Author: dlepikcom

“Last Shoot Out” (**1/2 out of four) was a serviceable B-grade Western about a newlywed (Skylar Witte) who learns that her husband (Michael Welch) had her father previously killed; she then subsequently goes on the run in fear but is rescued by a fearless gunfighter (Billy Tyson) who hides her at a remote outpost while her husband looks to find her and take her home. Never escapes the cut-and-dried routine of most formula Westerns but having said that- it is sturdy and smooth and relatively well-made and well-acted. Finale provides enough tension and firepower to overall make this trail worth riding down.

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“Devil’s Island” (*1/2 out of four) was a pointless horror thriller about a young woman (Kat Alexandra) who inherits a small island in New York but discovers all-too-late that it has a dangerous history and that her and her friends (Danielle Jean Schaefer, Kristjan Sokoli, and others) are in imminent danger. Nothing you haven’t seen 1,000 times before and will likely see 1,000 times again but is bereft of any artistry or scares. ’70’s blaxploitation star Fred Williamson has a minor role here as a retired cop and is rock-solid as usual but this is unlikely to provide the comeback that he needs.

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“Death Link” (*1/2 out of four) was a limp horror melodrama with a group of bratty teenagers (Elise Luthman, Jessica Belkin, Riker Lynch, and others) who tell the gruesome stories online that they want to see with each story more deadly and daring than the last but suddenly these staged murder videos turn very real and they have to soon uncover who is the real killer amongst them. An ’80’s-themed horror movie brought up to date to the social media age except a few problems- it’s stupid and boring. Horror fans needn’t bother clicking on this “link”.

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“House Of Glass” (*1/2 out of four) was a suspenseless suspense melodrama about a feisty wife (Jenny Shakeshaft) who becomes convinced her husband (Matt Abshire) is having an affair and obsessively tries to uncover the truth at all personal costs. Since neither the wife nor the husband are especially likeable or interesting, film is very uninvolving and unpleasant after a while. This type of character melodrama might have worked better on the stage than on film. Watch “House Of Wax” instead.

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“Bingo Hell” (* out of four) was one unlucky number about a community of elderly friends (Bertila Damas, Clayton Landey, and others) who are held together by their fiercely independent leader (Adriana Barraza) but tensions arise when their bingo hall is sold to an evil entity that threatens to permeate and overtake all of them. Bewildering storyline is excessively campy and garish and (oh yeah) stupid. Viewers might get more entertainment value and probably more scares out of playing an actual game of bingo itself. This was the film that Amazon Prime Video chose as their launch for this year!

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“The Last Rite” (*1/2 out of four) was a stilted and dour horror thriller about a medical student (Bethan Waller) suffering from sleep paralysis who soon falls prey to a demonic force and only a morally conflicted priest (Kit Smith) can save her and conquer the demon and save humanity. Countless rip-off of “The Exorcist” with the usual solemn religious hokum and inane psychobabble about evil and the other world. Hopefully this is “the last” of the lot. Smith’s sincere performance is film’s only “rite” of passage.

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“Motherly” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster horror thriller about a mother and daughter (Lora Burke and Tessa Kozma) who live alone in an isolated farmhouse in the woods but are soon torn apart by a sinister force of evil that threatens to overtake them and make its way out into society and destroy humanity as we know it. Just an abundance of warmed-over ideas from many other horror movies (“The Shining” and “Alien” just to name a few) without much spark or scares. Good performances are overpowered by the ennui of such tired material.

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“Divided We Fall” (** out of four) was a cold-hearted urban melodrama about a group of girls from the hood (Yellow Diamond, Mselane Faust, and others) who commit a robbery but don’t realize the domino effect this has on their lives and it leads to the involvement of the Feds and numerous of their friends turning against them with a vengeance. Lots of action and double-crossings but leaves you hardly anyone to root for and becomes numbing after a while especially as it goes on-and-on to nearly two hours. Described in the press as a ghetto version of “Set It Off” but this “falls” by comparison to that 1996 cult classic.

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“The Zeme” (* out of four) was a grade-Z horror thriller about a developer (Nick Preston) who relocates his family to a remote island where an ancient curse that permeates the land takes over his soul and turns him into a vicious killer. Preston’s performance is so awful it almost makes this worth watching for a few minutes for a few unintentional yuks but don’t take that recommendation too closely to heart. Surrounding cast is pretty subpar also so he shouldn’t feel too badly. Described as a mix of “The Shining” and “The Vanishing” in its press notes but that’s a bit of an overstatement.

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“Black Friday” (**1/2 out of four) was an engagingly silly and over-the-top black comedy about a group of toy-store employees (Devon Sawa, Ivana Baquero, Michael Jai White, and others) who must unite on the day after Thanksgiving when a parasite infects various shoppers and turns them into otherworldy zombies. Cheeky visual style and sardonic and cynical sense of humor is in the vein of “The Evil Dead” series (with Bruce Campbell cast as the toy-store manager); a little of this goes a long way but at least it never stops moving and trying for you to have a good time. Filmed in a former Babies ‘R’ Us in Massachusetts!

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