Author: dlepikcom

“Lola” (** out of four) was an unwieldy character melodrama about the title character (Nicola Peltz Beckham who also wrote and directed) who tries to survive her toxic household with her parents (Virginia Madsen and Trevor Long) but backslides into addiction and hopelessness and has to do everything in her power to maintain her sanity and stay alive for herself and for her younger (Luke David Blumm). One-note story of survival and redemption doesn’t have the emotional fuse and power that it needs. Madsen (looking a lot like Cathy Moriarty here) adds some resonance as her religious wackjob mom and it’s an interesting companion piece to one of her first roles in “Fire With Fire.”

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“The Late Game” (** out of four) was a middling sports-melodrama about a middle-aged guy (Alec Reusch) who attempts to find new meaning in his life by joining a late-night hockey league but finds expected opposition with his teammates and managers (Zac Bell, Matthew Archie Starling, and others) who shrug him off due to his age. Easygoing and amiable story about being middle-aged and trying to re-engage in sports but simply isn’t funny enough or moving enough to make it worthwhile. Robert Redford’s “The Natural” covered similar ground and was more emotionally rich and (also) much funnier.

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“Scrambled” (** out of four) was a thinly conceived comedy about a thirty-something (Yvonne Strahovski) who becomes increasingly disillusioned with her life and being an eternal bridesmaid and decides to freeze her eggs but this leads her onto a journey of self-discovery that results in clashes with her dying father (Clancy Brown) and the multiple men (Andrew Santino, Michael Welch, and others) in her life. Spirited performance from Strahovski gives this maximum mileage but film doesn’t have enough steam, story, or laughs to keep it afloat for feature length. This is one comedy idea that remained in infancy stage and never grew beyond that.

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“The Drive-Away Dolls” (** out of four) was an excessively unpleasant road melodrama about two friends (Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan) who hit the road together to get away from their various problems but soon find far more as they are pursued by various miscreants and criminals. Director Ethan Coen’s first film without his brother Joel shows flashes of their quirky and macabre humor and also elements of their at times self-indulgence and ugliness. Hard-core Coen Bros. cinemaphiles may find some homages to their past classics but film still comes up as a hollow exercise in excess.

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“Ingress” (*1/2 out of four) was an interminable suspense psychodrama about a woman (Christina Ulloa) who can move between various realities and parallel time structures who tragically loses her husband (Tim Dekay) and has to attempt to move forward in a multiverse where she finds him and he is still alive. Intriguing storyline of different realities and realistics is stalled by jumbled and aloof storytelling which goes in too many different directions and goes on far too long. It’s no wonder by the end of it you may feel yourself going crazy.

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“Lovely, Dark, And Deep” (** out of four) was a trite horror melodrama about a troubled ranger (Georgina Campbell) who travels through a deadly and dangerous wilderness in an attempt to uncover the roots of a tragedy that damaged and affected her since she was a child. Good performance from Campbell and some effective moments of eerie suspense are deflected by film’s meandering pace and hokey dramatics. Film won widespread praise and acclaim at the Fantasia and Beyond film festivals but not much from this FB reviewer.

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“Stranger In The Woods” (*1/2 out of four) was a crudely done horror melodrama about a woman (Holly Kenney who also scripted) who takes a vacation with her friends (Brendin Brown, Paris Nicole, and others) in the middle of the woods; when her friends find her in the bathtub with a slit wrist, they believe she attempted suicide but she maintains that there is someone out there who has attempted to kill her. Routine and paint-by-numbers story with some shrill supporting characters and scenes that really grate on your nerves. Reminiscent in some ways (no kidding) of “The Strangers” and too many other horror movies about being stranded in the middle of the woods.

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“DarkGame” (*1/2 out of four) was a sordid suspense psychodrama about a detective (Ed Westwick) who is in a race against time to stop a twisted reality game show on the dark web in which captives have to compete for their lives but he finds that finding the host and locating the game itself is a grueling challenge. Ugly and unpleasant movie mashes gore and grime in your face and then thinks it’s making a colorful commentary on the same subject. Film attempts to be mind-bending and twisted but winds up like heavy-going trash.

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“The Omicron Killer” (* out of four) was a disastrously lame horror “comedy” about the title killer (Paugh Shadow) who goes on a rampage in a small town and takes his inspiration from various horror movie icons he has watched as a child while various townsfolk (Bai Ling, Felissa Rose, and others) try to trap him and stop him. Tongue-in-cheek but devoid of any wit and devoid of any brains or skill either while we’re on the subject. Collection of past horror movie icons are a waste.

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