July 9, 2019 “Shattered Memories” (** out of four) was a superficial melodrama about a woman (Elizabeth Bogush) who wakes up next to the dead body of a former lover with no memories of the past night and has to race against the clock to piece together the previous evening, solve his murder, and sort out what really happened before she is killed next. Unabashedly old-fashioned story is told in flashbacks and fragments but this is no “Rebecca” and director Chris Sivertson is no Hitchock although in all fairness- this is far better than his last movie “I Know Who Killed Me” which nearly killed his career. Final “surprise” at the end isn’t much of one. Continue reading →
July 9, 2019 “Sever” (** out of four) was an unpleasant horror story about a violent patient (Batya Cruz) who escapes an asylum and attempts to enact revenge on an unsuspecting young couple (Maia Kavchak and Garret Caillouet) but they try to decipher who she is and try to turn the tables on her. Competent direction and acting can only do so much with this weak material. Yet another three-piece character story that may have worked better as a play than as a feature film. Continue reading →
July 8, 2019 “Elevate” (** out of four) was an unfocused and meandering melodrama about intertwining stories focusing on a series of characters and their crisises in life; an overweight elevator switchboard operator (Angela Matemotja), a group of others (Kristina Mitchell and Jeremiah Jahi) who are trapped in an elevator, an abusive and oppressive boss (Kit Williamson), etc. Potentially intriguing story of characters and their intersections in life is too limited in its storytelling structure and its emotional power. Good performances can’t “elevate” it Continue reading →
July 6, 2019 “Shadow Wolves” (*** out of four) was a tense, exciting action melodrama about a rogue NSA agent (Cody Walker) who is recruited by a Native-American solider (Graham Greene) and joins the title group of elite soliders who devote themselves to battling terrorism regardless of its personal and worldwide cost. Plot and characterizations are thin at best but film hurtles forward at a relentless pace and features continuous action and hand-to-hand combat to satisy fans and make this entertaining. Great to see Greene again as well in a perfect role for him and Thomas Gibson has a small but key role as the NSA leader. Continue reading →
July 6, 2019 “Dolls” (*1/2 out of four) was a mirthless horror thriller about an alcoholic father (Thomas Downey) and his rebellious teenage daughter (Trinity Simpson) who move into a new house which they soon find is inhabited by killer dolls with a mysterious and deadly past. Unfortunately, neither Chuckie nor Annabelle are part of the dolls ensemble and neither are any other dolls with any formidable presence or interest. Not even one-time ’80’s horror siren Dee Wallace (in a cameo role) can save this by-the-numbers horror schlock from being a waste of time. Incidentally, this is not a remake of the 1987 horror film “Dolls” for anyone who was wondering but you’ll probably wish it were by the end. Continue reading →
July 6, 2019 “Surprise” (*1/2 out of four) was an aimless comedy about a yuppie (Mike Goodenough) who buys a video camera to record his girlfriend’s surprise birthday party only to find out that (surprise) it’s stuck on record and catches many guests (Jennifer Angelier, Sofia Bouchaala, and others) revealing secrets they don’t want others to see. Viewers will easily be able to identify because this witless comedy is nothing that they (or anyone else) would want to see. Mistitled movie offers no surprises and no laughs for that matter either. Continue reading →
July 6, 2019 “Beneath Us” (*** out of four) was a disturbing psychodrama about several undocumented workers and illegal immigrants (Rigo Sanchez, Josue Aguirre, and others) who are lured by a wealthy nutjob (Lynn Collins) to help rebuild her home but she then subsequently traps and tortures them until one of them turns the tables on her and her equally lunatic husband (James Tupper) and tries to expose her and escape. Lurid story takes a little while getting going but emerges a grabber, with skillful moments of shock and interesting social commentary and very well-directed by Max Pachman. Connie Smith’s “My Little Corner Of The World” is used to great effect in film. Continue reading →
July 6, 2019 “Cold Blood” (*** out of four) was a moody melodrama about a lifelong hitman (Jean Reno) who lives in isolation at a cabin on the edge of a lake. When an injured woman (Sarah Lind) arrives at his house out of nowhere, he decides to risk everything to save her; meanwhile a hard-nosed cop (Joe Anderson) is trying to find her and solve the case. Reno is masterful and appears to be more-or-less playing Leon again from “The Professional” and Anderson seems to be playing a similar character he played in “Backdraft 2” and their strong performances and characterizations help carry this imperfect film through its lulls. Thierry Arbogast’s spectacular cinematography is a definite plus as well. Continue reading →
July 5, 2019 “Abduction 101” (*1/2 out of four) was a brutally unpleasant horror show about three young women (Luna Labelle, Nixi Oblivion, Brianna Shewbert Rouse) who stumble on a strange house in the middle of the woods and decide to sneak in and then soon severely regret their decision. Film is told in flashbacks as one of the girls is being interrogated. Speaking of flashbacks- horror fans will probably get flashbacks of both “Mother’s Day” and “Wrong Turn” and other past horror movies that told the same story but much better. Occasionally raw and unsettling but in-your-face and mostly routine. Continue reading →
July 5, 2019 “The Tracker” (** out of four) was an interchangeable action melodrama starring a more-wooden-than-ever Dolph Lundgren as the title tracker who returns to a remote village where both his wife and daughter were kidnapped 15 years earlier and seeks vengeance but finds treachery at every turn. Reasonably well-made movie has a few expected good scenes of hand-to-hand combat but nothing to distinguish it from millions of other similar movies. It’s mediocrities like these that led to Lundgren’s career falling off track, in the first place. Continue reading →
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