December 26, 2022 “High Heat” (*** out of four) was a zesty action comedy about a kitchen manager (Olga Kurylenko) who turns out to be a former KGB agent and trained killer who has to defend her restaurant when the mafia (Dallas Page, Ivan Martin, and others) show up to burn it down after she finds out her husband (Don Johnson) is in debt to them but they soon find out that she is one tough cookie. Fast-paced and fun movie never takes itself too seriously and never stops moving; former Bond girl Kurylenko is first-rate and perfectly cast! Continue reading →
December 25, 2022 “Bring Him Back Dead” (*1/2 out of four) was a deadly dull action melodrama about a botched heist and the various criminals involved (Louis Mandylor, Daniel Baldwin, and others) who attempt to track down one of their own (Gary Daniels) who ripped them off and betrayed them but realize that tracking him down and finding him is a very dark trail. Ineptly done thriller gives you hardly anyone to root for and features little action or suspense. Nice to see Baldwin again trying for a comeback but this film is unlikely to bring his career back from the dead. Continue reading →
December 25, 2022 “Scare Package II” (** out of four) was a mindless but watchable horror thriller set during the funeral of previous entries’ main character which turns into a series of various death traps and his friends and guests (Steph Barkley, Shaina Shrooten, Luxy Banner, and others) have to band together and utilize their knowledge of horror movies to survive. Yet another sequel that no one was exactly writing letters to Santa for but having said that- it’s tongue-in-cheek for horror fans and features enough gross-out kills to keep genre fans somewhat entertained. Film picks up after the original but owes more than a bit to “Scream.” Continue reading →
December 25, 2022 “Infinite” (*1/2 out of four) was an infinitely derivative action thriller about a man (Mark Wahlberg) who begins to have various hallucinations which he begins to realize are reflections from his past lives; a rogue female (Sophie Cookson) attempts to help him remember while a crooked business mogul (Chiwetel Eljofor) attempts to track him down and utilize his memories for ill gains. Director Antoine Fuqua obviously watched “The Matrix” a few times before as film liberally (and incoherently) rips that film off and throws in some “John Wick” and “Bourne Identity” into the blender as well. Cookson provides films only sparks; the dynamic Eljofor is unrecognizable and wasted here. Continue reading →
December 24, 2022 “Where The Crawdads Sing” (**1/2 out of four) was a flavorful if uneven adaptation of Delia Owens’ best-selling novel about a woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who survived a tumultuous and abusive childhood and then raised herself on her own finds herself accused of murder of a man she once knew and she re-tells her story of growing up to her attorney (David Straitharn) who is the only one by her side. Stark cinematography from Polly Morgan and strong performances all around keep you involved but film never gathers much momentum and is never as incisive or powerful as it should have been. Marginally worth watching especially for fans of Owens’ novel. Continue reading →
December 24, 2022 “Assailant” (** out of four) was a subpar suspense thriller about a married couple (Chad Michael Collins and Poppy Delevigne) who vacation to the Carribean in an attempt to salvage their marriage and encounter a drifter (Casper Van Diem) who turns out to be a severely dangerous sociopath who turns against them and hunts them down and they realize they have to stay together to defeat him and survive. Tired potboiler goes in all the familiar and predictable directions you expect although this is an image-altering role for Van Diem who is solid as the villain. Easy to watch but just as simply easy to forget by the end. Continue reading →
December 24, 2022 “The Aviary” (*1/2 out of four) was a nonsensical horror claptrap about two women (Malin Akerman and Lorenza Izzo) who are stranded in the New Mexico desert and start to gradually lose their minds as they realize they are being followed and scrutinized by an insidious cult leader (Chris Messina) whose intentions remain unknown. Good performances by Akerman and Izzo and filmmaking can’t help to make you realize that this is much ado about absolutely nothing. By the end, it seems pointless and arbitrary. Crisp cinematography from Elie Smolkin is an undeniable standout throughout. Continue reading →
December 23, 2022 “Clowns In The Woods” (* out of four) was a lame horror thriller about a disabled young man (Dalton Letta) who is killed in a prank gone wrong and then meets a series of ghostly clowns in the afterlife (Arlowe Price and Greg Lentz) who help him return to life reincarnated to enact revenge on those who killed him. Strictly amateur night in terms of acting and cinematics and you’ll likely find more scares (and laughs) at an Insane Clown Posse concert instead. Speaking of which- maybe it’s about high time they stopped making movies on the novelty of killer clowns. Continue reading →
December 23, 2022 “Ashgrove” (** out of four) was an overly bland and mild suspense melodrama set in the not-too-distant future in which the title scientist (Amanda Brugel) is struggling to find a cure for a worldwide pandemic; frustrated, she retreats to the countryside with her husband (Jonas Chernick) and soon finds that her ability to find the cure hinges on their relationship and whether they stay together or not. Interesting plot elements with obvious allusions to the current world are dissipated by film’s aloofness and cloudy feel. Brugel is solid in the lead; she also co-wrote and co-produced. Continue reading →
December 21, 2022 “The Unkind” (*1/2 out of four) was a wearily derivative horror thriller about various friends (Arianna Monguzi, Kavita Albizatti, Corey T. Stewart, and others) who vacation in Italy and accidentally (yawn) awaken the ancient spirit of a witch at a sealed grave and all Hell subsequently breaks loose. Film is so by-the-numbers and so strewn with cliches that it’s unintentionally funny at times. For anyone who actually stays with the film, film’s lame ending is a real downer. And not to be “unkind” but aside from Monguzi in the lead most performances are terrible. Continue reading →
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