August 10, 2019 “Nekrotronic” (*** out of four) was an extravagant futuristic sci/fi thriller about a man (Dave Beamish) who discovers he is part of a secret sect of magical beings who hunt down and destroy demons in the internet and he must decide whether this is right and attempt to find his rightful place in life all while trying to fight and stay alive. A visual candy-store of sleek visual effects and colorful sets which makes this worth watching, especially for sci/fi fans. Script is less-than-perfect and story goes a little over-the-top at times but it still never fails to entertain. Monica Bellucci is strong as one of the members of his team. Continue reading →
August 10, 2019 “Rapid Eye Movement” (** out of four) was a genuinely strange thriller about an egomaniacal radio-DJ (Francois Arnaud) seeking publicity and attempts to break the 11-day record for staying awake but this causes his sanity to gradually fall apart especially when a psychotic caller calls up and threatens to kill him if he falls asleep! Writer-director Peter Bashai tells the story at a frantic pace, to mirror his main character’s sanity and psychological duress, and has some stylish visuals but it winds up a waste of time, since story and script are pretentious and unpleasant. Similar in parts to “Phone Booth” with Colin Farrell/Kiefer Sutherland which was richer and leaner. Continue reading →
August 10, 2019 “Doe” (** out of four) was an uninvolving melodrama about a man (Timothy Davis) who wakes up with no memories of his past but has the ability to speak multiple languages fluently and discovers that things weren’t quite right before he lost his memory and has to race against the clock to find his true identity before it is too late. Interesting and intriguing storyline stalls after a while and never gets back on track. Wolfgang Petersen’s “Shattered” from 1991 told a similar story with a lot more electricity and powerful twists. Tatyana Ali is good in a key role as his girlfriend Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “Shellmont County Massacre” (** out of four) was a lurid horror melodrama about a masked serial killer (Matthew Lafferty) who is out on the loose in the small Southern town of Shellmont and one lone lawman (Roderick Klimek) attempts to end his reign by having to take the law in his own hands, even if that means becoming as demented and debased as he is. Ultimately too gory and too disgusting to recommend, as fllm becomes over-the-top and loses its way in the final third, but its acting is strong and the dialogue and characterizations are better than you’d expect. Promising directing effort from Gus Trapani who has been a noted cinematographer. Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “Running Out Of Time” (** out of four) was a fairly obvious thriller about a widow (Tasha Smith) and her family who are taken hostage and she realizes the kidnappers want something from her late husband’s past and she has to outsmart them so she can stay alive and save the rest of her family. Reasonably intriguing and well-acted but hindered by its overall predictability and final plot twist at the end isn’t very much of a surprise. By the standards of these direct-to-DVD movies, this isn’t bad but it never rises above the routine. Smith (who is a dead ringer for Kelly Rowland) is solid in the lead. Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “Cleavers: Killer Clowns” (* out of four) was an excruciatingly stupid and low-rent horror show about the return of Cleaver (Paul Rogers) who comes back to torment and terrorize more young kids (Jessica Michelle Smith, Holly-Anne Dodkins, and Gemma Louis Troughton) who happen to stumble into his lair and one determined cop (Georgie Smibert) who tries to put an end to his reign of terror. It’s unclear whether this is related at all to “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” or not but either way- it’s another moronic horror story with terrible filmmaking and even worse acting. Smibert’s performance as the cop is film’s one bright spot but otherwise you’ve been warned. Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “D-Railed” (*1/2 out of four) was drivel about multiple passengers (Frank Lammers, Tonya Kay, Daniel O’Reilly, and others) on a train that crashes into a river and then must decide whether they should risk waiting for help in the wreckage or take their chances in the river which is full of creatures and ravaging monsters. Awful first half eventually improves gradually and starts to become suspenseful and stylish but then it soon goes off the rails again and becomes shrill and stupid. One-time great character actor Lance Henriksen turns up in a minor role but schlock like this make it no wonder why his career derailed. Continue reading →
August 6, 2019 “House Of Deadly Secrets” (*1/2 out of four) was a misbegotten thriller about a mother and her young daughter (Angie Patterson and Violet Hicks) who move into a new house not realizing that it has a dark history and the elderly woman who lived there previously (Patty McCormack) is a psychopathic killer who wants to reclaim it as her own. No suspense and story will be pretty obvious after the first 20 minutes to anyone whose seen a thriller before. McCormack is creepy though as the senior-citizen killer. Continue reading →
August 4, 2019 “A Model Kidnapping” (** out of four) was a passable thriller about a young aspiring model (Lucy Loken) who meets with a fashion photographer (Wes McGee) in the hopes he’ll launch her career but is instead kidnapped and held hostage for him to show off on his new online website he is trying to launch and she must figure out a way to stay alive and escape. Tension builds but story is fairly predictable and general plot outline is unpleasant. Decent actors do what they can with cardboard roles. Continue reading →
August 3, 2019 “Psychedelic Psychopaths” (0 out of four) was a disastrously lame and inept horror show about four none-too-bright friends (Patrice Burton, Lucia Romero, Tom Zarzecki, and Crispin Rosenkranz) who party hard and subsequently have difficulty differentiating reality from hallucinations and stumble upon other swell folks who are partaking in an occult ritual and want to involve them in this. Terrible filmmaking and acting provide the only real terror here and film is also stupid and disgusting, as it shows kids being tortured and killed! Co-star Zarzecki also wrote and directed and bears most of the blame for this mess. Continue reading →
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