August 9, 2023 “Alien Invasion” (** out of four) was an obvious horror thriller about a group of friends (Sarah T. Cohen, May Kelly, and Amber Doig-Thorne) who are at a vacation home and find a large egg of which they later find blossoms into a full-grown alien which threatens them all and threatens worldwide destruction. Result is such a blatant imitation of “Alien” and “Alien Nation” (right down to its title nonetheless and also opening credits) that you have to give filmmakers credit for their audacity but having said that- it’s relatively well-made on a low budget and has some decent acting. Hardly the worst or best of its genre but still remains watchable. Continue reading →
August 9, 2023 “Rub” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy melodrama about a nebbish (Micah Spayer) who visits a massage parlor and meets a woman (Jennifer Figureo) who he sleeps with which changes both their lives in ways they could not have imagined. Both Spayer and Figureo are sincere and solid but this sordid and jaded story is really tough to take. Filmed partially in upstate NY in Brewster and Peekskill but will likely “rub” even upstate NYers the wrong way. Continue reading →
August 9, 2023 “Sons Of Summer” (** out of four) was a totally predictable melodrama about a group of surfer boys (Christopher Pate, Joe Davidson, Jonathan Weir) who go on a surfing safari to honor the memory of one of the deceased former members of the group which soon turns deadly. Film offers some pretty scenery and surfing footage but “The Endless Summer” this is not (nor “Back To The Beach”). Of interest mostly to film fans for the supporting role of “Once Were Warriors” robust actor Temeura Morrison but he’s mostly wasted here. Continue reading →
August 8, 2023 “Til Death To Us Part” (* out of four) was an incoherent jumble about a woman (Natalie Burn) who decides to bail on her wedding and has to thwart her angry fiance (Jason Patric) and his various killer groomsmen (Cam Gigandet, Orlando Jones, Pancho Moler, and others) to survive the night when they all are out for her blood. Viewers will likely find it equally as hard, if not worse, to survive the film. Film strains to be stylish and hip in the vein of early Tarantino/Coen Bros but is muddled and stupid. It’s films like this that unfortunately led to the careers of Gigandet and Patric having a quick “death.” Continue reading →
August 7, 2023 “Island Escape” (** out of four) was a jaded horror potboiler set on the island of Gran Manan in which a group of mercenaries (Chris Cimperman, Grant Schumacher, Michael L. Parker, and others) are hired by a ruthless millionaire (William Champion) to rescue his daughter (Ariella Mastroiani) but soon realized that the island is on a time loop which resets every 3 days and they are also besieged by evil and otherworldly forces. Fast-moving enough to be watchable but film is only made for those who never saw “Night Of The Living Dead” (or its remakes) or “World War Z.” By this point, the post-apocalyptic/zombie genre needs its own infusion of fresh blood and ideas. Continue reading →
August 7, 2023 “The Collective” (** out of four) was an overly routine action potboiler about a young kid (Lucas Till) who is recruited to join a dangerous group of underworld assassins (Don Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ruby Rose) but ends up going rogue after his first assignment to stop a dangerous group of human traffickers and finds them and his initial team out to kill him. Film’s title is sadly appropriate since film is simply a collection of other and better movie ideas and premises, especially “The Bourne Identity” if you couldn’t guess. Johnson adds some style as the kid’s grizzled mentor but even he played this role better decades earlier in “Miami Vice.” Continue reading →
August 6, 2023 “Spirit Of Fear” (* out of four) was a spiritless bore about a man (Christopher Lee Page) who awakens in an empty house with no memories and blood all over his arm and has to piece together memories of who he is and what transpired and how he got there. Page is almost the whole show and forced to carry the film single-handedly but film is a jigsaw puzzle you just don’t care enough to put together. Yet another pale imitation of “Memento” but viewers likely won’t have any memories of this trifle soon after it’s over. Continue reading →
August 6, 2023 “To Kill A Stepfather” (** out of four) was a trite suspense thriller about a determined defense attorney (Alex Camacho) who returns home to find that her estranged mother (Elyse Mirto) is on trial for murdering her stepfather and she is tasked with defending her but is her mother being framed for this or is she really guilty? Intriguing storyline of a murder mystery involving a court case along with family ties is hindered by pedestrian script and direction. Similar storyline was previously covered in “Dolores Claiborne” and “The Chamber.” Continue reading →
August 6, 2023 “What Comes Around” (** out of four) was an emotionally obtuse melodrama about a young girl (Grace Van Dien) who begins a relationship with an older man (Kyle Gallner) but they both realize that they have more issues than they initially thought which makes their relationship tough to get a handle on. Some good acting is overshadowed by film’s muddled screenplay and hollow dramatics which mute film’s impact. Director Amy Redford shows some nice touches but this was all-too-obviously adapted from a stage play “The Thing With Feathers” by Scott Organ. Continue reading →
August 5, 2023 “Evil Tapes” (* out of four) was a jarringly awful anthology horror film composed of yet another series of “found footage” involving various people (Jess Adams, John Alan, Robert R. Bell and others) and the numerous terrors they encounter in a creepy small town. No coherence or plot and no point to any of this; it’s movies like these that really make you regret that “The Blair Witch Project” was such a hit. This is one “tape” you’ll likely want to erase and soon. Continue reading →
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