May 26, 2023 “Influencer” (** out of four) was a beautifully shot but empty suspense thriller about a social media blogger (Emily Tennant) who goes on a backpacking trip through Thailand and meets a young woman (Cassandra Naud) who is a carefree and free-spirit and they embark on their trip together and develop a bond but she soon realizes that this other woman has developed a fixation on her that soon might turn fatal. Well-directed by Kurtis David Harder and relatively well-acted but can’t overcome film’s thuddingly obvious and predictable screenplay also co-written by Harder. David Schuurman’s vibrant cinematography on authentic Thailand locales is an undeniable standout but the film won’t likely develop much of an “influence” of its own. Continue reading →
May 26, 2023 “Fangs Out” (* out of four) was a toothless horror comedy about a group of vain college students (Angel Juarez, Marlene McCohen, Heidi Hemlock, and others) who go to Mexico for some cheap plastic surgery and meet Dr. Pavor (Samuel Code) who is actually a vampire who wants to harvest them to the death; meanwhile a hard-nosed detective (Randy Oppenheimer) shows up looking for his lost daughter causing things to really get ugly beneath the border. Loaded with dumb dialogue and overripe acting that turn into a real (unintentional) laff riot at times but you’ll likely be satisfied after about 10 minutes. Director Dennis Devine seems to be trying for a twisted and macabre style in the vein of “From Dusk Till Dawn” or early-period Tim Burton but unfortunately this just sucks Continue reading →
May 26, 2023 “Motion Detected” (*1/2 out of four) was a tawdry suspense psychodrama about a woman (Katelyn McMullen) who is the victim of a recent terrifying home invasion and moves to a safer house but subsequently finds that the home-security system she has which initially gave her a sense of safety and security is taking over her sanity and thus her life. Ridiculous story is a rip-off of 1965’s “Repulsion” and turns out to be a lot of supernatural and spiritual hooey. McMullen founders in a very difficult role. Continue reading →
May 26, 2023 “Fast X” (** out of four) was a noisy, overcrowded entry in this blockbuster series about the car-racing gang (Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, and the rest) being targeted by the ruthless son (Jason Momoa) of crime kingpin Herman Reyes (Joaquin de Almeida) and it leads to lots of (you guessed it) high-speed chases and car crashes. Series is starting to run on exhaust fumes by now, with even Vin Diesel looking bored and Momoa a cartoonish and silly villain. Other series regulars (Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster) show up sporadically for obligatory appearances. Some spectacular action scenes to be sure for series fans but this still bears the mark of a series well past its prime. Continue reading →
May 25, 2023 “Homestead” (*1/2 out of four) was a limp pile of Western cliches about a family (Brian Krause, Jamie Bernadette, Cavan Tonascia) who are taken hostage by a ruthless gang of outlaws (Dallas Page, Mike Ferguson, and others) and it’s up to their sharp-shooting 12-year old daughter (Betsy Sligh) to thwart them and save the day. Pretty bland collection of story threads from “True Grit” to “Home Alone” but that probably makes this sound more entertaining than it really is. Continue reading →
May 25, 2023 “Hypnotic” (**1/2 out of four) was a stylish but unsatisfying sci/fi futuristic thriller in which a world-weary detective (Ben Affleck) investigates the disappearance of his daughter and finds this leads to a secret governmental program in which he finds his illusions of reality are turned inside and out. Director Robert Rodriguez directs with his usual high-trash flair but hard-core sci/fi fans may find this overly derivative of such similar futuristic thrillers “Inception”, “The Matrix”, and oh yeah “Blade Runner.” After a while, even Affleck seems to be going through the motions and showing you shades of earlier performances. Continue reading →
May 21, 2023 “Come Out Fighting” (** out of four) was an overly hokey and melodramatic historical melodrama set during WWII when a specialized squadron of African-American soldiers (Michael Jai White, Tyrese Gibson, Vicellous Shannon, and others) are given orders by their platoon leader (Dolph Lundgren) to go on a rescue mission behind enemy lines which goes awry and they have to unite as one to stay alive. Superficial examination of the war and the various personal conflicts soldiers went through but made endurable by sincere performances, particularly Jai White. About on-par with writer/director Steven Luke’s previous historical war dramas. Continue reading →
May 21, 2023 “White Men Can’t Jump” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable remake of the 1992 classic about two basketball players (Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls) who team up to start hustling locally and in big-league tournaments to earn extra cash but have to overcome their differences, both on and off the court, to be a winning team. Director Calmatic infuses this with enough bounce and fizz to make it overall worthwhile, even if it’s not a slam-dunk like the original. Both Walls and Harlow are likeable enough but Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and (especially) Rosie Perez are sorely missed at times. Continue reading →
May 21, 2023 “Black Lotus” (** out of four) was a thoroughly derivative action thriller about (yawn) an ex-Special Forces agent (Rico Verhoeven) who has to come out of retirement to rescue his friend’s daughter in Amsterdam when she is kidnapped and held hostage by the local crime syndicate (led by Frank Grillo). Allegedly inspired by 2004’s “Man On Fire” and features homages to the cult classic “Amsterdammed” but it’s all by-the-numbers and basic. Verhoeven (who also produced) shows some charisma in his first starring role; Grillo sneers through his umpteenth role as an underworld sleaze. He himself played the lead in the similarly plotted “Little Dixie” recently. Continue reading →
May 20, 2023 “Mercy” (** out of four) was a fair “Die Hard”/”Bourne Identity”/”Taken” knockoff about the Irish mafia (led by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Jon Voight) who seize control of a hospital but don’t count on a former military woman (Leah Gibson) who works there as a doctor attempting to thwart them in a skilled battle to the death. If you ever wanted to see Voight with a strained Irish accent, now’s your chance but otherwise there’s not much else here for originality; Rhys-Meyers can play this role in his sleep by now. Hardly the worst of its genre but overall uninspired. Continue reading →
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