May 19, 2020 “Union Bridge” (*1/2 out of four) was a moribund story of a young man (Scott Friend) who tires of life in the big city and returns home to his small town where he discovers various dark truths about his family and the sinister undercurrents of his hometown underneath its deceptive facade. Despite Sebastian Slater’s handsome cinematography, it’s stillborn and forgettable. Meaningless arty touches and slow-motion add nothing at all. David Lynch told virtually the same story far more skillfully and scarily in both “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” more than 30 years ago. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Fast And Fierce: Death Race” (** out of four) was an utterly routine action thriller about a legendary car racer (Michael DeVorzon) who becomes involved in an illegal race from Mexico to California while trying to protect a woman (Paulina Nguyen) whose abusive boyfriend (DMX) organized the race and is threatening all involved. It’s unclear if this is a sequel to either “Fast And Fierce” or one of the “Death Race” entries but either way- it’s an uninspired ripoff of “The Fast And The Furious.” Moves fast but is made up entirely of spare parts. Lead actor DeVorzon even has the gall to say towards the end he lives his life “one quarter mile at a time.” DMX can play this role in his sleep by now and does; he needs to stop being greedy and seek out some better roles. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Edge Of Extinction” (** out of four) was a drab melodrama set after World War III in which nuclear holocaust has turned the world into a desolate landscape in which there is no more civilization and food and money are scarce; one survivor (Luke Hobson) stays alive in the countryside of Britain but soon is invaded and confronted by a terroristic enemy which threatens him and the state of the world. Nihilistic and bleak story offers moody and at times beautiful cinematography by Julian Hundy but we’ve been down this desolate and deserted landscape one too many times before (going all the way back to “The Road Warrior” nearly 40 years ago) and film is insanely overlong at nearly two-and-a-half hours. Continue reading →
May 19, 2020 “Hannukah” (*1/2 out of four) was a disastrously lame and low-rent throwback to ’80’s horror films about a group of young Jewish adults (Charles Fleischer, Sadie Katz, Victoria De Mare, and others) who realize they are being targeted by an obsessive slasher because they have violated Judaic law! Of note solely for being the final film of famous character actors Dick Miller and Sid Haig; film also features former horror sirens P.J. Soles and Caroline Williams in throwaway roles but is dull enough to make anyone want a slug of Manischewitz. Oy vey! Continue reading →
May 18, 2020 “Body Cam” (**1/2 out of four) was an often jolting action drama about a morally conflicted cop (Mary J. Blige) who has just returned to active duty who soon finds recovered body camera footage implicating several of her officers in an attack. She then finds herself at a moral/personal/career crossroads about what to do about said footage while trying to resolve the supernatural forces behind all this. Hard-hitting mix of the hardships and brutalities that police have to deal with daily and others who engage in corruption and abuse but story unfortunately veers in the second half towards hokey supernatural elements which don’t entirely gell. Blige is rock-solid in her first lead acting role and her compelling and believable performance makes this worth watching. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “Boxes And Blessings” (* out of four) was a lugubrious Christian-themed drama about a mother (Ashley Wright) who moves with her daughter (Scout Wright) across country to an island in which they all soon befriend a mysterious neighbor next door (David Wright) who changes their lives forever. Laughably solemn enough to make anyone do multiple hail Mary’s; even the performances are fairly glum and one-note and don’t show much enthusiasm although you honestly can’t blame them. Put this one in a box and give your blessings to the recent and similarly plotted and themed “Driveways” instead. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “The Automaton” (* out of four) was an automatic bore set in 1897 in which a widower (Nicole Wyland) returns to her family farm in which she scarily discovers her late husband was building a primitive sentient machine which could become a worldwide threat. A real snoozer, despite Wyland’s game efforts. Chances of this becoming “a worldwide threat” are as small as this film’s chances at winning an Oscar. Continue reading →
May 17, 2020 “Castle In The Ground” (*1/2 out of four) was a listless melodrama about a teenager (Alex Wolff) whose mother (Neve Campbell) recently has died and he soon befriends a new neighbor (Imogen Poots) and subsequently becomes embroiled in a deadly world of addiction and violence and despair. Attempts to make any comments on the opioid epidemic and its current state of affairs are superficial at best and film has literally no pulse or energy. A well-meaning but complete misfire. Campbell is good in a change-of-pace role for her but other performances are relatively one-note. Continue reading →
May 16, 2020 “Scoob” (***1/2 out of four) was a superior animated children’s film about Scooby-Doo (voice of Frank Welker) who discovers a plot to unleash the dog Cerberus (voice of Fred Tatasciore) upon the world and him and his gang (voice of Will Forte, McKenna Grace, and Amanda Seyfried) have to race against time to stop the dogpocalypse from happening. Lush and luminous animation designs are highlighted even more by a snappy screenplay that never stops moving and never stops entertaining. Particularly fun for kids but also for fans of the “Scooby Doo” series and animated movies in general. Continue reading →
May 16, 2020 “Home Of The Brave” (** out of four) was a disjointed melodrama about a soldier (Andrew Dozier) who returns home from the war but finds that rebuilding his life at home and staying out of trouble and leaving the physical/psychological aspects of war behind is more difficult than he imagined. Earnest and well-intentioned story is limited in its emotional power and is overburdened with too many characters and clunky plot developments. “American Sniper” and “Good Kill” were just 2 recent films which covered similar train with more expansive power. Continue reading →
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