Month: March 2021

“Coming 2 America” (** out of four) was a misfired sequel to the 1988 comedy classic about the African monarch Akeem (Eddie Murphy) who learns he has a long-lost son (Jermaine Fowler) in the United States and must journey back with his friend Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to build a relationship with him so he can one day take over the royal kingdom of Zamunda. Amusing at first and heartwarming to see all of the original cast members (Shari Headley, John Amos, James Earl Jones, etc.) reunited but soon goes downhill alarmingly and runs out of energy and laughs and never fully recovers. Murphy is more of a bystander for most of the story and much of the original players are wasted; Wesley Snipes fares best as a rival general.

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“More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story” (*** out of four) was a moving documentary about the late actor Pat Morita who overcame incredible health obstacles to start a career as a stand-up comic and action actor only to find his greatest success in “The Karate Kid” as karate mentor Mr. Miyagi but all of this was overcome by his battle with alcoholism which eventually killed him. An interesting look at an actor that few people knew behind his famous Miyagi persona and a devastating look at alcoholism and the effects it has on one’s family and career. Film features extensive interviews with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and various members of Morita’s family.

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“More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story” (*** out of four) was a moving documentary about the late actor Pat Morita who overcame incredible health obstacles to start a career as a stand-up comic and action actor only to find his greatest success in “The Karate Kid” as karate mentor Mr. Miyagi but all of this was overcome by his battle with alcoholism which eventually killed him. An interesting look at an actor that few people knew behind his famous Miyagi persona and a devastating look at alcoholism and the effects it has on one’s family and career. Film features extensive interviews with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and various members of Morita’s family.

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“Chaos Walking” (** out of four) was a lumpy sci/fi adaptation of Patrick Ness’ novel set in yet another dystopian future in which there are no women and everyone can hear one another’s thoughts in a stream of sounds called Noise; one rogue survivor (Tom Holland) finds an actual woman (Daisy Ridley) and they struggle to survive across an increasingly disparate landscape. Disappointing result from director Doug Liman who scored big with “The Bourne Identity” and “Go”; this time his story is glum, empty, and covers all-too-familiar terrain. By this point- the future just ain’t what it used to be. Filmed in 2017 and then sat on the shelf and had extensive reshoots in 2019.

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“The Devil Below” (** out of four) was an elegantly made but empty horror story set in Appalachian country in which a team of underground researchers (Adan Canto, Jonathan Sadowski, Alicia Sanz, and others) attempt to go below-the-earth to find out how various fires have started and soon find otherworldly havoc and have to fight to stay alive. Unfortunately, they didn’t find anything that neither “The Descent” nor “The Cave” found first which results in this film having a derivative sense of deja-vu. Crisp direction from Bradley Parker and stylish cinematography from Morgan Susser help to keep film watchable but it still feels overly programmed and routine.

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“Sentinelle” (*** out of four) was a harrowing melodrama about a French solider (Olga Kurayenko) who returns home after a traumatizing combat mission and has to combat paralyzing symptoms of PTSD and anxiety while trying to re-adapt back to everyday life and then trying to track down the man who harmed her sister. Tense mixture of action story and mental health personal drama is held together by Kurayenko who is superb as usual and makes you overlook story weaknesses. Refreshingly compact and succinct also, at only an hour-and-20 minutes.

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“Fanboy” (* out of four) was a grating horror thriller about a rock band Xenos (Alberto Jurado, Alia Jyawook, Arabella Harrison, and others) on tour and a desperately deranged fan (Ben Johnson) who follows and stalks them on the road. If you’re looking for irony or insight into the world of a touring rock band, don’t look here; film is wretchedly scripted, acted, and directed. Star/writer/director/casting agent Johnson bears almost all the blame for this ugly and unredeeming film. Not likely to develop many “fans” of its own.

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“The Dead Of Night” (** out of four) was a languid horror thriller about a rogue young man (Jake Etheridge) and his sister (Colby Crain) who are alone and isolated at a family ranch and are soon terrorized by a group of nomadic killers who arrive on their property in the middle of the night. Beautiful cinematography by Troy Scoughton Jr showcases moody Midwestern vistas but story and script are meandering and cover all-too-familiar terrain. Film only comes alive in its final third but it’s too far gone for it to matter by then. Yet another movie strongly influenced by “The Strangers” which has oddly become a heavily influential horror film.

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“Crimson” (* out of four) was a miserable time waster starring FaZe Rug playing himself as a self-made millionaire who moves into his new mansion only to find that a clown who lives next door is (what else?) a real sicko who wants to make his life a living hell. Die-hard FaZe fans may find something more of substance here but it’s tedious and tough-going for anyone else; relentlessly jumpy hand-held camera movements don’t help and neither does the bargain-basement production and direction. Maybe it’s about time horror movies realized that clowns just aren’t all that scary anymore.

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