March 26, 2024 “My Acting Coach Nightmare” (*1/2 out of four) was an anemic suspense thriller about a teenager (Neela Jolene) who comes under the tutelage and treachery of an acting teacher (Cameron Jebo) which causes numerous problems in her personal life and in her relationship with her hard-working mom (Samaire Armstrong). Title is appropriate since most of the cast in this movie could benefit from acting coaches of their own and for that matter the writer and director could have used film-school coaches. Strictly for those who are desperate to watch anything on Netflix. Continue reading →
March 26, 2024 “Bodyguard Seduction” (*1/2 out of four) was an utterly generic romantic thriller about a wealthy businesswoman (Jessica Morris) who hires a bodyguard (Ross Jirgl) after numerous attempts on her life that she falls in love with but can he be trusted? Or is he behind a conspiracy to overtake her life? Almost completely ineffectual and free of suspense and seems to have come off an endless assembly line. Multiple twists and turns will likely give you multiple headaches. Continue reading →
March 25, 2024 “Road House” (**1/2 out of four) was a fast-paced if uninspired remake of the 1989 cult classic about an ex-UFC fighter (Jake Gylenhaal) who is hired to clean up at a hellhole club in the Florida Keys but finds that he is up against ruthless mobsters (Billy Magnussen and Conor McGregor) who will stop at nothing to destroy the place and send him home. Packed with hand-to-hand combat and violent fistfights but lacking the wit and character development that were key sparks for the original. Gylenhaal tries but is miscast in the lead and McGregor is an overacting cartoon as the main villain. Continue reading →
March 25, 2024 “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (**1/2 out of four) was a good-natured if uneven sequel about an ancient artifact that unleashes an evil force in NYC and it’s up to the ghostbusters, both present (Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, and others) and past (Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, Ernie Hudson) to save the day and prevent the forming of a new Ice Age that could overtake all of the city and Earth. Initially plodding and predictable but starts to get going more in its second-half and leads to a spectacular special-effects blowout that will likely send you out with a smile. A definite improvement on the previous “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” but this still bears the mark of going to the nostalgia well once too often. William Atherton and Annie Potts amusingly return in supporting roles. Continue reading →
March 25, 2024 “Prey” (*1/2 out of four) was an earthbound melodrama about a missionary husband and wife (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) who go on a trip with a pilot (Emile Hirsch) and other friends but their plane crashlands in the Kalahari Desert forcing them all to put their survival skills to the breaking point. Airplane-crash scene is literally the only thrilling scene in entire film and the rest is muted and inert. Phillippe and Suvari are severely wasted; their fans can only “pray” they start to receive better scripts and roles sometime soon. Continue reading →
March 25, 2024 “Irish Wish” (**1/2 out of four) was an overall endearing lark of a romantic comedy about a devoted literary editor (Lindsay Lohan) who makes the title wish and gets her wish granted that she marries her writer (Alexander Viahos) in Ireland but she then soon falls in love with the wedding photographer (Ed Speleers) and realizes her “wish” was false and wants to take it back and start over again. The kind of story that gives the word contrived a bad name and is often silly and artificial but is made palatable by the high-spirited performances of Lohan and Speleers and their genuine romantic chemistry and spark. Full of heart, soul, and blarney in equal measure but overall a worthwhile trip. Continue reading →
March 25, 2024 “Immaculate” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) of devout Catholic faith who journeys to the Italian countryside where she is offered a home at an illustrious convent but soon learns that (yawn) there are deadly and ancient forces at work in the church which throw all of them into jeopardy. Yet another dull pseudo-religious thriller about exorcisms, Satan, and paranormal activity; aren’t audiences just about tired of these by now? A few creepy images here-and-there fail to enliven this dreck. Continue reading →
March 24, 2024 “You’ll Never Find Me” (*1/2 out of four) was a static horror thriller about a man (Brendan Rock) who lives in a mobile home and is visited by a young woman (Jordan Cowan) seeking shelter from a violent storm which leads to a long night for the both of them (and the audience). Attempts to be portentous and artful but instead winds up pretentious and inert. Some horror critics thought highly of this but I’m not among them. The two leads try but this still isn’t anything worth “finding.” Continue reading →
March 23, 2024 “Island Of The Dolls” (* out of four) was a desperate horror hodgepodge about a group of people (Beatrice Fletcher, Lewis Sycamore, Howard j. Davey, and others) who go to the title island and learn the unspeakable truth which comes back to life and threatens to kill them all. The kind of movie which makes you appreciate more why “Night Of The Living Dead” (and even it’s underrated 1990 remake) are held in high regards. It’s plodding time-wasters like this that killed the zombie horror genre to begin with. Continue reading →
March 22, 2024 “I Care A Lot” (***1/2 out of four) was a sensationally well-done melodrama about an ambitious and crooked schemer (Rosamund Pike) who makes a living assuming care of elderly patients and then draining them of their savings but she more-than-meets her match when she assumes the care of a new patient (Dianne Wiest) with brutal ties to the Russian mob (led by Peter Dinklage). What starts out as quirky comedy soon turns into a serpentine and multilayered story of teasing dark irony and rich plot twists. Pike is phenomenal in the lead role in an Oscar-caliber performance and she’s enhanced even more by a razor-sharp script and direction from J. Blakeson. Bullseye! Continue reading →
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