Month: November 2022

“The Good House” (** out of four) was a muddled adaptation of Ann Leary’s novel about a hard-working real estate mogul (Sigourney Weaver) whose life begins to unravel back into alcoholism after she rekindles a relationship with a former flame (Kevin Kline) and finds herself at a personal and psychological crossroads in life with her family. Well-intentioned story about alcohol abuse and how it overtakes one’s life and the various and personal scars that need to be dealt with from one’s past but story is meandering and never really connects emotionally. Weaver is strong in the lead but that doesn’t mean you like or care about her character much; Kline is wasted. Film is no match for their previous collaboration in 1993’s “Dave.”

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“Ticket To Paradise” (** out of four) was a soggy romantic comedy about a bitterly divorced couple (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) who discover that their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) is getting married in Bali and they frantically travel there to try and stop her from making the same mistake they made when they were her age. Funny at first but then fizzles into a state of predictability and never gets its full bounce back again. Fans of the stars should probably take a look but this is still hardly worth buying a “ticket” for. This marks Clooney and Roberts’ fifth collaboration together.

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“Shady Grove” (** out of four) was a pretentious horror potboiler about a young couple (Niki McElroy and Todd Anthony) who attempt to leave their partying lifestyle behind them and go vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods and (what else) are besieged by a group of sinister forces that threaten their lives and their sanity. Few could have predicted back in 2008 when “The Strangers” came out that it would be imitated and ripped off countless times in the near-15 years since but seeing is believing. Good performances help you stay with film’s plodding place and bizarre plot twists but you’ve seen this all before and better. McElroy also co-wrote and co-produced.

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“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (** out of four) was a lumpy sequel to the 2018 smash about the kingdom of Wakanda (Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and others) who are mourning the death of King T’Challa and have to unite to fight off intervening powers which threaten to overtake them and present worldwide devastation. Fierce and exciting opening grabs your attention but film soon lags and becomes talky and meandering. Typical Marvel slam-bang action finale brings film back on track but film is fatally overlong at nearly three hours. Bassett stands out as usual as Queen Ramonda but Chadwick Boseman and his effortless charisma are sorely missed.

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“Christmas In Paradise” (** out of four) was a flimsy comedy melodrama about 2 sisters (Elizabeth Hurley and Nathalie Cox) who find out that their father (Kelsey Grammar) has disappeared to a Carribean island and is dying of terminal cancer so they go to the island and try to convince him to come home for the holidays and spend his remaining days with them. Pointless and artificial movie is given a boost by Grammar’s strong performance and solid work from the ageless Hurley. Billy Ray Cyrus shows up in a superfluous supporting role as a singer but sorry to say his performance is achy breaky awful.

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“Deborrah” (*1/2 out of four) was a joyless suspense melodrama about a group of friends (Sophia Bush, Deborah Ann Woll, and others) who gather at a remote cabin and find a device that allows them to rewind time but soon find that this has grave and mind-altering consequences. Yet another movie about time-travel and the dangers of technology but film is dangerously derivative and dull. Unfortunately by the end viewers won’t be able to rewind time and get their 2 hours back. Speaking of back, watch “Back To The Future” instead for the right way to make this kind of story.

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“Prancer: A Christmas Tale” (*** out of four) was a nicely done remake of the 1989 Christmas children’s classic about a grumpy family patriarch (James Ellsworth) and his granddaughter (Darcey Ewart) who stumble upon an injured reindeer who they start to think may be one of Santa’s escaped deer and who proves to be the catalyst for them and their abundance of family problems. Respectful and engaging story is a bit too pat and contrived but makes all the right moves to entertain a holiday family audience. Ellsworth and Ewart’s strong performances are a definite plus and so is James Oldham’s striking and eerie cinematography.

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“The Curse Of Humpty Dumpty” (* out of four) was a grade-Z horror thriller about the return of Humpty Dumpty in the form of a doll and how he finds his way into the home of a woman (Nicola Wright) with dementia and before anyway can say “Child’s Play”- the bodies start piling up. Regardless- this is a scareless snooze. Maybe just maybe it’s about time filmmakers put an end to movies about killer dolls. Horror fans will likely find more entertaininment from a nursery-school book on Humpty Dumpty instead of this timewaster.

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“Paradise City” (** out of four) was a jumbled action melodrama about a young man (Blake Jenner) who travels through the dangerous underworld of Hawaii to seek vengeance on the crime kingpin (John Travolta) who murdered his father (Bruce Willis) while a bounty hunter (Stephen Dorff) tries to sort out everything and cash in on this intersection of bloodshed. Disappointing reunion of Willis and Travolta after their 1994 smash “Pulp Fiction” and a half-hearted effort from one-time action/horror specialist Chuck Russell. Despite the solid cast, only Dorff seems to be fully engaged and having any fun.

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