May 23, 2024 “Silence Of The Prey” (**1/2 out of four) was an offbeat if not completely successful horror melodrama about a young immigrant (Karyna Kudzina who also co-wrote and co-directed) who is desperate to care for her young daughter and is hired to care for an eccentric landowner (Chris LaPanta) but soon learns just how sick and devious he really is and she has to use her survival skills to stay alive. Initially plodding but gradually builds in tension and drama, with 2 strong performances from the 2 leads, but its over-the-top melodrama and ugliness in its final third eventually does it in. Still, an interesting and better-than-average effort with good filmmaking on a low budget. Continue reading →
May 23, 2024 “Teddiscare” (* out of four) was an abominable horror thriller about a young man (Tim Hatch) who spirals into gradual insanity after the death of his father which brings his worst childhood nightmares to life namely one of his favorite dolls which starts going around slaughtering his friends and surviving family. Originally titled “Winnie The Pho” until the “Winnie The Pooh” horror filmmakers issued a cease-and-desist letter but it would be a waste of time no matter what it would be called. What’s next in this disturbing trend? Bugs Bunny as a child kidnapper? Goofy as a serial rapist? Continue reading →
May 19, 2024 “The Strangers: Chapter 1” (*** out of four) was a stylishly done continuation of the horror series about a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Ryan Bown) whose car breaks down in an eerie small town and are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin and panic ensues when three strangers descend on the cabin and attempt to kill them without any reason or motive. More-or-less a remake, rather than a follow-up, of the last entries but having said that it’s well-made and has its quote of jumps and scares. A definite change-of-pace for action director Renny Harlin and one of his better efforts in years. Continue reading →
May 19, 2024 “Faceless After Dark” (* out of four) was a practically worthless horror thriller about an actress (Jenna Kannell) who stars in a low-rent horror-flick and is then held hostage by an unhinged horror fan (Danny Kang) determined to recreate the film’s fatal plot. Pointless and pretentious attempt at recreating some of Wes Craven’s self-referential horror ideas from his mid-90’s works is an ugly assault on the senses and mashes unpleasantness and violence in your face for an hour-and-a-half. This won raves at Fright Fest in London UK but not this FB critic. Continue reading →
May 18, 2024 “Boy Kills World” (** out of four) was a florid but feverish pulp-revenge thriller about a mute boy named Boy (Bill Skarsgard) whose family is murdered and is trained by a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to be an instrument of death and seek violent revenge against the woman (Michelle Dockery) and underworld mob who killed them. Generally watchable for a while but starts to go overboard into excess and violent ugliness and wears out; shows the unmistakable influence and stamp of “The Matrix” and “John Wick” series. Continue reading →
May 18, 2024 “The Shamrock Spitfire” (** out of four) was a frustratingly generic WWII true story of Brendan “Paddy” Finucane who at age 21 became the youngest ever wing commander in the Royal Air Force and became a celebrated war pilot. Not bad, with some good acting and camaraderie amongst the actors and squadrons, but too limited in scope and scale to make much of a mark or desired effectiveness. History buffs and war-film completists might want to add half a star. Continue reading →
May 18, 2024 “Rebel Moon- Part Two: The Scargiver” (**1/2 out of four) was a proficient but bloated follow-up to the original which only came out at the end of last year; this time around Kora (Sofia Boutella) and surviving other warriors (Dimon Hounsou, Michiel Husiman, and others) prepare to defend their new home Veldt against the forces of the destructive Motherworld (Ed Skrein, Donna Bae, and others). Director Zack Snyder packs this with as much comic-book razzle-dazzle and visual effects as he can and lets his 10-year old comic-book imagination run wild especially in the final third but it lags at times (especially in the middle) and goes on too long. Hard-core Snyder fans and fans of the original will like this more obviously but it’s hard not to notice obvious story influences from “Dune” and “Star Wars” (particularly “The Phantom Menace.”) Continue reading →
May 16, 2024 “Lazareth” (*1/2 out of four) was a lumbering melodrama about an iconoclanastic recluse (Ashley Judd) who raises her orphaned nieces (Sarah Pidgeon and Katie Douglas) in isolation from the rest of the world until an outsider (Asher Angel) arrives and threatens their peaceful existence and turns their world upside down. Yet another movie about a backwoods/redneck family and how their way of life is disrupted but this has none of the emotional power or pull of “Winter’s Bone” or even “Into The Forest” and is tedious and dull. Even the vibrant Judd just seems to be giving a greatest-hits of her other performances. Martim Vian’s stark cinematography is film’s only asset. Continue reading →
May 16, 2024 “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” (**1/2 out of the four) was an imperfect but well-done follow-up set many years after the reign of Caesar as a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) loses his parents and goes on a journey that leads him to question everything he’s learned about what he was taught and all the future choices for apes and humans alike. Uneven and overlong but features enough effective moments and great visual flourishes to make it worthwhile especially for series fans. Particular kudos to Gyula Pados’ cinematography, Mayes C. Rubeo’s costumes, and Teague’s rock-solid lead performance. Continue reading →
May 13, 2024 “Bloodline Killer” (*1/2 out of four) was a thoroughly routine horror story about a young woman (Shawnee Smith) whose entire family was murdered at the hands of her deranged cousin (Sal Rendino); she then sets out to rebuild her life but knows he’s still out there on the prowl while the determined detective (Tyrese Gibson) on the case tries to track him down. Good cast can’t do much to enliven tired and flimsy material. Co-star James Gaudioso also co-wrote this. Continue reading →
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