July 17, 2021 “Ascendant” (** out of four) was an ambitious but muddled futuristic sci/fi melodrama about a young environmentalist (Charlotte Best) who wakes up trapped and kidnapped in a mysterious elevator and has to try to psychologically and physically survive while trying to uncover her unseen tormentors (Johnny Paslovsky and Andrew Jack) and stop them as well. Directed with tension and style by Antaine Furlong and vibrantly shot by Frank Flick but story loses its way after a while and eventually descends. No relation to the “Divergent” series but similar in many ways to M. Night Shymalahan’s “Devil” but with different aura and themes. Continue reading →
July 17, 2021 “Black Widow” (*** out of four) was a sleek adaptation of the Marvel Comics story showing her origins and how she started off as Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson) and grew up with a sister figure (Florence Pugh) and a Russian super-soldier (David Harbour) who helped mold her into a highly trained KGB assassin and lethal fighting machine who would go onto save the world. Not a great film, as story is thin yet goes in too many different directions with different characters, but overall entertaining for Marvel and comic-book fans. Final half-hour action blowout definitely makes up for a lot. Johannson is strong as iron in the lead. Continue reading →
July 17, 2021 “Skinwalker” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismal horror show about a hunter (Charlie E. Motley) who loots a Native American burial ground and then unleashes the title shape-shifting demon onto the world and several others (Eva Hamilton, Cameron Kotecki, and others) attempt to stop him. Cheapjack attempt at mixing a Western melodrama with a living dead/zombie horror story. Opening exposition looks like it was shot in somebody’s backyard and some of the dialogue and acting might make you crawl out of your skin. Watch old “Lone Ranger” episodes instead. Continue reading →
July 16, 2021 “A Classic Horror Story” (*1/2 out of four) was a not-so-classic horror thriller set in southern Italy in which various strangers (Matilda Anna Ingrid-Lutz, Francesco Russo, Peppino Mazzotta, and others) become (yawn) stranded in the woods in which they soon find their life is in danger and they all have to unite and fight back to survive. Mistitled movie is swallowed up by its own self-importance and pretentious ponderousness. Film actually throws in a few winking references to “Titanic” which don”t exactly help the movie to stay afloat. Striking cinematography by Emanuele Pasquet is film’s only asset. Continue reading →
July 15, 2021 “The Sleepless Unrest: The Real Conjuring Home” (*1/2 out of four) was an aimless, amateurish pseudo-documentary about a group of young filmmakers (Kendall Whelpton, Vera Whelpton, and others) who move into the world-famous home that inspired “The Conjuring” and investigate its myth and origins; but was the movie made up or was it based on reality and real horror? Desperate attempt to cash in on the “Conjuring” brand name and one more found-footage horror movie that the world did not need. Time to give this series a much-needed “rest” and “conjure” up some new ideas. Continue reading →
July 14, 2021 “Fear Street: Part Two- 1978” (** out of four) was an undernourished horror thriller in which school is out for the summer and a bunch of students and camp counselors (Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, and others) gather at Camp Nightwing for some fun festivities but everything turns to havoc when another gruesome murderer is on the loose and they all have to band together to survive. Director Leigh Janiak throws in some buoyant ’70’s soundtrack songs to keep things lively and film composer Marco Beltrami cannily rehashes parts of the scores for “The Omen” and “Friday The 13th” but it’s a lot of energy expended over nothing, since the story and script are threadbare. Bizarrely- this was the second in the trilogy but was actually filmed last. Continue reading →
July 14, 2021 “Medusa” (0 out of four) was a toxically inept mess about a young woman (Megan Purvis) who is bitten by a snake and a deadly virus soon plagues her body and turns her life upside down. Grade-Z filmmaking is almost a throwback to something Ed Wood would have made back in his day. Story sounds like it might have some scares and bite but slipshod production and direction makes this all-but-unwatchable. Avoid like the coronavirus. Continue reading →
July 12, 2021 “The Rebels Of PT-218” (**1/2 out of four) was a fast-paced if superficial melodrama set in 1942 at the height of WWII in which the Atlantic Ocean has become a dangerous battleground and a group of American soldiers (Eric Roberts, William Baldwin, Danny Trejo, and others) fight against the constant bombardment of German attacks. Lots of action and constant movement that put you right in the middle of the action but it starts to seem like a video game after a while rather than a historical war drama. Film may remind you of the recent “Midway” remake in many ways. Strong cast definitely gives it their all. Continue reading →
July 11, 2021 “Hatched” (*1/2 out of four) was yet another “Jurassic Park” clone about a city under siege from a fast-evolving T-Rex and the army (Ricardo Freitas, Derek Nelson, and others) and the rest of the city (Megan Purvis, Nicola Wright, Amanda-Jade Tyler, and others) try to destroy it and survive. Nearly 30 years later and the original JP easily outstomps and outchews all its imitators. Cheezoid effects and paper-thin characters and story make this really tough going. It’s about time filmmakers “hatched” some new ideas. Continue reading →
July 10, 2021 “Die In A Gunfight” (** out of four) was a scattershot pulp melodrama about a lifelong loser (Diego Boneta) who falls head over heels in love with a young woman (Alexandra Daddario) who turns out to be the daughter of his father’s nemesis. And that’s just the beginning of the story. Film zigzags from lighthearted comedy to violent action to dark character study making for a bumpy and uneven ride. Directed with zest and flair by Colli Schiffili and entertaining in spots but not enough to sustain at full feature-length. Filmed in just 23 days! Continue reading →
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