May 25, 2020 “Erasing His Past” (** out of four) was a hackneyed thriller about a woman (Laurie Fortier) whose husband (Michael Welch) vanishes under mysterious circumstances and is presumed dead but she then begins to realize all-too-late that he was not the Mr. Perfect he appeared and that he may still be alive which means that her and her daughter are in danger. Obvious and predictable pretty much all the way through over all-too-familiar territory. Good performances help but can’t “erase” films overall familiarity. Film scholars will note the return here of “To Kill A Mockingbird” actress Mary Badham in a good supporting turn as a bank manager. Continue reading →
May 24, 2020 “Lady Driver” (**1/2 out of four) was an easygoing Netflix teen drama about a rebellious young girl (Grace Van Dien) sent to live with her estranged uncle (Sean Patrick Flannery) for the summer and begins an interest and passion for auto racing which initially inflames her troubled relationship with her mom (Christina Moore) and leads to a rivalry with a local boy (David Gridley) whose family her uncle has history with. No real surprises or revelations as film connects the dots on many familiar teen themes but is made palatable by a likeable and engaging cast. No relation byetheway to 2017’s similarly themed and titled “Baby Driver.” Continue reading →
May 24, 2020 “Savage Creatures” (** out of four) was a lively but silly horror thriller about two young girls (Kelly Brown and Victoria Steadman) who are abducted by predatory cannibals and soon realize they are ancient vampires which results in a cataclysmic war between the vampires and zombies for the dominance of mankind! Fast-paced movie features plenty of gore and tongue-in-cheek attitude but a little of this goes a long way as film starts to wear out after a while. Not bad by the standards of these things but obviously inspired by “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “The Howling.” Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Sex And The Future” (*1/2 out of four) was a strained comedy about two morons (Chris Markle and Phillip Crum) who somehow became scientists and design an idealistic and futuristic woman (Ellie Patrikios) as a robot; soon, an even more moronic prince (Angel Garet) finds out about this and offers them humongous monetary support and the three hatch a plan to rule the future of sex in the world but this naturally doesn’t go as planned. One-joke comedy runs out of steam and laughs pretty quickly but then continues misfiring after this. Filmmakers evidently watched “Weird Science” before this which told almost the same story more humorously and entertainingly over 35 years ago. Maybe the “future” isn’t quite what we all imagined. Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Last Moment Of Clarity” (**1/2 out of four) was a fervent but feverish melodrama about a man (Zach Avery) lost in the world and a drifter after witnessing the murder of his wife three years ago until one day he runs into a woman (Carly Chaikin) at a Paris cinema who is a dead-ringer for his wife and through her is eventually able to uncover the truth about her death and the undoing of his own life. Directors Colin and James Krisel work in a hypnotic and trance-like style that is often intoxicating and draws you in but the story is a muddle and characters remain frustratingly aloof. A film you can admire without fully enjoying. Haunting film score by Krisel is a major asset and makes this worth watching. Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Survive The Night” (**1/2 out of four) was an adequately done thriller about a young doctor (Chad Michael Murray) and his family (Bruce Willis, Lydia Hull, and others) who are held hostage and terrorized by two robbers (Shea Buckner and Tyler Jon Olson) and have to unite and fight back against them in order to survive. Tensely staged and directed but encumbered by an overall predictability since film is basically yet another remake of “Desperate Hours” and also “The Strangers.” An easy paycheck role for Willis but he has made far worse than this over the years. Continue reading →
May 20, 2020 “Nevrland” (** out of four) was a muddled story of a 17-year old (Simon Fruhwirth) coming to terms with his homosexuality and also a life-altering anxiety disorder and becomes intimate with an older man (Paul Forman) who he meets online but their relationship soon leads to drugs and recklessness. Well-directed by Gregor Schmidinger and stylishly captured and shot by Jo Molitoris but it’s hard to connect to these characters emotionally as film remains jumbled and detached. Even still, this won Best Picture at the Austrian Max Ophüls Prize festival. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Union Bridge” (*1/2 out of four) was a moribund story of a young man (Scott Friend) who tires of life in the big city and returns home to his small town where he discovers various dark truths about his family and the sinister undercurrents of his hometown underneath its deceptive facade. Despite Sebastian Slater’s handsome cinematography, it’s stillborn and forgettable. Meaningless arty touches and slow-motion add nothing at all. David Lynch told virtually the same story far more skillfully and scarily in both “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” more than 30 years ago. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Fast And Fierce: Death Race” (** out of four) was an utterly routine action thriller about a legendary car racer (Michael DeVorzon) who becomes involved in an illegal race from Mexico to California while trying to protect a woman (Paulina Nguyen) whose abusive boyfriend (DMX) organized the race and is threatening all involved. It’s unclear if this is a sequel to either “Fast And Fierce” or one of the “Death Race” entries but either way- it’s an uninspired ripoff of “The Fast And The Furious.” Moves fast but is made up entirely of spare parts. Lead actor DeVorzon even has the gall to say towards the end he lives his life “one quarter mile at a time.” DMX can play this role in his sleep by now and does; he needs to stop being greedy and seek out some better roles. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Edge Of Extinction” (** out of four) was a drab melodrama set after World War III in which nuclear holocaust has turned the world into a desolate landscape in which there is no more civilization and food and money are scarce; one survivor (Luke Hobson) stays alive in the countryside of Britain but soon is invaded and confronted by a terroristic enemy which threatens him and the state of the world. Nihilistic and bleak story offers moody and at times beautiful cinematography by Julian Hundy but we’ve been down this desolate and deserted landscape one too many times before (going all the way back to “The Road Warrior” nearly 40 years ago) and film is insanely overlong at nearly two-and-a-half hours. Continue reading →
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