February 25, 2024 “Red Right Hand” (*1/2 out of four) was a wearying action melodrama about a former organized crime thug (Orlando Bloom) who is trying to leave his past life behind him and settle into a quiet existence in his nomadic Kentucky town but is forced back into his former lifestyle by a crime boss (a woefully miscast Andie Macdowell) and has to do anything necessary to survive. Initially endearing for the first 30 minutes but goes on so long and runs over so much unpleasant and predictable territory that it winds up a complete misfire. Continue reading →
February 25, 2024 “Earworm” (* out of four) was incoherent gobblygook about a man (Evan Jones) with obvious cognitive/social/mental problems who agrees to join a self-help group but this brings his psychosis into even into even new dimensions and results in more paranoia and insanity for him (and the audience). Ridiculous movie might make just as much sense if you watched it backwards and exploits issues with mental health and trauma and doesn’t explore them. A grinding experience, for both the eyes and the ears. Continue reading →
February 23, 2024 “The Beach House Murders” (*1/2 out of four) was an ill-conceived suspense thriller about a murder-mystery novelist (Brittney Dorey) who has a one-night affair with a stranger (CJ Hammond) who winds up dead and she becomes interrogated by the police and everyone around her (Ashli Auggilard, Kyle Williams, and others) becomes a suspect. So many red herrings and double-crosses and plot twists abound that by the end you’ll likely feel dizzy. Auggilard is good as her best friend but other performances are cartoonish and bland. Continue reading →
February 22, 2024 “Kingdom Of Dust: Beheading Of Adam Smith” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty awful melodrama set in war-torn Baghdad in which an American hostage (Stephen Hogan) is waiting to die and he has to come to terms with his captors (Elyes Gabel, Alyy Khan, and others) and try to reason with them and understand their murderous viewpoints to try and save his own life. Minimalistic war-melodrama offers minimal suspense and dramatic interest, despite harrowing story. Made in 2011 and being released now but film has not aged like fine wine and seems like a dusty and moldy story from another era. Continue reading →
February 22, 2024 “Ruthless” (**1/2 out of four) was a gritty suspense melodrama about a high-school wrestling teacher (Dermot Mulroney) whose daughter is viciously murdered; when he finds out that one of his students (Melissa Diaz) is kidnapped by sex-traffickers (led by Jeff Fahey), he takes matters into his own hands and goes after those responsible one lowlife at a time. Mulroney’s strong (and believable) performance is film’s main source of strength helping viewers to overlook film’s shortcomings and familiarity. Similar to 2013’s “Prisoners” and not at that film’s level but still potent and involving. Continue reading →
February 21, 2024 “Puppet Killer” (* out of four) was a toothless satire of horror movies that simply kills your time and brain cells; at an isolated cabin, several friends (Aleks Paunovic, Lee Nadjoub, and others) are stalked by a psychotic killer who is obsessed with former horror movies and their icons which results in multiple annoying in-jokes and film references. Throwback of sorts to the classic “Scream” except that movie (and most of its sequels) were made with wit, craft, and good scares which this severely lacks. Pretty brutal. Continue reading →
February 20, 2024 “One Life” (**1/2 out of four) was a reverent but never revelatory biographical melodrama about Sir Nicholas Winton (Johnny Flynn) who was a young London broker who in the months leading up to World War II rescued over 600 children from Czechoslovakia which was dominated by the Nazis and the film crosscuts between him as a younger man and then older adult (Anthony Hopkins). Literate and intelligent film about an interesting figure in war history but never quite as riveting or compelling as it should have been. Film has some similarities to story of “Schindler’s List” but is never as emotionally charged or mesmerizing as that 1993 classic. Continue reading →
February 19, 2024 “Double Blind” (*** out of four) was an unexpectedly creepy and effective horror psychodrama about various test subjects (Millie Brady, Akshay Kumar, Diarmuid Noyes, and others) of an experimental drug in a secluded facility who realize the terrifying side effect that if you fall asleep you die and they all try to collectively stay awake and preserve their sanity while trying to stay alive. Edgy and tense story places its shock and gore scenes with solid skill and never loses its grip. Unlike most other movies of this caliber, it’s also very well-acted and doesn’t overstay its welcome at an hour-and-a-half. Continue reading →
February 19, 2024 “Madame Web” (*** out of four) was a superior Marvel comic-book adaptation about an EMT worker (Dakota Johnson) who has a near-death experience and begins to demonstrate signs of clairvoyance and realizes she needs to save three teenagers (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor) from a deadly adversary (Tahar Rahim) who becomes a threat to NYC as a whole. Well-told as it neatly weaves in character development with the expected spectacular special effects and action in its second half. Anchored like a rock by Johnson who gives another first-rate performance. Unfairly maligned by most critics and fun for Marvel and comic-book fans. Continue reading →
February 19, 2024 “No Way Up” (**1/2 out of four) was a fairly engrossing action thriller about a group of people (Colm Meaney, Phyllis Logan, Will Attenborough, and others) who are on a plane together which crashlands into the Pacific Ocean and have to fight for survival as deadly sharks swim aboard and the plane’s oxygen starts rapidly depleting. Derivative to be sure of other plane-survival movies (“Snakes On A Plane” at times to be sure) but good of its kind with a harrowing plane crash sequence. Continue reading →
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