July 23, 2023 “Resident Evil: Death Island” (*** out of four) was an enthralling animated horror thriller about various agents (voices of Bill Butts, Erin Cahill, Kevin Dorman, and others) who investigate a series of zombie outbreaks in the prison at Alcatraz and find themselves in the fight of their lives as they find themselves outnumbered by vicious zombies on the attack. Pretty routine in terms of story and script but visually dazzling animation takes center-stage here and commands your attention. A definite must-see for animation and “Resident Evil” fans and more entertaining than a lot of the live-action “Resident Evil” movies. Continue reading →
July 23, 2023 “Barbie” (** out of four) was a glitzy but empty-headed adaptation of the legendary character/cartoon series about Barbie (Margot Robbie) who has a sudden crisis of conscience which leads her to question her reality and that of Ken (Ryan Gosling). Impressive candy-colored production design and cinematography captures your eye and Robbie is well cast in the lead but script and story are pretty plastic and insubstantial. Director Gretta Gerwig employs several great soundtrack selections to make up for some real lulls along the way but it only works so much. Continue reading →
July 22, 2023 “The Channel” (** out of four) was a wearily derivative action melodrama set in New Orleans about a group of ex-marines (Clayne Crawford, Max Martini, and others) who commit a bank heist and attempt to escape the city but are pursued to the death by a hard-nosed F.B.I. agent (Nicoye Banks) which leads to a bloody showdown. Typically brutal and ugly underworld thriller seems like recycled Guy Ritchie and Michael Mann and soon fizzles out. A few good action scenes help to keep film watchable but you’ll likely want to change “the channel” after about half-hour. Continue reading →
July 22, 2023 “Nightmare School Moms” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous suspense thriller about two competitive mothers (Crystal Allen and April Hale) who attempt to see which one of their overachieving daughters (Rachel Walters and Tatiana Le’joy) will be accepted to a prestigious university but when this soon spirals out of control into mayhem and murder, things start to get really ugly at home and in the college application process. Desperate movie is filled with some horrid acting and dialogue which provide some unintentional yuks but this isn’t meant as a comedy. Watch “Mommy Dearest” instead. Continue reading →
July 22, 2023 “Bones Of Crows” (** out of four) was an impenetrable melodrama about a code talker (Grace Spears) who survives a lifetime of oppression and repression in the Canadian residential school system but over the span of 100 years- her and her family vow never to give up the fight for fairness and equity and a better country for all. Gorgeous cinematography by Vince Arvidson and some scattered effective moments are defeated by film’s meandering pace and overall air of solemn self-importance. Even still, this won some awards at the Canadian Screen Awards Festival earlier this year. Continue reading →
July 21, 2023 “Home Wrecker” (** out of four) was a tired suspense potboiler about a down-on-her-luck attorney (Letoya Makhene-Pulumo) who becomes envious and dangerously obsessed with the life of her college best friend (Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa) and attempts to take over her life at all costs including duplicity and murder. Yet another thriller which anyone who’s seen a thriller can guess from the first 10-20 minutes with every plot twist telegraphed ahead of time; not bad but not original in any way. Mlotshwa (who looks like an exotic Nicki Minaj) is solid in the lead. Continue reading →
July 20, 2023 “The Flood” (*1/2 out of four) was a waterlogged horror thriller set during Louisiana in the midst of a brutal hurricane when a prison break happens and a ravenous group of alligators swim into the police station and the tough sheriff (Nicky Whelan) and a wrongly convicted murderer (Casper Van Dien) have to band together to stay alive. Lame attempt at mixing elements of the far-superior “Crawl” with the underrated “Hard Rain” (which was originally titled “The Flood”) winds up a wet waste of time. Superior CGI effects of the alligators are film’s only asset. Continue reading →
July 20, 2023 “Wild Bones” (*1/2 out of four) was a listless melodrama about two estranged sisters (Roxy Bugler and Mary Roubos) who reconnect after their father’s disappearance; one finds herself unraveling to the brink of insanity while the other tries to keep them both grounded and united and restore what’s left of their relationship. Unbearably dull and almost completely pointless. You keep thinking film is going to build to something but it goes nowhere slowly. Continue reading →
July 19, 2023 “A Podcast To Die For” (** out of four) was an utterly predictable suspense thriller about a true-crime podcaster (Kate Miner) who unearths an unsolved local murder and begins to investigate but soon begins to realize that the clues and mystery behind this murder lead close to home and she begins to suspect that her family (Matthew MacCaull and Sophia Carriere) may be entangled. Competently made and acted but hindered by a routine framework and story; anyone who’s ever watched a thriller won’t be terribly surprised by the twists or identity of the killer. Continue reading →
July 19, 2023 “Jericho Ridge” (**1/2 out of four) was a relatively gripping B-movie thriller about a small-town cop (Nikki Amuka-Bird) who finds herself trapped at her precinct and without backup and has to stay alive when she finds herself under siege by vicious attackers. Modest thriller is tensely directed by writer/director Will Gilbey and well-acted by Bird but rabid cinema fans may gradually find this too similar to John Carpenter’s “Assault On Precinct 13” which in itself was very similar to “Rio Bravo.” Still, it’s much better than most of its genre and worth watching. Continue reading →
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