November 20, 2021 “The COVID Killer” (*1/2 out of four) was a muddled psychodrama about a serial killer terrorizing NYC who the media dubs the title killer and various cops and citizens (Jeff Knite, Paugh Shadow, Johnny Carecia, and others) try to stop him. Pointless mix of gritty minimalism and political social commentary. Film grafts actual news footage of Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo but they appear no better here than in real life. Star Knite also wrote and directed but all this does is kill your time. Continue reading →
November 20, 2021 “Christmas Thieves” (** out of four) was a half-hearted holiday comedy about two young kids (Lorenzo McGovern Zaini and Mia McGovern Zaini) home alone who mistake two bungling burglars (Tom Arnold and Michael Madsen) in Christmas suits as Santa Claus and the burglars actually ingratiate themselves with the children and read them holiday books! Not quite as stupid as it sounds but unlikely to become a Christmas classic anytime; the animated interludes are pretty cute but rest of film is pretty stale. Both Arnold and Madsen have been in far worse but at this point they may want to ask Santa for some better scripts. Continue reading →
November 20, 2021 “Best Sellers” (** out of four) was an only mildly endearing comic melodrama about a cranky and retired author (Michael Caine) who finally publishes his final book and reluctantly embarks on one last book and publicity tour to help out his young publisher (Aubrey Plaza). A great role for Caine who keeps film going with his usual effortless charisma but story and charaterizations are awfully thin; Caine himself played a similar role in (the better) “Deathtrap” and also “The Quiet American.” Caine has said this may be his last ever film-role at 88 but this is far from his “best.” Continue reading →
November 20, 2021 “The Guilty” (** out of four) was a pretty remote suspense thriller about a demoted police officer (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is now a 911 operator who becomes embroiled and conflicted in an emergency call he receives from a kidnapped woman and he races against the clock to ensure she is rescued and saved, all the while holding his own impulses as a former police officer in check! Unusually minimalist film from director Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”, “The Equalizer”); film holds you in its grip thanks to stylish filmmaking and solid work from Gyllenhaal but never shifts into high-gear. Film pales in comparison to similarly themed and plotted “The Call” which was far more electric and riveting. Continue reading →
November 20, 2021 “We Need To Do Something” (** out of four) was a blah melodrama about a mother and sister (Vinessa Shaw and Sierra McCormack) and the family patriarch (Pat Healy) who are trapped inside by a treacherous storm but soon begin to realize that the real inclemency might be within themselves and they soon have to hide and protect themselves from each other! Healy’s character goes off-the-wall so quickly and becomes so off-putting and nutty that the film almost turns into a satirical comedy at times. Good performances from all three leads do what they can with tired and morose material. Continue reading →
November 19, 2021 “Zeros And Ones” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary political thriller about a world-weary soldier (Ethan Hawke) called to Rome to stop an imminent terrorist bombing and has to navigate some of the darkest streets and underworlds in Italy to race against time and keep the Vatican from being blown apart! Sounds juicy and jolting but is instead an aimless bore. Director Abel Ferrara’s attempt at making a topical thriller with allusions to political imprisonment and COVID but it’s even more self-indulgent and weird than most his other works. Not quite a “zero” but hardly worth checking out either. Continue reading →
November 18, 2021 “The Towel Man” (0 stars out of four) was an unbearably inept and ugly horror thriller about a serial rapist known as The Towel Man who terrorizes women (Stephanie Elliot, Ashley Jones, and others) in a small town. Don’t look for more plot than that or anything else for that matter. To call this amateur night in terms of production and filmmaking would be an overstatement as it looks as if it was shot and filmed on someone’s cruddy T-Mobile phone. Film only runs a little over an hour long but believe me- you’ll want to throw in the “towel” long before then. Avoid like COVID. Continue reading →
November 18, 2021 “The Spore” (*1/2 out of four) was an enervated horror thriller about the intersection of the lives of various strangers (Jeanie Jeffries, Haley Heslip, Peter Tell, and others) who are consumed by a mutating fungus that spreads through their small town and threatens to kill them all. Lame attempt at a “topical” horror thriller with underlying themes and allusions to COVID but the movie this actually rips off the most is “Night Of The Living Dead.” Good production values are unfortunately eradicated by routine story and execution. Continue reading →
November 14, 2021 “Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle Of The Realms” (*** out of four) was a colorfully done animated final entry in this extravaganza series the Kombat heroes (voices of Jennifer Carpenter, Joel McHale, Ike Amadi, and others) who must journey to the outworld to fight for the survival of their homeland which has been invaded and overtaken by the evil warlord Shao Kahn (voice of Fred Tatasciore). Plot is hardly worth following but it makes all the right moves for Kombat fans with nonstop martial arts action and hand-to-hand fights and some striking and psychedelic animation as well. Either way, it’s far more entertaining than the last “Mortal Kombat” live-action reboot. Continue reading →
November 14, 2021 “Defining Moments” (** out of four) was a treacly serio-comedy about the intersection of various lives (Burt Reynolds, Sienna Guillory, and Tammy Blanchard) who realize they are at an important junction of their lives and need to consider settling down, long-term legalities involving their elderly relatives, etc. Earnest and well-intentioned film is also mawkish and has hardly any story to hold it together. Plays more like a t.v. movie than a theatrical release. Film’s only “defining moment” is its Reynolds’ final film but “The Last Movie Star” was a much more fitting movie epitaph for him. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 