Author: dlepikcom

“Dangerous Lies” (**1/2 out of four) was an engrossing thriller about a financially strapped young couple (Camila Mendes and Jessie T. Usher) who find that the elderly man (Elliot Gould) who they were caretakers for dies and leaves them his estate but they soon find that there is much more to this than meets the eye and this leads to allegations of deception and murder. Slick and twisty thriller keeps you watching and guessing but starts to fall apart in its final third as it takes too many twists-and-turns which make it confusing and film’s ending is unsatisfying. Still, it’s overall better than most movies of this caliber and has good acting and camerawork.

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“The Unborn” (*** out of four) was a well-crafted horror story about two security guards (Manni L. Perez and Chris Bellant) working at an old factory at night when strange occurrences begin happening and they realize that a supernatural entity is threatening them and that it is tied to the woman’s unborn child. Standard and routine story of a possessed unborn child and spooky hauntings is done to a turn; tense and edgy, with sharp dialogue and an atmosphere of scary unease. A strong directorial debut by cinematographer Tal Lazar who puts a fresh spin on old material.

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“Collision Earth” (** out of four) was a generic sci/fi action story about a large meteor shower which bombards Earth and numerous scientists and military personnel (Becca Buckalew, Kassandra Escandell, Eric Roberts, and others) race against the clock to try to find a solution to save civilization. Fast-paced and features enough action and effects for it to be watchable but it’s hardly memorable, as film is overall encumbered by its pedestrian script and production. Film lacks the action bombast of “Armageddon” and the emotional sweep of “Deep Impact”- both of which it was obviously inspired by.

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“The Assistant” (** out of four) was a pointless melodrama about a young assistant (Julia Garner) at a high-level executive company who soon becomes aware of the insidious abuse and malevolence that occurs at her company and she finds herself at a personal and emotional crossroads of how to proceed onward. Timely subject matter is heavy-handedly dealt with and results are strange and muted. Garner is strong in the lead but her character is so one-note and thinly defined that it’s hard to get involved with her or the movie. Even so, this won substantial praise when it premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.

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“Guests” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale pileup of horror movie cliches about a young girl (Jessica Rau) who meets a group of young partiers (Greg Chun, Yuriy Chursin, and others) with whom she takes to a secluded house to throw a party but to the surprise of no one- an evil entity and force still exists within the house and threatens to turn their party into a nightmare. Competently made and filmed but lacking any sparks of originality or scares and soon becomes tiresome. Don’t invite yourself as a “guest” for this party.

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“Dreamkatcher” (*1/2 out of four) was a trite horror story about (what else?) a possessed young child (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) who steals a dreamcatcher from a bizarre neighbor (Lin Shaye who can play this role in her sleep by now) forcing his parents (Henry Thomas and Radha Mitchell) to attempt to rescue him before it’s too late and his soul goes to Hell. Well shot by George Wieser but just another package of horror cliches warmed up and reheated. No relation to the Stephen King novel of the same name but liberally rips off “The Exorcist” among many others.

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“Samhain: A Halloween Horror Story” (*1/2 out of four) was an amateurish horror thriller about a girl (Michelle Moracco) about to leave for the West Coast who ends up housesitting on her final night in town; to the surprise of no one but her, a psychotic killer shows up and stalks her to the death. Writer/director Joe Gray lamely rips off “Halloween” in a few key shots and right down to some of its film score but there’s otherwise not much distinction here from thousands of other direct-to-DVD dreck. Film is only a little more than an hour long but no one will likely be complaining.

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“Dying For Motherhood” (*1/2 out of four) was a ludicrous thriller about a young pregnant girl (Hannah Bamberg) in fear for her life from her abusive boyfriend who then agrees to live with the couple (Emmanuelle Vaugier and Josh Ventura) who are adopting her child but soon finds out that things aren’t quite right with them and they are vindictive and unstable. Highly predictable and routine story becomes truly laughable and absurd in its final third, at which point most viewers will be “dying” for this to be over. Bamberg’s sincere performance is wasted.

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“The Lodge” (*1/2 out of four) was a vacuous horror thriller about a stepmom (Riley Keough) who is snowed in with her fiance’s two children (Jaeden Lieberher and Lia McHugh) at a remote village and naturally- strange occurrences begin taking place and a supernatural entity overtakes her and threatens all of their safety and sanity. Directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz are obviously attempting to emulate the Kubrickian mood and style of “The Shining” but it all adds up to nothing, since film is pretty much of a bore. Early on, the two kids are watching John Carpenter’s remake of “The Thing” on television- a reminder of the right way to make this kind of movie. Alicia Silverstone has a cameo as the boy’s real mom but she wisely exits the movie early; most viewers will wish they did the same.

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