December 29, 2023 “Devil On My Doorstep” (*1/2 out of four) was a fizzled suspense melodrama about a successful self-help influencer (Jenna Dewan) who meets a charming delivery-man (Steve Kazee) who (yawn) develops an escalating obsession with her that progresses to duplicity and murder. Cliche-strewn plot without any surprises or sparks, except for anyone who never saw “Fatal Attraction” (whoever you are). Dewan and Kazee are actually married in real life which is somewhat curious because they have little to no chemistry together in this trifle. Close the door on this clunker. Continue reading →
December 29, 2023 “Creepypasta” (*1/2 out of four) was a curdled horror psychodrama about a man (Joie Bauer) who awakens in an abandoned house with no clue as to how he got there but is given a series of disturbing and lurid videos to watch which gradually infect his mind and overtake him. Feeble imitation of both “Saw” and “V/H/S” and full of artificial ingredients and empty calories. Final third at least provides some jumps and scares but film as a whole is an empty platter. Continue reading →
December 28, 2023 “Bermuda Island” (0 stars out of four) was a mind-numbingly awful schlock horror comedy about a group of none-too-bright passengers (John Wells, Sarah French, Greg Tally, and others) on a flight to Bermuda whose plane crashlands at sea and they are mauled and preyed upon by a bloodthirsty creature (actually a guy in a very bad gorilla suit). Tawdry and tacky from beginning to end with abysmal acting and dreadful dialogue being the extra icing on the moldy cake. Tom Sizemore is/was wasted in a quick-paycheck cameo but let’s be nice and said this was a long way from “Saving Private Ryan” and “Heat.” Continue reading →
December 28, 2023 “Rise Of The Footsoldier: Vengeance” (*1/2 out of four) was a benumbed entry in this wearisome series about the continuing violent adventures of Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass) whose loyal friend dies and he ventures back into the grimy underbelly of the London crime world to enact bloody revenge. Sixth entry in this brutal series is best left for fans only and is pretty dull, despite all the shootings and bloodshed. Even Fairbrass seems to be mostly just going through the motions here. Lively soundtrack (kudos to A Flock Of A Seagulls “I Ran” at the end) gives this its only rush. Continue reading →
December 27, 2023 “The Wraith Within” (* out of four) was absolute junk about a group of friends (Wesley Blake, Frankie Romero, Dimitrius, Pulido, and others) who embark on a weekend getaway when a nefarious evil emerges and threatens to overtake them all while a world-weary sheriff (Michael Madsen) tries to sort everything out. So-called homage to ’80’/90’s sci/fi movies is inept at every turn and offers zero in the way of thrills or scares. Madsen sleepwalks his way through his umpteenth role as a cop. Byetheway- this has no relation to the Charlie Sheen cult classic “The Wraith” despite similar titles and stories. Continue reading →
December 27, 2023 “Carlos” (** out of four) was a superficial documentary on legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana who had some success in the 70’s and was almost completely forgotten about but had his biggest success and a spectacular comeback in the late 90’s. Plenty of interviews both past and current but doesn’t tell you much you likely don’t know. You’d be better off just picking up a copy of Santana’s greatest-hits. Continue reading →
December 26, 2023 “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” (*** out of four) was a propulsive sequel about Aquaman (Jason Momoa) who is forced to team up with his estranged brother (Patrick Wilson) when Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) seeks revenge for his father’s death. Full of psychedelic and colorful effects and plenty of action even if it’s not quite up to the high-level impact of the original. But it never stops moving and keeping you entertained. As usual, there’s some cameos and character references for DC and comic-book fans. Continue reading →
December 26, 2023 “Taeter Burger” (**1/2 out of four) was a grisly and in-your-face Italian futuristic shock thriller set in the year 2161 in which various employees (Ilaria Calosi, Damianno Chioni, Peter Cosgrove, and others) at a human-meat restaurant find themselves under attack from a group of bloodthirsty terrorist mutants. Flashy and full of nonstop gore and guts and deserves points for sheer shock value and sensationalism but doesn’t know when to quit and becomes over-the-top and disgusting at times. Reminiscent in some ways of early-period Peter Jackson (“Bad Taste”, “Dead/Alive”). Not recommended at all as an after-dinner movie! Continue reading →
December 25, 2023 “In Its Wake” (*1/2 out of four) was a shonky suspense thriller about a group of friends (Kenneth Bemister, Michael R. Buchanan, Damien Doepping, and others) who are besieged by a mutant creature on the prowl and they turn to the church to stop it and send it back to Hell where it belongs. Cheesy effects and lame acting and filmmaking sink this pointless drivel. Allegedly inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft but it’s hard to imagine he would want his name on this. Eerie and pretty cinematography from Bryan Piggott is one of film’s few bright spots. Continue reading →
December 25, 2023 “Don’t Suck” (* out of four) was an ironically titled fiasco that “sucks” in almost every way possible about a veteran comedian (Jamie Kennedy a long way from “Scream”) who sees his last chance at stardom with a new comedian (Matt Rife) who has a horrendous and dark secret- he’s an ancient vampire (har har har). One-joke movie that quickly runs out of steam and becomes crude and stupid. Film actually has the temerity to bring up “Interview With The Vampire” as justification for ripping that movie off in a few scenes. “Don’t Watch” would be a better title for this clunker. Continue reading →
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