November 22, 2022 “Raven’s Hollow” (*1/2 out of four) was a hollow horror melodrama set in the early 1800’s in which a young Edgar Allan Poe (William Moseley) and various training cadets (Melanie Zannetti, Callum Woodhouse, and others) are on a training exercise but uncover a horrific discovery in a forgotten community and soon find out all their lives are in deadly jeopardy. Hard-core Poe fans might find something of value here but it’s otherwise tough-going for everyone else and is gloomy and tedious. Set in upstate NY but filmed in Latvia. Continue reading →
November 21, 2022 “She Said” (** out of four) was a disappointing melodrama based on the true stories of NY Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jody Kantor (Zoe Kazan) who investigated various allegations of sexual assault in Hollywood which led to the extensive investigation- and eventual undoing- of Miramax CEO Harvey Weinstein and others and provided vindication to multiple women who were victims of sexual abuse. Certainly an important story to be told but film is lacking in dramatic fire and never shifts into high-gear. Film attempts to be a journalistic expose but it pales in comparison to previous investigative films “Spotlight”, “All The President’s Men”, and “The Post” and also in comparison to previous Weinstein expose “Untouchable.” Continue reading →
November 21, 2022 “Don’t Get Caught” (*1/2 out of four) was an utterly stupid stoner comedy about two friends (Albert Alves and B-Legit) who are on a road trip and stumble upon a marijuana farm that they decide to rob and soon have a bounty upon their heads and find themselves pursued by murderous thugs. Fast-paced but full of dumb dialogue and irritatingly stupid characters; these 2 guys make any of the “Half Baked” crew look like Harvard graduates by comparison. Snoop Dogg and Mike Epps collect easy paychecks in nothing supporting roles. How and why they “got caught” in this clunker is film’s real mystery. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Hounded” (*1/2 out of four) was a trifling horror melodrama about a group of young thieves (Hannah Traylen, Malachi Pullar-Latchman, and others) who are caught in the act by the estate owners (James Lance, Samantha Bond, and others) and then are pursued across the property and chased to the death by various animals and enforcers. Film’s title is sadly appropriate because it’s a real dog. Yet another movie about thieves having the tables turned on them but this concept was already showing its wear-and-tear with “Don’t Breathe” several years ago. “Don’t Watch” would be a better title for this timewaster. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” (*1/2 out of four) was a bewildering “biography” of legendary comic recording artist Weird Al Yankovic (Daniel Radcliffe) and the various hardships he endured at the beginning and how his career reached superstardom as he had a heated affair with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood) and did battle with Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro)! Winning opening scenes soon go off the rails as film becomes surreal, senseless, and just plain stupid! Just because it’s intended as a satire of biographies doesn’t make it any easier to take. Hard to imagine Yankovic would want his name on this fiasco but apparently he does because he has a minor role as one of the Scotti Brothers and sang some of Radcliffe’s vocals. Radcliffe and Wood are perfect in the lead roles but film is too “weird” for its own good. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend” (**1/2 out of four) was an imperfect but occasionally penetrating story of Ferrucio Lamborghini (Frank Grillo) who went through a variety of hardships and tribulations in founding and inventing the Lamborghini which went on to change history and become one of the most lucrative luxury cars to this day in the world. Writer/director Bobby Moresco tries for grandiosity but can’t quite achieve it because film is overall too superficial and limited in its scope; yet there are individual powerful scenes especially as film gathers momentum in its final third when the car comes to invention and fruition. Grillo is dynamite in the lead role and Mira Sorvino has one of her best roles in years as his neglected wife. A half-great movie with great individual moments. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Cabrito” (* out of four) was a nearly unendurable Italian horror potboiler told in 3 chapters. The first one focuses on an oddball family and how they suddenly decide to turn cannibal. The second one focuses on a mother and how she carves out the worst in her son with her demented religiousness. The third focuses on the same man and how he kidnaps his first love and subjects her to the same abuse he was subjected to as a child. Molasses-moving bore is also gruesome and disgusting. Many people in Italy praised this as a work of art but they might need mental health counseling. Arrivederci! Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Manifest West” (*1/2 out of four) was an oppressively dull melodrama about a young girl (Lexy Kolker) who watches her family (Milo Gibson, Annet Mahandru, and others) fall apart from within after they decide to remove themselves from society and live in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, film itself heads nowhere for nearly two hours and sure takes it’s time getting there. You keep thinking something substantial will happen but nothing ever does and winds up a real timewaster. Kolker’s bright performance is one of film’s few virtues. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “A Christmas Story Christmas” (** out of four) was a pleasant but mild sequel to the 1983 Christmas classic about the now adult Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) who returns to his old family home to give his family the Christmas he had as a child and soon rekindles old memories and relationships with various friends (Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, and others) around the neighborhood. Affectionately done in the vein of the original but weakened by lack of strong script and story. Billingsley’s sincere performance gives film a big boost but fans would best re-watch the original over the holidays again. Continue reading →
November 20, 2022 “Disenchanted” (** out of four) was an overstuffed sequel to the 2007 smash “Enchanted” about the continuing adventures of Giselle (Amy Adams) who begins to question the reality of her surroundings which turns her and her family (Patrick Dempsey and Gabriella Baldachino) upside down as she does battle with a malicious witch (Maya Rudolph who can play this role in her sleep by now). Some showstopping musical numbers and glitzy production design make you wonder if this may have been better as a Broadway musical instead. Might be more entertaining for dedicated fans of the original but it’s still pretty thin in terms of script and story. Adams is aces as always. Continue reading →
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