Author: dlepikcom

“Blackberry” (**1/2 out of four) was an intermittently interesting melodrama about the revolutionary development of the world’s first smartphone when the engineering geeks Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) joined forces with hotheaded multimillionaire Jim Basillie (Glenn Howerton) which resulted in a meteoric rise on the cusp of the technology boom and a catastrophic crash over the next decade. Uneven and doesn’t have the sustained sweep that a film like this needs as it’s held back by a certain aloofness but still holds you in its feverish grip as it takes you through one of the most important technological inventions of its time. Howerton’s powerhouse performance as Basillie makes this overall worthwhile.

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“Follow Her” (*1/2 out of four) was an unpleasant horror psychodrama about an aspiring actress (Dani Barker) who responds to a mysterious classified ad for an actress and finds herself initially entranced by the man (Luke Cook) she has met but soon realizes it is all part of an elaborate revenge fantasy that puts her physical and psychological mindset to the test. Plodding and predictable story grows increasingly lurid and bizarre until it self-destructs completely. Barker also wrote this but unfortunately there’s not much worth “following” here.

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“The Boogeyman” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a young woman (Sophie Thatcher) and her younger sister (Vivien Lyra Blair) who start having the jitters when a supernatural presence starts overtaking them in their house and they can’t get their father (Chris Messina) to listen to them until it’s too late. Allegedly based on a short story by Stephen King and has no relation to previous “Boogeyman” movies but it’s reheated horror elements without much sizzle or juice. Film takes forever to get going but final third at least does provide a few (minor) jolts. Watch “Boogie Nights” again instead.

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“Padre Pio” (*1/2 out of four) was a ponderous religious melodrama set during the aftermath of WWII based on the true story of the title character Padre Pio (Shia Labeouf) who struggled with his own personal demons but summoned through them to unite his post-war village and attempt to bring them back to religious solidarity. Disappointing result for writer/director Abel Ferrara; while this is certainly in keeping with his past themes of Catholic guilt and redemption (“Bad Lieutenant”, “The Addiction”) it lacks those film’s visceral charge and passion and dramatic energy. Labeouf tries his best but is badly miscast in the lead.

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“Wolf Garden” (** out of four) was a torpid suspense psychodrama about a man (Wayne David) who goes into isolation following various tragedies he has gone through but becomes haunted by visions of the woman (Sian Altman) he loved and starts to become unhinged by a ravenous wolf in the nearby woods. Star/writer/director/co-producer David and cinematographer Ariel Artur definitely give their best but film is disconcertingly glum and inert. Too self-serious for a horror film and not incisive or dramatic enough for anything else. Watch “Wolf Creek” instead.

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“Firenado” (*1/2 out of four) was a clumsy action melodrama which attempts to graft a mob-underworld story onto a disaster thriller about an accountant (Daniel Godfrey) for organized crime who is on the run from his associates and has to escape through a whirlwind of fire that threatens to engulf everything it touches. Film’s poster makes it look like a big-budget action spectacle like “Volcano” or “Twister” but results are more like a thirdhand Guy Ritchie imitation and is much more fizzle than sizzle.

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“MobKing” (** out of four) was an uninspired mobster melodrama about a former underworld enforcer (Ciro Dapagio) returning home after a lengthy prison sentence and trying to go straight for the sake of his wife and daughter (Elisabetta Fantone and Celine Alva) but ties to his former mob boss (James Russo) and various other criminal figures (Robert Lasardo and Michael Villar) put all of them in the crossfire. Relatively strong acting make this watchable but it’s still a reheated platter of Scorsese/mob/underworld cliches. Say arrivederci to this and just re-watch “The Godfather”, “Good Fellas”, or even “Casino” again.

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“Spinning Gold” (***1/2 out of four) was a first-rate biographical drama about legendary music-business executive Neal Bogart (Jeremy Jordan) showing his tough upbringing in Brooklyn to his overcoming incredible odds (and debt) in founding Casablanca Records which went onto become a blockbuster record label before his untimely (and early) death at age 39. Filled with wonderful period detail and music that plunges you right into the heart of the 1970’s and anchored by Jordan who is rock-solid in the lead role and guided by superb direction from Bogart’s son (Timothy Scott Bogart). Touching end credits show the real Neal Bogart on various interviews and talk shows.

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“The Man With My Husband’s Face” (*1/2 out of four) was a one-note Hitchcock wannabe thriller about a woman (Koko Marshall) whose husband (Thomas Gipson) disappears on a kayaking trip; after he is declared deceased, she sees a man who is a dead-ringer for him leading her to the realization that he may not really be dead and setting off a chain reaction that threatens her sanity and safety. Intriguing premise yields pretty stale result. Shades of “Vertigo” and other classic thrillers but this won’t be in their category anytime soon.

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“Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker” (** out of four) was a grimy horror psychodrama about a late-night radio-show host (Paula Brasca) who receives a repeated caller who tests the limits of her sanity especially as she begins to realize he’s lurid and deranged and starts stalking her but how can she be sure when she doesn’t know what he looks like? Three directors are credited for this suspense thriller which is made with some flair and twisted style but eventually loses itself in its ozone of unpleasantness. Similar story was told with Robin Williams in 2006’s “The Night Listener.”

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