Author: dlepikcom

“Canadian Strain” (** out of four) was a mild marijuana comedy about the legalization of marijuana in Canada and how one lifelong dealer (Jess Salgueiro) finds she is soon about to be run out of business by the Canadian government which puts her at odds with local politicians (Angela Besharah) and law enforcement (Benjamin Ayres). Occasionally amusing satire of the legalization of marijuana and its rippling effects on many industries but not as sharp or incisive as it could have- and should have- been. You keep watching for Cheech Marin or Dave Chappelle to show up and make a cameo but unfortunately that never happens.

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“Rent-A-Pal” (***1/2 out of four) was a wrenching psychodrama set in 1990 about a lonely middle-ager (Brian Landis Folkins) who lives at home taking care of his dying mother (Kathleen Brady); he then joins a video-dating service and takes home the tape of the title video friend (Will Wheaton) but soon finds he is addicted to this and finds it has completely taken over his life, even when he finally meets a girl (Amy Rutledge) he is in love with. Intense, moving story is brilliantly realized in the vein of early David Lynch and David Cronenbergh; unfortunately it gets a little too cerebral and weird in its final third which may turn some off. Still, it’s a definite original and a very impressive directorial debut for writer/director Jon Stevenson and a strong showcase for the powerful acting of Folkins and Rutledge.

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“Pistolera” (** out of four) was a typically sordid underground pulp melodrama about a young girl (Romina di Lella) whose family is murdered by a ruthless drug lord (Robert Davi); once she grows up, she swears vengeance and turns to some corrupt underworld figures (Danny Trejo and Damian Chapa) for help in taking him down and his empire. The film equivalent to a weak bottle of Mexican tequila, with all kinds of sadistic violence and plot twists you have seen all-too-many times before. Davi mostly replays his role from “License To Kill” and Trejo replays a role he can by now play in his sleep. Olvidalo!

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“Driven To The Edge” (*1/2 out of four) was an utterly stupid suspense thriller about a young fashion designer (Taylor Spreitler) who shares a ride with a passenger (Danielle Burgess) in an Uber and soon realizes that she has taken a dark obsession with her and will do anything and everything to dominate her life and make sure they are never apart. Perhaps the final word in all “Fatal Attraction” wannabes about the fatal consequences of meeting someone in an Uber! Even by the low standards of these clunkers, this one is really dim and lame and soon drives itself off a cliff.

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“Evil Takes Root” (** out of four) was a tired supernatural thriller about a paranormal investigator (Nicholas Gonzalez) who arrives in a nowhere Midwestern town to investigate the disappearance of his ex and hopefully atone for many of his own past mistakes but soon begins to realize that she fell victim to an ancient evil that returned home with her from the Phillipines and he subsequently realizes it may threaten to overtake the entire town. Director Chris W. Freeman employs some stylish touches that help this get off to a good start but film soon gets swallowed up in its own hokey absurdism.

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“Beckman” (** out of four) was an ungainly B-movie actioner about an underground contract killer (David A.R. White) who finds God and turns his life around to become the reverend of an L.A. church but is called back into action when a villainous cult leader (William Baldwin) kidnaps his daughter and he springs back into bloody vengeance but this puts him at odds and question with his newfound faith. Heavy-handed mix of pulp action and religious sentiments at least has some good action scenes in its second half after a sluggish opening. Strong supporting cast including Jeff Fahey, Burt Young, and Brighton Sharbino are mostly wasted. Both Fahey and Baldwin both co-produced.

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“The Bellwether” (0 out of four) was an excruciating horror drama about a book-store owner (Alex Reid) who is locked in a church and is interrogated and scrutinized by an unseen church servant (voiced by Sally Clawson) to try and force her to conform from her evil and sinister ways but she has a few tricks up her sleeve and decides to interrogate the church servant back and the church in general. Abjectly painful movie is an entire one-character story and is claustrophobic, cheap, and (worst of all) boring. If you make it through the first 15 minutes, you might make it through the entire movie. You might remember Reid from 2005’s “The Descent” but judging by this clunker, her career seems to be in fast descent.

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“The Dead Ones” (* out of four) was a deadeningly awful horror thriller about four misfit teens (Sarah Rose Harper, Brandon Thane Wilson, Katie Foster, and Torey Garza) assigned to summer detention of cleaning up their high school but soon realize they are not alone and that The Four Horsemen of the apocalypse are in the school with them and terrorize and stalk them to the death. Amateurish from the beginning and even looks visually ugly and blurry. One of the head villains is played by Muse Watson who ironically played the fisherman in “I Know What You Did Last Summer” a reminder (as if we needed another one) on the right way to do this type of horror story.

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“Sinfidelity” (** out of four) was an obvious, empty suspense thriller about a married woman (Jade Tailor) who begins to suspect that her husband (Mark Jude Sullivan) is having an affair so she decides to have an affair of her own with her husband’s co-worker (Aidan Bristow) but this turns her life upside down when she finds out that he’s a vengeful sicko. Cleverly titled movie turns out to be yet another “Fatal Attraction” knockoff which is fatally illogical and predictable. Thomas Callaway’s cinematography is a definite asset but this is overall an affair to forget.

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“The Babysitter: Killer Queen” (** out of four) was a strained sequel to the surprise 2017 hit about the continuing misadventures of Cole (Judah Lewis) who survived a satanic blood cult and now has to embark on the even more dangerous ground of attending high school but the physical and personal demons from his past soon return and he has to find creative ways to fight them off. Director McG directs with his usual flamboyance and panache and throws in some homages to earlier teen classics (with a nod to “Risky Business”) and some great soundtrack selections (yes the Queen title track) but it’s a lot of energy expended over nothing, since the story is practically nonexistent. Only for die-hard fans of the original.

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