Author: dlepikcom

“The Swan Princess: A Fairytale Is Born” (*** out of four) was a winning sequel in this animated series about the continuing story of Uberta (voice of Jennifer Miller) who is preparing to give the luxurious royal sceptre to Odette and Derek (voices of Nina Herzog and Yuri Lowenthal) but another villainous queen (voice of Lin Gallagher) is plotting to overturn things and ruin the coronation. 11th in this series offers nothing groundbreaking in terms of story and is similar to previous entries but definitely offers sweeping and lush animation and the songs are better than you might expect. Mostly for fans of the series who should find it rewarding and entertaining.

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“Coffee Wars” (** out of four) was a likeable but thin comedy about a vegan coffee company (led by Kate Nash and Toby Sebastian) that starts to gather popularity and momentum and attempts to compete in the World Barista Championship against some of the top coffee conglomerates in the world. Well-intentioned movie actually donated all its profits to various environmental and welfare charities but it’s a mild brew at best even for coffee lovers. Funniest aspect of the movie is Jason Stephens’ narration who keeps reminding everyone he is not Morgan Freeman.

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“Abducted On Prom Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a stupid suspense thriller about a group of friends (Zoe Belkin, Melissa Bray, Micah Sanders Silva, and others) who attempt to celebrate the best night of their lives by going out on prom night but soon find themselves abducted by their deranged limousine driver (Brett Geddes) and realize this will be one night they will never forget. Umpteenth teens in jeopardy story where even the teens themselves are not very likeable and script is loaded with plot holes and logic gaps. Watch “Prom Night” (the original or its remake) instead.

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“Razzen Nest” (* out of four) was a bewildering bore about a South African independent filmmaker (Michael Smulik) who meets with a Rotten Tomates-approved film critic (Sophie Kathleen Kozeluh) who meet in a film studio to record audio commentary for his new horror film but this leads to a new kind of horror as both of them find their lives in danger. Virtually the entire film consists of their audio commentary without being seen over footage that might have been borrowed from a Discovery Channel travelogue. Some of the cinematography is pretty but othewise you have been warned. Joe Dante bizarrely has a cameo playing himself.

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“Dark Nature” (** out of four) was a predictable and obvious horror melodrama about a therapy group (Madison Walsh, Hannah Emily Anderson, Helen Belay, and others) who confront the various terrors of their past by going on (cue the ominous music) a hiking trip in the middle of the wilderness and encounter a real terror that makes them all unite together to try and survive. Good-looking cinematography by Jaryl Lim on beautiful locations in the Canadian Rockies highlight this pretty by-the-numbers movie. Maybe it’s about time horror filmmakers put to rest hiking in the woods for a while. Directorial debut of acclaimed “Metis” filmmaker Berkeley Brady.

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“Beau Is Afraid” (*1/2 out of four) was a maddening melodrama about a man (Joaquin Phoenix) with severe mental health issues who suffers the sudden death of his mother (Patti Lupone) and embarks on a dark odyssey back home to hopefully give his life the comfort and closure it never had. Phoenix once again shows he’s willing to take on challenging material in a role even more unhinged and demented than his “Joker” role but this is awfully tough to take and unpleasant, not to mention long at about three hours. The kind of self-indulgent film either you love or hate.

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“Influencer” (** out of four) was a beautifully shot but empty suspense thriller about a social media blogger (Emily Tennant) who goes on a backpacking trip through Thailand and meets a young woman (Cassandra Naud) who is a carefree and free-spirit and they embark on their trip together and develop a bond but she soon realizes that this other woman has developed a fixation on her that soon might turn fatal. Well-directed by Kurtis David Harder and relatively well-acted but can’t overcome film’s thuddingly obvious and predictable screenplay also co-written by Harder. David Schuurman’s vibrant cinematography on authentic Thailand locales is an undeniable standout but the film won’t likely develop much of an “influence” of its own.

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“Fangs Out” (* out of four) was a toothless horror comedy about a group of vain college students (Angel Juarez, Marlene McCohen, Heidi Hemlock, and others) who go to Mexico for some cheap plastic surgery and meet Dr. Pavor (Samuel Code) who is actually a vampire who wants to harvest them to the death; meanwhile a hard-nosed detective (Randy Oppenheimer) shows up looking for his lost daughter causing things to really get ugly beneath the border. Loaded with dumb dialogue and overripe acting that turn into a real (unintentional) laff riot at times but you’ll likely be satisfied after about 10 minutes. Director Dennis Devine seems to be trying for a twisted and macabre style in the vein of “From Dusk Till Dawn” or early-period Tim Burton but unfortunately this just sucks

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“Motion Detected” (*1/2 out of four) was a tawdry suspense psychodrama about a woman (Katelyn McMullen) who is the victim of a recent terrifying home invasion and moves to a safer house but subsequently finds that the home-security system she has which initially gave her a sense of safety and security is taking over her sanity and thus her life. Ridiculous story is a rip-off of 1965’s “Repulsion” and turns out to be a lot of supernatural and spiritual hooey. McMullen founders in a very difficult role.

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“Fast X” (** out of four) was a noisy, overcrowded entry in this blockbuster series about the car-racing gang (Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, and the rest) being targeted by the ruthless son (Jason Momoa) of crime kingpin Herman Reyes (Joaquin de Almeida) and it leads to lots of (you guessed it) high-speed chases and car crashes. Series is starting to run on exhaust fumes by now, with even Vin Diesel looking bored and Momoa a cartoonish and silly villain. Other series regulars (Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster) show up sporadically for obligatory appearances. Some spectacular action scenes to be sure for series fans but this still bears the mark of a series well past its prime.

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