June 12, 2026 “Amityville Rex” (* out of four) was a pitiful horror thriller about an ancient dinosaur that is unleashed in (you guessed it) the town of Amityville and a priest (Jeff Kirkendall), a cop (Tim Hatch) and an escaped fugitive (Maria DeLorenzo) all fervently try to hunt him down and send him back to the Jurassic ages where he belongs. Painfully lame attempt to cross-pollinate the “Jurassic Park” and “Amityville Horror” genres (hence the clever title). Wooden acting is unintentionally hilarious and some of the special effects look like claymation shots from a toy store! Recommended ONLY to those who thought the original “Jurassic Park” was overrated Continue reading →
June 12, 2026 “Prank Night” (* out of four) was an abysmal potboiler about a young woman (Katherine Evans) who seeks brutal revenge on the group of thugs (Chad Rook, Hailey Foss, Patrick Creery, and others) who savagely attacked her family and left them for dead but finds that getting her hands bloody is a lot deadlier than she imagined. In-your-face unpleasantness combined with low-rent production makes this a chore to watch. For a more nonexploitive look at the same material, watch “Death Wish 2” or “The Brave One” instead. Rook is effectively creepy as the main villain Continue reading →
June 12, 2026 “She Likes To Watch” (* out of four) an almost unwatchable suspense psychodrama about a woman (Stormi Maya) who seeks escape from a hollow relationship and becomes involves in a sexual triad with a married couple (Kevin Gripper and Fancy Jones) but what initially seems alluring to her crosses the line into dangerous sexual obsession and fatal attraction. Ironically titled fiasco is unpleasant and unbelievable in equal measure and seems influenced by the worst aspects of early Adrian Lyne; a sexual triangle is hardly worth following when you don’t care about any of the three characters. Continue reading →
June 12, 2026 “Dagger’s Inn” (* out of four) was a stilted suspense melodrama about the arrival of an enigmatic young woman (Charlie Bond) in the English countryside which results in the various townsfolk (Terry Bamberger, Stuart D. Latham, and others) questioning themselves as she delves into their darkest secrets. Incredibly dull movie is made even more cheerless by dour-looking presentation and photography. A real bore, despite a game performance from Bond. Continue reading →
June 12, 2026 “The Box In The Attic” (** out of four) a hollow and humdrum horror thriller about a troubled young woman (Kamryn Emory) who returns to her childhood home and discovers a box in their attic which unleashes (what else?) evil and malevolent spirits that overtake her sanity. Well-made and fairly well-acted but is enervatingly routine and predictable and as a result remains muted and uninvolving. Portentous and shadowy cinematography by Jason Henne is an undeniable highlight throughout. Continue reading →
June 12, 2026 “Night Of The Howling” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror show about a city in the terrifying grip of a serial killer who only kills under a full moon; a world-weary detective (Chris Heikka) begins to suspect that the killer is an otherworldly creature and he tries to draw it out to finish it off. Trust me, though, you’ll be much happier to finish off the movie instead which is a cheap-looking mess. Title is a clever ironic allusion to Joe Dante’s classic “The Howling” but this movie makes that (or any of it’s sequels) look like prime Hitchcock by comparison Continue reading →
June 7, 2026 “Driver’s Ed” (**1/2 out of four) was a mildly amusing teen comedy about a group of hapless teens (Sam Nivola, Sophie Telegadis, Mohana Krishna, Aidan Laprete) who steal their school’s driver-ed car to go on a cross-country trip to win one of their long-distance girlfriends (Lilah Pate) back. Director Bobby Farrelly incorporates some of the same breezy comic ingredients of his earlier classics “Dumb And Dumber” and “Kingpin” and has strong comic camaraderie between all 4 of the kids but film’s comic momentum slows a little in the final third. Former teen stars Alyssa Milano and Molly Shannon are both well-cast in funny supporting roles Continue reading →
June 7, 2026June 7, 2026 “Seven Snipers” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden action melodrama that fires all blanks about a retired sniper (Radha Mitchell) in hiding on an Australian ranch who has to come out of retirement and reunite her killer elite squad (Ioan Gruffudd, Ryan Kwanten, and others) when a warlord (Tim Roth) threatens her life and abducts her daughter. Australian scenery is a highlight throughout but don’t do much to enliven the meandering and molasses proceedings. Roth is sorely wasted in his umpteenth role as a villain; if his career trajectory continues like this, he really might have no choice but to hold up coffee shops. Continue reading →
June 7, 2026 “Hard Piecez” (*1/2 out of four) was a hard watch about an ex-con (Richard Hatfield) released from prison after 15 years trying to start over again and rebuild a relationship with his daughter (Leonisha Campbell) and a new woman (Ashley Williams) but finds that leaving the streets behind is harder than he expected. Grimy story tries to mix hardcore violence with sociopolitical commentary with minimalist results. Hatfield’s sincere performance is film’s sole-saving grace. Continue reading →
June 7, 2026 “Masters Of The Universe” (*** out of four) was a visually extraordinary adaptation of the classic television series about a young man (Nicholas Gallitzine) who uncovers his secret legacy as the prince of an alien galaxy and must journey there to regain a lost sword and has to do battle with the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto). Overlong and has a few lulls here-and-there but razzle-dazzle visual effects and spectacular action scenes take center stage here and give you (and especially He Man fans) more than their money’s worth. Idris Elba is strong as usual as Duncan and Dolph Lundgren has an amusing cameo at the beginning Continue reading →
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