Author: dlepikcom

“Lazareth” (*1/2 out of four) was a lumbering melodrama about an iconoclanastic recluse (Ashley Judd) who raises her orphaned nieces (Sarah Pidgeon and Katie Douglas) in isolation from the rest of the world until an outsider (Asher Angel) arrives and threatens their peaceful existence and turns their world upside down. Yet another movie about a backwoods/redneck family and how their way of life is disrupted but this has none of the emotional power or pull of “Winter’s Bone” or even “Into The Forest” and is tedious and dull. Even the vibrant Judd just seems to be giving a greatest-hits of her other performances. Martim Vian’s stark cinematography is film’s only asset.

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“Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes” (**1/2 out of the four) was an imperfect but well-done follow-up set many years after the reign of Caesar as a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) loses his parents and goes on a journey that leads him to question everything he’s learned about what he was taught and all the future choices for apes and humans alike. Uneven and overlong but features enough effective moments and great visual flourishes to make it worthwhile especially for series fans. Particular kudos to Gyula Pados’ cinematography, Mayes C. Rubeo’s costumes, and Teague’s rock-solid lead performance.

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“Bloodline Killer” (*1/2 out of four) was a thoroughly routine horror story about a young woman (Shawnee Smith) whose entire family was murdered at the hands of her deranged cousin (Sal Rendino); she then sets out to rebuild her life but knows he’s still out there on the prowl while the determined detective (Tyrese Gibson) on the case tries to track him down. Good cast can’t do much to enliven tired and flimsy material. Co-star James Gaudioso also co-wrote this.

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“Darkness Of Man” (** out of four) was a muddled action melodrama about an alcoholic interpol agent (Jean Claude Van Damme) who is trying to defeat various elements of the criminal underworld while simultaneously taking on the role of being a father to a young boy (Emerson Min) who is the son of an informant who was killed in a drug raid gone wrong. Well-made and features one of Van Damme’s better performances but is a mixture of action and relationship story that doesn’t gel and goes on too long. Kristanna Lokken, Shannon Doherty, and Sticky Fingaz are all wasted in supporting roles.

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“Abigail” (*** out of four) was a taut horror melodrama about a group of criminals (Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, William Catlett, and others) who kidnap the ballerina daughter (Alisha Weir) of an underworld heavyweight and retreat to an isolated mansion only to find out that she has vicious superpowers that turn them on one another and turn their sanity inside out. Opening is a little gradual and slow-going but it escalates and builds with skillful tension into full-blown gore and zany comedy. A good showing for directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett that shows the unmistakable influence of early Sam Raimi and “The Evil Dead 2” in particular.

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“Downtown Owl” (** out of four) was an overly cute adaptation of Chuck Klosterman’s 2008 novel set in 1980’s North Dakota in the midst of a blizzard which affects three small-town characters- an old man (Ed Harris) who spends his days reciting lines he’s heard from the coffee shop, a depressed high-school quarterback (August Blanco Rosenstein), and a hard-partying teacher (Vanessa Hudgens). Sincere performances can only do so much with a script and characters that ring hollow and false. Harris actually performs one of the songs on film’s lively soundtrack.

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“Possessions” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically creepy horror thriller about a devoted father (Clive Standen) who seeks a fresh start with his young son (Mason Wells) after the death of his wife and they move to a new town and purchase a storage unit facility but dark secrets lurking beneath the facility threaten to overtake them. Better-than-average horror story has good atmosphere and performances but is ultimately done in by standard horror cliches. A solid effort from writer/director Brent Cote but this cannot escape film’s origins of “The Shining” and (especially) “Poltergeist.”

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“DC Down” (** out of four) was a serviceable action thriller about an earthquake that decimates Washington, D.C. and traps the President (Sean Young) under pounds of rubble while the military frantically tries to rescue her and her staff and various other personnel (Eric Roberts, Jack Pearson, Geoff Meed, and others) have an agenda of their own. Reasonably well-made and fast moving enough but never escapes the mold of the routine. Young is slightly miscast as the leader of the free world. You might want to watch “Olympus Has Fallen” again instead.

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“Dark Blood” (*1/2 out of four) was a molasses-moving horror story set in the Australian countryside about a bickering married couple (Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis) whose lives are changed when they meet a sinister young man (River Phoenix) in the outback. Film was shot in 1993 and then shelved after River Phoenix’ death but was finished and completed in 2012 and is getting a re-release now but it hardly seems worth all the bother. Director George Sluizer deserves credit for completing this in the wake of Phoenix’ death but this film is nowhere near as creepy or scary as his 1988 masterwork “The Vanishing.”

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“Chief Of Station” (*1/2 out of four) was an enervated action thriller about a former C.I.A. operative (Aaron Eckhart) who is pulled back into espionage and the underworld when he finds out that his wife’s tragic death was not an accident and he teams back up with a former adversary (Olga Kurylenko) to uncover a sinister conspiracy involving terrorism and the government. Ho-hum story of international espionage and the C.I.A. feels like reheated story elements from the “Bourne” series. Even the usually dynamic Eckhart and Kurylenko seem to be just going through the motions.

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