ringer for John. Continue reading →
June 3, 2019 “Ma” (** out of four) was a pretty routine thriller about a group of high-schoolers (Diane Silvers, McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, and others) who befriend a lonely older woman (Octavia Spencer) who lets them party in her basement but they soon realize she’s a real sicko and that their lives are all in danger. Spencer is good as usual but film treads on all-too-familiar territory to provide many scares or thrills. Disappointing reteaming of her and director Tate Taylor who previously scored big with “The Help.” Continue reading →
June 3, 2019 “Domino” (*** out of four) was a solidly done political action thriller in which a veteran cop (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) apprehends a suspect (Eriq Ebouaney) who killed his partner and he turns out to be an international terrorist who is freed by the C.I.A. and he has to work with his partner’s wife (Carice Van Houten) to track him down and apprehend him. Less-than-perfect, with a script that doesn’t always make the most sense, but film retains its uneasy tension from beginning to finish. Director Brian De Palma throws in his usual HItchbock references and homages and stages his action scenes with panache to satisfy fans. Guy Pearce is terrific in a showy supporting role as a C.I.A. agent. Continue reading →
June 3, 2019 “The Dead Don’t Die” (** out of four) was a meandering horror comedy about the townsfolk (Tilda Swinton,Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Carol Kane, and many others) in upstate NY which finds itself battling the zombie apocalypse as the dead (led by Iggy Pop) begin rising from the grave and wreaking havoc and two local cops (Bill Murray and Adam Driver) try to stop it. Director Jim Jarmusch’s attempt at a George Romero horror story is too belated and half-hearted to come alive. Murray is funny as always but most of the rest of the all-star cast are given nothing to do. Most of film was actually shot in Hudson Valley and Columbia County. Continue reading →
June 2, 2019 “Huckleberry” (** out of four) was a bland teenage melodrama about the title character (Daniel Fisher-Golden) who pursues a girl (Sarah Ulstrup) who he is interested in but gets rejected and then unleashes personal revenge on her abusive and controlling boyfriend (Justin Rose) but this leads to a personal crossroads and series of consequences for all of them. Well-captured by writer-director Roger Hill and has some effective scenes at the beginning but never takes off. Film is only an hour and 20 minutes but still runs out of gas pretty early. Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Fear Footage” (** out of four) was an overall decent horror story about a cop (Ricky Umberger) who vanished but his body camera was found the next day leading to speculation and exposition as to what really happened. Yet another found-footage horror movie done in the form of a documentary but in all fairness- this one is better than most and does have a few scares. Hindered by an obviously very low budget Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Sun Is Also A Star” (** out of four) was a plodding adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s novel about a hopeless romantic (Charles Melton) who is at a personal crossroads in life and falls in love with a young woman (Yara Shahidi) and tries to convince her to fall in love with him within 24 hours even though her and her family are about to be departed. Earnest but colorless story has a few effective moments in its final third but loses its momentum by going on too long. Shahidi’s strong performance helps to some extent and John Leguizamo has a good supporting turn as an unscrupulous attorney. Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Cleaning Lady” (*1/2 out of four) was a disheveled thriller about a lonely young woman (Alexis Kendra), in the midst of a steamy affair, who befriends a young woman (Rachel Alig) who becomes her cleaning lady but she soon realizes she has some deep psychological and psychotic problems that rise to the surface and threaten to turn her world upside down. Film alternates between the unsurprising and the unpleasant, as it ventures into flashbacks involving child abuse and sexual abuse which weigh film down. Film doesn’t climax, so much as stop, for viewers who make it that far. Continue reading →
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