September 4, 2021 “Burial Ground Massacre” (*1/2 out of four) was slapdash horror junk about a group of college students (Chelsea Vale, Vinny Marseglia, Karra Curnane Joseph, and others) who spend a night partying at a decrepit mansion when they are suddenly stalked and slashed by a masked killer (Michael Madsen) who wants to repossess an ancient Native American artifact locked inside. Cliche-ridden and by-the-numbers horror thriller with random S & M and ugly violence inserted to keep you entertained. The real “massacre” is what’s become of one-time great actor Madsen’s career. Continue reading →
September 4, 2021 “Outlaw’s Buckle” (**1/2 out of four) was an intermittently tense and engaging melodrama set inside a Texas jail in which a female cop (Rachel G. Whittle) comes for a visit and actually turns out to be a serial killer on the prowl while a determined and world-weary officer (Thom Hallum) attempts to stop her and save his unit. Story is more than a little reminiscent of “Assault On Precinct 13” and also harks back to former film glories of Sam Peckinpah and Walter Hill but that being said, it’s well-acted and extremely well-captured by cinematographer Anthony Gutierrez and holds your attention. Refreshingly quick and short also, at only 80 minutes. Continue reading →
September 3, 2021 “Megalodon Rising” (*1/2 out of four) was a thirdhand “Jaws” wannabe about yet another gigantic killer shark who swims into military waters and a rogue navy crew (Tom Sizemore, Wynter Eddins, O’Shay Neal, and others) who attempt to exterminate it once and for all. The shark scenes and effects are vivid but they’re few and far between; the rest is utterly by-the-numbers. Maybe it’s time by now they put the killer shark genre to rest for a while before it’s entertainment value becomes utterly extinct. Continue reading →
September 3, 2021 “The Last House On The Street” (* out of four) was an abysmal potboiler about two morons (Jeremy Behie and Dylan Garcia) who live on a nowheresville street and two beautiful girls (Gabby d Barbosa and Mary Kate McCormick) move in; initially, they are enthralled by this but they soon start to realize sinister and subversive things are beginning to happen and things start to get really ugly in the neighborhood. In dire need of a coherent storyline and characters who are even slightly likeable; make this film “the last” on your Netflix list. Continue reading →
September 2, 2021 “Candyman” (** out of four) was a pretty dull direct sequel to the 1992 original set in Chicago in the now-gentrified neighborhood of the Cabrini Green housing projects in which a new generation of intellectuals (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, and others) explore the myth and legend of the title hook-handed killer (Tony Todd) and unwittingly bring him back for another round of brutal murders. Intelligent and atmospheric and ably replicates the mood and style of the original but is also gloomy and sluggish. Original star Virginia Madsen is briefly heard in a voiceover; her, Todd, and also Vanessa Williams all reprise their roles from the original. Continue reading →
August 30, 2021 “Rushed” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably moving story about a husband and wife (Siobhan Fallon Hogan and Robert Patrick) who are devastated by the death of their son (Jay Jay Warren) in college in a fraternity hazing initiation and they soon begin to learn of other deaths of other students across the country in similar incidents and begin a campaign to change fraternity hazing rituals; upon being frustrated about the indifferent results, the wife then attempts more direct action. Strong acting from the two leads and incisive subject matter keep you watching but story takes some bizarre twists and turns in its final third and its ending is somewhat obscure. Hogan also wrote the screenplay. Continue reading →
August 30, 2021 “The Stairs” (** out of four) was a fairly bland thriller which begins in 1997 in which a young boy (Thomas Wethington) and his grandfather (John Schneider) go hiking in the forest and stumble upon a mysterious set of stairs and go missing; 20 years later a new group of hikers (Adam Korson, Stacey Oristano, and others) stumble upon it as well and try to avoid the same fate. Tension builds but story is never really all that scary or chilling. Somehow though, this won Best Feature Film at the Haunted House Fearfest in the UK this year. Continue reading →
August 27, 2021 “The Gateway” (** out of four) was an overplotted melodrama about a dedicated social worker (Shea Whigham) who tries to intervene in the life of a young girl and her mother (Olivia Munn) when the girl’s father (Jay Hieron) returns home from prison and falls back into crime involving a sleazy underworld kingpin (Frank Grillo who can play this role in his sleep and does) resulting in an impending bloodbath. Strong central performance from Whigham does all that it can to keep this story from wandering into too many unpleasant directions but by the time of its gory and violent ending, it just seems a waste of time. And what a waste of a strong supporting cast (including Bruce Dern and Keith David)! Continue reading →
August 27, 2021 “Tides” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately compelling but muted melodrama set in the distant future in which Earth has become a giant wasteland and a shipwrecked female astronaut (Nora Arnezeder) struggles to fight for survival and must decide to save the planet or save herself as she tries to make sense of what has happened since she was gone. Yet another bleak futuristic story in which Earth has become desolate and debauched, dressed up with striking and moody cinematography from Markus Forderer and held together by Arnezeder’s strong lead performance, but story never builds much momentum and actually gets slower as it goes along. Originally titled “The Colony” until the filmmakers likely realized there was a 2013 film of the same name and with a similar story. Continue reading →
August 26, 2021 “No Loss, No Gain” (*** out of four) was an entrancing melodrama about a malicious, multi-million dollar bank that is robbed and a mysterious, modern-day Robin Hood (John Valley) gives the victims of this robbery a valuable opportunity to recoup their money while various bank administrators and law enforcement try to make sense of all this. Writer/director Christian Rousseau neatly weaves suspense into social commentary about capitalism and consumerism and holds your attention throughout. Offset by a sense of aloofness that is possibly intentional showing the film’s themes of corporate misanthropy and greed. Continue reading →
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