November 10, 2025 “Deliver Me From Nowhere” (*** out of four) was an affecting biopic of Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) showing his dysfunctional working-class upbringing in New Jersey and his personal and musical journey in creating his 1982 classic album “Nebraska” which went against the grain in having no singles and no tour but many regard as his artistic masterpiece. Limited in scope and grandeur in that it focuses on a narrow time in his career but still a very well-done and well-made showing of Springsteen and his determination and iconoclasm after achieving initial stardom. White definitely delivers in the lead and Odessa Young is searing and heartfelt as his one-time love interest. Continue reading →
November 10, 2025 “Predator: Badlands” (*1/2 out of four) was an almost incomprehensible sequel told from the point of view of a predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who is outcast from his clan but finds an unlikely ally (Elle Fanning) on his quest to destroy his main adversary and find his identity in this world. Give director Dan Trachtenberg credit for trying something new and bringing a literal-minded approach to the series but the result is muddled and nearly incoherent. An improvement over the 2 previous entries but that’s not saying much. A few good action scenes and visual effects towards the end give this its only charge. Continue reading →
November 8, 2025 “Scared Shitless” (*1/2 out of four). (Yes that’s the actual title). Pretty dumb horror comedy about a plumber and his son (Steven Ogg and Daniel Doheny) who find they have their hands full when a mutant creature escapes into the sewage lines of an apartment building and starts mauling residents. Throwback to camp Roger Corman isn’t quite as awful as it sounds but not funny or scary (or even entertaining). Continue reading →
November 8, 2025 “The Jester 2” (*1/2 out of four) was an unnecessary sequel to the surprise 2023 hit about a teen magician (Kaitlyn Trentham) who crosses paths with the title sinister supernatural presence (Michael Sheffield) leading to a duel to the bloody death in which only one can come out on top. Film is only for those who thought the original was robbed at Oscar time but even they should be let down by film’s tawdry fimmaking and tame horror scenes. Film’s ending leaves the door open for yet another sequel but something tells me the third time won’t be the charm. Continue reading →
November 2, 2025 “The Woman In Cabin 10” (** out of four) was a lumbering suspense thriller about an investigative reporter (Keira Knightley) who is on a news assignment aboard a luxurious yacht from a mysterious millionaire (Guy Pearce) and soon stumbles upon a stark secret and realizes her life may be in peril. Moody but muted story never gets going and never gells. Knightley carries the movie almost single-handedly and her strong performance is the only thing that keeps this alive. Continue reading →
November 2, 2025 “Dead Of Winter” (** out of four) was a lukewarm suspense melodrama about a widowed fisherwoman (Emma Thompson) traveling alone through snowbound Minnesota who interrups the kidnapping of a teenage girl but finds herself in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the girl’s attempted abductors (Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca). Striking wintry cinematography from Christopher Ross on stunning Finland locations can’t sustain film as it never grasps you as it should and grows unwieldy and monotonous. Thompson struggles with her garbled Minnesota accent. Incidentally, this is not a remake of the 1987 Mary Steenburgen/Arthur Penn thriller of the same name. Continue reading →
November 2, 2025 “Nobody’s Coming To Save You” (* out of four) was a clunky psychological thriller that looks like someone’s bad home movies about a pregnant woman (Jeaneen Wifeybaby Adams) who becomes menaced by a masked intruder and when the police (Shani Goodz, King Judah, and others) won’t help her she finds herself all alone and trying to fight back and stay alive. If you make it through the first 15 minutes you might make it through the whole film which isn’t saying much since it’s only 55 minutes long but it’s tough-going even at that length. “Nobody’s Coming” in general would have been a more apt title for this timewaster. Continue reading →
November 1, 2025 “The Long Walk” (*** out of four) was a harrowing adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel set in another dystopian future in which a group of young kids (Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, and others) are forced to compete in the title game in which they must maintain a certain speed or get shot by the military regime of the evil mayor (Mark Hamill) and the race goes on endlessly until the last man standing. Initially seems plodding and overly familiar but becomes tense and nerve-wracking once the actual walk begins and doesn’t let up. A rock-solid effort from director Francis Lawrence and an interesting companion piece to his other dystopian future work in “The Hunger Games” and one of King’s better film adaptations in a long while. Continue reading →
November 1, 2025 “Backlash” (** out of four) was a passable horror thriller about a group of online gamers (Elke Hinrichsen, Alyson Rudlin, Lexi Rose, and others) who are forced to compete in an online deathmatch after the cyber-bullying from one causes a classmate’s suicide which forces them to question one another and whom they can trust. Not bad by the standards of this thing, and is relatively well-made and well-acted, but you’ve seen it all before and will again and done better. OK for what it is. Continue reading →
November 1, 2025 “Unsinkable” (** out of four) was a dull melodrama set at the backdrop of the Titanic investigation in which various crew members and personnel (Fiona Dourif, Karen Allen, Brendan Griffin, and others) were called into question in court mediation finding out what went wrong and why. Fascinating historical story is given banal execution and (pun intended) sinks under its own weight. Hard-core historians might find more of merit here but general film lovers won’t find any of the golden or classic drama or acting of “Titanic.” Continue reading →
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