Author: dlepikcom

“Engaged To Be Murdered” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous suspense thriller about a mother (Sarah-Jane Redmond) whose son (Madison Smith) begins dating a new girl (Erin Boyes) who she does not quite trust but then strange occurrences begin happening that leads her to believe there might be other factors at play which could threaten them all. Decent performances are helpless against a script that gets more illogical by the minute and is full of extraneous plot points. Terrible ending is the final icing on the moldy cake.

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“The Willowbrook” (*1/2 out of four) was a lifeless horror thriller about a renowned health-and-wellness instructor (Jessica Bishop) who invites one of her clients (Erin Day) to recover from recent drug abuse and an overdose at her manor but the client soon realizes the dark and dangerous existence at the manor beneath its helpful facade. Beautiful cinematography is a major highlight throughout but unfortunately it’s window-dressing on an old frame as film is tediously derivative of “The Shining”, “The Stepford Wives”, and also “Flowers In The Attic.” Bishop was also one of films’ producers.

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“The Friendship Game” (*1/2 out of four) was a disjointed suspense potboiler about a group of teenagers (Peyton List, Dylan Schoombing, Brendan Meyer, and others) who stumble upon a strange object that tests their commitment and friendship to one another and turns their semblance of sanity inside-and-out while they try to continue their lives of privilege and partying. Yet another movie about lifestyles of the young and shameless but it’s haphazardly put together and goes nowhere. List is good in one of her first horror roles but her fans needn’t bother playing this “game.”

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“Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs” (** out of four) was a synthetic action adventure thriller about an explosion at a local mine in Montana which unearths pre-existing dinosaurs who start to maul the town and it’s up to a local cowboy (Rib Hillis) and others (Eric Roberts, Casey Fitzgerald, Vernon Wells) to take action and put a stop to them and send them back to the pre-historic age. One more K-Mart derivation of “Jurassic Park” which are starting to get worn out by now but it moves relatively quick and does feature a few good kills and action scenes. Hillis is rock-solid in the lead role; Roberts is wasted in another easy paycheck role.

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“Jurassic Domination” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror potboiler about several miltary-made dinosaurs that have biologically created as fierce weaponry but when they break out of their surroundings the military (Jamie Bernadette, Jack Pearson, Eric Roberts, and many others) scrambles to try to keep them contained and cover their tracks. Yet another Asylum Production which is a low-rent ripoff of “Jurassic Wold”/”Jurassic Park” (in case you couldn’t already guess from its title) but some of the effects are vividly done and the film movies fairly fast. Prolific direct-to-DVD profiteer Roberts literally spends almost the entire movie on the phone!

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“M3gan” (** out of four) was a jumbled horror thriller about a brilliant robotics engineer (Allison Williams) who gains custody of her niece (Violet McGraw) and then builds the title lifelike doll for her to protect her and be her companion but naturally things go horribly wrong when the doll develops a mind of her own and becomes overprotective and savagely violent. Yet another movie about artificial intelligence that feels artificial and doesn’t have very much intelligence; film is a derivation of Spielberg/Kubrick’s “A.I.” and also “Annabelle” and “Child’s Play” and is only made for those who’ve never seen any of those previously. James Wan was one of film’s producers.

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“Secret Headquarters” (** out of four) was a juvenile action-fantasy about a young kid (Walker Scobell) who discovers with his friends that the headquarters of the world’s greatest superhero exists beneath his home and it belongs to none other than his father (Owen Wilson) and they must band together to defend their turf and save the world when a unscrupulous villain (Michael Pena) attacks and threatens mankind. Aimed squarely at young viewers with its plot of kids and their parents attempting to save the world but lacking in joy and any real “fun.” Wilson is more tolerable than usual but Pena is pretty one-note as the villain.

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“Nightshade” (*1/2 out of four) was a stilted suspense melodrama about a homicide detective (Lou Ferrigno, Jr..) whose disturbing nightmares start to run parallel with an ongoing murder investigation; is he really the killer or are these in some way linked to his psychiatrist (Dina Meyer) who may be hypnotizing and influencing him? Film is like a rubik’s cube you don’t want to put together since nothing makes particular sense and the lead character (and performance of Ferrigno, Jr.) is so dull. Meyer does what she can with a thankless role and Jason Patric is wasted in a few jaw-droppingly irrelevant scenes as a belligerent dad.

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“Last Survivors” (*1/2 out of four) was a curiously flat and unaffecting melodrama about a father-and-son (Drew Van Acker and Stephen Moyer) whose solitary existence in the wilderness is disrupted when the son meets and falls in love with an outsider (Alicia Silverstone) and the father feels the need to kill her to continue their existential solitude and the son in turn feels the need to protect her. Potentially intriguing storyline is bungled by muddled script and direction that yields little emotional power or tension. Silverstone’s usual strong performance and Julian Estrada’s crisp cinematography are film’s sole virtues.

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“Take Back” (*1/2 out of four) was a sub-routine action thriller about a seemingly happy couple (Michael Jai White and Gillian White) whose domestic bliss is interrupted when a mysterious figure (Mickey Rourke) from her past re-emerges and pulls them both into the ugly underworld of sex trafficking while various cops (James Russo, Vince DeCosta, and others) investigate all of them. Good cast is wasted in a by-the-numbers story which becomes unnecessarily unpleasant at times. Jai White does his best to keep film alive with his usual martial-arts and cool charisma but by the end- you’ll want to “take back” your hour-and-a-half and rental fee.

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