February 3, 2023 “Left Behind 2: Rise Of The Antichrist” (** out of four) was a blah sequel to the 2014 cult religious melodrama about the continuing interpersonal drama of main character Rayford Steele (Kevin Sorbo who also directed) who begins to realize that the rapture is now and as the world falls into chaos- a new messiah (Neal McDonough) promises new world order but that might actually spell the beginning of the apocalypse. Or something like that. Fifth film version of Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’ novels is typically hokey and solemn religious psychobabble with murky plot strands going in all directions. Hard-core religious fanatics and fans of the series may want to check this out but others should leave this one behind and watch the underrated 2014 film version instead. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “The Price Of Perfection” (** out of four) was a far-from-perfect suspense melodrama about a recently widowed event planner (Christy Bruce) who discovers that her daughter (Keara Graves) has been abusing her brother’s (Cameron Brodeur) ADHD medication and has been leading a double life and she has to uncover everything to bring her back from the brink and save both of their lives before it is too late. Interesting themes of teen alienation and drug use are exploitatively infused into a routine and predictable thriller framework. Bruce and Graves give credible performances but this is hardly worth the “price” of a ticket or Redbox rental. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “The Devil Below” (*1/2 out of four) was a wearily derivative horror thriller about several explorer friends (Alicia Sanz, Adam Canto, and others) who venture into the Appalachian mountains to uncover the reason for a series of coal fires but instead find (yawn) an ancient creature intent on killing them and all of mankind. Hard to believe the same story could be re-told in at least 3 horror movies released in the same week but seeing is unfortunately believing. Also hard to believe this was made by much of the same crew who made 2012’s “The Chernobyl Diaries” which was stylish and scary but this one is a long-winded bore. Will Patton is wasted in a minor throwaway role. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “Carnifex” (*1/2 out of four) was an unbearably dull horror thriller set in the Australian outback in which a documentarian (Alexandra Park) and 2 environmentalists (Harry Greenwood and Brendan Rock) venture into the woods to rescue animals displaced by a brushfire but are mauled and attacked by a new breed of terror unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Made in conjunction with a video-game of the same name released simultaneously; hopefully the game is more exciting than anything in this feature film. Even the Australian scenery is drably filmed. Directorial debut for noted editor Sean Lahiff whose “Wolf Creek” movies had more scares and verve in their opening scenes than this entire movie. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “Battle For Pandora” (*1/2 out of four) was a shoddy action adventure about a U.S. space force who hears a help signal from a distant planet and sends a rescue team (Tom Sizemore, Natalie Storrs, Mark Ricketson, and others) to Pandora but soon find that there is a highly evolved humanoid species that wants to overtake them and return to Earth and plot mass destruction. You might think with that title that this would be a cheap knockoff of “Avatar” but you’d be wrong since instead it’s an even-worse knockoff of “Aliens” and also “The Abyss” (also by James Cameron). Cheap and sludgy visual effects abound in this one. For anyone who ever wanted to see Sizemore in a mohawk, your day has come but this won’t do much else in his “battle” to save his career. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “Trepedity” (* out of four) was disposable junk about five girls (Paige Bourne, Magdalena Conway, Ashley Hefner, and others) who have a night of partying in a deserted barn and end up (ho-hum) unleashing the spirit of a violent demon which is able to jump from body to body and realize that only the strong will be able to survive. Another low-budget effort that seems as if it were shot and made by someone with their cruddy cell-phone. Film has buckets of blood for those who want it but not much else in the way of coherence or any originality. Hefner also co-directed. Continue reading →
February 2, 2023 “The Winter Witch” (** out of four) was a lumbering horror psychodrama about a woman (Rose Hakki) who returns to her ancestral home and finds that several children have been slaughtered in the nearby woodland and suspects that a notorious winter witch may be responsible and teams up with her daughter (Evie Hughes) and her estranged grandmother (Rula Lenska) to put a stop to the witch’s murderous domination once and for all. Gorgeously shot by David Graham but story dawdles and never gathers much momentum or intrigue. A disappointment from director Richard John Taylor whose last outing “The Krays: Dead Man Walking” was much more fierce and exciting. Continue reading →
February 1, 2023 “Waking Karma” (* out of four) was a miserable timewaster that won’t keep many awake about a high-school girl named Karma (Hannah Christine Shetler) whose estranged cultist father (Michael Madsen) appears out of the woodwork to torment her and her mother (Kimberly Alexander) and they have to band together to turn the tables on him and survive. Madsen sleepwalks his way through yet another pitiful waste of his talent. It’s sad that 30 years ago he starred in “Reservoir Dogs” but now plays in nothing but dogs anymore. Continue reading →
February 1, 2023 “Those Who Call” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster horror thriller about two sisters (Yetlanezi Rodriguez and Angie Sandoval) whose car breaks down in a redneck Texas town (are there any other kind in movies like these?) and they find themselves under attack from a sadistic and bloody pagan cult. Drably done horror story was allegedly inspired by a Cuban folklore story but is a pileup of stale cliches reheated from “Deliverance” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Hang up on this wrong number. Continue reading →
February 1, 2023 “Friday The 13th Vengeance 2: Bloodlines” (**1/2 out of four) was an overall proficient spin-off of the classic horror series which is a direct sequel to “Friday The 13th VI: Jason Lives” about Jason Voorhees’ father (C.J. Graham) who resurrects his son (Jason Brooks who also directed) to finish off the Jarvis family once and for all and slaughter lots more teens but things get awry when Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews) shows back up leading to a final showdown to the death. Crudely done from the outset with some mangy opening scenes but once it gets going- it does deliver more than its quota of gore and creative kills for series fans. Many kudos also for hardcore “Friday” followers, such as the return of Matthews and Graham (who played Jason in “Jason Lives”), the return of Darcy Demoss also from part VI, and the return of Harry Manfredini’s now-classic score! Continue reading →
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