August 27, 2019 “Dolls Cemetery” (*1/2 out of four) was a glum horror show about a famous novelist (Jon Paul Gates) who is sent to a remote collage in rural England to find inspiration for his latest novel. While there, he discovers a doll named Alfred who he soon finds is a very bad doll with murderous intentions. Even the doll looks bored and that goes double for the audience. Yet another killer-doll movie that can’t hold a candle to “Child’s Play” or even its sequels. Watch any of those or “Pet Sematary” instead. Continue reading →
August 26, 2019 “Here Alone” (** out of four) was a moody but meandering melodrama about a young woman (Lucy Walters) who struggles to survive on her own after a worldwide epidemic exterminates mankind and she has to venture into the wilderness for the first time to try and stay alive and determine what is the cause of this and why. Artfully and respectfully done story, with some good performances and intelligent dialogue, is also too stilted and morose. Rich music score by Eric D. Johnson is a definite plus. Continue reading →
August 26, 2019 “We All Fall Down” (* out of four) was a boring post-apocalyptic thriller about a young man (Cardiff Gerhardt) who struggles to protect his mute younger brother (Connor James Moore) in a desolate world in which all adults have turned into zombies and a cannibalistic tribe begins hunting them down. Cheapjack pastiche of “Lord Of The Flies”, “The Walking Dead”, and also “The Road Warrior” but completely lacking any of those film’s grandeur or thrills. Perhaps it’s time to give these futuristic and apocalyptic stories a rest for a long while. Continue reading →
August 26, 2019 “What Happened Last Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash college comedy about two students (Clayton Snyder and Alix Kermes) who wake up in bed together after a night of partying and story is then told in reverse as they try to piece together what happened the night before and how they met. By the end of the movie, you may wish they both just went to an A.A. meeting instead. Loaded with the usual scenes of college partying, annoying characters, and sex jokes. Viewers will likely forget this movie by the next night. It’s movies like these that make you realize how good “Revenge Of The Nerds” and “Animal House” were so many years ago. Continue reading →
August 26, 2019 “Locked Up” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty awful melodrama about an American teenager (Kelly McCart) in Southeast Asia who fights back against her vindictive bullies at school and gets railroaded and sent to a reform school for young girls which (naturally) turns out to be more of a prison in which she has to fend off menacing gangs and worse prison guards in order to survive. Almost exactly what you would expect, with several gang fights, knifings, and lesbian shower scenes. Not all that different actually than Sylvester Stallone’s “Lock Up” but just as dumb and unpleasant. Continue reading →
August 26, 2019 “Woodstock Or Bust” (** out of four) was a pleasant but minor melodrama about two aspiring teenage songwriters (Willow Shields and Meg DeLacy) who go on a road trip and head East to debut their music at Woodstock which solidifies and strengthens their bond and friendship. Both girls are appealing but their music is mediocre and so is the movie on a whole. Watchable for young girls and die-hard Woodstock fanatics but one sexual attack scene is out of place and unnecessary. Continue reading →
August 25, 2019 “Night Hunter” (** out of four) was an unpleasant thriller about a lieutenant (Henry Cavill), his stern boss (Stanley Tucci), and a determined vigilante (Ben Kingsley) who all become embroiled in a web of deception when they apprehend a serial killer (Brendan Fletcher) who is linked to numerous child abductions and murders. Well-made film is made up of spare parts from “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Seven” but still feels like a hollow retread although it is watchable overall. Kingsley is good as usual but Fletcher is over-the-top and annoying as the killer. Continue reading →
August 25, 2019 “Armed” (** out of four) was a flashy but empty melodrama about a former U.S. Marshal (Mario Van Peebles) struggling to put his life together and runs into a former colleague (William Fichtner) who tells him that all of the former members of his unit are suffering from similar problems and symptoms that he is and they have to get to the bottom of the large-scale conspiracy at hand. Lots of violence and action but little coherence or character development and its overlong at two hours. Disappointment from writer/director/star Peebles who may never top his directorial debut “New Jack City.” Continue reading →
August 25, 2019 “The Creatress” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritating comedy about a young best-selling author (Lindy Booth) who is thrown to the wolves by her publicist (Fran Drescher) and suddenly finds herself on the outs with critics and audiences and has to fight her way back to the top and restore and reclaim her reputation. Throwback to early-period Woody Allen is missing two crucial ingredients: charm and laughs and thus it rings false at almost every turn. Drescher’s whine and accent are kept to a minimum here. Director Peter Bogdanovich has a small but key role here as a book critic. Continue reading →
August 24, 2019 “Marked For Trade” (* out of four) was a trashy potboiler about a determined lawyer (Lauren Johnson) who begins to investigate the untimely death of a young girl and begins to uncover a sex-trafficking ring that she then tries to expose and bring down. Even at only an hour long, this is pretty brutal, with terrible acting and cheap production values. For a movie about the trafficking industry with more conviction and strength, watch 2017’s “Trafficked.” Tim Williams’ moody score is film’s only plus. Continue reading →
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