November 13, 2021 “Double Walker” (** out of four) was a sterile horror melodrama about a young woman (Sylvie Mix) who dies and her ghost subsequently investigates the incidents that led to her own murder which causes her to question the friends and family she thought she trusted. Elegantly made with some stylistic Kubrickian homages to “The Shining” but never fully comes alive and takes flight. Refreshingly short at only 71 minutes and not without interest but only worth it for die-hard psychological horror fans. Continue reading →
November 13, 2021 “Home Sweet Home Alone” (*1/2 out of four) was a charmless entry in this now-wearisome series about a 10-year old tyke (Archie Yates) who is left home alone by his parents and must defend his household when it is under siege from two clueless criminals (Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper). It’s unclear whether this is a reboot or yet another sequel but either way- it’s a stale rehash of the 1990 Christmas classic. What was original and enchanting in the original is clumsy and dumb in this version. Ham-handed overacting from the cast doesn’t help matters. Devin Ratray reprises his role as Buzz from the original but to be kind- he would have fared better staying home and counting his residuals instead. Continue reading →
November 13, 2021 “The Accursed” (*1/2 out of four) was dull gobblygook about a woman (Yancy Butler) who spends 20 years hiding the evils of a maleficent curse that was placed on her bloodline until a family member (Izabela Vidovic) accidentally unleashes the curse and all Hell breaks loose. Or something like that. Nonsensical storyline is told colorlessly and ploddingly and soon sputters nowhere. Butler tries but her career at this point is what really seems cursed. Watch “The Accused” instead. Continue reading →
November 13, 2021 “Hideout” (* out of four) was a reprehensible melodrama about a group of none-too-bright criminals (Bryan Enright, Katie Lyons, Eric Frances Melargni, and Chris Wolfe) who enter the house of a family (Janice LaFlam, Audrey Kovar, and others) who are not what they appear and they soon turn the tables on the home invaders turning the victimizers into (yawn) victims. Superficial amalgam of “Desperate Hours”, “The Purge”, “Reservoir Dogs”, and too many others to mention gives you no one to root for since the good guys are as dull and unlikeable as the villains. Hide away from this clunker instead. Continue reading →
November 9, 2021 “Last Night In Soho” (**1/2 out of four) was an arch-to-a-fault melodrama about an aspiring singer (Thomas McKenzie) who finds she is mysteriously able to enter the 1960’s through her own dreamscape; initially she’s overwhelmed by the glitz and glamour but soon begins to find out there is something darker and more disturbing going on and her sanity gradually begins to slip away. Visually dazzling at times and McKenzie is outstanding in the lead and there are some sequences that are hallucinatory…………but after a while, film becomes a bit numbing and lurid especially in its final third which is highly bizarre and over-the-top. A definite mixed bag and not for all tastes although an interesting attempt at Kubrickian horror by writer/director Edgar Wright. Continue reading →
November 8, 2021 “Anonymous Animals” (* out of four) was a rabid bore set in a remote countryside in which the balance between man and animal has changed and any encounter between the two can turn to hostility and bloodshed and several residents (Thierry Marcos, Pauline Guilpain, Aurelien Chilarski, and others) struggle to make sense of this new world order and survive. Many critics somehow loved this pretentious and molasses-moving mess but I’m surely not one of them; film takes forever to get going and to comprehend but even then it’s not worth the bother. Kevin Brunet and Emmanuel Dauchy’s crisp cinematography is pretty at times but otherwise proceed at your own peril. Continue reading →
November 8, 2021 “Rise Of The Footsoldier: Origins” (** out of four) was a lukewarm origin story set in the 1980’s British underworld showing how Tucker (Terry Stone), Rolfie (Roland Manookian), and Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) united to form their own firm and become criminal kingpins. Lots of great pulsating ’80’s music can’t camouflage film’s thin storyline and overall weak script. Naturally, Vinnie Jones shows up also but can play this break-your-neck role in his sleep (will someone please get this guy a different role to play?) Final film in this series and based on a true story (like the original) and is mostly for dedicated series fans. Continue reading →
November 8, 2021 “One Shot” (** out of four) was a muffled action thriller about an elite team of Navy Seals (Scott Adkins, Ryan Phillippe, Ashley Greene, and others) who embark on a covert mission to transport a prisoner from a C.I.A. prison but find themselves under attack when insurgents try to break in and rescue the same prisoner. Film moves fast enough and features enough intrigue and action to make it watchable but is hindered by overall routine and basic storyline and execution. One more film that pales in the shadow of the “Bourne” series. Phillippe gives his scenes a definite charge and pulse. Continue reading →
November 8, 2021 “13 Minutes” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably well-done melodrama set in the Midwest and showing the intersection of four different families (Thora Birch, Amy Smart, Anne Heche, Peter Facinelli, Trace Adkins, and others) when a deadly tornado touches down and forces them all to re-examine their relationships and mistakes they made in their lives. Imagine “Twister” re-made as a Robert Altman/Jonathan Demme emotional drama and that’s more-or-less what this is; not a total success (it does lag at times) but an interesting attempt at doing something new and given a definite boost by its first-rate cast. Birch stands out in an excellent performance as a single mom. Continue reading →
November 6, 2021 “Apex” (* out of four) was an inept remake of 1994’s “Surviving The Game” about five wealthy hunters (led by Neal McDonough) who play a game of hunting someone in the wilderness but their latest victim is an ex-cop (Bruce Willis) who proves to be a difficult hunt and turns the tables on them turning the hunters into the hunted. Original film was far from a classic but at least it had beautiful cinematography and some good dialogue and action scenes; this film is an incoherent bore. Willis sleepwalks his way through his umpteenth paycheck action role and McDonough is alternately hammy and overacting. Film is hardly the “apex” of either of their careers. Continue reading →
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