July 31, 2021 “Gunpowder Milkshake” (**1/2 out of four) was a groovy action comedy about a group of crime-fighting women (Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Carla Gucino, Karen Gillan, and others) who fight back against sinister and evil forces that threaten them and also possibly world domination. Engagingly directed and told with wall-to-wall soundtrack, one-liners, and action which overpowers an extremely thin and feeble storyline. After a while, film starts to grow monotonous as it resembles a video game. Great cast compensates to some degree but this is a “milkshake” of tasty but empty calories without any filling. Continue reading →
July 31, 2021 “The Boy Behind The Door” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately well-done horror melodrama about two friends (Lonnie Chavis and Ezra Dewey) who are kidnapped and taken to a house out in the middle of nowhere; one escapes but soon realizes he cannot leave his best friend behind and goes back to save him, no matter what the cost. Writer and directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell make this suspenseful and gripping enough although it starts to grow a little repetitive after a while which prevents it from fully excelling. Strong work from the two boys makes this overall worth watching. Continue reading →
July 31, 2021 “Old” (*1/2 out of four) was an aptly titled clunker from the tired mind of M. Night Shymalahan about a group of friends and family (Vickie Krieps, Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and others) on a tropical holiday who suddenly discover that the secluded beach resort they are staying at is suddenly causing them to rapidly age and they realize they now only have one more day to live unless they can escape and discover a reverse cure! Potentially intriguing and frightening storyline is hamstrung by Shymalan’s usual plodding place and predictable and cliched approach. Based on the graphic novel “Sandcastle” by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederick Peeters. You can only imagine what the David Cronenberg of “The Fly” and “The Brood” would have done with this material. Continue reading →
July 29, 2021 “Bloomfield” (* out of four) was an unendurable horror thriller about a young girl (Brianna Young) who goes to live with her eccentric aunt (Jennifer Moriarty) in the title town of Bloomfield and she subsequently finds out that her aunt is an evil witch who engages in sadism and sacrifice. Star Young also wrote and directed and unfortunately bears most of the blame for this unpleasant bore. Made it even worse by shoddy production values and inexcusably overlong at nearly two hours. Moriarty also executive produced. Continue reading →
July 29, 2021 “Meander” (*** out of four) was an elegantly done horror thriller about a young woman (Gaia Weiss) who finds herself locked in a strange tunnel full of a series of interlocking and increasingly convoluted traps of which she must escape while her unseen tormentor looks on. Yes, it’s one more derivation of “Saw” but this is elevated above its grimy origins by artful and compact direction from Mathieu Turi and stylish and sleek cinematography from Alain Duplantier. Contrary to its title, film does not meander at all and is lean and concise. Continue reading →
July 29, 2021 “Blood Born” (*1/2 out of four) was a misconceived horror melodrama about a young couple (Rosie Moss and Antoine Perry) who are unable to have children but soon find an elderly woman (Melanie Haynes) and a mysterious doctor (Cole Gerdes) who can fulfill their dreams of having a child but soon find that they are both engulfed in strange rituals and practices that may have deadly consequences. Writer/director Reed Shusterman came up with this story while him and his wife were trying to conceive so he apparently had other things on his mind but that hardly explains why film is so cheesy and bland. 2004’s “Godsend” covered a similar story with more skills and scares. Continue reading →
July 26, 2021 “Assassin’s Vow” (* out of four) was an ultra-shoddy pulp thriller about the daughter (Arlene Tur) of a Miami drug lord (Ari Novak) who arranges for her to be married but she soon finds out that she is a pawn in various underworld schemes and has to fight her way out all guns blazing but this puts her in a crossfire between numerous underworld figures and killers. Inept filmmaking and production makes this fire all blanks for nearly two hours. Peter Greene shows up as (of all things) a priest but he may want to say a few hail mary’s about the current status of his career. Continue reading →
July 26, 2021 “Roller Squad” (*1/2 out of four) was a grindingly dumb comedy thriller about a group of roller-skating friends (Alice Sanders, Benjamin McMahon, Amy Newton, and others) who join forces to try and catch a serial killer who is too fast for the police and who keeps eluding public view. Strictly for those who can’t wait for “Roller Derby” re-runs or who thought “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” series was too artistic or intellectually challenging; tough skating for anyone else. This dud is unlikely to lead to a resurgence of roller-skating anytime soon. Continue reading →
July 25, 2021 “Minamata” (** out of four) was an overly diffuse melodrama based on the true story of war photographer W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) who traveled back to Japan to document the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on coastal communities which made him a severe enemy of various Japanese businesses and the government (Hiroyuki Sonada, Masayoshi Haneda, and others) but made him an icon of truth and journalism. Earnest and well-intentioned story never quite connects emotionally and doesn’t have the emotional pull or wallop that it desires and needs. Depp is OK in the lead but lacks the fervency and fire of his earlier and better performances 20-30 years ago. Continue reading →
July 24, 2021 “Mind Games” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless pulp melodrama about a feisty army psychologist (Jet Jandreau) who is held captive by a mysterious assailant (Robert Lasardo) and she realizes she is in an RV in the middle of nowhere and has to psychologically and physically fight her way out while her military superior (Michael Pare) tries to sort out what is really going on. Just a foundation of ideas borrowed from other (and much better) movies. Good cast is unable to pump much life into this lurid and unpleasant material. Continue reading →
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