April 15, 2020 “Black Garden” (* out of four) was an impenetrably dull story set in the future after World War III as a group of survivors fight to stay alive and one such survivor (Cara Culligan) makes contact with a radio broadcaster who she travels to meet but soon finds the real intentions of the other voice and what they have planned for her and the rest of the world. If you’re looking to kill time, this film beats it to death slowly and painfully. By the time you sort out the muddle, film is too boring for you to even care. Not even the black-and-white photography is particularly well captured which is a surprise because it was directed by noted cinematographer Shaun Wilson. Continue reading →
April 15, 2020 “Abominable” (**1/2 out of four) was an adequately done horror thriller about a research team (led by Robert Berlin) that embarks on a journey within the Himalayan mountains to obtain a plant that can improve medical research but soon find that a beastly creature is lurking around and is intent on killing them one by one and protecting its terrain. Refreshingly hard-edged and gory in certain scenes and is well-produced and well-made for this type of B-movie but lacks the scares and suspense to make it really satisfying. Film buffs will note many homages and similarities to “The Thing”. Continue reading →
April 15, 2020 “Blush” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring melodrama about a middle-aged housewife (Wendi McLendon-Covey) who feels alienated from her husband (Steve Little) and 13-year old daughter (Catherine Curtin) and begins to emotionally and psychologically unravel as she reinterprets and reanalyzes her life. Muddled and obtuse story takes its time but has no real story to tell; performances are fairly one note also and don’t do much to draw you into this banal material. Even so, this was nominated and drew accolades at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Continue reading →
April 14, 2020 “Doppel” (** out of four) was a pretty ordinary low-budget thriller about a middle-aged couple (Kevin and Vickie Hicks who also wrote and directed) who begin to shoot homemade footage for a 25th wedding anniversary when a series of bizarre occurrences begin to happen that question their state of reality and relationship. Vickie Hicks is outstanding and helps keep this watchable but this story with echoes of “The Shining” doesn’t have enough thrills or originality to sustain itself. If you didn’t believe me about it being low-budget, this film actually was shot with someone’s Pixel phone. Continue reading →
April 14, 2020 “Getaway” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror thriller about three girls (Jaclyn Betham, Scout Taylor Compton, Landry Allbright) off on a weekend trip in the middle of the woods (cue that ominous music) when three redneck retards (what else?) kidnap one of them for sexual assault but she soon turns the tables on them by claiming she’s the descendant of a witch! Starts off passably but goes so far afield and becomes so hokey and stupid that it descends into pure awfulness. Betham is actually good in the central role but you’ll be likely planning your own “getaway” from this long before the running time is up. Continue reading →
April 14, 2020 “Killer Tattooist” (*1/2 out of four) was a sordid horror thriller about a serial killer/tattoo artist (Lewis Kirk) who eludes capture for years until a determined cop (Noeleen Comiskey) attempts to get close to him to bring him down but finds that this assignment is far more difficult than she imagined. Tired story about serial killers and undercover cops has been done far more skillfully and successfully before (“The Silence Of The Lambs” is just one example). Director Terry Lee Coker employs some stylish touches but not enough to enrich this sleazy material. Continue reading →
April 13, 2020 “In The Trap” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average horror thriller about a reclusive proof reader (Jamie Paul) who is too tortured and terrified of an unknown evil force and has stayed inside his apartment for over two years but a mysterious priest (David Bailie) thinks he may have the answers to unlock the demons and evil and set him free. Yes, it’s one more horror movie about religion and exorcisms and a haunted house but it’s better made than most and is directed with some craft and style by Allesio Liguori. Ultimately done in by familiar horror movie conventions and cliches but still good of its kind. Massimiliano Mechelli’s rich music score and Luca Santagostino’s elegant cinematography are definite plusses. Continue reading →
April 12, 2020 “The Roads Not Taken” (** out of four) was a gloomy melodrama about 24 hours in the life of an elderly man (Javier Bardem) wrestling with older age and health problems and continues to consider alternate lives he could have had while his concerned daughter (Elle Fanning) considers her future and both of their well-being. Curiously unmoving story never really engages your emotions and never reveals much about its principal characters or their past. Both Laura Linney and Salma Hayek are wasted in throwaway roles. Bardem is solid as always but this itself is a road you may not want to take. Continue reading →
April 12, 2020 “Black Hearted Killer” (*1/2 out of four) was a laughably obvious thriller about a yuppie couple (Julie McNiven and Jon Abrahams) in mourning over the tragic loss of their daughter who donate her heart to a young woman (Kelley Jakle) who reaches out to them and becomes fixated on them due to unresolved issues from the past and (yawn) seeks revenge. Yet another rip-off of “Fatal Attraction” that is fatally low on any surprises or scares and is mean-spirited and stupid in equal measure. Oliver Johnson’s sleek production design and Lars Lindstrom’s glamorous cinematography are film’s only virtues. Continue reading →
April 12, 2020 “Sea Fever” (** out of four) was a not-bad sci/fi melodrama about an Irish boat crew (Dougray Scott, Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield, and others) who become stranded at sea and soon find themselves under siege by a parasite in their water supply which gradually kills off their crew one-by-one. Reasonably well executed and filmed but horror buffs will note that this is perhaps an all-too-obvious clone of “Alien”, “Event Horizon”, “Virus”, and many others. Has its moments but never fully takes off and becomes satisfying. Continue reading →
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