April 15, 2024 “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (*** out of four) was a spectacular action thriller about the two ancient titans of Godzilla and King Kong who face off in an epic battle to the death which leads to the potential destruction of Earth while various scientists and military personnel (Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and others) try to uncover their origins and how to stop them. Full of wall-to-wall visual effects and action scenes and setpieces that will really wow you; story and script won’t hold up to much scrutiny but film takes you on such a thrilling ride it hardly matters. A definite improvement over previous entry 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Continue reading →
April 14, 2024April 14, 2024 “Telephone World” (0 stars out of four) was a repugnant story of an actress (Elissa Dowling) who discovers she got the lead role in a new television movie and the entire movie consists of her in her apartment crying, laughing hysterically, and alternately drinking and using cocaine. Baffling film is shot in one continuous take for 80 minutes but who cares? Who the hell is a movie like this made for anyway besides freaks and masochists? Not all that different from Whoopi Goldberg’s similarly awful “The Telephone.” Hang up on this wrong number. Continue reading →
April 14, 2024 “LaRoy, Texas” (** out of four) was a wearily derivative potboiler comedy about a moron (John Magaro) who discovers that his wife (Galadriel Stineman) has been cheating on him and plans to kill himself but things change when a stranger (Steve Zahn) mistakes him for a low-level hitman and a killer (Dylan Baker) aims to settle a score with him. Yet another absurdist comedy that shows obvious influences of The Coen Bros., John Dahl, and also Quentin Tarantino mixed in the blender. Not the worst of its genre but you’ve seen this a million times before and better. Continue reading →
April 14, 2024 “Parachute” (*** out of four) was a nicely observed character melodrama about a young woman (Courtney Eaton) who meets a young man (Thomas Mann) after leaving rehab but this relationship results in a whirlwind of emotions and psychological challenges for the both of them. Impressive directorial debut for actress Brittany Snow who charges this with a plethora of great soundtrack songs. Uneven at times, just like the characters and their behavior, but has more-than-enough emotional peaks and effective moments to make it worthwhile. Continue reading →
April 14, 2024 “Arcadian” (** out of four) was a turgid melodrama about a father (Nicholas Cage) and his twin sons (Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins) who are determined to survive at an isolated farmhouse at the end of the world. Well-made and well-acted but meandering and pointless and film doesn’t have enough story to sustain itself for its feature running time. Can’t somebody make an end-of-the-world movie that’s actually fun? Continue reading →
April 14, 2024 “Damaged” (** out of four) was a disappointing suspense thriller about a hard-boiled Chicago detective (Samuel L. Jackson) who travels to Scotland and teams up with a Scottish investigator (Gianni Capaldi) when a series of gruesome murders show the signs of a serial killer from years earlier. Promising beginning soon fizzles out as film becomes monotonous and plodding. Film holds you with its atmosphere of moldering menace but it leads to a preposterous conclusion which “damages” the whole film. Continue reading →
April 13, 2024 “Last Night At Terrace Lanes” (** out of four) was a hollow horror show about a young woman (Francesca Capaldi) who has just survived a date from Hell and has to team up with her survivalist father (Ken Arnold) when a group of maniacs go on a bloodthirsty rampage at the local bowling alley. Cheeky sendup of ‘80’s horror thrillers has a few amusing moments and good kills but not enough to sustain a full movie. No gutter ball but hardly a strike either. Continue reading →
April 13, 2024 “A Model Murder” (** out of four) was a superficial suspense thriller about a successful model (Sara Bell) who is attempting to launch an acting career when she begins being increasingly terrorized and stalked by an unknown fan; she subsequently hires a digital security expert (Austin Valli) but the threats increase so she wonders if he could possibly be involved. Slickly made with a professional and smooth veneer but is following a much-too-familiar pattern and routine. Hardly the worst of its genre but not exactly “a model” for others to follow. Continue reading →
April 12, 2024 “Civil War” (** out of four) was a grandiose but grim melodrama set in a not-too-distant dystopian future in which a group of military journalists (Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and others) who race against time to reach the White House before rebel factions overtake it and declare monopoly and anarchy. Writer/director Alex Garland tries to be making a timely and topical story of historical proportion and elements but his ambition outweighs his excellence as film is clouded by a detached sense of indifference. Only the last half-hour (when they actually reach the White House) has any impact. Film has been released on exactly 163 years after the real Civil War. Continue reading →
April 10, 2024 “They Turned Us Into Killers” (* out of four) was an exploitative, ugly melodrama about a young woman (Lauren Francesca) who is assaulted by her boyfriend (Bryce Draper) which leads to her committing suicide and her friend (Scout Taylor-Compton) hunts him down and his brothers and begins to systematically torture them and reading her suicide letter before she takes their lives. Grindingly unpleasant movie lacks intelligence or insight and goes nowhere. Horror movie icons Kane Hodder, Bill Mosely, and Michael Berryman are wasted and it’s junk like this that “turned” their careers into mush. Continue reading →
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