March 4, 2022 “Hell Is Empty” (0 stars out of four):……….but it’s nothing compared to the movie itself. Ludicrous religious psychobabble about a self-styled messiah (Travis Mitchell) who initiates a teenage runaway (Meredith Antoian) into his unstable cult of sister-wives (Nia Farrell, Spencer Peppet, and others) but her rebellious nature triggers an uprising and a revolt against him and his domineering ways. Loaded with unintentional laughs and terrible acting and dialogue and heavy-handed sermonizing that make this feel like an endless Sunday in church. Strictly for those who thought Shymalahan’s “The Village” was in dire need of retelling and a remake. Continue reading →
March 4, 2022 “Crow Valley” (*1/2 out of four) was a lusterless suspense thriller about a mountain biker (Josh Conn) off on a weekend ride who is attacked in a brutal hit-and-run and awakens in a cabin where he is imprisoned by a woman (Nicole Freeman) with serious psychiatric problems and he has to try to heal up and turn the tables on her to escape. Countless man-in-peril/man-has-to-escape film is bathed in unpleasantness and ugly violence. Star Conn also wrote and directed this and one hopes he’s a better mountain biker than actor or filmmaker. Continue reading →
March 4, 2022 “Bull Shark” (**1/2 out of four) was an agreeably done thriller about another ravenous shark that’s on the loose this time in a small Texas town in which the concerned local law enforcement (Thom Hallum and Derrick Redford) hurry to track it down while the local mayor (Richard Ray) wants to hush things and keep it quiet so as not to scare away local tourist money. Yes, it’s another killer-shark-on-the-loose movie ripped off from “Jaws” (and “Jaws 3” in particular in this case) but this has sharper teeth than most other imitations, thanks to a stronger-than-usual screenplay and characterizations, solid acting, and also crisp cinematography from Jeff Hamm. No classic but far better than most other “bull” you find at Redbox. Continue reading →
March 4, 2022 “Welcome To Mama’s” (** out of four) was a treacly confection about a determined career woman (Melanie Scofano) who finds she inherits an Italian restaurant from a famous chef (Lorraine Bracco) and hires a blacklisted master chef (Daniel di Tomasso) looking for a second chance and soon finds that the sparks of love start to fly. Shimmering cinematography and lots of delicious-looking food to be sure but it’s made with an awful lot of flour and sugar and empty calories. Restaurant owners/food lovers might savor this more but even they’d likely be best re-watching “Big Night”, “Chef”, or “Like Water For Chocolate.” Continue reading →
March 4, 2022 “Beneath The Surface” (*1/2 out of four) was a grimly inert psychological thriller about a young woman (Georgie Banks) who survives a shark attack in which her mother and sister die and she begins to meet with a counselor to come to terms with all of her symptoms of anxiety as she prepares to jump back into the waters and confront her fears once and for all. Superficial story of PTSD and trauma is more exploitative than exploratory and some of the shark scenes look like they were shot in someone’s swimming pool. Banks does what she can with a thinly written role. Continue reading →
February 28, 2022 “The Desperate Hour” (**1/2 out of four) was a mildly gripping suspense thriller about a devoted mother (Naomi Watts) out on a run in the wilderness who turns into frenzy and panic when her town is suddenly put on lockdown and she realizes her son may be in danger and she has to find a way back to civilization. Watts is virtually the whole show here and (as usual) proves she is a commanding actress but there isn’t enough story here to sustain an entire feature-length film and after a while film starts to peter out. A solid effort from director Phillip Noyce (“Dead Calm”) that overall just misses. Continue reading →
February 28, 2022 “The Electric Man” (0 stars out of four) was an absolutely unwatchable sci/fi snoozer about a man (Jed Rowen) who experiences a 12,000 voltage shock and his life subsequently alternates between a blur of reality and fantasy. Or something like that. Film’s title is sadly ironic because film has no electricity (or worth) of its own. Acting and direction are rockbottom and some of the dialogue is mind-numbingly awful. Eric Roberts and Tom Sizemore are wasted in nothing supporting roles. Continue reading →
February 28, 2022 “Restless” (*** out of four) was a slick suspense thriller about a corrupt cop (Franck Gastambide) whose life starts to spiral out of control when he has to go to extremes to cover up an accident and he starts receiving anonymous threats from a mysterious witness and has to keep a cool head while in a descending quicksand of duplicity and deception. Gritty story of corruption is enhanced by crackerjack direction from Regis Blondeau and keeps its firm grip due to Gamstambide’s strong (and believable) performance. A small winner all around. Continue reading →
February 28, 2022 “Gasoline Alley” (*1/2 out of four) was a sordid suspense potboiler about a man (Devon Sawa) under suspicion for the murder of three Hollywood actresses who enlists the help of the two cops (Bruce Willis and Luke Wilson) who have been trailing him to launch his own investigation into the Hollywood underworld and track down the real killer. Sleazy and unpleasant story covers all-too-familiar terrain; Willis sleepwalks his way through his umpteenth paycheck role as a cop but at least Wilson adds some sardonic humor as his partner. Continue reading →
February 19, 2022 “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average direct sequel to the 1974 original about Leatherface (Mark Burnham) who comes out of hiding after 50 years to terrorize a new group of Texas visitors (Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, and others) who accidentally disrupt his home; then the sole survivor of the original Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fourere) comes out of hiding as well to face him for the ultimate revenge showdown. Ninth entry in the series is initially routine but some ultraviolent kills, refreshing hard-edged gore, and stylish scares make this one of the better entries in a long while. Not on the level of the original classic and its superior 2003 remake but definitely has enough “buzz” to make it worthwhile for fans. Continue reading →
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