February 22, 2023 “Trapped With My Husband” (*1/2 out of four) was a mean-spirited and illogical suspense thriller about a woman (Camille Stopps) who meets a guy who seems like yet another Mr. Wonderful (Jacob Richter); flash forward 3 years and they are in the process of a bitter divorce but while they are finalizing this he turns up dead and all eyes turn on her. Yet another thriller which anyone will be able to predict within the first 10 minutes and film’s final third becomes grinding and stupid. Stopps is sincere in the lead role but she’s “trapped” herself by ridiculous script and story. Continue reading →
February 21, 2023 “Night Of The Falling Stars” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismal horror comedy about a group of young folks (Alondra Amore, Jessie Kennedy Brown, Brickland Carter, and others) who stumble onto an invasion of aliens who are converting humans on Earth into man-eating monsters that threaten to devour and engulf the planet. Directors Renee Warren Peeples and Bobby Peeples seem to be trying for something in the vein of “Shaun Of The Dead” here but bad writing and acting and chintzy filmmaking stop film dead in its tracks. One-time “Goonies” star Robert Davi has a minor role as a heroic soldier but judging from this effort, his own star seems to be significantly falling. Continue reading →
February 20, 2023 “Baby Ruby” (*1/2 out of four) was a stillborn suspense psychodrama about a young woman (Noemie Merlant) who becomes a mother for the first time with the title child and finds herself mentally unraveling. Is this post-partum depression or a sign of something more severe? Dour and drab movie covers all-too-familiar terrain from “Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Exorcist”, “The Shining”, and too many others to mention. Disappointing directorial debut for noted playwright Bess Wohl who is hampered by tired material. Continue reading →
February 20, 2023 “The Integrity Of Joseph Chambers” (* out of four) was a bewildering bore about a family man (Clayne Crawford) who attempts to prove his survivalist capabilities and his manliness by going off into the wilderness by himself deer-hunting and trying to figure out how long he can survive on his own! A perfect film for anyone who ever wanted to watch a character walk around the woods with almost no dialogue for an hour-and-a-half. Oscar Ignacio-Jimenez’ cinematography is sharp and crisp but otherwise you’ve been warned. Jordana Brewster has a bizarre cameo role as his wife but exits the movie fast and furiously after the beginning. Continue reading →
February 19, 2023 “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” (** out of four) was a cumbersome action thriller about an elite special agent (Jason Statham who can play this role in his sleep by now) who is ordered to track down and stop a billionaire arms broker (Hugh Grant) and is forced to team up with a Hollywood movie star (Josh Hartnett) to stop his reign of terror and save the world. Lots of action and flash make this watchable on a draggy night but story is almost incoherent at times and tough to care about. By this point, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the likes of writer/director Guy Ritchie. This marks his fifth collaboration with Statham but they should have quit while they were ahead with “Snatch.” Continue reading →
February 18, 2023 “Blossom” (*1/2 out of four) was a wilted suspense melodrama about a social worker (Noree Victoria) who befriends a troubled runaway (Maddison Bullock) and allows her to move into her home (!) with her family but soon realizes that there is more to her than meets the eye as one of her violent cohorts (Max Carpenter) tracks her down and endangers everyone around her. Ridiculous script and story is buried even further by terrible acting. One-time “Sopranos” alum Al Sapienza produced and has a minor role as a doctor but this is unlikely to make his career “blossom” again anytime soon. Continue reading →
February 18, 2023 “Ant Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” (*** out of four) was a diverting third entry in the series about Ant Man (an ageless Paul Rudd) and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and her parents (Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer) who stumble into the Quantum Realm and encounter various new creatures and have to battle with the villainous emperor Kang (Jonathan Majors) for control of the realm and thus the universe. Packed with the usual razzle-dazzle effects and action scenes that Marvel fans expect and has some showstopping and psychedelic visuals along the way. Story hits a few momentary lulls but always revs right back up soon enough to keeps you entertained. Douglas’ sarcasm and sense of humor are a welcome key ingredient and Bill Murray has a small cameo as Lord Krylar. Continue reading →
February 18, 2023 “A Date With Deception” (*1/2 out of four) was a synthetic suspense thriller about two friends (Hannah Jane McMurray and Kia Dorsey) who are investigating their friend’s disappearance and realize she may have been killed by a charming sociopath (Rib Hillis) and they need to try to break into his home and uncover the lost secrets before their friend dies and he kills again. Unconvincing and unbelievable pretty much all the way through and that goes double for its ridiculous finale. Hillis is awful as the suspect but Dorsey does what she can with an underwritten role. Continue reading →
February 18, 2023 “A Night Of The Undead” (*1/2 out of four) was an utterly disposable horror homage to George Romero’s classic “Night Of The Living Dead” set on the anniversary of that event in which a group of podcasters (Kenny Scott Guffey, Jake C. Young, and McKenzie Clay) return to the farmhouse of the original and soon find that some things dead just don’t stay that way. Amateurish pileup of zombie horror cliches done without much zest or conviction. Guffey and Young both directed. Continue reading →
February 18, 2023 “Frankie Meets Jack” (*1/2 out of four) was a cloying romantic comedy about the title characters (Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope) who meet cute over their dogs and realize that shucks they have fallen in love with each other. Of interest solely because of the final film appearance of Anne Heche who the film is dedicated to but she’s wasted in a stupidly written role. The rest of the film is a mundane example of why people get tired of romantic comedies in the first place. For a better romantic comedy with perceptive writing and likeable characters, watch “Frankie And Johnny” instead. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 