September 7, 2022 “Gone In The Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a moribund suspense melodrama about a couple (Winona Ryder and John Gallagher, Jr.) who show up at a cabin in the woods but find a strange young couple (Owen Teague and Brianne Tju) already there and they decide to share the cabin together which leads to an onslaught of strange occurrences and consequences and they decide too-little/too-late that they need to escape. Suspenseless and snail-paced story offers few surprises and even fewer scares and thrills. Nice though it is to see Ryder again- a few more bores like this and her comeback attempt may be “gone” for good. Continue reading →
September 7, 2022 “Graphic Designs” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden soft-core adult melodrama about a reclusive nerd (David Wayman) who meets a woman (Sian Altman) on a dating app and their relationship becomes a dominating sexual obsession for both of them and film also intercuts with another couple (Ocean M. Harris and May Kelly) who have a parallel relationship that is also headed for doom. Film lives up to its title with plenty of “graphic” sex scenes but you’ll likely be satisfied after 1 or 2 scenes and sitting through the rest of the terrible acting and unpleasant story is a difficult chore. Watch “Red Shoe Diaries” re-runs instead. Continue reading →
September 7, 2022 “No Way Out” (** out of four) was a pointless melodrama about a young man (Joey Bicicchi) who arrives in L.A. and meets a free-spirited hedonist (Allie Ayers) and falls in love with her and her reckless attitude and their relationship becomes embroiled in sex, drugs, and lust but it soon spirals out of control and reaches a breaking point for both of them. Earnest film about young lust and wild living may appeal to younger viewers but is jumbled and aloof, mostly because you don’t care about either of the main characters. For anyone wondering, this is not a remake of the 1987 Gene Hackman/Kevin Costner classic of the same name. Continue reading →
September 7, 2022 “Bullet Proof” (*1/2 out of four) was a numbskull action melodrama about a small-time thief (James Clayton who also directed) who steals from a vindictive mob boss (Vinnie Jones) and finds sanctuary with the mobster’s pregnant wife (Lena Lecompte) but this puts them all on a dangerous intersection that can only lead to an impending bloodbath. Lots of flashy action for those who want it but you’ll eventually be worn out by all the noise and ugliness. Jones grimaces through his umpteenth role as a mumbling thug (will someone please get this man a real role to play?) Continue reading →
September 6, 2022 “Dead Zone” (** out of four) was a thoroughly routine end-of-the-world zombie thriller about an elite team of soldiers (Michael Jai White, Chad Michael Collins, and others) who have to descend on a town poisoned with radiation and have to perform a stealth mission using high-tech armor and weapons but soon find that they are not alone and have to unite together to stay alive. Full of video-game like visual effects and the usual futuristic themes and images. Jai White’s strong presence and charisma and Marshall Douglis’ candy-colored cinematography give this a real boost. No relation to the 1983 Stephen King cult classic of the same name. Continue reading →
September 6, 2022 “Not Alone” (*1/2 out of four) was more-of-the-same supernatural hokum about a tight-knit family (Sarah Schroeder-Matzkin, Pat Healy, and others) who buy a luxurious mansion at a bargain price but soon come to find that it has lots of ominous history involving paranormal activity; they turn to an exorcism doctor (Richard Lawson) but soon learn that he’s off-the-wall too. Utterly predictable and suspenseless and story eventually decays into sheer corn. Hopefully I’m “not alone” in being tired of these movies and wishing horror filmmakers would finally come up with something new. Continue reading →
September 5, 2022 “They/Them” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous horror thriller about various campers (Austin Crute, Quei Tann, Cooper Koch, and others) at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp run by a sadistic creep (Kevin Bacon) who utilizes intense psychotherapy techniques; meanwhile a killer is on the loose and stalking them all one by one. Borderline offensive look at a serious subject matter and highly unpleasant at times. One of the characters mentions “Friday The 13th” which this movie rips off at times. Bacon’s smirking performance is good for a few laughs and Anna Chlumsky has a key role as one of the camp counselors but “they” ought to be picking better scripts than this. Continue reading →
September 5, 2022 “Breaking” (** out of four) was a muddled melodrama about a former-Marine veteran (John Boyega) who suffers a personal and mental breakdown and decides to holdup a bank resulting in a standoff with him and the various police operatives (led by Michael Kenneth Williams) who have their own agenda. Earnest attempt to showcase the PTSD and various other problems veterans face but it’s superficial at best. Boyega’s strong performance gives this movie a lot more emotional force. Williams is dynamic as usual in what was his final role. Continue reading →
September 5, 2022 “Three Thousand Years Of Longing” (** out of four) was an earthbound fantasy adaptation of A.S. Byatt’s short-story about a lonely scholar (Tilda Swinton) who goes on a trip to Istanbul and encounters a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom but she never realizes how this will fully change her life. Director George Miller throws expensive visual effects and sets at you but it all rings hollow since there is hardly any magic in the story itself or characters and thus the film itself. A well-intentioned effort that simply runs dry. Cinematographer John Seale came out of retirement to film this movie and his glowing work is an undeniable plus. Continue reading →
September 4, 2022 “Who Invited Them?” (* out of four) was a disastrously lame suspense potboiler about a couple (Ryan Hansen and Melissa Tang) who have a housewarming party but one couple (Timothy Granaderos and Perry Mattfeld) stubbornly remains after all the others leave and they begin to suspect that they are nefarious strangers out to take over their minds (and souls). Or something like that. Stilted and stupid and goes nowhere slowly. Don’t bother “inviting” yourself to this ridiculous clunker. Continue reading →
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