Month: December 2020

“Two Ways Home” (**1/2 out of four) was a mildly affecting melodrama about a recently released felon (Tanna Frederick) struggling with bipolar disorder who returns to her farmland hometown and attempts to pick up the pieces of her life while helping out her ailing grandfather (Tom Bower) and trying to reconcile with her estranged 12-year old daughter (Rylie Behr) who is full of animosity and resentment towards her. Respectfully done film attempts to be an Altmanesque tapestry about the stigma of mental health disorders, the struggles that felons face in returning home, and a mother-daughter rebuilding drama but the overall effect is muted and not monumental as film is lacking in its emotional power. Frederick also was the executive producer.

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“Girl Lost: A Hollywood Story” (** out of four) was a grimy exploitation picture in the form of a revelatory psychodrama about the inner-workings of the sex industry as a young girl (Moxie Owens) with problems at home and a dedicated but struggling single mother (Psalms Salazar) enter the world of prostitution/escorting and are taken under their wing by two career escorts (Cody Renee Cameron and Serena Maffucci). Well-acted in naturalistic fashion and features some affecting moments but is overall swallowed up by film’s own sordidness. Not bad but you’ll likely want to take a shower when this is all over with.

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“DNA 2: Bloodline” (*1/2 out of four) was a flatlining action melodrama about a conflicted young man (Winston Brightharp) on the street who’s trying to go straight but gets lured back in and swallowed up by drugs and fast cash which seal his doom. Amateurish collection of cliches and street stereotypes which needed a transfusion of fresh ideas and plot points. Strictly for those who thought the original was robbed at Oscar time but even they’ll likely be bored.

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“Wonder Woman 1984” (***1/2 out of four) was a sweeping sequel to the 2017 blockbuster about the continuing adventures of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in the 1980’s who is reunited with her lost love Steve (Chris Pine) and they have to do battle with megalomanical Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) and The Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) with the fate of the world in the balance. Superior comic-book story balances heart, humor, and dazzling special effects with some amusing retro details of the ’80’s and packs a real emotional wallop by the end. Anchored like a rock by Gadot who is smoldering in the lead and scenes between her and Pine are unusually moving for this type of film.

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“Stolen In Plain Sight” (** out of four) was a tepid suspense thriller about a woman (Gracie Gillam) who flees her abusive husband (Jordan Salloum) and hides in the family chalet but her son subsequently disappears and she goes through a personal/psychological odyssey and labyrinth to have to track him down and bring him back home. Starts out intriguing, with some effective stylistic flourishes and striking cinematography from Matt S. Bell, but eventually goes astray and loses its focus and thus its grip. For a more searing and haunting look at the same story, watch 1988’s “The Vanishing” instead.

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“The Thing Before The Thing” (** out of four) was a saccharine melodrama comedy about a group of college friends (Keri Blunt, Crash Buist, Kim Estes, Katie Locke O’Brien, and others) who reunite over a weekend getaway to celebrate the retirement of their mentor (Tim O’Leary) who brought them all together and this unearths old secrets and new feelings from all of them. Yet another attempt to recreate the magic and vibrance of “The Big Chill” which is a big disappointment; whimsical without being especially funny and never escapes sitcom level. Co-star O’Brien was also one of film’s co-writers.

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“Enhanced” (**1/2 out of four) was a slick, mostly skillful sci/fi action thriller about a young woman (Alanna Bale) with enhanced psychokinetic abilities who finds herself hunted down by a sinister government organization; when a stronger and more genetically enhanced serial killer (Michael J. Delaney) emerges, both the feds and various otherworldly mutants are forced to question their alliance and unravel the ongoing mystery. Undeniably derivative as film itself is “enhanced” from countless other movies (“Total Recall”, “Blade Runner”, “The Matrix”) but fast-paced and entertaining as long as you don’t think about it too much.

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“GetAWAY” (*1/2 out of four) was a slipshod horror thriller about a struggling B-actress (Emma Norville) who lands a role in a low-budget horror film about a slasher at a sleepaway camp but soon finds that a grisly murderer is on the loose and is filming his own movie on the one-by-one dismemberment of her and the whole film crew (Danielle Carroza, Kyle Mangold, and others). Tired collection of horror cliches throws in homages to “Halloween”, “Friday The 13th”, and even “Nightbreed” to no avail; the irony of a killer filming his own movie while already shooting a movie is too much for this picture to handle. Norville is decent in the lead but you’ll likely want to make your own “getaway” long before the running time is up.

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“Strain 100” (** out of four) was a hollow horror show about a young woman (Jemma Dallender) who survives a terrifying car crash and subsequently discovers that flesh-eating zombies have overtaken the universe and she and her friends (Alexis Boozer Sterling, Kimberly Cruchon Brooks, and others) are on the menu. Yet another end-of-the-world zombie horror thriller which has been told at least 100 times already but at least this one is relatively well-made and has a few scares. Based on the popular survival-horror game but may as well be based on “The Walking Dead.”

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