May 19, 2020 “Hannukah” (*1/2 out of four) was a disastrously lame and low-rent throwback to ’80’s horror films about a group of young Jewish adults (Charles Fleischer, Sadie Katz, Victoria De Mare, and others) who realize they are being targeted by an obsessive slasher because they have violated Judaic law! Of note solely for being the final film of famous character actors Dick Miller and Sid Haig; film also features former horror sirens P.J. Soles and Caroline Williams in throwaway roles but is dull enough to make anyone want a slug of Manischewitz. Oy vey! Continue reading →
May 18, 2020 “Body Cam” (**1/2 out of four) was an often jolting action drama about a morally conflicted cop (Mary J. Blige) who has just returned to active duty who soon finds recovered body camera footage implicating several of her officers in an attack. She then finds herself at a moral/personal/career crossroads about what to do about said footage while trying to resolve the supernatural forces behind all this. Hard-hitting mix of the hardships and brutalities that police have to deal with daily and others who engage in corruption and abuse but story unfortunately veers in the second half towards hokey supernatural elements which don’t entirely gell. Blige is rock-solid in her first lead acting role and her compelling and believable performance makes this worth watching. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “Boxes And Blessings” (* out of four) was a lugubrious Christian-themed drama about a mother (Ashley Wright) who moves with her daughter (Scout Wright) across country to an island in which they all soon befriend a mysterious neighbor next door (David Wright) who changes their lives forever. Laughably solemn enough to make anyone do multiple hail Mary’s; even the performances are fairly glum and one-note and don’t show much enthusiasm although you honestly can’t blame them. Put this one in a box and give your blessings to the recent and similarly plotted and themed “Driveways” instead. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “The Automaton” (* out of four) was an automatic bore set in 1897 in which a widower (Nicole Wyland) returns to her family farm in which she scarily discovers her late husband was building a primitive sentient machine which could become a worldwide threat. A real snoozer, despite Wyland’s game efforts. Chances of this becoming “a worldwide threat” are as small as this film’s chances at winning an Oscar. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “Castle In The Ground” (*1/2 out of four) was a listless melodrama about a teenager (Alex Wolff) whose mother (Neve Campbell) recently has died and he soon befriends a new neighbor (Imogen Poots) and subsequently becomes embroiled in a deadly world of addiction and violence and despair. Attempts to make any comments on the opioid epidemic and its current state of affairs are superficial at best and film has literally no pulse or energy. A well-meaning but complete misfire. Campbell is good in a change-of-pace role for her but other performances are relatively one-note. Continue reading →
May 16, 2020 “Scoob” (***1/2 out of four) was a superior animated children’s film about Scooby-Doo (voice of Frank Welker) who discovers a plot to unleash the dog Cerberus (voice of Fred Tatasciore) upon the world and him and his gang (voice of Will Forte, McKenna Grace, and Amanda Seyfried) have to race against time to stop the dogpocalypse from happening. Lush and luminous animation designs are highlighted even more by a snappy screenplay that never stops moving and never stops entertaining. Particularly fun for kids but also for fans of the “Scooby Doo” series and animated movies in general. Continue reading →
May 16, 2020 “Home Of The Brave” (** out of four) was a disjointed melodrama about a soldier (Andrew Dozier) who returns home from the war but finds that rebuilding his life at home and staying out of trouble and leaving the physical/psychological aspects of war behind is more difficult than he imagined. Earnest and well-intentioned story is limited in its emotional power and is overburdened with too many characters and clunky plot developments. “American Sniper” and “Good Kill” were just 2 recent films which covered similar train with more expansive power. Continue reading →
May 15, 2020 “The Wrong Missy” (**1/2 out of four) was an initially very funny Netflix comedy about a corporate executive (David Spade) who has a nightmarish blind date with a girl (Lauren Lapkus) who is a total psycho but inadvertently invites her along on a weekend vacation with him and his company to Hawaii where she proceeds to drive him and his co-workers crazy. Absolutely hilarious opening half-hour gradually peters out as film becomes silly and second-half is sloppily predictable as Spade and Lapkus fall in love. What a shame! Lapkus’ gonzo performance still makes this worth watching. Vanilla Ice has an amusing cameo at the very end. Continue reading →
May 15, 2020 “Blood And Money” (**1/2 out of four) was a lukewarm melodrama about a recovering alcoholic Vietnam vet (Tom Berenger) who is trying to survive in Northern Maine as he realizes he is nearing the end of the road; one day while hunting he stumbles upon a dead woman and a large bag of money from a botched robbery and this obviously leads to complications and consequences. Interesting and intriguing at first but story starts to meander and sag when he finds the money which is when it ought to be peaking. Similar in some ways to “No Country For Old Men” and Berenger has played this same role many times before in “Last Of The Dogmen” and “Sniper.” Rich and haunting music score by Zak McNeil is a plus. Continue reading →
May 14, 2020 “Driveways” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately engaging drama about a lonesome young boy (Lucas Jaye) who accompanies his mother (Hong Chau) on a trip to clean to out his late aunt’s house but forms an unexpected friendship with the elderly retiree (Brian Dennehy) who lives next door which changes all their lives. One of the rare films that you wish was longer as some segments seem truncated and film’s ending is pat and abrupt but strong performances make it overall worth watching. Dennehy, in particular, is good in a role that reminds you what a dynamic character actor he was. Continue reading →
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