May 17, 2022 “Black Site” (*1/2 out of four) was a muddled action melodrama about a group of military officers (Michelle Monaghan and Jai Courtney) in a top-secret facility who find themselves in the fight for their lives against an infamous and brilliant prisoner (Jason Clarke); once he escapes, they realize they have to do everything possible to apprehend him before he unleashes havoc. Pretty banal story doesn’t have much surprises or suspense and leads pretty much where you expect it to go. Reunites both Courtney and Clarke from “Terminator: Genisys” and just about the nicest thing you can say is at least this is better than that awful timewaster. Continue reading →
May 17, 2022 “Operation Mincemeat” (*** out of four) was a sharply made adaptation of Ben Macintyre’s novel set during WWII in which two military intelligence officers (Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen) used a corpse and false papers to outwit German troops and gain the upper hand during the war. Not a great film, as it never fully takes off, but definitely retains its compelling grip thanks to a first-rate supporting cast (including Jason Isaacs and Kelly Macdonald) and the deft intelligence of Michelle Ashford’s screenplay. Director John Madden once again shows his skill and craft with historical dramas. Continue reading →
May 15, 2022 “Eraser: Reborn” (*1/2 out of four) was an abortive remake of the vastly underrated 1996 Arnold thriller about a special agent (Dominic Sherwood) who specializes in engineering the fake deaths of government witnesses so they can go into witness protection; one such witness (Jacky Lai) proves particularly tough to protect as he realizes he’s involved in a much larger conspiracy than he realized. Fast-paced but utterly bland and generic; film weakly recreates so many set pieces from the original (including the allegator scene) that there’s no point. Erase this one from your list and re-watch the original again instead. Continue reading →
May 15, 2022 “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually dazzling but dramatically empty sequel about Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who casts a forbidden spell that opens the door to the multiverse including an alternate version of himself that threatens humanity as a whole. Film has everything money can buy and is packed with wall-to-wall visual effects and some great action scenes (the climax is a wow) but gives you hardly anything that’s filling (or memorable) in terms of script and story. As with most Marvel films, film features various other Marvel characters in small appearances but Rachel McAdams is the real standout as Dr. Palmer. Hard-core Marvel fans may like this a little more. Continue reading →
May 14, 2022 “Firestarter” (*1/2 out of four) was a fizzled remake of the 1984 cult classic about a young girl (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) with the telekinetic powers to start fires and her father (Zac Efron) who both wind up on the run from a shadowy government operation and a mysterious hitman (Michael Greyeyes) who want to capture them. Passable beginning is soon extinguished as film turns generic and tedious and even the fire scenes look tame and cheesy! Re-watch the original or go have a fire drill instead. Continue reading →
May 14, 2022 “Shark Bait” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror suspense thriller about a group of friends (Holly Earl, Jack Trueman, Catherine Hannay, and others) out jet-skiing at sea who become involved in a collision and are (what else?) preyed upon by deadly sharks who sense blood in the waters. Umpteenth killer-shark movie is better than most with crisp cinematography from Ben Moulden and good production values but others may find it too derivative of the first two “Jaws” movies. By now, there have been so many shark attack movies that they’ve just about lost their teeth. Continue reading →
May 14, 2022 “Lockdown” (*1/2 out of four) was a tawdry suspense thriller about a criminal mastermind (Michael Wainright) who overtakes a police station and holds them hostage unless his demands are met; it’s up to a rogue F.B.I. agent (Michael Pare) to try to save the day and save the hostages and defeat the terrorist at his own game. Juicy storyline sounds like a cross between “Assault At Precinct 13” and “Die Hard” but feels more like an assault on the senses instead; sleazy and stupid. Pare could play this role in his sleep by now and is in a few scenes. Continue reading →
May 11, 2022 “The Highwayman” (* out of four) was a colorless bore about a famed highway robber (Morgan Rees-Davies) who finds himself on the run in the English countryside after kidnapping the daughter (Mollie Hindle) of the Earl Of Pembroke (Steven Dalton); her fiance (Tom Hendryck) pursues her to rescue her but along the way her and the robber fall in love leading to a duel to the death for her heart. Promising story about love and crime goes nowhere as film is stuffy and dull. Film leaves the door open for a sequel that I’ll take bets will never happen. Continue reading →
May 8, 2022 “The Twin” (*1/2 out of four) was a drably done horror film about a grieving mother (Teresa Palmer) whose son was just recently killed who goes with her husband and surviving son (Steven Cree and Tristan Ruggieri) on a trip to Finland in which they all soon begin to get creepy notions that the other son may not be dead after all. Basically “The Shining” mixed with some of “The Sixth Sense” and also a little of “Midsommar” but it all makes for a very dull brew. Palmer, Cree, and co-star Barbara Marten all previously worked together on “A Discovery Of Witches” but they all may want to start discovering some better scripts sometime soon. Continue reading →
May 7, 2022 “Memory” (** out of four) was a slick but ultimately forgettable action thriller about an assassin-for-hire (Liam Neeson) who is struggling with memory loss; upon being hired to dispatch a young child, he finds he cannot go through with this and winds up on the run from the crime syndicate who hired him and also the police (Guy Pearce, Ray Stephenson, and others). Directed with a smooth professional sheen by Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”, “Goldeneye”) but lacks the tension, fire, and intrigue to make it really satisfying. Neeson keeps this watchable with his effortless charisma but fans will likely erase this one from their own “memory” soon after leaving the theater. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 