February 21, 2026 “Dope King” (*1/2 out of four) was an interminable urban melodrama made for dopes about a street hustler (Pha’rez Lass) who is shot in the head and left for dead and then tries to leave behind his life in the streets and as a drug dealer but the kidnapping of his fiancee (Jennifer Figuereo) and his colossal debt to the Russian mob (led by Catherine Curtin) leave him few choices and seal his doom. A few scattered and effective moments throughout but film’s self-indulgent unpleasantness and overlength will likely numb you and wear you out. Yet another film derived from (i.e. ripped off) from “King Of New York” and also “New Jack City” but is a far cry from either. Continue reading →
February 21, 2026 “Sugarcane” (*1/2 out of four) was a sour suspense psychodrama about a sex-trafficking survivor (Josie Juliette Wert) who tries to race against time to track down a teenage girl (Lacey Katena) to protect her from a sadistic serial killer (Kellan Jackson) who is moving in and attempting to abduct her. Recommended only for those who thought “The Silence Of The Lambs” (or even “Red Dragon”) were overrated as film exploitatively rehashes elements of both but without any of their style or conviction. Watch “Sugarland Express” again instead. Continue reading →
February 21, 2026 “It’ll Cost You” (* out of four) was a leaden psychodrama that’ll cost you nearly an hour-and-a-half of your life about a millionaire businesswoman (I.O. Brown) who learns that her boyfriend (Xavier Mikal) has been having an affair and she is willing to let his side-girlfriend (Reeko King) have him if she settles his debts but when she doesn’t want to do this- things get really bloody and ugly in the streets. Potentially juicy material is undone by inept filmmaking and amateurish acting that turn this (at times) into an unintentional comedy. Continue reading →
February 21, 2026 “When A Woman’s Fed Up” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash suspense psychodrama about a woman (Roxanne Neil) who stays loyal to her man (Lashaun Todman) but her loyalty is put to the test when she finds out he is still involved in the streets and with other women and she has to risk her own life to get him out. Opens up fairly well but soon sputters due to unlikable characters that will make viewers “fed up” even more than she is. Final showdown is especially a letdown. Continue reading →
February 21, 2026 “Wages Of Sin” (**1/2 out of four) was an uneven but watchable pulp-underworld melodrama about a businessman (Paul Sloan) who is plunged into the brutal L.A. underworld of fetanyl and he has to stay one step ahead of lethal enforcers (Danny Trejo, Stephen Cyrus Sepher, and others) and corrupt cops (Anthony Sinopoli, Nazo Bravo, and others) to clear his name and stay alive. Flavorful mix of the slick and the sordid actually turns out to be anti-drug moralistic melodrama about the genuine fatal dangers of fetanyl and its deadly impact on our country. Imperfect but better-than-average for its type. Sepher also wrote the script. Continue reading →
February 21, 2026 “The Neighbor Who Saw Too Much” (*1/2 out of four) was a ludicrous suspense thriller that viewers will most definitely regret once they “saw”; a curious teen (Sage Moore) befriends her handsome new neighbor (Devante Winfrey) but soon comes to realize he is a disturbed killer but no one not even her hard-working mother (Kia Dorsey) believes her. Packed with story holes and plot contrivances and hamstrung by its overall predictability. 2007’s “Disturbia” told almost the same story with more tension and humor nearly 20 years ago. Continue reading →
February 18, 2026 “Amityville Emanuelle” (* out of four) was a startlingly awful horror hodgepodge about a woman (Dawn Church) who moves into the famous haunted house and starts to notice changing behaviors and sensual desires that begin to overwhelm her and affect the lives of everyone (Shane Ryan-Reid, Chris Spinelli, and others) around her. Unbearable hybrid of the “Amityville Horror” and “Emanuelle” series is an amateurish mess. Incredibly this is the 66th (!) entry in the endless “Amityville” ouevre which makes it the longest-running horror series ever Continue reading →
February 18, 2026 “An Unusual Suspect” (** out of four) was a contrived, cold-hearted courtroom melodrama about a defense attorney (Christie Leverette) who fights to get one of her clients (Derrick J. Smith) released but then subsequently finds out he’s guilty as sin and then has to risk her job and her life to get him put back behind bars where he belongs. Promising storyline is stymied by predictable plot complications and lack of logic especially in second half. Leverette’s sincere performance helps keep this on track but not enough to overcome film’s shortcomings. Continue reading →
February 14, 2026 “Vanished” (** out of four) was a tepid suspense melodrama about an ambitious young woman (Shaquita Smith) who discovers a corpse which in turn leads her to uncover a criminal enterprise that plunges her life into deception and duplicity in which she doesn’t know who to trust. Glitzily shot and directed but feels like it’s comprised of the spare parts of far too many other and better movies. Smith is a real knockout and holds the screen but this one will likely “vanish” on its own after a few weeks. Continue reading →
February 14, 2026 “Time For Sunset” (** out of four) was a tedious character melodrama about a seasoned assassin (Don Worley) on one last job who finds he’s been set up and is taunted by an unseen rival assassin (voice of Nicholaus Wendel) who says if he leaves the hotel room of his job he will be shot and executed. Intriguing storyline and material are muffed by mediocre script and mundane execution. Somewhat similar to 2003’s “Phone Booth” but that was a lot more fiery and stylish. Continue reading →
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