Author: dlepikcom

“The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Information” (*** out of four) was a sweeping historical melodrama set during WWII in 1940 about Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) and Ian Fleming (Freddie Fox) who formed a clandestine combat organization (Henry Cavill, Cary Elwes, and others) for Britain’s military that changed the course of the war and its fighting technique against the Nazis. The newly serious Guy Ritchie shows a keen eye here with some spectacular battle scenes and finds an overall good balance between action and historical drama. Starts to go on a little long but still overall entertaining for Ritchie and WWII fans alike.

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“Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” (*1/2 out of four) was a needless remake of the 1991 “classic” which let’s be honest wasn’t that great to begin with; once again, a young woman (Simone Joy Jones) is put in charge of raising her family when the babysitter (June Squibb) is found dead and she is thrust into the world of office corporate politics. Much like the original, the film’s main bright spot is the lead performance from Joy Jones but the rest is pretty desperate and dumb. Original “Babysitter” club members Danielle Harris and Keith Coogan have cameos but they should taken heed to the word “don’t” in film’s title.

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“Among The Willows” (** out of four) was a hollow action melodrama about a former gunslinger (David Novak) who must turn to an old friend (Jeffrey Smith) for help when attempting to track down those responsible for murdering his family. Pretty routine trip down familiar Western territory and trails; you know all the familiar sights- saloons, dirt roads, lots of horses, etc. Some references to Willie Nelson are scattered throughout also. This is far from the worst of its imitations but is for die-hard Western fans only.

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“Silence Of The Prey” (**1/2 out of four) was an offbeat if not completely successful horror melodrama about a young immigrant (Karyna Kudzina who also co-wrote and co-directed) who is desperate to care for her young daughter and is hired to care for an eccentric landowner (Chris LaPanta) but soon learns just how sick and devious he really is and she has to use her survival skills to stay alive. Initially plodding but gradually builds in tension and drama, with 2 strong performances from the 2 leads, but its over-the-top melodrama and ugliness in its final third eventually does it in. Still, an interesting and better-than-average effort with good filmmaking on a low budget.

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“Teddiscare” (* out of four) was an abominable horror thriller about a young man (Tim Hatch) who spirals into gradual insanity after the death of his father which brings his worst childhood nightmares to life namely one of his favorite dolls which starts going around slaughtering his friends and surviving family. Originally titled “Winnie The Pho” until the “Winnie The Pooh” horror filmmakers issued a cease-and-desist letter but it would be a waste of time no matter what it would be called. What’s next in this disturbing trend? Bugs Bunny as a child kidnapper? Goofy as a serial rapist?

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“The Strangers: Chapter 1” (*** out of four) was a stylishly done continuation of the horror series about a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Ryan Bown) whose car breaks down in an eerie small town and are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin and panic ensues when three strangers descend on the cabin and attempt to kill them without any reason or motive. More-or-less a remake, rather than a follow-up, of the last entries but having said that it’s well-made and has its quote of jumps and scares. A definite change-of-pace for action director Renny Harlin and one of his better efforts in years.

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“Faceless After Dark” (* out of four) was a practically worthless horror thriller about an actress (Jenna Kannell) who stars in a low-rent horror-flick and is then held hostage by an unhinged horror fan (Danny Kang) determined to recreate the film’s fatal plot. Pointless and pretentious attempt at recreating some of Wes Craven’s self-referential horror ideas from his mid-90’s works is an ugly assault on the senses and mashes unpleasantness and violence in your face for an hour-and-a-half. This won raves at Fright Fest in London UK but not this FB critic.

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“Boy Kills World” (** out of four) was a florid but feverish pulp-revenge thriller about a mute boy named Boy (Bill Skarsgard) whose family is murdered and is trained by a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to be an instrument of death and seek violent revenge against the woman (Michelle Dockery) and underworld mob who killed them. Generally watchable for a while but starts to go overboard into excess and violent ugliness and wears out; shows the unmistakable influence and stamp of “The Matrix” and “John Wick” series.

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“The Shamrock Spitfire” (** out of four) was a frustratingly generic WWII true story of Brendan “Paddy” Finucane who at age 21 became the youngest ever wing commander in the Royal Air Force and became a celebrated war pilot. Not bad, with some good acting and camaraderie amongst the actors and squadrons, but too limited in scope and scale to make much of a mark or desired effectiveness. History buffs and war-film completists might want to add half a star.

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“Rebel Moon- Part Two: The Scargiver” (**1/2 out of four) was a proficient but bloated follow-up to the original which only came out at the end of last year; this time around Kora (Sofia Boutella) and surviving other warriors (Dimon Hounsou, Michiel Husiman, and others) prepare to defend their new home Veldt against the forces of the destructive Motherworld (Ed Skrein, Donna Bae, and others). Director Zack Snyder packs this with as much comic-book razzle-dazzle and visual effects as he can and lets his 10-year old comic-book imagination run wild especially in the final third but it lags at times (especially in the middle) and goes on too long. Hard-core Snyder fans and fans of the original will like this more obviously but it’s hard not to notice obvious story influences from “Dune” and “Star Wars” (particularly “The Phantom Menace.”)

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