November 6, 2022 “R.I.P.D. 2: Rise Of The Damned” (** out of four) was an unnecessary prequel to the 2013 horror comedy set in the 1876 wild West in which a small-town sheriff (Jeffrey Donovan) finds himself killed after a shootout with a local gang and is then recruited in the afterlife by the R.I.P.D. and finds a chance to come back and avenge his murder and also save the world at the same time. Hard to imagine why they made a follow-up to a movie that was a box-office flop and virtually no one liked but in all fairness- this is better and more watchable than the original. Still, though, it’s pretty thin stuff and probably has more in common with “Wild Wild West” than anything in the original movie. Continue reading →
November 6, 2022 “Monsters Of War” (** out of four) was a sodden horror thriller set in the English countryside about a group of strangers (Chelsea Greenwood, Sofia Lacey, Chrissie Wunna, and others) who have to unite together when prehistoric monsters come back to life and want to harvest humanity and threaten worldwide extinction. Dour-looking and grim film has some good video-game like CGI effects of the creatures that liven things up here-and-there. Yet another movie that makes you appreciate the craft and ingenuity of “Jurassic Park” that much more. Continue reading →
November 6, 2022 “Amityville Scarecrow” (* out of four) was a nearly unwatchable horror thriller about a summer camp that is about to re-open and numerous counselors and workers (Barbara Dabson, Chelsea Greenwood, and others) re-joice until they find out there is an “evil entity” (actually a guy in bad makeup and a cheap Walmart overcoat) on the loose who is going to set their doom. Film utilizes the “Amityville” title for name value only since this has absolutely nothing to do with that horror classic or even any of its sequels/remakes and actually has more in common (i.e. rips off) the plot of “Friday The 13th” but trust me- this makes that film look like Hitchcock in his classic prime. Continue reading →
November 6, 2022 “Wickensburg” (** out of four) was an earthbound fantasy comedy about a mother (Denise Richards) and her young son (Jensen Gering) who move to the title small town but soon find that there are various dark secrets beneath the town’s picture-perfect facade and it may not be as wonderous and wonderful as it appears. Well-intentioned attempt at mixing elements of light-hearted comedy, coming-of-age story, and ethereal sci/fi elements but it never gels and thus never takes off. A film one can pleasantly watch but just as easily forget. Continue reading →
November 6, 2022 “Live Escape” (*1/2 out of four) was a disjointed horror suspense-thriller about two cops (Bryant Smith and Joe Lujan) out on their patrol who investigate an underground homeless shelter which they find out is consumed by zombies who want to ravage mankind and seek (what else?) world domination. First-half literally looks like outtakes from “Cops” but once film moves underground it becomes dizzying and frenzied but still crushing and monotonous. Lujan also wrote and directed and is also responsible for incredibly irritating hand-held camera movements which will likely make viewers want to seek their own “escape”. Continue reading →
November 5, 2022 “The Minute You Wake Up Dead” (** out of four) was an overly contrived suspense potboiler about an insurance investor (Cole Hauser) who gets mired up in a financial scheme with his neighbor (Jaimie Alexander) which leads to the involvement of the hard-nosed town sheriff (Morgan Freeman) and all of them begin to question whose double-crossing who as the bodies start piling up. Packed with neat twists and turns that keep you watching and guessing but become improbable after a while and film’s underlying problem is you don’t simply care about the characters and what happens to anybody. Good cast keeps this together as much as possible but Freeman is a little long in the tooth to continue playing cops. Continue reading →
November 5, 2022 “On The Line” (** out of four) was an uneven suspense thriller about a late-night radio show host (Mel Gibson) who is alarmed when a deranged fan calls and threatens to kill the host’s family while on air unless he complies with all of his instructions and takes part in a survival game in the building of the show, leading the host to frantically try and stay alive all while trying to uncover the identity of the caller and save his family. Somewhat gripping in its setup and suspenseful midsection…………but unfortunately, film veers off the rails in its final third and takes a series of ludicrous (and irritating) plot twists that pull the rug out from under you. Gibson is rock-solid and almost makes this worth watching. A remake of the Japanese horror cult classic “Midnight FM.” Continue reading →
November 5, 2022 “Safe House” (** out of four) was an overall disposable action thriller about an F.B.I. analyst (Andrew Chapman) who is ordered to build a safe-house headquarters in order to get his job back but this leads to a multitude of duplicity and backstabbings from his other analysts and various criminal underworld figures (Deanna Little, John Turner, and others). Fast-moving enough to be watchable but script and story are one-note and don’t give you much to keep you involved. Incidentally, this is not a remake of the 2012 Denzel Washington/Ryan Reynolds thriller of the same name despite similar story elements. Continue reading →
November 5, 2022 “Hex” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately entertaining suspense horror thriller about a group of skydivers (Kayla Adams, Bryan Roberts, Matthew Holcomb, and others) who begin to experience paranormal and frightening occurrences after one of them mysteriously disappears. Hybrid of B-movie horror elements and sensational skydiving action doesn’t quite jell but the stunts and skydiving scenes are well-captured and film does have enough eeriness and minor scares to make it worthwhile. Continue reading →
November 4, 2022 “Six Feet” (*1/2 out of four) was a pointless horror melodrama about a motel owner (Raymond Cruz) who is battling a multitude of mental health problems while trying to coordinate all the complicated affairs at his motel which attending to quarantined guests during a deadly worldwide pandemic. Film bludgeons you with so much unpleasantness and cheap filmmaking that you feel like you may need to be in your own quarantine by the end. Cruz is good in a nearly unplayable role but he should have stayed more than “six feet” away from this timewaster. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 