May 26, 2020 “Run” (** out of four) was a sputtering melodrama set in Fraserburgh about a former drag racer (Mark Stanley) who has settled into an adult life working at a local fish factory but still finds he has the need for speed and steals his son’s car for one final joyride and a throwback to his reckless youth. Writer-director Scott Graham uses some good soundtrack selections to buoy things up but there simply isn’t enough story to sustain a feature-length film which is probably why it’s only about an hour-and-20-minutes long. After a while, it stalls and simply “runs” on empty. Continue reading →
May 25, 2020 “Choke” (*1/2 out of four) was an incoherent psychological melodrama about the overlapping realities and intersection of the lives of a devoted psychologist (Lisa London), a brutal serial killer (Shane Ryan), and an astute young girl (Sarah Brine) when the lines between reality and fiction and good and bad appear to blur. Disheveled and cerebral story might make as much sense if you watched it backwards but film is so mean-spirited and unpleasant it’s not worth the bother. Unsatisfying and abrupt ending is a further nail in the coffin. Continue reading →
May 25, 2020 “Return Of The Tooth Fairy” (*1/2 out of four) was a toothless sequel set 15 years later about the now grown-up main character (Jake Watkins) from the first movie who attends a class reunion which is crashed by (you guessed it) the murderous tooth fairy who stalks him and his classmates to the death. Yet another sequel that virtually no one was waiting for or demanding and will hardly feel like a gift under anybody’s pillow. Film begins passably but soon sags right when The Tooth Fairy comes alive when it ought to be taking off. Floss your teeth or visit your dentist instead. Continue reading →
May 25, 2020 “Erasing His Past” (** out of four) was a hackneyed thriller about a woman (Laurie Fortier) whose husband (Michael Welch) vanishes under mysterious circumstances and is presumed dead but she then begins to realize all-too-late that he was not the Mr. Perfect he appeared and that he may still be alive which means that her and her daughter are in danger. Obvious and predictable pretty much all the way through over all-too-familiar territory. Good performances help but can’t “erase” films overall familiarity. Film scholars will note the return here of “To Kill A Mockingbird” actress Mary Badham in a good supporting turn as a bank manager. Continue reading →
May 24, 2020 “Lady Driver” (**1/2 out of four) was an easygoing Netflix teen drama about a rebellious young girl (Grace Van Dien) sent to live with her estranged uncle (Sean Patrick Flannery) for the summer and begins an interest and passion for auto racing which initially inflames her troubled relationship with her mom (Christina Moore) and leads to a rivalry with a local boy (David Gridley) whose family her uncle has history with. No real surprises or revelations as film connects the dots on many familiar teen themes but is made palatable by a likeable and engaging cast. No relation byetheway to 2017’s similarly themed and titled “Baby Driver.” Continue reading →
May 24, 2020 “Savage Creatures” (** out of four) was a lively but silly horror thriller about two young girls (Kelly Brown and Victoria Steadman) who are abducted by predatory cannibals and soon realize they are ancient vampires which results in a cataclysmic war between the vampires and zombies for the dominance of mankind! Fast-paced movie features plenty of gore and tongue-in-cheek attitude but a little of this goes a long way as film starts to wear out after a while. Not bad by the standards of these things but obviously inspired by “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “The Howling.” Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Sex And The Future” (*1/2 out of four) was a strained comedy about two morons (Chris Markle and Phillip Crum) who somehow became scientists and design an idealistic and futuristic woman (Ellie Patrikios) as a robot; soon, an even more moronic prince (Angel Garet) finds out about this and offers them humongous monetary support and the three hatch a plan to rule the future of sex in the world but this naturally doesn’t go as planned. One-joke comedy runs out of steam and laughs pretty quickly but then continues misfiring after this. Filmmakers evidently watched “Weird Science” before this which told almost the same story more humorously and entertainingly over 35 years ago. Maybe the “future” isn’t quite what we all imagined. Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Last Moment Of Clarity” (**1/2 out of four) was a fervent but feverish melodrama about a man (Zach Avery) lost in the world and a drifter after witnessing the murder of his wife three years ago until one day he runs into a woman (Carly Chaikin) at a Paris cinema who is a dead-ringer for his wife and through her is eventually able to uncover the truth about her death and the undoing of his own life. Directors Colin and James Krisel work in a hypnotic and trance-like style that is often intoxicating and draws you in but the story is a muddle and characters remain frustratingly aloof. A film you can admire without fully enjoying. Haunting film score by Krisel is a major asset and makes this worth watching. Continue reading →
May 23, 2020 “Survive The Night” (**1/2 out of four) was an adequately done thriller about a young doctor (Chad Michael Murray) and his family (Bruce Willis, Lydia Hull, and others) who are held hostage and terrorized by two robbers (Shea Buckner and Tyler Jon Olson) and have to unite and fight back against them in order to survive. Tensely staged and directed but encumbered by an overall predictability since film is basically yet another remake of “Desperate Hours” and also “The Strangers.” An easy paycheck role for Willis but he has made far worse than this over the years. Continue reading →
May 20, 2020 “Nevrland” (** out of four) was a muddled story of a 17-year old (Simon Fruhwirth) coming to terms with his homosexuality and also a life-altering anxiety disorder and becomes intimate with an older man (Paul Forman) who he meets online but their relationship soon leads to drugs and recklessness. Well-directed by Gregor Schmidinger and stylishly captured and shot by Jo Molitoris but it’s hard to connect to these characters emotionally as film remains jumbled and detached. Even still, this won Best Picture at the Austrian Max Ophüls Prize festival. Continue reading →
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