February 10, 2024 “Skeletons In The Closet” (*1/2 out of four) was overblown hooey about a husband (Terrence Howard) and wife (Valery M. Ortiz) whose daughter (Appy Pratt) is terminally ill so they make various dealings with religious and criminal figures (Udo Kier, Louis Mandylor, Clifton Powell, and Cuba Gooding Jr.) for the wife to be possessed to free their daughter from her sickness. Fine cast is wasted on tired material; isn’t it about time horror filmmakers moved on from films about ill and possessed children? Howard also co-wrote. Sally Kirkland picks up a few bucks in a few scenes as an elderly clairvoyant. Continue reading →
February 10, 2024 “The Shift” (* out of four) was a dizzyingly awful psychodrama about a man (Kristoffer Polaha) who meets a stranger (Neal McDonough) who prompts him into another dystopian world in which reality is fantasy and vice-versa and he must escape this to reconnect with his wife (Elizabeth Tabish) while other various strangers (Sean Astin, Emily Rose, and others) attempt to intercede. Bewildering and incomprehensible jumble rehashes elements from “The Matrix” and other sci/fi classics from over 25 years ago! And it’s cheesy and overlong to boot. It’s clunkers like this that resulted in the down “shift” in McDonough and Astin’s careers. Continue reading →
February 9, 2024 “Gods Of The Deep” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty soggy underwater sci/fi thriller about a deep sea submarine team (Makeena Guyler, Jim Harris, Kane Surry, and others) who uncover a mysterious opening on an ocean floor that takes them into a new underwater world which awakens its terrifying race of beasts that want to destroy them. Heavily derivative sci/fi amalgam of elements of the far superior and underrated “Deep Star Six” and “The Abyss” but the film this might unfortunately remind cinemaphiles and geeks of most is “Virus.” Pretty underwater photography by Charlie Steeds is film’s sole asset. Continue reading →
February 7, 2024 “Somewhere Quiet” (** out of four) was a middling and mild horror melodrama about a woman (Jennifer Kim) who has to readjust to normalcy after a kidnapping and travels to her husband’s family compound and spends time with some of her family members (Marin Ireland, Micheal Neeson, and others) and her sense of reality begins to deteriorate. Good performances and atmosphere help to keep you watching but at its heart this is another “Shining” derivation and ripoff that the world did not need. Too long and not really for horror fans. Continue reading →
February 6, 2024 “ClearMind” (* out of four) was a mindless psychodrama about a young woman (Rebecca Creskoff) who uses virtual reality to enact revenge on her friends (Rob Benedict, Jessica Peraz, and others) until they realize what she is doing and try to turn the tables on her. Promising story for an intriguing mind-bender is static and boring. The concept of virtual reality doesn’t have much concept when there’s no reality and you don’t believe (or care about) any of the characters. Continue reading →
February 5, 2024 “Story Ave” (*1/2 out of four) was a syrupy, preachy melodrama about a young inner-city hoodlum (Asante Blackk) who runs away from home and holds up an MTA worker (Luis Guzman) but they form an unexpected bond together and the worker becomes a father figure to him that could change his life. Earnest and well-intentioned story is also contrived and maudlin and rings false. Guzman is solid as usual but even his effortless charisma can’t make this a “story” worth watching. Continue reading →
February 5, 2024 “Bosco” (** out of four) was a superficial biographical drama of Quantay “Bosco” Adams (Aubrey Joseph) sentenced to federal prison for marijuana possession and meets a woman (Nikki Blonsky) from a lonelyhearts ad who helps him to escape but he soon realizes that he must face up to the responsibility and consequences of his actions and returns to finish up his prison sentence and become a motivational speaker for his community. Well-intentioned movie doesn’t provide much insight or information on main characters and thus covers overly familiar terrain. Solid supporting cast including Thomas Jane, Tyrese Gibson, and Vivica Fox aren’t given enough to do. Continue reading →
February 5, 2024 “Taken In Montana” (*1/2 out of four) was a flaccid suspense thriller about a teenager (Veronica Ramirez) whose parents (Justin Berti and Laurie Fortier) go missing and she has to piece together what happened and why. Eye-candy cinematography from Nick Albert is the only asset to this meandering and meaningless film. Allegedly based on true events but seems derived from far too many other run-of-the-mill thrillers. Continue reading →
February 5, 2024 “Calamity Jane” (*1/2 out of four) was a limp pile of Western cliches about the title character (Emily Bett Rickards) whose long-term partner Wild Bill (Stephen Amell) dies and she breaks out of prison and is pursued to the death by a dogged sheriff (Tim Rozon). Opening scenes with Darren Fung’s stirring Muzak score promise a grandeur that film doesn’t achieve as it becomes slapdash and sluggish. Rickards tries in the lead role but Ellen Barkin was a livelier Jane in Walter Hill’s 1995 “Wild Bill.” Continue reading →
February 4, 2024 “In Its Wake” (* out of four) was a startlingly awful horror thriller about a former minister (Robert Notman) and various businessmen and townsfolk (Kenneh Bemister, Paige Foskett, Damien Doepping, and others) who are besieged by (yawn) an ancient evil that threatens to engulf and encompass the entire town. Yet another piece of low-budget junk allegedly inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft; if more timewasters like this get made, it may “wake” him up from his ancient grave. Low-grade all the way through. Filmed in only 11 days but you’re unlikely to remember this 11 days after watching. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 