December 27, 2023 “Carlos” (** out of four) was a superficial documentary on legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana who had some success in the 70’s and was almost completely forgotten about but had his biggest success and a spectacular comeback in the late 90’s. Plenty of interviews both past and current but doesn’t tell you much you likely don’t know. You’d be better off just picking up a copy of Santana’s greatest-hits. Continue reading →
December 26, 2023 “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” (*** out of four) was a propulsive sequel about Aquaman (Jason Momoa) who is forced to team up with his estranged brother (Patrick Wilson) when Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) seeks revenge for his father’s death. Full of psychedelic and colorful effects and plenty of action even if it’s not quite up to the high-level impact of the original. But it never stops moving and keeping you entertained. As usual, there’s some cameos and character references for DC and comic-book fans. Continue reading →
December 26, 2023 “Taeter Burger” (**1/2 out of four) was a grisly and in-your-face Italian futuristic shock thriller set in the year 2161 in which various employees (Ilaria Calosi, Damianno Chioni, Peter Cosgrove, and others) at a human-meat restaurant find themselves under attack from a group of bloodthirsty terrorist mutants. Flashy and full of nonstop gore and guts and deserves points for sheer shock value and sensationalism but doesn’t know when to quit and becomes over-the-top and disgusting at times. Reminiscent in some ways of early-period Peter Jackson (“Bad Taste”, “Dead/Alive”). Not recommended at all as an after-dinner movie! Continue reading →
December 25, 2023 “In Its Wake” (*1/2 out of four) was a shonky suspense thriller about a group of friends (Kenneth Bemister, Michael R. Buchanan, Damien Doepping, and others) who are besieged by a mutant creature on the prowl and they turn to the church to stop it and send it back to Hell where it belongs. Cheesy effects and lame acting and filmmaking sink this pointless drivel. Allegedly inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft but it’s hard to imagine he would want his name on this. Eerie and pretty cinematography from Bryan Piggott is one of film’s few bright spots. Continue reading →
December 25, 2023 “Don’t Suck” (* out of four) was an ironically titled fiasco that “sucks” in almost every way possible about a veteran comedian (Jamie Kennedy a long way from “Scream”) who sees his last chance at stardom with a new comedian (Matt Rife) who has a horrendous and dark secret- he’s an ancient vampire (har har har). One-joke movie that quickly runs out of steam and becomes crude and stupid. Film actually has the temerity to bring up “Interview With The Vampire” as justification for ripping that movie off in a few scenes. “Don’t Watch” would be a better title for this clunker. Continue reading →
December 25, 2023 “Dream Scenario” (*1/2 out of four) was a maundering comic melodrama about a middle-aged college professor (Nicholas Cage) who starts to realize that something is very wrong because everyone keeps telling him they are seeing him in their dreams! Don’t look for more plot than that or much of anything else. Inane and irritating movie could have been a half-hour “Twilight Zone” episode. Hard-core Cage fans (I’m not) might like this better. This somehow received strong praise from many film critics and the Toronto Film Festival but not this FB reviewer. Continue reading →
December 24, 2023 “Loop Track” (*1/2 out of four) was a desultory psychological thriller about a man (Thomas Sainsbury) on the verge of a psychotic breakdown who retreats to the wilderness where he is terrorized by a ravenous creature- or this simply a figment of his imagination? Give writer/director/star Sainsbury credit for trying to tackle psychological and social issues in the framework of a horror story but the result is wan and wandering. Spectacular New Zealand locations are one of film’s only assets. Continue reading →
December 24, 2023 “The Iron Claw” (*** out of four) was a heartfelt biography of the Von Erich brothers (Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White) who were groomed by their stern father (Holt McCallany) and became legends in the intense world of professional wrestling in the 1980’s. Compellingly and compassionately told with uniformly strong performances all around. Starts to lag a little in the midsection but regains its momentum for a strong and sincere finish. Chavo Guerrero (who plays The Sheik) also was film’s wrestling consultant. Continue reading →
December 24, 2023 “Smart Home Killer” (** out of four) was a needless and unnecessary suspense thriller about a single mother (Natalie Brown) and her young daughter (An’wn O’Driscoll) who survive a deadly attack and then move into a so-called smart home with multiple security cameras but they soon realize that they are not fully safe and someone is watching them and still planning on killing them. Glamorously shot and lit by David Perrault and efficiently directed and made but ridiculously obvious and predictable. Title is somewhat ironic since anyone who has seen a thriller and is “smart” will be miles ahead of this. Continue reading →
December 23, 2023 “Rebel Moon: Part One- A Child Of Fire” (*1/2 out of four) was a colossally derivative sci/fi extravaganza set on the edge of a distant moon in which a mysterious stranger (Sofia Boutella) and a former general (Djimon Hounsou) lead a rallying war against the Motherworld (Fra Fee, Ed Skrein, and others) who positioned themselves as a tyrannical ruling force. Director Zack Snyder throws in probably every sci/fi element he (and you) could probably think of from spare parts of endless movies but the film this will likely remind you of most is David Lynch’s “Dune” and not in a good way. Lots of extravagant effects for sci/fi geeks and Snyder die-hards but it’s all pretty joyless and empty. Continue reading →
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