August 17, 2019 “Pulled To Hell” (*1/2 out of four) was a jumbled horror thriller about two private investigators (Toochukwu Anyachonkeya and April Ezell Wilson) who specialize in missing persons cases and cross paths with a serial killer with three pets who devour humans and they must do their best to stay alive, solve the case, and save some of the killer’s next victims. Director James Ryan Gary has a good sense of visual style but little concern for narrative or plot coherence especially as film gets grislier and gorier in its second half. Obviously inspired by the “Evil Dead” series but missing Sam Raimi’s ghoulish and inspired touch. Continue reading →
August 17, 2019 “Sextuplets” (** out of four) was a mildly amusing Netflix comedy about a family man (Marlon Wayans) who meets a long-lost brother (also Wayans) and they realize they were born sextuplets (all played by Wayans) and they embark on a road trip to reunite with their long-lost siblings. Scattershot comedy has some occasional laughs but a little of this goes a long way, especially at nearly two hours. Hooray for Wayans in amusingly playing 6 different roles but this isn’t exactly up to Eddie Murphy and The Klumps in “The Nutty Professor.” Oddly- none of Wayans’ actual siblings show up in this. Continue reading →
August 17, 2019 “The Art Of Racing In The Rain” (**1/2 out of four) was a pretty cute and engaging adaptation of Garth Stein’s novel about a golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) who forms a lifelong bond with his owner (Milo Vertimiglia) which is tested when his wife (Amanda Seyfried) dies and various other life conflicts start to pull them apart but their emotional connection and relationship nevertheless always remains. Never fully reaches a dramatic or emotional peak but keeps you watching and entertained thanks mostly to the adorable dog and some of its funny comedic wisecracks. Fans of the novel and dog-lovers (like me) will want to check this out. Continue reading →
August 16, 2019 “Hometown Holiday” (*1/2 out of four) was yet another plastic Lifetime movie about a small-town girl (Krista Troyer) who is swept off her feet by a slick entertainment lawyer (Bradley Hamilton) who is passing through her area but they soon realize they both have baggage from the past and the present that they need to unravel before they are to embark on a happy relationship together. Treacly story is full of Lifetime’s usual hollow sentiments and cliches and overripe acting. Shimmering cinematography (by Pure West) and some beautiful locations are film’s only virtues but this is purely for Lifetime addicts only. Continue reading →
August 16, 2019 “The Martyr Maker” (*1/2 out of four) was a wandering misfire about a young American-born Muslim (Alexander Mercier) who struggles with his Islamic roots and becomes susceptible to terrorist groups who attempt to recruit him while a rogue agent from the Feds (Tom Sizemore) attempts to bring him down and save the city. Scattershot story veers from heavy-handed character drama to weak action thriller, with an over-the-top Sizemore chewing and throwing up the scenery. At this point, he has become an undenial “martyr” of bad living. Continue reading →
August 16, 2019 “The Witches Of Dumpling Farm” (**1/2 out of four) was a gonzo but entertaining horror show set in England in which a young man (Duncan Casey) returns to his home farmland and realizes that his friends and family have all been possessed by a coven of flesh-eating witches (Samantha Schnitzler, Jasmin Clark, and others) and he has to try and defeat them and escape. Indefensible in terms of story and script but film is directed with flair and a good visual style involving striking cinematography and propulsive camerawork. Definitely not all for tastes and stomachs but good of its kind. Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Outlaws Don’t Get Funerals” (* out of four) was a dreadful melodrama about a recently paroled older man (Robert Pike Daniel) who teams up with his eager grandson (Justin Taite) for a big score but a ruthless killer stands in their way and forces them to think whether to persevere or finally make changes in their lives. Ham-handed direction and performances combined with low-rent filmmaking and production values and moribund pacing make this a real chore to sit through. Let’s see how quick this one gets a “funeral” at Redbox machines. Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Horrible Histories: The Movie- Rotten Romans” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically funny adaptation of the best-selling series by Terry Deary about a smart-aleck Roman teenager named Atti (Sebastian Croft) who clashes with the Emperor Nero (Craig Roberts) and is punished and banished to Britain where he meets and works with the Celts and plans out his revenge. Lots of puns and jokes which are hit-and-miss but film is so enthusiastically performed by its fun cast and moves so fast that it carries you along and sends you out with a smile on you face. Derek Jacobi is amusingly cast as Emperor Claudius here after he played Nero in the ’70’s mini-series “I, Claudius.” Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Teacher” (** out of four) was a heavy-handed melodrama about a high-school English teacher (David Dastmalchian) who is beset and disturbed by an increasingly violent and wealthy bully (Curtis Edward Jackson) who causes his life to gradually fall apart. When the school and the police can’t do anything due to the boy’s rich father (Kevin Pollak) and he subsequently loses his job, he begins to take matters into his own hands. Good performances can only do so much with this unpleasant story and film never fully gets off the ground. Samuel L. Jackson played a similar teacher in 1997’s more stylish and surreal “187.” Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “I Am Richard Pryor” (*** out of four) was a raw documentary about the legendary comedian Richard Pryor who survived a childhood of trauma and poverty and took the comic and cultural world by storm in the ’60’s and ’70’s only to be undone by his self-destructive behavior involving drugs and excess which subsequently took its toll on his career and health and later led to his death. Interesting look at a comedian whose funny and perceptive points about racism and classicism influenced a generation of comedians but was his own personal worst enemy offstage although it starts to get a little redundant after a while. Features interviews with Mike Epps, Sandra Bernhard, and Tiffany Haddish who all talk about his strong influence and features some of Pryor’s hilarious concert material. Continue reading →
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