February 8, 2026 “Deranged Lover” (* out of four) was an anemic suspense psychodrama about a woman (Nadirah Shakir) who is killed and left for dead and returns to confront her husband (Vernon Snoop Robinson) who has moved on with his new lover (Missy Lee) and she seeks vengeance and retribution on both of them. Film’s title seems fittingly appropriate since it seems like it was made by deranged filmmakers and only runs a little more than an hour long. Film (ineptly) incorporates elements of “Fatal Attraction”, “Payback”, and also “Dream Lover” but is still an all-around mess. Continue reading →
February 8, 2026 “The Lies We Bury” (** out of four) was a contrived suspense melodrama about a young lawyer (Kyla Nova) who investigates a long-buried murder case involving someone (Doug Noble) who she believes was wrongfully convicted but soon finds this unearths a multitude of repercussions and problems that puts her and everyone she loves in grave danger. Slickly made and put together but riddled with plot holes and cliched story fragments from “A Time To Kill”, “The Chamber”, “The Lincoln Lawyer”, and many other (and better) movies. Nova is sincere and strong in the lead but this one will still likely be “buried” and forgotten soon. Continue reading →
February 8, 2026 “The Bachelorette Party” (*1/2 out of four) was a glossy but empty melodrama about a bachelorette party that turns deadly when secrets and a series of duplicitous and cruel intentions start to reveal themselves and everyone has to wonder who to trust. Promising beginning soon goes nowhere as character motivations are murky and film gradually sags. Film doesn’t so much end as stop but you’ll likely have given up by then anyway. Continue reading →
February 8, 2026 “Send Help” (** out of four) was a disappointing horror melodrama about an employee (Rachel McAdams) and her smug boss (Dylan O’Brien) who crashland their plane and are stuck on a deserted island where they must put aside their differences to survive but are at the same time constantly outthink and outsmart one another. Director Sam Raimi mixes in some of the tongue-in-cheek horror of “Evil Dead” and “Drag Me To Hell” with the moral quandaries of “A Simple Plan” but lacks those films’ incendiary spark; ultimately the film it reminds you most of (and rips off) is Robert Zemeckis’ “Castaway.” McAdams’ usual rock-solid performance can’t even really keep this one alive. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “Obex” (*1/2 out of four) was an obscure, overly heavy-handed melodrama about a man (Albert Birney) who lives in almost complete isolation with his dog but their secluded life is disrupted when they play the title game of OBEX in which the lines of reality and game are blurred and he has to enter the world of the game to rescue her and at the same time rescue his sanity. A vanity project for writer/director/star/co-producer Birney who seems to have been influenced by early-period Darren Aronofsky (“Pi” in particular). Film holds you initially with its black-and-white photography and eerie mood but soon sputters and becomes monochromatic and monotonous. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “The Wrong Marriage” (*1/2 out of four) was a wrongly made suspense melodrama about a woman (Alicia S. Mason) who is fleeing an abusive relationship and meets a handsome new stranger (Hector David, Jr) who turns out to be a nutjob sicko who tries to tear her life apart. One more unnecessary entry in Vivica Fox’s “Wrong” series. Fox herself is pretty wooden here, Mason is bland, and David is laughable at times. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “Slaughterhouse 2: Death Metal” (*1/2 out of four) was a tacky and tardy sequel to the 1987 horror thriller that I don’t think anyone including the filmmakers remember besides me; this time around, the retard hillbilly brother (Bryan Butler) of the original murderer attempts to start a new life but this is disrupted by visitors (Mary Grondona, Nubia Garcia, and others) to his farm which drive him to violent redneck murder but no one understands why. Fair enough. Nobody understands the reason for this movie’s existence either. It’s crude timewasters like these that make you regret that “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Deliverance” ever existed in the first place. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “Danger In The Dorm” (*1/2 out of four) was an uninspired suspense melodrama about a young woman (Clara Alexandrova) who attempts to lure and capture a serial killer who is preying on women at the college campus she is attending. Has the potential to be an intriguing cat-and-mouse thriller but is thirdhand and generic. Yet another Lifetime thriller that feels spit out of a computer. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “Return To Silent Hill” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary sequel/reboot/whatever of this popular series based on the Konami video game about a man (Jeremy Irvine) who receives a letter from his lost love (Hannah Emily Anderson) which draws him back to the haunted town of Silent Hill which is filled with forbidden horrors. Third time is not the charm although in fairness I didn’t exactly love the first 2 entries either. Irvine is good in the lead but it’s all so muddled and dull. For die-hard “Hill” fans only. Continue reading →
February 7, 2026 “Afterlight” (** out of four) was a scattershot sci/fi action thriller set in yet another dystopian future in which five separate yet interconnected stories show humanity’s fight for survival against A.I. and oppression as various people (Gemma Pillar Alfaro, Rachanee Lumayno, Jake Benson, and others) try to reclaim their identity and stay alive. Full of half-baked and derivative ideas from other (and much better) movies although it’s at least told with some visual style and dazzle and is watchable. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 