May 6, 2026 “Apex” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually spectacular but dramatically empty action melodrama about a trained mountain climber (Charlize Theron) reeling from a recent tragedy and retreats to the Australian wilderness; she is then hired by a local (Taron Egerton) to help with a climb but soon finds that he is a cunning psychopath who is out to kill her. Beautifully filmed by Lawrence Sher on stunning locations in Greenland and Australia but after a while there’s a fundamental hollowness to the script and story that film never fills. Moderately entertaining while it lasts but stops short of being really satisfying. Continue reading →
May 2, 2026 “The Whistler” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a young couple (Diane Guerrero and Juan Pablo Raba) who come into possession of a Venezeluan farm which they initially regard as great fortune but soon realize that (yawn) it has otherworldly and sinister and subversive forces that they have to combat in order to hope to stay alive. Takes forever to get going and even when it does- film is hopelessly Kubrickian derivative of “The Shining” and “A Clockwork Orange”. Camilo Monsalve’s colorful cinematography is one of film’s few virtues. Continue reading →
May 2, 2026 “Undertone” (* out of four) was an underwhelming horror psychodrama about a paranormal radio talk-show host (Nina Kiri) who becomes haunted and terrorized by recordings sent her way (voiced by Adam DiMarco) that question her state of reality and state of mind. Seemingly endless movie with twists-and-turns you simply don’t care about because you don’t care about the characters or their plights and film becomes numbing and monotonous. Film runs about an hour-and-a-half but believe me feels far longer. Continue reading →
May 2, 2026 “Brothers Under Fire” (*1/2 out of four) was a colorless action melodrama about a world-weary military captain (Kiefer Sutherland) whose squadron (Ashton Sanders, Fredy Yate, and others) are on leave for a wedding in Mexico but soon find themselves under siege from a bloodthirsty Mexican cartel (Omar Chaparro, Solly McLeod, and others) and have to fight to the death to survive. You can only imagine what Sam Peckinpah or Walter Hill would have done with material like this but Justin Chadwick instead turns this into a plodding bore. Sutherland walks through a token paycheck role. Continue reading →
May 2, 2026 “Apex” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually spectacular but dramatically empty action melodrama about a trained mountain climber (Charlize Theron) reeling from a recent tragedy and retreats to the Australian wilderness; she is then hired by a local (Taron Egerton) to help with a climb but soon finds that he is a cunning psychopath who is out to kill her. Beautifully filmed by Lawrence Sher on stunning locations in Greenland and Australia but after a while there’s a fundamental hollowness to the script and story that film never fills. Moderately entertaining while it lasts but stops short of being really satisfying. Continue reading →
April 22, 2026 “The Crucifix: Blood Of The Exorcist” (* out of four) was a yawn-inducing rundown of exorcism and horror-movie cliches about a young couple (Hannah Bang Bendz and Alex Walton) who make a gruesome discovery in the grounds of their new home which plunges them into a whirlwind of spiritual battles, demonic possession, Paegan and Viking rituals, etc. etc. Yet another amalgam of “The Amityville Horror” and “The Exorcist” with other synthetic plotting stirred in a blender but the result is a real snooze. It’s movies like these that might make you become agnostic. Continue reading →
April 22, 2026 “At Death’s Door” (* out of four) was a deadening horror anthology about a group of various characters (Frank Palangi, Nicole Mecca, Erica James, and others) who have to look at choices and consequences as they all face the prospect of death in one way or another in 4 separate stories. None are worth watching. Star/writer/producer/director Palangi obviously was inspired by “Faces Of Death” and “Creepshow” but he should have set his sights a bit higher. Continue reading →
April 22, 2026 “Greenland 2: Migration” (**1/2 out of four) was a mildly engrossing sequel to the 2020 action melodrama about the Garritty family (Gerard Butler, Morrina Baccarin, Roman Griffith Page) forced to leave the solitude of the Greenland bunker and embark on a perilous journey across the frozen wasteland of Europe to find a new home. Visually spectacular with lush cinematography from Martin Ahlgren but dramatically it misses the mark and has too many lulls. Butler’s impassioned performance makes this hit-and-miss film overall worth watching. Continue reading →
April 22, 2026 “The Mortuary Assistant” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately creepy adaptation of the title video game about a woman (Willa Holland) who takes a job as an assistant mortician and finds herself face-to-face with sinister and supernatural forces that threaten her sanity. Plodding and predictable at first but gets more stylish and scary as it goes along and is twisted and macabre enough to make it worthwhile for horror fans. Definitely shows the influences of early period Sam Raimi and late period Stanley Kubrick. Continue reading →
April 22, 2026 “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (*** out of four) was a spellbinding sequel to the video game adaptation about the continuing adventures of Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) as he ventures into outer space and encounters difficulties far beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. Packed with startling and psychedelic visual effects; the script and story don’t measure up but film is so fast-paced and visually extraordinary you won’t mind. About on par with the original and FAR better than the 1993 live-action version. Continue reading →
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