May 8, 2023 “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” (*** out of four) was a colorful third entry in this blockbuster Marvel series about Starlord (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the guardians (Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and others) who find themselves under attack from a powerful artificial being (Will Poulter) and trying to scramble to save the life of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) when he is badly injured. Overstuffed and a little overlong to be sure but features enough action and superior visual effects (and cool soundtrack selections) to make it worthwhile for Marvel and action fans. About on par with the first two in the series. Like with all Marvel movies, be sure to stay with it through the credits. Continue reading →
May 8, 2023 “I’ll Be Watching” (** out of four) was a mostly ineffectual psychodrama about a housewife (Eliza Taylor) whose husband (Bob Morley) goes away on business leaving her alone in their large isolated house as she starts mentally unraveling and being consumed by her overwhelming paranoia and fears. Are these worries genuine or are they all in her head? Pretty thin storyline attempts to incorporate elements of PTSD, mental health, and paranoia but results are mild at best. Both Taylor and Morley are actually married in real life; hopefully their future endeavors together will be more worth “watching.” Continue reading →
May 7, 2023 “Simulant” (** out of four) was a wholly derivative sci/fi suspense thriller set in yet another dystopian future in which a humanoid (Robbie Amell) enlists the services of a global hacker (Jordana Brewster) to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities but this triggers an A.I. uprising and the rise of the machines against man. Slickly done and certainly watchable but is a pile of leftover ideas borrowed from other much better films. By this point, there may not be much more for films about the future that they haven’t already done in the past. Continue reading →
May 7, 2023 “One Ranger” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden action melodrama about a Texas ranger (Thomas Jane) who is recruited by the C.I.A. (led by John Malkovich) to stop an international terrorist (Nick Moran) from wreaking havoc on London. Drably told story makes you yearn for the golden touch of Sam Peckinpah or even Walter Hill. Heavy on tongue-in-cheek attitude but everything else about it is heavy as well, including Jane’s overbaked accent. Malkovich is wasted in yet another easy paycheck role. Continue reading →
May 6, 2023 “Spring Break Nightmare” (*1/2 out of four) was an empty, cliche-ridden potboiler about a professional surfer (Kalen Bull) who shows up to a vacation spot with her friends (Kristi Murdock, Grace Patterson, and others) and soon realizes that she has been set up for kidnapping to pay off a gambling debt. Film covers the bases that you have seen in countless other spring break/vacation thrillers (such as “Spring Breakers”) without much conviction or flair. Ryan Brown’s pretty cinematography is one of film’s few highlights. Continue reading →
May 6, 2023 “Don’t Sell My Baby” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired suspense thriller about a bratty high-school girl (Devin Cecchetto) who finds herself pregnant by the school’s star quarterback (Thomas Vallieres); she stubbornly refuses to have an abortion or put her child up for adoption but then subsequently disappears and others worry she may have been taken captive in order for her and her child to be exploited. Director Roxanne Boisvert directs with a smooth and professional sheen but can’t overcome the ridiculous script and story and Cecchetto’s unlikeable character. Also known as “Danger Rocks The Cradle” but “Don’t Watch” would be a more apt title. Continue reading →
May 6, 2023 “Stay Calm” (* out of four) was an incredibly pointless comedy melodrama about the minister of culture in Italy (Billy Zane) who is starting to feel unpopular and needs to revive his career and spends a weekend with his lover (Samantha Michela Capitoni) and they both brainstorm various ideas that will either re-surge or doom him. This goes nowhere slowly for nearly an hour-and-a-half but feels much longer. Zane tries to give this a boost with his affable likeability but it’s clunkers like this that have made his career “stay” at the direct-to-DVD/Redbox level. Continue reading →
May 6, 2023 “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story Of The Once And Future Heavyweight Champion Of The World” (** out of four) was a superficial biography of legendary boxing champion George Foreman (Khris Davis) from his impoverished childhood to his eventual taking to boxing to becoming a multimillionaire champion to his losing everything and his gradual attempts to regain his championship and his winning fire in life. Too much of film (especially final third) feels truncated, as is the case with many film biographies, but far too much time is spent on his religious and church and family works and it only peripherally covers the anger and rage and hurt that lurked underneath his demeanor. And what about his later-career as a successful businessman on ads and with the George Foreman Grill? One of the rare Hollywood biopics that could have been longer and likely would have had more sting and more punch. Continue reading →
May 5, 2023 “Repeater” (**1/2 out of four) was a diverting action thriller about an international hitman (Paul Sidhu) who goes on a botched job to Colombia and tries to redeem himself by taking on a high-stakes contract but soon realizes he may be in over his head with a multitude of assassins and underworld characters (Corbin Bernsen, Kristanna Lokken, Nick Moran, and others) to contend with. Good of its kind with lots of martial arts and gunplay and intrigue to keep things lively; story and script can’t live up to much scrutiny but that’s not much of a surprise for this genre. Continue reading →
May 5, 2023 “Faye” (* out of four) was an almost unendurable horror psychodrama about a successful personal growth author (Sarah Zannotti) struggling with the recent death of her husband and retreats to a cabin on the bayou where she finds herself unraveling personally and psychologically; the rest of the film alternates between her babbling and talking to herself and alternately talking directly to the audience. Why does this person think we like or even care about her? Her mom is played by character actress Kd Amond who also wrote, directed, co-produced, and edited and bears most of the blame for this bewildering movie. Continue reading →
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