May 4, 2023 “Sound Of Silence” (*1/2 out of four) was a hackneyed horror show about a radio host (Penelope Sangiorgi) who discovers a cursed radio that is endangering the welfare of her and her family and threatens her sanity as she begins to enter into a delirious stage of terror. Boring story turns into one more ripoff of “The Shining” and has about as much shivers and scares as Woody Allen’s “Radio Days.” Incredibly, three directors are credited for this trifling film. Sometimes, “silence” truly isn’t golden. Continue reading →
May 4, 2023 “Beautiful Disaster” (** out of four) was a hokey romantic melodrama about a college freshman (Virginia Gardner) trying to distance herself from her past but soon starts to fall for a bad boy (Dylan Sprouse) from the wrong side of the tracks and they have to work on overcoming their differences and backgrounds from each other. Neither beautiful nor a disaster- film is simply a precious and predictable love story although well-directed by Roger Kumble. First in the series of Jamie McGuire’s “Beautiful” book series. Continue reading →
May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 “Hidden Murder Island” (*1/2 out of four) was a subpar suspense thriller about two women (Andrea Borgart and Allie Forsberg) who are brutally assaulted while camping; only one makes it out alive and she subsequently attempts to uncover what really happened and who the attacker was. Inspired by true events but still rings all false and is unconvincing, despite decent performances. Director Damian Romay attempts to incorporate elements of PTSD and overall trauma but it’s more exploitative than explorative. Continue reading →
May 1, 2023 “Assassin Club” (**1/2 out of four) was a stylishly done action melodrama about a world-weary assassin (Henry Golding) who is hired by his mentor (Sam Neill) to kill 7 different people but subsequently finds that these 7 people are also assassins who have been hired to kill him and they all have to outsmart one another in a chase around the world to the death. Good of its kind, with moody direction from Camille Dellamarre and sharp dialogue from Thomas Dunn and strong intrigue although it lags a little in its second half when film ought to be peaking. Neill is excellent as usual; Noomi Rapace is wasted as a mysterious female underworld figure. Continue reading →
May 1, 2023 “Snag” (**1/2 out of four) was an over-the-top but somewhat entertaining action comedy about a young man (Ben Milliken) who is dismayed when the woman (Sofía Castro) he thought was dead is still alive and is being held captive and he has to risk all by taking on the savage underworld to save her life and get her back. Star Milliken also co-wrote and directed with style, flair, and bounce but a little of this goes a long way, as film starts to wear thin after a while. Still better than most other direct-to-DVD ilk and worth watching even as film hits a few “snags” of its own along the way. Continue reading →
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