Author: dlepikcom

“Phil Collins: Drummer First” (*1/2 out of four) was a surprisingly dull documentary about the legendary musician who started out as a drummer and gradually transitioned to being one of the most popular and commercially successful singers of all time but always considered himself a drummer at heart. A one-note and monotonous look at a musical legend with perfunctory interviews that are hardly revelatory or revealing. For a much richer and more entertaining look at Collins, watch VH1’s Behind The Music on Genesis instead.

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“Carry On” (*** out of four) was a nail-biting suspense melodrama set during Christmas Eve in a crowded L.A. airport in which a dedicated TSA agent (Taron Egerton) is contacted by a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) and told that unless he lets a mysterious passenger and package through to board a plane both him and his pregnant partner (Sofia Carson) will be killed! Tense and suspenseful from the word-go; starts to get a little implausible and excessive in the final third but always maintains its fervent grip. Egerton is first-rate in the lead!

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“The Lurking Fear” (* out of four) was a thuddingly inept horror thriller about a reality-television crew and various law enforcement (Robert Davi, Michael Madsen, Elisabette Fantone, and others) who congregate at an abandoned mental institution but find they are not alone and (yawn) there are a series of demons there who want them killed no matter what. Terrible script is matched by lackluster production and lifeless direction; both Davi and Madsen look hungover and bored. Let’s hope both have something better “lurking” in the near future.

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“Outbreak” (** out of four) was a run-of-the-mill horror thriller about a state park ranger (Billy Burke) and his wife (Jessica Frances Dukes) who are struggling in dealing with their missing teenage son (Taylor Handley) and soon find themselves in the midst of a zombie epidemic that threatens all of them. Relatively well-made and well-acted but yet another derivation of “28 Days Later”/”World War Z”/ “The Walking Dead” without any surprises. No relation to the underrated 1995 Dustin Hoffman thriller of the same name.

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“Mountain Shark” (** out of four) was a passable horror thriller about a group of military hunters (Ema Ekaete, Emily Felicia Moore, Julia Quayle, and others) who are sent out into the dark mountains on a covert mission but soon discover the deadly title creature that is out to kill them one by one. Yes, it’s one more killer-shark movie that the world didn’t exactly need but it’s better than most others, thanks to moody direction from Greg AK and vivid visual effects and shark attacks. This actually won some awards at various international horror festivals.

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“Fog City” (** out of four) was a passable horror thriller about a mysterious fog that encompasses a small town and the various friends (Victoria Konefal, Connor Wells, and others) who congregate together in a house but find it might already be too late and they don’t know who to trust. Obviously inspired by (i.e. rips off) John Carpenter’s “The Fog” and script is relatively weak but good filmmaking and eye-candy cinematography from Michael Sollidum helps to keep it watchable.

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“Run” (*1/2 out of four) was a senseless horror shocker about a married couple (Vjosa Halili and Jeremy Miller) renewing their wedding vows in a deserted desert town who become targeted by a sicko (Jeremy Green) who entwines them in a deadly game of love and vengeance where they have to (you guessed it) run to stay alive. More style than substance and film’s style is pretty hard-edged and ugly anyway. No relation to the 1991 Patrick Dempsey clunker of the same name; viewers would be best to “run” far away from both of them.

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“Fog City” (** out of four) was a passable horror thriller about a mysterious fog that encompasses a small town and the various friends (Victoria Konefal, Connor Wells, and others) who congregate together in a house but find it might already be too late and they don’t know who to trust. Obviously inspired by (i.e. rips off) John Carpenter’s “The Fog” and script is relatively weak but good filmmaking and eye-candy cinematography from Michael Sollidum helps to keep it watchable.

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“Graveyard Shark” (0 stars out of four) was a bottom-of-the-barrel horror comedy about a renowned creature hunter (Stephanie Ward) who teams up with a group of townsfolk (Michael John Gilbert, Berndele Welch, and others) to uncover the myth of the title creature who terrorizes a small town. Some of the costumes look like they were literally bought at Family Dollar and some of the acting is abjectly painful. If Ed Wood were still alive and making schlock horror movies, it might have looked a lot like this. This one deserves to be buried and left in a “graveyard.”

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“Forgive Me Father” (** out of four) was a muddled horror melodrama about a world-weary detective (Cindy Humphrey) who investigates a series of grisly murder mutilations and finds that the path to the truth and the killer may turn her life and her sanity inside-out. Fairly strong opening with gripping visuals and strong horror holds your attention but film soon sputters out and becomes enervated and routine. Plot has some similarities to “The Exorcist 3” but at least it’s FAR better than that unforgivable disaster.

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