February 8, 2022 “Moonfall” (** out of four) was a half-baked sci/fi action thriller about a mysterious force which knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling forward at a relentless pace on a crash course towards Earth and only a group of astronauts (Patrick Murphy, Halle Berry, John Bradley) can stop it. Some spectacular visual effects and set pieces can’t stop this from ringing hollow as it seems like a reheated rehash of director Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day” and “2012” and also “Armageddon.” Berry is unusually weak here and most of the characters are pretty one-note. Watch “Moonraker” again instead. Continue reading →
February 5, 2022 “Catwoman: Hunted” (** out of four) was an interchangeable animated feature about Catwoman (voiced by Elizabeth Gillies) and her attempts to steal a priceless jewel but this puts her in the crossfire of numerous villains (voiced by Jonathan Banks, Zehra Fazal, and others), interpol, and Batwoman (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) and she has to outsmart all of them to keep the jewel and stay alive. Lots of colorful animation and requisite amount of chases and action help to keep it watchable but still overall feels thirdhand and ordinary. Worth it for DC and comic die-hards but not worth “hunting” for to most audiences. Continue reading →
February 5, 2022 “Werewolf Castle” (** out of four) was a pretty generic medieval melodrama about a village boy (Peter Lofsgard) who goes along with a fearless group of knights (Greg Draven, Reece Connolly, and others) to end a werewolf invasion that threatens all of them but they find that it’s going to be a bloody fight to the death. Hardly the worst of its ilk but gory and one-note. At least it’s relatively brief at only an hour-and-a-half but it still runs out of energy pretty early. Continue reading →
February 5, 2022 “A Violent Man” (** out of four) was a grim and unaffecting melodrama about a violent prisoner (Craig Fairbrass) imprisoned for murder who struggles for personal redemption while acclimating with his new cell-mate (Stephen Odubola) and a new daughter (Zoe Tapper) who he never met. Doesn’t connect emotionally, despite good performances and production, and goes flat after a while simply because it doesn’t have much story to tell. Fairbrass does what he can with a one-note role but he was far more terrifying and vivid in 1993’s “Cliffhanger” nearly 30 years ago. Continue reading →
February 5, 2022 “Ghosts Of The Ozarks” (*1/2 out of four) was a drably done horror story set after the Civil War in which a young doctor (Thomas Hobson) is summoned to a remote town named Ozarks but he soon finds that this town is not all that it appears and is permeated with evil and supernatural forces that threaten them all. No suspense, scares, thrills, and while we’re talking about it no real entertainment value either; film finally starts to come alive towards the end but it’s too late by that point. Hobson’s sincere performance is wasted. Continue reading →
February 4, 2022 “Bad Girls” (** out of four) was an amusing but disreputable ode to grindhouse cinema about three loose-cannon teenage girls (Morgan Shaley Renew, Shelby Lois Guinn, Sanethia Dresch) who rob a strip club and then go on a cross-country odyssey of sex, drugs, and booze while eluding the Feds (led by Mike Amason) who are determined to track them down and put an end to their reign of crime. Alternately trashy, stupid, exciting, funny, bloody and numbing- film makes for a wildly uneven ride but at least it never stops moving. Ultimately wears you out with its nonstop sleaze but at least it’s far better (and more entertaining) than 1994’s “Bad Girls” which it has no relation to. Continue reading →
February 4, 2022 “Slapface” (**1/2 out of four) was a thoughtful melodrama about a young boy (August Maturo) who is distraught by bullying at school and the recent death of his parents who seeks solace in a dangerous local monster (Lukas Hassel) who lives in the woods but this leads to dangerous consequences for him and those around him. Extremely well-made story is atmospheric and beautifully shot by Dominick Sivilli and is unusually reflective and thought-provoking about the psychological effects of bullying but just misses. Maturo’s sincere performance is a plus but this never quite connects emotionally. This was adapted from a 2017 short film of the same name. Continue reading →
February 3, 2022 “Safe Space” (**1/2 out of four) was a predictable but efficient suspense thriller about a mother (Nicole Ari Parker- who looks like a stoned Halle Berry) and her autistic son (Nik Sanchez) who hide in a safe room at their house when their home is invaded by intruders (Mackenzie Austin and Drea de Matteo) who are looking for evidence and they have to turn the tables on them and escape and survive. More-or-less a remake of the Jodie Foster/David Fincher cult classic “Panic Room” but having said that- it’s tensely directed and well acted and holds you in its grip. Matteo in particular is fierce and stylish as the female thug. Continue reading →
February 3, 2022 “The Reunion” (*1/2 out of four) was a schizophrenic comedy melodrama about a twenty-something out of work actor (Dave Rosenberg) with significant mental health issues on a spiritual quest in NYC when he runs into a childhood nemesis (Jim Norton) and is encouraged by his best-friend (Andrea Modica) to confront him and challenge him at their pending high-school reunion to achieve new fulfillment and enlightenment in life (or something like that). Rosenberg also wrote this bizarro movie which changes mood and tone with practically every scene. If you went to school with flakes like this, you wouldn’t want to attend a “reunion” either. Continue reading →
February 2, 2022 “COVID-19: The Invasion” (*1/2 out of four) was a junky action potboiler about a group of redneck militants (led by Kevin Nash) who set out to kill the local homeless population that are living in a deserted school in order to prevent the spread of a lethal strand of COVID; when the homeless people fight back and the COVID strand continues to spread, they realize they are in a fight for their lives. Yet another low-rent action thriller that exploits the COVID name and pandemic but it’s really more-of-the-same and resembles a video game more than a film. Continue reading →
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