March 17, 2024 “Us Or Them” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless story about two friends (Jack Donnelly and Wayne Gordon) who are invited by a woman (Malin Ackerman) to take part in a competitive game that turns deadly and of which only one can survive. Intriguing storyline is completely usurped by silly and contrived screenplay that gives you no one to root for. It’s a bad sign in a movie like this when you don’t care about “us” or “them.” Continue reading →
March 16, 2024 “Little Wing” (** out of four) was a hokey childhood melodrama about a precocious 13-year old (Brooklyn Prince) who is enduring the loss of her home and her parents divorce and becomes enveloped in the world of pigeon racing and meets an older man (Brian Cox) who becomes her mentor. Sincere dramatic elements and good performances can’t help a story and script that decays into sheer corn. Prince is strong in the lead and Cox is good in an ideal role for him but still this never quite takes “wing.” Continue reading →
March 16, 2024 “Jonah” (** out of four) was a bloated psychodrama about an investigative reporter (Osric Chau) who meets with a woman (Alaina Hufman) who said her son was abducted by aliens and this subsequently leads to a host of repressed childhood memories and trauma for the both of them. Poignant elements of trauma and truth are overshadowed by film’s turgid sense of self-importance and its overlength starts to wear on you. Not bad and not without some positive values but overall meandering and inert. Continue reading →
March 15, 2024 “Love Lies Bleeding” (** out of four) was a generally ugly pulp melodrama about an iconoclastic gym manager (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a bodybuilder (Katy O’Brien) who is passing through to Las Vegas but this leads to a multitude of complications with her criminal father (Ed Harris in a terrible wig) and various other underworld figures that result in an impending bloodbath. Teasingly dark and ironic screenplay by director Rose Glass but unpleasant characters and violence make this leave a bad taste in your mouth. This received a standing ovation at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival but not from this FB reviewer. Continue reading →
March 15, 2024 “Accidental Texan” (** out of four) was an amiable but ambling character melodrama about a young man (Rudy Pankow) who winds up stranded in Texas and hooks up with a bankrupt oil driller (Thomas Haden Church) and they set off on an adventure across Texas to outwit a corrupt oil company from foreclosing on them both. Genteel feel, with some nice moments in Julie Denny and Cole Thompson’s script and beautiful photography by Matt Wise, but story is flat-footed and never really gets going. Church is strong as usual in a role that fits him like a glove. Continue reading →
March 15, 2024 “Followers” (*1/2 out of four) was a vaporously generic suspense psychodrama about a group of friends (Michael Bonini, Revell Carpenter, Cole Cuomo, and others) who survive a brutal attack and a year later they find themselves under siege again from a deadly and dangerous cult that are willing to stop at nothing to achieve retribution. Suspenseless and silly story moves quickly but is really much ado about nothing. Film’s poster may remind hard-core fans of the cover of Billy Idol’s “Cyberpunk” but this is basically cyberjunk instead. Continue reading →
March 15, 2024 “The Woods Are Real” (*1/2 out of four) was an artificial horror melodrama about a wealthy couple (Matt Dellapina and Chinasa Ogbuau) who meet a friend (Campbell Scott) who has returned from a pilgrimage and vows to change their beliefs and their lives forever. Pointless and preachy story juxtaposes social commentary onto a routine story framework but the result is pretty banal and flat. Decent actors are helpless against some laughably bad dialogue. Continue reading →
March 15, 2024 “Frogman” (* out of four) was a dog man. Simply awful horror hodgepodge about three friends (Nathan Tymoshuk, Benny Barrett, Ali Daniels) who go in search of the local title legend who is a historic serial killer and find out (yawn) he is more than a legend and is very real and is coming after all of them. Yet another movie that seems inspired by the success of “The Blair Witch Project” except that movie was made with craft and skill. Relentless and shoddy camera movements will make you reach for the dramamine if not Pepto Bismol. Continue reading →
March 10, 2024 “5 Lbs Of Pressure” (** out of four) was a flavorful but flawed underworld melodrama about an ex-con (Luke Evans) who returns home from prison for murder and is trying to piece his life back together but the brother of the man he killed seeks vengeance by any means necessary which results in him having to either walk away or return back to his past history of violence. Gritty NYC atmosphere (even though it was filmed in England) and solid performance from Evans can’t help you forget this is a story you’ve seen many times before, going all the way back to 1973 with Scorcese’s “Mean Streets.” Continue reading →
March 10, 2024 “Killer Night Shift” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror melodrama about a woman (Ashleigh Dorrell) who begins her first night shift working in a hotel with a murderous past and finds herself stuck in a time loop in which she has to escape the notorious hotel murderer again-and-again and stay alive and maintain her sanity. Good performance by Dorrell and proficient direction from Stephen Hall keep this watchable but a little of this goes a long way as film becomes thin and repetitive. Original title was “Night Shift” but no one will confuse this with that zany 1982 comedy. Continue reading →
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