May 30, 2021 “Bigfoot’s Bride” (0 stars out of four) was an abjectly painful schlock horrorfest about Bigfoot (i.e. a guy in a very bad gorilla suit) who goes berserk in search of his lost bride in the woods and a series of concerned citizens and bad actors (Chris Ferrell, Devin Marcus Miller, Xia Orozco, and others) who get in his crosshairs. If Ed Wood were still alive today and making movies- this might be something he would have churned out; unspeakably awful filmmaking turns this into an unintentional laugh riot but film is also stupid and boring. Watch out for the blood-spurting that looks like exploding ketchup! Further proof (as if any were needed) that virtually anyone with a cell-phone nowadays can make their own movie Continue reading →
May 29, 2021 “Captive” (*** out of four) was a rock-solid melodrama about a teenage runaway (Tori Kostic) who stops in the middle of the woods for help with a man (William Kircher) with delusional mental health issues who holds her captive thinking she’s his long-lost daughter; the rest of the film shows their gradual bond and unlikely developing relationship even as she tries to escape. Uneasy storyline takes a strange turn at the very end but first-rate acting from the two leads command your attention and make this well-worth watching. Similar in some ways to “Boxing Helena” and “Misery” but not as lurid or violent. Continue reading →
May 29, 2021 “Deceived By My Mother-In-Law” (** out of four) was an innocuous suspense thriller about a woman (Allison McAttee) with PTSD from a recent vicious assault who meets and marries a new man (Rib Hillis); all seems to be going great until she discovers that his mother-in-law (Dey Young) has ulterior motives that threaten her safety and she has to overcome her trauma to fight back and stay alive. Not bad by the standards of these things, with proficient filmmaking and solid acting, but hamstrung by its predictability and plot cliches. A new title wouldn’t have hurt, either. Continue reading →
May 29, 2021 “Army Of The Dead” (*** out of four) was a colorfully done zombie action thriller from the Zack Snyder factory about a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas that leads a crew of mercenaries (Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, and others) to take the ultimate gamble and venture into the hot zone of Vegas to pull off the greatest heist ever but can they stay alive and stay unaffected? A little of this goes a long way, as film has a thin story and goes on for nearly two-and-a-half hours, but throws in everything but the kitchen sick and cranks out enough thrills, scares, loud music, and action to make it worthwhile and entertaining. Basically a Snyder version of a George Romero picture but you get what you pay for Continue reading →
May 29, 2021 “The Woman In The Window” (** out of four) was a disappointing suspense thriller about a middle-aged woman with agoraphobia (Amy Adams) who lives alone in New York and begins spying on her new neighbors and witnesses an act of disturbia but neither the police (led by Gary Oldman) nor her surrounding community officials (led by Jennifer Jason Leigh) believer her so she is forced to confront her fears and try to solve and resolve this on her own. Apparently, this is not a remake of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” despite a very similar storyline and even title; suspense is minimal as film holds you without ever gripping you. Adams is strong as always; Oldman and Leigh and also Anthony Mackie are wasted in nothing supporting roles. Continue reading →
May 28, 2021 “Scare Us” (** out of four) was an elegantly made but empty horror anthology thriller about 5 separate horror stories told by some friends (Michael C. Alvarez and Michelle Palermo) who gather at a book store but soon find that the store owner (Tom Sandoval) may be the most twisted of them all and that they might be telling their own horror story pretty soon. Speaking of which- when did horror anthology movies become so in vogue again because this is at least the 5th that has come out in over a year? Proficiently made and professionally mounted but still just rehashes and reheats old ingredients from “Tales From The Darkside” and “Creepshow” with familiar results. Not bad overall but doesn’t quite “scare us” enough. Continue reading →
May 28, 2021 “Goodbye Honey” (** out of four) was a lukewarm melodrama about a frantic woman (Juliette Alice Gobin) who escapes abduction and has to coerce an exhausted truck driver (Pamela Jayne Morgan) to hide in the back of her truck for the night but neither know the other’s full motivation and what lurks around the corner for them for the remainder of the night. Holds you in its grip with its eerie aura and cold atmospheric lensing from Todd Rawsizer but never fully comes alive and thus soon loses its impact. Say “goodbye” to this one and watch 2015’s “Bound To Vengeance” for a film with similar themes and story elements. Continue reading →
May 27, 2021 “F9” (**1/2 out of four) was the ninth entry in this wildly successful series about the international street-racing team (Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, and the rest) who are pulled back into the criminal underworld (and outer space) by a distressed Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) and an escalating battle with Doninic’s estranged brother (a one-note John Cena). Feels like a greatest-hits version of the whole series, with some of the usual explosive action and set pieces, but is the first entry in a while to feel somewhat hollow and routine. Final half hour is a virtual demolition derby and compensates to some extent but this still has the feel of a series starting to run on exhaust fumes. Even Vin Diesel seems to be just going through the motions; film definitely misses the personality and spark of The Rock and Jason Statham (and Paul Walker). Continue reading →
May 27, 2021 “Introspectum Motel” (** out of four) was a glib melodrama about four strangers- two men (Joseph Steyne and Marcel Dorian) and two women (Michelle J. Wright and Gabriela Brinza)- whose lives intersect at an upscale motel in which their dark sexual history and past indescretions and infidelities all come to light driving them all to the sexual and psychological boiling point. Refreshingly bold in its storyline and sexual nature but limited in its emotional power and story structure since none of the characters are ever worth liking or caring about. Dorian is strong in the lead but this overall isn’t a “motel” worth checking into. Continue reading →
May 26, 2021 “Trigger Point” (*1/2 out of four) was an uninvolving action melodrama about a former U.S. special operative (Barry Pepper) who is called out of retirement to become part of an elite invisible team which battles worldwide terrorists and underworld crime but he soon finds out that danger and duplicity lurks around every turn. Feeble attempt to turn Pepper into a Liam Neeson/Steven Seagal/Jason Bourne action hero, with little action and even less sense. It’s movies like these (and “Battlefield Earth”) that made Pepper’s career fire mostly blanks. Continue reading →
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