Author: dlepikcom

“Speak No Evil” (*1/2 out of four) was an unspeakably dull suspense melodrama about a group of friends (James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and others) who are invited to spend a weekend in the countryside but soon find that (what else?) a sinister dark force is in existence that threatens all of them. Remake of a 2022 Danish horror film of the same name but really it’s more-or-less the same plot of any horror film these days about couples who go on a getaway. Even McAvoy’s effortless charisma can’t breathe much life into this one.

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“Bad Fish” (*1/2 out of four) was simply a bad movie about a marine biologist (a miscast Jonny Lee) who investigates a series of deadly attacks on fishermen in an Oregon town and finds that the offender is a lethal mermaid who needs to find a mate before returning to sea. Laughably silly movie either needs to be played for camp or trash but doesn’t do either and winds up a waste of time. Horror fans would best watch “The Little Mermaid” for more cheap thrills.

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“Hellboy: The Crooked Man” (** out of four) was an uninspired comic-book action melodrama set in the 1950’s about Hellboy (Jack Kesy) and a rookie agent (Jefferson White) who are sent to the Appalachians where they discover there is a community dominated by witches and led by the title sinister demon (Martin Bessindale) and they have to take him down to save civilization as they know it. Film marks the second reboot of this series and seems to be running on exhaust fumes. Some hard-boiled dialogue and macabre humor are sprinkled in with some good action scenes along the way but it never shifts into high-gear and rings hollow.

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“Creeping Death” (** out of four) was a lukewarm horror thriller about a man (Matt Sampere) whose mother (Monique Parent) has terminal brain cancer; to cheer him up, his friends (Alan Maxson, Delian Lincourt, and others) steal a sack for their weekend getaway but it unleashes an evil spirit that threatens to overtake them all. Just another collection of Halloween and Celtic-themed cliches although it’s proficient enough to remain watchable. Star Sampere also wrote, directed, co-produced, and edited so he at least gets an A for effort on this one.

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“The Twisters” (** out of four) was a cheesy mock-buster of “Twisters” (if you couldn’t guess from the title) about a series of deadly tornadoes in the Midwest that converge into one while a group of daredevils and weather specialists (Tiffany, Mark Justice, Kayla Fields, and others) try to study it but at the same time steer clear and stay alive. Not bad for what it is, with some good visual effects and action scenes, but simply a low-budget replicant of the real thing.

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“Lady Scorpions” (*1/2 out of four) was an underwhelming underworld melodrama about a rogue DEA agent (Cynthia Rockrock) who teams up with her equally tough-as-nails daughter (Caitlin Dechelle) to save her granddaughter (Sofia O’Brien) from the clutches of a powerful head of a criminal organization (Jeff Fahey who can- and does- play this role in his sleep). Fairly fast-paced but still fizzles and doesn’t have much to keep you invested or involved. Action fare like this was a lot more fun in the 80’s.

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“Wrongful Death” (*1/2 out of four) was a wrongful movie about a narcissistic journalist (Alexander Man) and a mean-spirited woman (Isabella Brenza) who are captured in a room where an unseen man (Michael Pare) torments them in a game of life-and-death in which they have to follow all his instructions and rules to survive. If this sounds at all familiar, one of the characters even comments on how this is all similar to the movie “Saw” as justification for ripping that movie off. This timewaster should quickly die it’s own “death” at Redbox before vanishing forever.

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“Behave” (*1/2 out of four) was a clunky horror thriller about a group of friends (Washim Abdul Gafoor, Eleonara Bindi, David Bourne, and others) who are reeling from the death of one of their friends and go to a villa in London to party and let loose when a psychopathic killer follows them and havoc breaks loose. Nothing you haven’t seen one million times before and you won’t see again done better; the killer dresses like Ghostface and the movie pays homage to (i.e. rips off) “Scream.”

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“Rebel Ridge” (*1/2 out of four) was an ungainly suspense melodrama about a former marine (Aaron Pierre) who shows up in a small town to post bail for his incarcerated cousin but this escalates into an all-out war with the local police (led by Don Johnson) as he attempts to expose their corruption and criminal behavior and escape town with his cousin. Good performances do all they can to elevate this slight story but it goes on forever at 2 hours and 11 minutes and never takes off. John Boyega originally was cast in the lead and shot multiple scenes and then left midway through production with his scenes re-shot with Pierre.

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“First Shift” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably compelling suspense melodrama about a veteran alcoholic cop (Gino Anthony Pesi) who is paired with a rookie partner (Kristen Renton) as they attempt to navigate the dangerous streets of NYC and solve a murder. Not much plot per se and is hindered by routine framework but does have some strong hard-boiled dialogue and flavorful NYC atmosphere and succeeds in conveying the dangerous job of police work. An unusual film for schlock horror filmmaker Uwe Boll and also one of his better works.

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