April 26, 2020 “Enemy Lines” (**1/2 out of four) was an overall well-done action melodrama about a group of commandos (led by Jean-Marc Birkholz) who are sent behind enemy lines in WWII to extract a rocket scientist from the hands of the Nazis and end the war. Half of a standard war melodrama and half well-done action adventure but it never stops moving and holds your attention. Birkholz’ fierce performance and charisma in the lead hold film together. Byetheway- this has no relation to the “Behind Enemy Lines” action series. Continue reading →
April 25, 2020 “Endings, Beginnings” (** out of four) was a hazy melodrama about a young woman (Shailene Woodley) who falls in-and-out of love with a guy (Jamie Dornan) who she meets and she soon finds herself at a crossroads in her personal life and deciding what next steps she needs to take. Woodley is sincere and likeable as usual but story is threadbare at best and film overall has a cloudy sense of detachment that prevents you from getting involved. After a little while, it’s pretty tedious and loses its grip. Kyra Sedgwick has a minor part and played a similar lead role decades ago in “Singles.” Continue reading →
April 21, 2020 “Party Hard/ Die Young” (*1/2 out of four) was a lame horror thriller about a group of friends (Marlon Boess, Markus Freistatter, Michael Glantschnig, and others) on a graduation trip of sex and drugs and booze which turns upside down when (what else?) a slasher is on the loose and starts killing them all one a time. Pretty unimaginative and trashy throwback to ’80’s horror flicks lacks even any good kills or gore. You know a movie like this is in trouble when you’re pretty much rooting for the killer! Continue reading →
April 21, 2020 “Time Apart” (**1/2 out of four) was a moody but mild melodrama about a hedonistic yet emotionally reserved young woman (Bastian Navarria) who struggles to maintain a long-distance relationship with a guy (S.C. Wilson) who mysteriously disappears and then reappears for several years at a time and places herself in a crossroads in her life about whether to move on or not. Good soundtrack selections and musical score are enhanced by strong lead performance from Navarria but film is muted by an overall sense of aloofness. These characters are simply hard to read and to get emotionally invested in. Film’s ending is also an abrupt letdown. A mixed bag but has enough interesting touches to be worth your “time.” Continue reading →
April 21, 2020 “Hope Ranch” (**1/2 out of four) was an earnest inspirational Christian drama about a devoted mother (Marisa Brown) and her daughter (Grace Van Dien) who find themselves penniless and struggling when the patriarch (John Schneider) of the family dies and they have to restore their faith in God to help them stay afloat and to keep the girl’s horse (fittingly named Faith) and keep their ranch from foreclosure. Unabashedly corny story has expected themes about faith and Christianity that are hammered home at times but film does end up capturing you, thanks to nice scenes with the horse and gorgeous photography from Sea Mutarevic on beautiful Colorado locations. Young girls especially will find this rewarding. Continue reading →
April 21, 2020 “Stalker In The Attic” (** out of four) was a by-the-numbers timefiller about a determined single mother (Jen Landon) who breaks up with her bizarre boyfriend (Joshua Close) and then soon finds that there are strange noises and occurrences in her house which leads her to believe after a long while that he somehow moved in and has taken residence in her attic! Not as ridiculous as it sounds but won’t win any awards for the most believable or original story of the year. Good performances help disguise some story holes but they can only do so much. It’s movies like these that really make you wonder what filmmakers would have done had “Fatal Attraction” never been made. Continue reading →
April 20, 2020 “Doctor Death” (** out of four) was an obvious, predictable thriller about a woman (Gina Vitori) badly injured in a skiing accident whose life is saved by a determined doctor (Anthony Jensen) but after she is released- he becomes obsessed with her and will stop at nothing including surveillance and murder to have her by his side! Umpteenth “Fatal Attraction” derivation is decently acted and shot but provides little in the way of surprises or revelatory charge. My prognosis for this one is a few weeks in Redbox machines and then discharge. Continue reading →
April 20, 2020 “Above Suspicion” (**1/2 out of four) was a well-crafted but improbable melodrama about a rookie F.B.I. agent (Jack Huston) about to make a drug bust in Kentucky of a multi-tentacled dealer (Johnny Knoxville) and falls in love and begins an affair with his drug-addled informant (Emilia Clarke) but once she finds out he’s married and that she’s pregnant- this leads to even more stormy passions and murder. Director Phillip Noyce and Elliott Davis do a first-rate job of recreating the sultry atmosphere of beautiful Kentucky locations but Huston’s character’s actions and motivations simply are not believable at times and weaken the proceedings, even if this is based on a true story novel by Joe Sharkey. Clarke’s sensational Oscar-caliber performance galvanizes the film, however, and makes this still worth seeing. Continue reading →
April 19, 2020 “For The Weekend” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismal story about a group of estranged friends (Tommy Bechtold, Ashley Haden, Zach Hardy, and others) who try to repair and re-establish their relationships by renting a remote desert home for one of their birthdays but things change when one of them disappears and all their suspicions soon come to the surface. Can’t decide whether it’s a mystery, a character melodrama, or a “Hangover”-like comedy and thus fails at all of them since none of the characters or likeable or entertaining. Film’s climax is particularly dumb but at least it’s over soon afterwards. Continue reading →
April 19, 2020 “I See You” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster thriller not likely to be “seen” by many about a middle-aged couple (Helen Hunt and Jon Tennet) whose marriage is on the rocks; he is then called upon to investigate the disappearance of a young boy which pries them apart even further as dark secrets from the past are suddenly arisen. Both Hunt and Tenney do what they can with a languid script and story which never gets off the ground and drags monotonously and winds up a waste of time. Take this one to the emergency room instead. Continue reading →
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