October 19, 2021 “Hell Trip” (** out of four) was a hollow horror melodrama about a group of American tourists (Clayton Boyd, Jay Antsey, Jonathan Boynton-Lee, and others) who go on vacation to a remote village in Africa where they discover all-too-late that it carries an ominous and deadly secret and their lives may be in danger. Highlighted by Justus de Jager’s stark and crisp cinematography but film takes too long to get going and doesn’t deliver the sufficient goods. Shot in 2018 on location in South Africa in some of the hottest weather days there in history. Continue reading →
October 19, 2021 “Killer Advice” (*1/2 out of four) was a sub-routine psychological thriller about a woman (Kate Watson) suffering from PTSD who goes to see a psychiatrist (Meredith Thomas) who is a psychotic sociopath intent on ruining her life and turning it upside down. Enervatingly predictable and so by-the-numbers that you expect to see numbers flashing out at you on screen. Eric Roberts sleepwalks his way through another token supporting role and picks up another easy paycheck. Best “advice” this FB reviewer can give is to re-watch “Fatal Attraction” again instead. Continue reading →
October 16, 2021 “Doors” (** out of four) was a stylish but uninvolving sci/fi melodrama told in four different stories about the mysterious alien portals called doors which have become responsible for the disappearance of millions of people and changes to the Earth as we know it and how various people (Kathy Khanh, Julianna Collins, Arik Floyd, and others) attempt to understand and change these doors. Holds you initially with its eerie and elegiac mood and aura but after a while you realize there’s not much more to the film than this so it starts to become monotonous. Cool musical score by John Beltran is a definite standout throughout. Continue reading →
October 16, 2021 “Halloween Kills” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable sequel which picks up the night the previous entry left off in which the unstoppable Michael Meyers (played by Nick Castle who played him in the original- a nice touch) is still alive and killing and chasing after a hospitalized Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis); meanwhile an angry mob in town led by Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) vow to take him down at any and all cost. Lots of stylistic homages to the original (love the casting of Charles Cyphers and Nancy Stephens from the 1978 original and the amazing CGI work recreating Donald Pleasance) and some scares but film gets over-the-top and bizarre in its second half with lots of pretentious mythology about Meyers’ evil and origins and its ending is a letdown. Still overall worthwhile for “Halloween” fanatics and a definite improvement over previous sequels. Continue reading →
October 9, 2021 “The Secret Of Sinchanee” (** out of four) was a mild, meandering horror thriller about an industrial tow-trick driver (Steven Grayhm) who returns to his hometown after the death of his father and subsequently finds that paranormal activity has been living in the home and land in which he grew up and he has to eradicate it to save his family and his own town. Obviously a labor of love for writer/director/star/producer Grayhm and it’s well-made but offers nothing new and moves along too slowly and too long. Moody cinematography by Logan Fulton on stark Massachusetts locations are a definite plus. Continue reading →
October 9, 2021 “Vengeance Is Mine” (**1/2 out of four) was a stylishly done melodrama about a middle-aged man (Con O’Neill) who emerges from an abyss of grief and despair after his wife and daughter are murdered and he discovers the whereabouts of their killer and finds that vengeance gives him his new and only meaning in life. Directed (and maybe overdirected at times) with kinetic flash by writer/director Hadi Hajaig to ensure things stay lively. Starts to numb and wear you out after a while with its violence and cerebral intensity but definitely moves fast and holds your attention. Continue reading →
October 9, 2021 “The Mutation” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror potboiler about various citizens (Megan Purvis, Sarah T. Cohen, Abi Casson Thompson, and others) of a metropolitan city who become up in arms by a mutated rat (or actually an actor in a bad rat costume) that is wreaking havoc. If you ever wanted to see what an Ed Wood horror movie might look like in contemporary times, look no further; anyone looking for entertainment value or scares should look elsewhere. Laughably bad costumes is matched by dumb dialogue and by-the-numbers plotting. Continue reading →
October 8, 2021 “The Amityville Moon” (** out of four) was a perfunctory horror thriller about two women (Alex Rinehart and Kelsey Zukowski) who try to escape from the imprisoned church home they are held captive in but as soon as they escape they are mauled and stalked by an otherworldly animal on the prowl. Far from the worst of the crop of “Amityville” ouevre and done with some degree of craft and style but overall pretty routine and blah; incidentally, this has absolutely nothing to do with “The Amityville Horror” series and is simply just cashing in on a name. Moody electronic music score by Erick Schroder is a definite plus. Continue reading →
October 5, 2021 “Survive The Game” (*1/2 out of four) was a sub-routine action potboiler about a dedicated family man (Chad Michael Murray) whose life is interrupted when an over-the-hill cop (who else but Bruce Willis?) and a group of criminals (Donna D’Erico, Sean Kanan, Swen Temmel, and others) show up and they all turn on each other. Hard to believe that a similarly titled (“Survive The Night”) film with the same stars (Willis and Murray) could come out in the same year but maybe this really is proof that action filmmakers are bankrupt of new ideas. Willis sleepwalks his way through this and picks up another easy check; this one will die hard and fast at the Redbox machines. Continue reading →
October 2, 2021 “While We Sleep” (** out of four) was a muted horror melodrama about a dedicated radiologist (Darya Tregubova) who begins to investigate the abnormal CAT-scan of a young girl (Lyra Irene Gross) and begins to uncover dark and lurid secrets of her household that may threaten her and the girl’s family. Elegantly made and extremely well shot (it was directed by Andrsez Sakula who shot “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction”) but story never builds to anything satisfying and mostly just plods. Far from the worst of its ilk but after a while it may just put you to “sleep.” Continue reading →
dlepikcom 