July 31, 2023 “Haunted Mansion” (** out of four) was a thinly conceived horror comedy about a single mom (Rosario Dawson) who hires a variety of religious and spiritual folks (Danny Devito, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, and others) to exorcise her new mansion when she finds it’s inhabited by ghosts. Lots of expensive effects but little story or wonder (or laughs) to hang them on. Game cast helps to try to keep it watchable but film itself is “haunted” by the memories of the similar (and better) “Casper” and “Ghostbusters.” Continue reading →
July 30, 2023 “Beware The Night Nurse” (*1/2 out of four) was a stultifying pile of used thriller cliches about a family (Bryce Jones and Vittoria Setta) who hire a nurse (Maeve Quinlan) to attend to their child but soon realize that she is a sociopathic sicko who wants the child for herself. Hard to believe almost the same story could be recycled by 2 separate movies in the same week but seeing is unfortunately believing. Some scenes here may actually remind you of William Friedkin’s “The Guardian”! Continue reading →
July 30, 2023 “Devious Deeds” (*1/2 out of four) was a deviously dull thriller about a nanny (Valentina Andrade) who is hired by a wealthy family (Dawn Nagazina and D. Adam Jamieson) to care for their child but soon comes to realize there is something sinister and vindictive underneath their friendly veneer. Yet another by-the-numbers thriller made for those who’ve never seen a thriller or are desperate to watch anything in Redbox. Originally titled “Don’t Kill The Babysitter” but probably should have been titled “Don’t Bother” instead. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “Sympathy For The Devil” (* out of four) was a grating misfire about a mysterious passenger (Nicholas Cage) who holds up a driver (Joel Kinnaman) at gunpoint and forces him to drive him around to a destination unknown and the driver has to find a way to physically and psychologically turn the tables on him and survive. In-your-face and irritating performance from Cage harks back to his earlier works (“Vampire’s Kiss”, “Peggy Sue Got Married”) and Kinnaman is blank and bland. Tough going all the way. For a far better execution of the same story, watch Michael Mann’s “Collateral” instead. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “The Unseen” (*1/2 out of four) was a vapid horror thriller about a law student (RJ Mitte) with significant medical and mental health issues who finds himself mired in a web of deceit and murder brought on by a dark force from his past that he needs to bury once and for all before it destroys his future. Earnestly directed but overall pretty plodding and dull. Mitte is good in a difficult role but this one will deservedly be “unseen” by most moviegoers. No relation to the same-titled film which was only released last month. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “Mother, May I?” (*1/2 out of four) was a misbegotten suspense thriller about a woman (Holland Roden) who starts behaving erratically like the deceased mother of her fiancee (Kyle Gallner) which incurs him to realize that she may need the strengthening of an exorcism to expunge her spiritual demons and send them back to Hell. Yet another recycled amount of claptrap hooey from “The Exorcist”, “Paranormal Activity”, and too many others. Good for some unintentional laughs but not much else. Time for this genre to go back to Hell once and for all where it belongs. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “Splinter” (** out of four) was a half-hearted psychological melodrama about a recluse (Bill Fellows) who retreats from the rest of the world after the murder of his wife and son into his large house but soon becomes convinced that someone in there is watching him. Is he losing his mind or are these delusions based on reality? Strong lead performance from Fellows and some undeniably poignant moments are stifled by film’s overall tedium and meandering pace. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “Limbo” (** out of four) was a muted mystery melodrama about a burned-out detective (Simon Baker) who arrives in the title town to investigate and re-open the case of a murdered girl 20 years ago and finds that various new truths and identities begin to unveil themselves and he has to battle his own psychological demons while trying to solve the case once and for all. Moody black-and-white cinematography by director Ivan Sen is a highlight but is only window-dressing for what is otherwise a plodding and routine story. Baker is sold in the lead but is drowned out by film’s solemnity and torpor. Continue reading →
July 29, 2023 “Hidden Strike” (**1/2 out of four) was a mindless but entertaining action comedy about 2 ex-Special Ops soldiers (John Cena and Jackie Chan) who have to team up to escort a group of civilians among a dangerous terrain in Baghdad to a green zone and safe house but encounter treachery and tumultuous gunfire nonstop along the way. Fast-paced movie is buoyed by the chemistry between the 2 stars and plenty of nonstop action which help you overlook film’s weaknesses in script and story. Incidentally, this is not a part of Chan’s “Police Strike” series despite its title. Continue reading →
July 27, 2023 “Fear The Night” (** out of four) was an almost completely routine suspense potboiler about a former war veteran (Maggie Q) who goes away on her sister’s bachelorette party and has to utilize all her former combat skills to strike back when a group of hillbilly rednecks (Phillip Burke, James Carpinello, and others) threaten their lives. Good production values and decent acting can’t make us forget that we’ve seen this same storyline in “Wrong Turn”, “Mother’s Day”, and (oh yeah) “Deliverance.” By this point, there’s just not much that suspense or “fear” in rehasing the same storyline anymore. Continue reading →
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