August 4, 2020 “The Secret: Dare To Dream” (*** out of four) was an affecting adaptation of Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 book which has been fashioned into a Nicholas Sparks movie framework about a struggling single mother (Katie Holmes) who meets a very nice college professor (Josh Lucas) who ingratiates his way into their lives and becomes the glue to keep them together as they are financially and personally falling apart. Unabashedly predictable and old-fashioned but good performances by all and rock-solid direction from Andy Tennant make this hard to resist. Byrne co-wrote the perceptive and sometimes funny screenplay. Continue reading →
August 2, 2020 “The Go-Go’s” (***1/2 out of four) was a sensational documentary about the legendary title band (Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, Gina Schock) who became the first all-girl rock band who ever hit the top of the charts only to watch everything splinter apart over drugs, feuds, jealousy, finances, and more but have since reconciled and reunited multiple times over the years. Full of great music, terrific interviews, and rare behind-the-scenes photos and concert footage; a very entertaining and well-done film about an important band in rock history who broke both ceilings and walls even if only for a brief time. Continue reading →
August 2, 2020 “Host” (** out of four) was a tiresome horror thriller about six friends (Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb) who gather for an internet zoom call when an evil spirit suddenly comes from out of nowhere and threatens their friendships and their survival. Better than most horror movies revolving around the internet and chatrooms/zoom calls and features enthusiastic performances from its cast but unfortunately this wears out after a while even at less than an hour long. Director Rob Savage tries but this is essentially the definition of “minimalist” movie-making. Continue reading →
August 1, 2020 “Time Is Up” (0 out of four) was a mind-numbingly awful horror drama about a man and a woman (Lela Lowfire and Jerry Kwarteng) who are on their way to a barbecue and they are suddenly interrupted and accosted by a mysterious stranger (Erik Hansen) who takes them to a different state of mind and reality. Film is as incoherent as it is stupid but also disgusting and boring. Don’t waste your “time” on this dreck. Continue reading →
August 1, 2020 “Solar Impact” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror thriller set in the not-too-distant future in which a group of friends (Grace Dixon, Oliver Goodwill, Polly Kilpatrick, and others) try to band together and survive a solar radiation disaster which has left the rest of humanity turning into flesh-eating zombies that are out for the apocalypse. Competently made and features some overall good acting and dialogue but ultimately too derivative of “World War Z” which in itself was a derivation of “Night Of The Living Dead” and “28 Days Later.” At this point, there may not be much left to do with movies about the apocalypse and about zombies anymore. Continue reading →
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