March 25, 2021 “Pearl In The Mist” (** out of four) was a pretty banal adaptation of V.C. Andrews’ novel about the continuing adventures of Ruby (Raechelle Banno) as her and her sister (Karinna Banno) are sent to an exclusive all-girls boarding school where she is hopeful for a fresh start but locks heads with the cruel headmistress (Glynis Davies) of the school and her vindictive stepmother (Lauralee Bell) and once again feels all alone in the world. Overplotted but underdone teenage soap opera melodrama; quite different than you might expect from the writer of the lurid “Flowers In The Attic.” Both sister characters are sisters in real-life but they oddly have little camaraderie together. Continue reading →
March 24, 2021 “Voorhees” (** out of four) was a grisly horror-thriller in the vein of “Friday The 13th” about a group of criminals (Eileen Sugameli, Dan Young, and others) who commit a bank heist and plan on hiding out at Camp Crystal Lake until dawn but don’t count on Jason Voorhees (Jordan Blanco) slashing and skulking in the woods and terrorizes them one by one. Too low-budget and routine to succeed overall but not entirely disposable with some good, gory kills and stylish camera angles. Not up to the level of artistry of the best “Friday The 13th” movies but far better than the last few and better than its abysmal 2009 remake and will gave Jason junkies their fix. Continue reading →
March 23, 2021 “Amber’s Descent” (*1/2 out of four) was a bewildering bore about a pianist (Kayla Stanton) struggling with PTSD after surviving an attack and moves to a rural farmhouse to compose her next symphony; initially it seems to be going very well and the music seems to be writing itself but she is besieged by all kinds of hallucinations and delusions and is wondering whether they are real or imaginary. Passable beginning seems elegant and creepy but the film itself descends pretty quickly and becomes arbitrary and over-the-top yet still pretty dull. Continue reading →
March 23, 2021 “The Seventh Day” (** out of four) was a trite horror thriller about a renowned paranormal preacher (Guy Pearce) who teams up with a rookie priest (Vadhir Derbez) to expunge (yawn) a satanical form of evil with roots deep within the church and this brings their investigation back to their archbishop (Stephen Lang) and to their own moral and religious core beliefs. Good cast and direction tries to enliven this as much as possible but the story decays into sheer corn and covers all-too-familiar paranormal/satannical/religious ground. Watch “The Seventh Sign” instead. Continue reading →
March 22, 2021 “Illuminate” (** out of four) was an overly solemn sci/fi thriller about a young girl (Ava Cardoza) who discovers she has a unique ability to astral travel back through time which may unlock the key to the disappearance of her brother and grandfather (Quinn Stahlman and Kadin Bray). Lots of mood and aura which is enhanced by James Cardoza’s striking cinematography and Michael Langlois’ stirring musical score but story and characters aren’t all that compelling and leave film with a hollow void at its center. James Cardoza also wrote, produced, and edited this apparent labor of love. Continue reading →
March 22, 2021 “The Last Blockbuster” (*** out of four) was an interesting documentary about the last remaining Blockbuster Video in Bend, Oregon and how this marks the end of an era for a video store that was revolutionary and a key commercial force in the ’80’s and ’90’s until Netflix and the internet resulted in this chain (and video stores in general) coming to an end. Reverently done with interviews with this store manager Sandi Harding and also with actors/filmmakers Kevin Smith and Jamie Kennedy. A particular treat for those who grew up with Blockbuster Video and remember when it first came to prominence. Fun fact: did you know that at the height of their success a new Blockbuster Video was opening every 17 hours in the U.S.? Continue reading →
March 20, 2021 “Deadly Illusions” (*1/2 out of four) was a swank but slack suspense thriller about a best-selling female novelist (Kristin Davis) who finds out her husband (Dermot Mulroney) has lost most of their money and feels pressured to come up with a new best-seller even though she has writer’s block. Upon hiring a new nanny (Greer Grammer), she then begins to luridly indulge the thoughts and twists of her novel as the line between reality and writing get blurred. Luminous lighting and photography can’t save this from being a deadly dull dud. Don’t have any “illusions” of renting this expecting any scares or thrills. Continue reading →
March 20, 2021 “Assault On VA-33” (**1/2 out of four) was a derivative but efficient action thriller about terrorists (led by Weston Cage Coppola) who seize control of a VA hospital but a former veteran and decorated marine (Sean Patrick Flannery) is inside and thwarts their plans after he teams up with a reluctant police chief (Michael Jai White). Yes it’s “Die Hard At The VA” but has the requisite amount of martial arts action and gunplay to satisfy genre fans. Strong cast make a key difference with well-worn material. Superb music score by Wes Poland. Continue reading →
March 20, 2021 “Phobias” (*1/2 out of four) was a phobically awful horror show about five dangerous patients (Alexis Knapp, Lauren Miller Rogen, Charlotte McKinney, and others) at a government research facility in which a villainous doctor (Ross Patridge) subjects them to dangerous experiments in which he tries to weaponize fear. Ugly, to say the least, although it’s built on a foundation of some interesting ideas. Five (!) directors and six writers are credited for this misfire. Continue reading →
March 20, 2021 “Justice League- Uncut” (***1/2 out of four) was a majestic director’s cut re-release of the 2017 action extravaganza about Batman (Ben Affleck) who aligns forces with Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to defend their planet against a cataclysmic form of evil that threatens mankind. A definite improvement over the original; much more grand and rooted in character instead of empty flash and has some showstopping visual effects and action scenes. Undeniably long at four hours and exhausting at times but a rare director’s cut which is a completely different film from the original and a feast for comic book and DC fans. Continue reading →
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