February 14, 2020 “Ordinary Love” (** out of four) was an ordinary melodrama about a middle-aged married couple (Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville) whose marriage and stability are put to the tests when his wife is diagnosed with breast-cancer and has to undergo a plethora of treatments. Despite good performances from the leads and a few effective moments in the second half, this is otherwise a pretty straightforward and blah story which almost feels like a t.v. movie. Sadly- it covers ground already seen in many other films. “Miss You Already” and “My Life”, just to name two, were films about terminal cancer which were more potent and incisive. Continue reading →
February 13, 2020 “The Rhythm Section” (** out of four) was a languid melodrama about a drug-addicted prostitute (Blake Lively) who cleans up and gets her life together upon finding out that the plane crash that killed her family years earlier was a terrorist attack and she meets with a British secret agent (Jude Law) who trains her for orchestrating her revenge. Lively is good in an almost unrecognizable role and film holds you initially with its downbeat mood and style but film utterly lacks any momentum and starts to become tedious after a while. Incidentally, this made history as having the worst wide-opening of any film release in theaters last weekend. Continue reading →
February 10, 2020 “Birds Of Prey” (*** out of four) was a colorfully entertaining DC comic-book adaptation about Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) who is forced to team up with the superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to rescue a young girl from an evil crime lord (Ewan McGreggor) intent on taking over the city. Director Cathy Yan ably picks up the reins from “Suicide Squad” creator David Ayer and tells a full-throttle comic story full of action, style, and attitude. Story is a little thin after a while but so what? Robbie is a knockout again in a tailor-made role and Perez has one of her best roles in years as a cop turned superhero. Continue reading →
February 10, 2020 “Dirty Work” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy erotic thriller about a struggling fashion designer (Keely Cat Wells) who takes on a job as a personal assistant for a successful erotic novelist (Marc Ozall) and they soon begin having an affair but subsequently find out that someone knows about them and wants to expose them. Plenty of sex scenes for those who want it but it’s all numbing and monotonous after a while. All-too-obviously inspired by “50 Shades Of Grey” but sorely lacking that film’s style or production values. You probably already guessed but this is not a remake of the 1998 Norm Macdonald comedy of the same name. Continue reading →
February 10, 2020 “Dead Earth” (*1/2 out of four) was a staggeringly dull post-apocalyptic horror show about two women (Milena Gorum and Alice Tantayanon) who try to live a normal life in isolation after a worldwide virus has eradicated mankind but naturally- they are soon discovered and found and have to fight back to survive. Yet another rip-off of “28 Days Later” and “Resident Evil” and too many others to mention and directed with literally no energy whatsoever. “Dead Movie” would have been a better title for this turkey. Continue reading →
February 10, 2020 “Inferno Skyscaper Escape” (** out of four) was a conventional disaster action thriller about two teenagers (Isaac Rouse and Riley Jackson) who are caught in a deadly fire on the 20th floor of a towering skyscraper while their parents (Claire Forlani and Jamie Bamber) are on the 60th floor and have to make it down to help them survive and help them all make it out alive. Slickly done and features enough action and visual effects to make it watchable but this is otherwise an all-too-obvious retelling of 2018’s “Skyscaper” which in itself was a retelling of both “The Towering Inferno” and “Die Hard.” Continue reading →
February 8, 2020 “Crocodile Island” (*1/2 out of four) was a cheesy thriller about a group of explorers whose airplane crashes and become stranded on an island in which a large and vicious crocodile and other monstrous animals are bloodthirsty and run amok. Rip-off of “Jurassic Park” has a few scary visual effects but not much else to recommend it. A movie like this is in trouble when you’re rooting more for the crocodile to put the characters out of their misery. Continue reading →
February 8, 2020 “Dragonheart: Vengeance” (*** out of four) was a solidly engaging action adventure about a young farmer (Jack Kane) whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside and subsequently forms an unlikely relationship with a magical dragon (voiced this time by Helena Bonham Carter) and a rogue mercenary (Joseph Millson) and sets out for revenge. Fifth in the “Dragonheart” series which is well-worn by now but this entry has enough action, light-hearted humor, and solid visual effects to stand on its own and make this one of the best of the series, if not the best since the 1996 original (which in all fairness- wasn’t that great to begin with). Continue reading →
February 5, 2020 “Clemency” (*** out of four) was a strong and powerful melodrama about a prison-warden (Alfre Woodward) whose years of being involved in the system and watching executions are starting to take a toll on her mental and physical health as her relationship with her husband (Wendell Pierce) begins to further deteriorate and another inmate (Aldis Hodge) is facing pending execution with intense media scrutiny. An absorbing look at the psychological toll of one’s job in the criminal justice system and enhanced by first-rate performances, especially from Woodward and also Richard Schiff as Hodge’s attorney. Never exactly peaks dramatically but features many fierce and effective moments. Continue reading →
February 4, 2020 “Gretel & Hansel” (*1/2 out of four) was a lumbering horror adaptation of the famous fairy-tale set in the countryside in which the title characters (Sophia Lillis and Samuel Leakey) venture off into the dark woods and are confronted with evil of which they must psychologically and physically survive. Some of the imagery is stunning but it’s all for nothing, since story has almost no momentum and none of the characters are interesting or involving. Say what you will about 2012’s “Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters” but at least that movie moved and was very entertaining. Continue reading →
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