August 19, 2023 “Sanctified” (** out of four) was an earthbound Western set in 1890’s North Dakota in which an outlaw (Daniel Bielinski) is rescued from death and nursed back to health by a nun (Tiffany Cornwell) and they strike an unlikely relationship as they guide each other to salvation and a church in the heart of the badlands. Scattered moments of emotional power and resonance and good performances from the 2 leads are offset by film’s meandering nature and sluggish pace. Far better than many other neo-Westerns over the last decade but far from the leagues of Peckinpah, Leone, and even Walter Hill. Continue reading →
August 18, 2023 “Heart Of Stone” (*** out of four) was a rock-solid espionage thriller about an intelligence operative (Gal Gadot) for an international peacekeeping company who has to battle internal sabotaging at her own agency and other duplicity to race against time and stop a lethal hacker (Jamie Dornan) from accessing weapons that could lead to worldwide destruction. Crackling thriller in the vein of the “Bourne” series hardly stops to take a breath and never stops moving. Film has some obvious story and character flaws but are more than compensated by film’s action and Gadot who is first-rate as usual. Continue reading →
August 18, 2023 “Back To The Drive-In” (** out of four) was an affectionate but minor documentary about the rise and fall of drive-ins in America and how they began making a semi-comeback in the wake of the pandemic but how keeping many drive-ins alive and open has been a struggle and film focuses on one such family in particular and the ongoing difficulties they have in a declining economy and competition with local multiplexes. Interesting at times especially for those who love drive-ins but never really all that revelatory and explorative as it should have been. 2017’s “At The Drive In” focused on similar themes and issues with drive-ins. Continue reading →
August 18, 2023 “Reminiscing Shadows” (** out of four) was a fast-paced but uninspired urban action melodrama about a series of brutal homicides that is gripping the entire country and a pair of rugged homicide detectives (Toy Cook and Nina Holley) who are assigned to take them down at all costs. Not bad and told with some style by writer/director Jason Martin but is never able to rise up past the routine. Watchable and has a compact running time of about 75 minutes but still something you’ve seen hundreds of times before by now. Continue reading →
August 11, 2023 “What Remains” (* out of four) was a static character melodrama about a small-town pastor (Cress Williams) who has to challenge his own feelings of forgiveness when the convict (Kellan Lutz) whp murdered his wife is released on parole; meanwhile the town sheriff (Anne Heche) investigates another murder that may or may not be related. Heavy-handed dramatics and molasses-moving script and direction render this nearly unendurable; Williams’ strong performance is wasted. Heche is wasted in one of her final film roles. Continue reading →
August 10, 2023 “Cobweb” (** out of four) was a moldy collection of horror cliches about an 8-year old (Woody Norman) who starts hearing voices from within the walls of his house which unearth the sinister truth behind the facade of his picture-perfect parents (Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr) and perilous secrets they may be hiding. Yet another “Sixth Sense”/”Shining”/”Sinister” knockoff about a possessed child and paranormal activity but marginally better than others in the genre due to good acting and proficient filmmaking. Film is actually based on the Edgar Allen Poe short story “The Telltale Heart.” Continue reading →
August 10, 2023 “Hitmen” (* out four) was a thuddingly awful action thriller that fires all blanks about a billionaire CEO (Eric Roberts) who seeks vengeance over the murder of his grandson and attracts a group of competing international hitmen (Charles Rawes, Vas Blackwood, and others) all bloodthirsty and vying for the job. Joyless movie made my filmmakers who spent too much time watching Michael Mann, Quentin Tarantino, and The Coen Bros growing up. Roberts walks through yet another easy-paycheck role. Continue reading →
August 9, 2023 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (*** out of four) was a lively animated action adventure about the Turtles (voices of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon) who team up with April O’Neill (voice of Ayo Edebiri) to save NYC from an army of mutants (voiced by Seth Rogen, John Cena, and others) on the rise. Far from groundbreaking in terms of its story or animation but is fast-paced and entertaining and packed with great soundtrack selections. Film includes several homages to previous “Turtles” films, including snippets of (yes) Vanilla Ice’s “Ninja Rap” in one scene. Continue reading →
August 9, 2023 “Mob Land” (*1/2 out of four) was an enervated small-town crime melodrama about a cynical sheriff (John Travolta) who tries to keep the peace when a family man (Jake Arzola) and his brother-in-law (Kevin Dillon) plot a criminal act which alerts the attention of a violent enforcer (Stephen Dorff) from the New Orleans mafia and a bloodbath and crossfire ensues. Hungover mixture of elements from the Coen Bros. and also the similarly titled “Cop Land”; Dorff stands out as usual but most of the other cast are completely wasted. Continue reading →
August 9, 2023 “Subspecies V: Bloodrise” (*1/2 out of four) was a junky horror thriller which should win an award for most unnecessary sequel of the year; in ancient times, the creature Radu (Anders Hove) is stolen by crusaders on the night of his birth and has no knowledge of his bloodline and is trained by a brotherhood of murderous monks to reclaim the holy relic of The Bloodstone which leads him to trying to find his true origins and place in the world. Fifth entry in this series is inexplicably the first entry in over 25 years and is allegedly a prequel to the original but it’s full of shoddy effects and sets and is for hard-core fans of the series ONLY (whoever those are). Continue reading →
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