Author: dlepikcom

“Civil War” (** out of four) was a grandiose but grim melodrama set in a not-too-distant dystopian future in which a group of military journalists (Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and others) who race against time to reach the White House before rebel factions overtake it and declare monopoly and anarchy. Writer/director Alex Garland tries to be making a timely and topical story of historical proportion and elements but his ambition outweighs his excellence as film is clouded by a detached sense of indifference. Only the last half-hour (when they actually reach the White House) has any impact. Film has been released on exactly 163 years after the real Civil War.

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“They Turned Us Into Killers” (* out of four) was an exploitative, ugly melodrama about a young woman (Lauren Francesca) who is assaulted by her boyfriend (Bryce Draper) which leads to her committing suicide and her friend (Scout Taylor-Compton) hunts him down and his brothers and begins to systematically torture them and reading her suicide letter before she takes their lives. Grindingly unpleasant movie lacks intelligence or insight and goes nowhere. Horror movie icons Kane Hodder, Bill Mosely, and Michael Berryman are wasted and it’s junk like this that “turned” their careers into mush.

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“Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a simply awful sequel about the continuing adventures of Pooh, Owl, Piglet, and Tigger who refuse to live in the shadows and leave a bloodthirsty trail of rampage and destruction while various townsfolk (Scott Chambers, Tallulah Evans, and others) attempt to stop them. Slightly better than the original but that’s like saying you’re going to have one root canal, instead of two. Turning these loveable characters into homicidal killers shows poor taste but film still is dumb and dull.

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“Knox Goes Away” (**1/2 out of four) was an uneven but undeniably touching story of an aging hitman (Michael Keaton who also directed) who learns he has severe progressive dementia and has only weeks to live and has to put his affairs together while evading the police and attempting to repair a relationship with his estranged son (James Marsden). Keaton is terrific as usual and also shows good touches as a director but film has too many half-baked subplots that undercut it from fully connecting. Suzy Nakamura is strong as lead detective who’s on Keaton’s trail.

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“The First Omen” (** out of four) was a pallid prequel to the 1976 classic about a young American woman (Nell Tiger Free) who is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church but soon uncovers a sinister darkness within the church that leads to her questioning her faith and uncovers a religious conspiracy for her to give birth to the Devil incarnate. Scares and suspense are minimal and film is yet another jargon of pseudo-religious horror babble that seemed stale years ago. Good atmosphere and performances help to keep you watching but this falls far short of the original and also its solid 2006 remake.

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“Far Haven” (*** out of four) was a sharply done Western about a disgraced gunslinger (Bailey Chase) who moves back to the title town to avenge an attack on his father-in-law (Bruce Boxleitner) and wage a one-man war and resistance against a corrupt sheriff (Chris Mulkey) and his evil forces throughout the town. Permeated with the usual Western cliches of gun-battles and saloon fights but it’s fierce and exciting with some strong dialogue from writers Dustin Rickert and William Shockley and anchored by a commanding lead performance from Chase. Invigorating music score from Tom Gire is a definite plus throughout.

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“Island Of The Dolls 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a pointless horror thriller about a documentary crew (Yasmine Alice, Tom Beechcroft, Isaaiah Bob-Semple, and others) who visit the title island where they encounter the evil spirit of Santana (Jenna N. Wilson) who begins hunting them down one-by-one. Top choice for most unnecessary sequel of the year to a film that only came out a few months ago. Marginally better than the original due to some stylish and creepy imagery but that’s a very relative compliment.

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“The Gates” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary horror thriller about a serial killer (Richard Brake) who is sentenced to death in London in the 1890’s but in his final hours he puts a curse on the prison and all prison workers and inmates (Donal O’Shea, Sarah Noll, Peter Coonan, and others) there and (yawn) all Hell breaks loose. Overlong and overly dour thriller missing any key ingredients of fun and scares. It’s duds like this that make you think that the similarly themed “Shocker” and “Fallen” weren’t that bad by comparison.

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“The Beautiful Game” (** out of four) was an earnest but empty melodrama about various advocates (Bill Nighy, Valeria Golino, and others) who sought to end homelessness by organizing a soccer tournament of homeless men (Micheal Ward, Beckett Hanley, and others) to compete in a renowned match The Homeless World Cup which attracted much more recognition and attention than ever imagined. Inspirational but uninspired, as story never has the depth or dramatic intensity that subject matters requires and goes on far too long at over two hours. Good performances can’t camouflage undernourished material.

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