January 26, 2024 “Sunrise” (** out of four) was a maundering, meandering horror melodrama about various animals in a small town that are turning up dead and a creature of the night (Alex Pettyfer) wanders in the midst carving his plans for vengeance against the town preacher (Guy Pearce) who years earlier killed his family. Well-lensed by Ivan Abel and directed with flair and mood by Andrew Baird but story and characters never gel and film remains plodding and pretentious. Pearce chews up the scenery and adds whatever style he can as the main villain. Continue reading →
January 25, 2024 “Woman With The Red Lipstick” (* out of four) was a lame suspense melodrama about a woman and her boyfriend (Rebecca Liddiard and Marshall Williams) who are looking to spice up their relationship so they assume fake names and engage in role-playing for the first time at a bar but she subsequently finds out that the same name she used is the name of a missing person and she begins to for some reason suspect her boyfriend of this. Incredible lapses in logic abound in this clunky and forgettable thriller. Some howlingly bad dialogue and overripe acting turn this into a real laugh riot but unfortunately film isn’t meant as a comedy. Continue reading →
January 25, 2024 “Cult Killer” (*1/2 out of four) was a cold-hearted psychodrama about a protege (Alice Eve) of a renowned private investigator (Antonio Banderas); when he is murdered, she becomes obsessed with finding his killer and this brings her into a dangerous alliance with the killer himself and various other powerful figures in town who don’t want the truth exposes. Eve does what she can with a cardboard role but Banderas is wasted and film doesn’t garner enough suspense or character development to make it involving. Hardly the “cult” movie that its filmmakers had in mind. Continue reading →
January 24, 2024 “Stolen By Their Father” (** out of four) was a dutifully solemn psychodrama about a mother (Sarah Drew) whose ex (Kimonas Kouris) kidnaps her children and takes them to Greece and she tries to take him to court but finds to her shock that neither the law nor the courts are on her side and her ex has all legal rights to do whatever he wants and has to play at his own game to get them back. Earnestly based on a true story and co-written by the main character Lizbeth Meredith but doesn’t have any fresh voltage of surprise and may remind hard-core film viewers too much of Sally Field’s 1990 “Not Without My Daughter.” Continue reading →
January 24, 2024 “Lost Phoenix” (**1/2 out of four) was a scattershot but skillfully done melodrama set in the year 2020 in which an amnesiac (Wan Dral) awakens from a coma and finds the world on the brink of the destruction with the COVID pandemic and rioting and has to piece together his life while various enemies and hitmen (Lesa Cole, James Couche, and others) are chasing him down. Hybrid of elements from “The Bourne Identity” to “Memento” and other sci/fi classics can’t fully transcend its origins but is efficiently made and never stops moving. Originally made as a short film but was later expanded and expounded for feature length. Continue reading →
January 23, 2024 “Dying In Plain Sight” (**1/2 out of four) was an unexpectedly moving melodrama about an overweight high-school outcast (Raffa Virago) who goes through heartbreaking ordeals at school and at home with her mother (Nicola Correia-Damude) as they both try to come to terms with a severe social/medical/personal problem. Many effective moments in a film that is no masterwork but consistently dodges cliche and bathos and is anchored by strong lead performance from Virago. Starts to peter out after a while but is still worthwhile especially for those afflicted by bullying and weight problems. Continue reading →
January 22, 2024 “Spring Lakes” (* out of four) was a suffocating spiritual psychodrama about a young man (James Jaysen Bryan) who goes searching for his missing sister (Samantha Loxley) in the title town of Spring Lakes but soon finds there are strange and supernatural occurrences going on surrounding a satanic cult and his life might be in danger. Lead-handed direction from Ranjeet S. Marwa combined with molasses-moving screenplay make this a real chore to watch. Film also goes on forever at nearly two hours. Based on the 2019 concept film “The Missing” but film itself is missing any fire or dramatic interest. Continue reading →
January 22, 2024 “The Piper” (* out of four) was a turgid, tedious timewaster about a music composer (Charlotte Hope) who is tasked with finishing the concerto of her mentor (Julian Sands) but she soon realizes that playing the melody leads to a series of bizarre and disturbing consequences which lead her to uncover the origins of the music in the first place and how it leads to madness. Insufferably dull for most of its running time and even the ending is a letdown for anyone who sticks it out that far. Daniel Katz’ striking cinematography is film’s sole worthwhile virtue. Continue reading →
January 21, 2024 “Founders Day” (*1/2 out of four) was an uninspired horror thriller about a series of ominous and brutal killings in a small town and how the various townsfolk (Naomi Grace, Devin Druid, William Russ, and others) are shaken up and how virtually everyone becomes a suspect while the bodies keep piling up. Cliche-strewn throwback to ’80’s style horror thrillers is done with lack of conviction and imagination. The type of movie that makes you appreciate “Scream” that much more. Writer/director Bloomquist has a small supporting role but unfortunately there’s not much “finding” here. Continue reading →
January 21, 2024 “The Painter” (** out of four) was a rudimentary action melodrama about a former CIA operative (Charlie Weber) who now lives a peaceful life as a remote painter but a mysterious visitor (Madison Bailey) from his past plunges him right back into mayhem and murder as he is targeted by rogue agents and has to turn back into his former mentor (Jon Voight) for help. Not bad but yet another unnecessary “Bourne” rehash that didn’t need to be told. Great to see Voight as always but he’s wasted in an underwritten supporting role. Continue reading →
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