October 15, 2020 “The Last Exorcist” (*1/2 out of four) was a derivative timewaster about two sisters (Rachele Brook Smith and Terri Ivens) who are haunted by demons from their past and realize they may have to (yawn) have a religious exorcism and they soon become involved with a troubled priest (Danny Trejo in his umpteenth paycheck role). No relation to either “The Last Exorcism” movies but it may as well have since it more-or-less tells the same story and goes through the dreary motions. Let’s all hope this is “the last” exorcism movie and this genre can go back to Hell where it belongs. Continue reading →
October 14, 2020 “Evil Eye” (*** out of four) was an engrossing melodrama about a superstitious and overly protective mother (Sarita Choudhury) who becomes increasingly convinced that her daughter’s (Sunita Mani) new boyfriend (Bernard White) is the reincarnation of an abusive boyfriend she murdered 30 years ago. Are her premonitions real or is she losing her mind? Stylish and suspenseful story consistently doges cliches, thanks to strong performances all around especially from newcomer Mani who is superb. Continue reading →
October 13, 2020 “The Witches Of Amityville Academy” (* out of four) was a bewitchingly awful horror story about a coven of witches called The Belles (Kira Reed Lorsch, Nicola Wright, Georgina Jane) who have long-since reformed but now have to revisit their supernatural powers to deter an evil sorceress (Amanda Jade-Taylor) from taking over the world. Hard to believe there could be two movies in the same week that try to cash in on the endless “Amityville” name but seeing is (unfortunately) believing; this one looks like bad outtakes from “The Craft” shot with someone’s cell-phone camera. Pretty laughable although this in no ways is meant as a comedy. Continue reading →
October 12, 2020 “I Am Lisa” (*1/2 out of four) was a mean-spirited and gruesome horror thriller about a bullied teenager (Kristen Vaganos) who reports her bullying and assault to the police sheriff (Manon Halliburton) who turns out to be a relative of her bully who then brutally attacks her and leaves her for dead in the woods; she is then resuscitated by a wolf and returns from the grave with supernatural abilities and for revenge. Good performances from Vaganos and Halliburton are helpless against this nasty and thin material. Watch “Carrie” or “Revenge Of The Nerds” again instead. Continue reading →
October 11, 2020 “The Call” (* out of four) was an appallingly empty and derivative time-waster set for no particular reason in 1987 in which a group of bratty friends (Chester Rushing, Erin Sanders, and others) are led to the house of a horrific couple (Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye) and soon realize their lives are in danger and they have to fight their way out to survive. Bell sleepwalks his way through more-or-less playing Jigsaw again while Shaye could play this creepy role in her sleep by now and this dreary drivel could put anyone to sleep. Hang up on this wrong number. Continue reading →
October 11, 2020 “Hubie Halloween” (* out of four) was an excruciatingly unfunny comedy set in Salem, Massachusetts about the town idiot (Adam Sandler at his mumbling lisping worst) who is mocked by all but when evil forces come to threaten his town on Halloween it is up to him to attempt to save the day. Might take the place of “Hocus Pocus” for the worst Halloween-themed comedy ever; Sandler’s lisp and purposely annoying voice begins to sound like chalk on the blackboard after a while but this drags on for nearly two hours! Longtime Sandler buddies Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, and Rob Schneider all show up in dumb supporting roles. Continue reading →
October 10, 2020 “The Last Laugh” (** out of four) was a tedious comedy about an over-the-hill manager (Chevy Chase) who reunites with his first comedian client (Richard Dreyfuss) who persuades him to go out on the road for one final comedy tour as they rekindle old memories and share humorous stories together on the road. Both Dreyfuss and Chase work well together and do what they can to squeeze all the humor out of a paper-thin script and story but a little of this fails to go a long way. Robert De Niro played a similar comic in the very similar “The Comedian” back in 2016. Continue reading →
October 10, 2020 “Spontaneous” (***1/2 out of four) was a sublime sleeper teenage comedy about a sardonic high-school senior (Katherine Langford) who is experiencing teenage angst while falling in love with a classmate (Charlie Plummer) when suddenly many of their classmates’ heads start exploding and they have to begin grappling with an ever-increasing sense of mortality! Sharp, perceptive, and very funny comedy is enhanced by a star-making performance from young Langford and exuberant direction from Brian Duffield which harks back to early John Hughes. One of the rare films to exude the joy and confusion of being a teenager and more than earns its title. Bullseye! Continue reading →
October 10, 2020 “Tremors: Shrieker Island” (* out of four) was an abysmal sequel to a once-great monster movie about a wealthy young hedonist (Jon Heder) who for vague reasons imports the monster graboids to his own private island and it’s once-again up to redneck monster hunter Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) to save the day. Seventh in this series suggests an episode of “Duck Dynasty” gone terribly wrong; even Gross looks bored and appears to be going through the motions and some of the visual effects and action scenes are awful. Die-hard fans of the series would fare better just re-watching the original. Continue reading →
October 10, 2020 “Times And Measures” (*1/2 out of four) was a drably told story of a struggling single mom (Thea Knight) taking care of her difficult adolescent daughter (Daisy Boyes); when she buys a new phone, a mysterious SIM card is jammed inside causing her phone to ring with an offer she can’t refuse. Knight tries but is crushed by film’s plodding pacing and predictable story twists. Hardly worth the viewers “time” as this just doesn’t “measure” up against far better morality thrillers in the past. Continue reading →
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