March 28, 2020 “Resistance” (***1/2 out of four) was a striking, stirring WWII melodrama based on the life of Marcel Marceau (Jesse Eisenberg) who was an aspiring mime artist who eventually joined forces with the French Jewish resistance to save the lives of 10,000 orphans from the terroristic control of Nazi Germany and one ruthless Nazi agent (Matthias Schweighofer) in particular. Full of arresting scenes that command your attention and hold you on the edge of your seat and exquisitely shot by M.I. Litten-Menz. Eisenberg’s usual one-note acting is used to ironic and strong effect here and Schweighofer is genuinely terrifying and all-too-believable in an Oscar-caliber performance. Continue reading →
March 28, 2020 “Downhill” (*1/2 out of four) was a downright awful comedy about a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Will Ferrell) who embark on a family vacation in the Swiss Alps and barely survive an abrupt avalanche which causes them to re-evaluate their marriage and their place in life. Both Dreyfuss and Ferrell are pleasant enough but they face an uphill battle with a paper-thin and pointless screenplay that has no insight and hardly any laughs. Swiss Alps scenery is pretty but there’s not much else to keep you entertained. A weak remake of a 2014 Swedish hit “Force Majeure.” Continue reading →
March 27, 2020 “Vivarium” (** out of four) was an unsatisfying melodrama about a yuppie couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) who look at a home inside a perfectly ideal suburban neighborhood but soon find that they cannot leave and are stuck inside the labyrinthine neighborhood of which there is no escape and literally drives them insane. Director Lorcan Finnegan and cinematographer MacGregor have an amusing visual style that holds your interest for a little while but it eventually grows monotonous as you realize that the story isn’t leading anywhere. This was all-too-obviously inspired by the works of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch but this could have a 30-minute episode of “The Twilight Zone” instead. Continue reading →
March 27, 2020 “InstaPsycho” (** out of four) was a pretty predictable teen cyberthriller about a new girl in school (Kara Royster) who is framed for murder by her cliquish best friend (Mackenzie Vega) who uses social media and online information to scheme her way to the top but the other girl attempts to turn the tables on her and prove her innocence. Not bad as far as these things go, with decent acting and film-making, but not original or surprising by any means. “Mean Girls” more-or-less told this same story (minus the murders) far more wickedly and hilarious nearly 16 years ago. Continue reading →
March 26, 2020 “Stalker’s Prey 2: A Predator’s Obsession” (*1/2 out of four) was an illogical and by-the-numbers thriller about a smarmy fisherman (Houston Stevenson) who becomes obsessed with a young girl (Julia Blanchard) he meets and then charms and kills his way into her family and no one catches on until it is too late. Yet another sequel that no one was exactly clamoring for and this one is a direct rip-off of both “Fatal Attraction” and also “A Kiss Before Dying.” Film features a few superfluous shark attack scenes but on the whole it’s pretty toothless. Continue reading →
March 26, 2020 “Doll House” (* out of four) was an unbelievably dull horror story about an 11-year old girl (Lxa Lynch) who is sent to a foster home with her doll and her dollhouse and then (yawn) out of nowhere a series of gruesome murders and mishaps begin to happen. Dour-looking and drably photographed and without any redeeming thrills or scares whatsoever; a real snooze. By this point, it may be time to finally end movies about killer dolls. This time-waster makes any of the “Child’s Play” sequels look like “Nightmare On Elm Street” by comparison. Continue reading →
March 25, 2020 “Cabal” (*1/2 out of four) was a chintzy action thriller about a mysterious military assassin (John Ozuna) who is hired to hunt down and eliminate a serial killer who seems to be committing murders in a forbidden forest. Passable opening soon goes nowhere as film’s cheapjack production and dumb script mitigate any potential fun or entertainment. Plenty of violence and nudity for those who want it but sorely lacking anything else in terms of coherence or plot structure. By the way, this is not an adaptation of Clive Barker’s famous novel of the same name. Continue reading →
March 24, 2020 “Ravers” (*1/2 out of four) was a tiresome sci/fi thriller not worth raving much about involving a journalist (Georgia Hirst) who attends an all-night rave party in which a contaminated energy drink turns most of the partygoers into zombies and killers. One-note movie rips off (of all movies) “From Dusk Till Dawn” and soon runs on empty although director Bernhard Pucher and cinematographer Luke Bryant try to infuse it with as much style as possible. One-time 90’s siren Natasha Henstridge shows up and is wasted in a minor supporting role. Continue reading →
March 22, 2020 “Mystify: Michael Hutchence” (*** out of four) was an unusually intimate documentary of the charismatic INXS frontman whose career soared to skyrocketing heights in the 1980’s and then crashed and burned in the 1990’s as he fell into drugs, depression, and despair which led to his suicide in 1997. Director Richard Lowenstein (who directed many of INXS’ music videos) spent over 10 years painstakingly interviewing and editing this project, which includes interviews and footage from Bono and Hutchence’s family. A definite must for INXS fans but also an interesting and downbeat look at a man damaged by fame and personal pain. Continue reading →
March 22, 2020 “Pandamonium” (* out of four) was a rabidly bad horror movie about a girl (Oriana Charles) who starts her first day at a new office when a killer is stalking the office dressed in a panda suit (hence the clever title) and she tries to stay alive and uncover who the killer really is. Amateur hour in terms of acting and filmmaking; even the killing scenes are poorly staged and this looks like it was edited with a chainsaw. “You’re Next” and “Torment” told virtually the same story about a decade ago. Continue reading →
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