May 13, 2023 “The Mother” (** out of four) was a misbegotten action melodrama about a retired C.I.A. assassin (Jennifer Lopez) who comes out of retirement and hiding when she finds that her daughter (Lucy Paez) is being threatened and she has to defeat various long-lost villains to protect both of their lives. Well-made and well-acted movie is also hollow and overlong; Lopez is rock-solid as always but this story worked better decades ago with Matt Damon and the “Bourne” series. Ben Seresin’s exquisite cinematography is a definite asset throughout. Continue reading →
May 13, 2023 “The Best Man” (** out of four) was a lazy action potboiler about mercenaries who seize control over a hotel and wedding reception and it’s up to the best man (Luke Wilson), the groom (Brendan Fuhrer), and their drunken best friend (Dolph Lundgren) to save the day and thwart them so everyone can get on with the wedding and eat, drink, and be merry. Very predictable and by-the-numbers “Die Hard” ripoff starts well enough but ironically fizzles when the terrorists take over, just when it ought to start sizzling. Nice to see Lundgren back in action especially in light of his recent cancer diagnosis but this is hardly the “best” of his efforts. Continue reading →
May 12, 2023 “House Of Inequity” (*1/2 out of four) was a listless horror thriller about a group of friends (Todd Leigh, Parker Little, Brittany Bell, and others) who investigate an abandoned house and find themselves trapped there- physically and psychologically- as they all have to face their own fears and battle their own psyches to outwit one another and stay alive. Mixture of elements from “House” and “Saw” doesn’t provide much voltage in the way of shocks or scares or surprises for even the most jaded horror fan. “House Of Cliches” would have been a better title for this timewaster. Continue reading →
May 11, 2023 “A Gift Of Murder” (** out of four) was a fairly trite suspense thriller about a 16-year old (Bailey Bass) who transfers to a new school and immediately locks horns with the school’s reigning mean-girl (Courtney Lauren Cummings) who will stop at nothing to enact revenge on her, even if it means duplicity and murder. Imagine “Mean Girls” redone as a basic and predictable suspense story and you probably have an idea on what to expect from the proceedings. Decent acting and filmmaking can’t breathe much life into film’s tired story and plot gimmicks. Another thriller made for those who’ve never seen many before. Continue reading →
May 11, 2023 “Condor’s Nest” (** out of four) was a muddled war melodrama set during the decade after the fall of Nazi Germany in which an idealistic American aviator (Jackson Rathbone) travels to South America in search of war criminals and finds himself in over his head as he encounters various members of the community (Arnold Vosloo, Michael Ironside, Bruce Davison) and finds he doesn’t know who he can trust. Interesting subject matter harks back to Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards” except that was a film done with a decent amount of wit and style, whereas this one is scattershot and drab. Some props and war planes used in this film were originally made and developed for 1990’s “Memphis Belle.” Continue reading →
May 9, 2023 “Mafia Mamma” (*1/2 out of four) was a numbskull action comedy about a suburban mom (Toni Collette) who unexpectedly finds out that she inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy and has to defy everyone’s expectations including her own as she travels to Italy to start up her new family business. Ill-conceived light-hearted comedy about the mob runs out of ammo and laughs pretty soon, despite Collette’s best efforts. Mafia completists and comedy fans should say arrivederci to this clunker and watch “Married To The Mob” or even “The Freshman” instead. Continue reading →
May 8, 2023 “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” (*** out of four) was a colorful third entry in this blockbuster Marvel series about Starlord (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the guardians (Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and others) who find themselves under attack from a powerful artificial being (Will Poulter) and trying to scramble to save the life of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) when he is badly injured. Overstuffed and a little overlong to be sure but features enough action and superior visual effects (and cool soundtrack selections) to make it worthwhile for Marvel and action fans. About on par with the first two in the series. Like with all Marvel movies, be sure to stay with it through the credits. Continue reading →
May 8, 2023 “I’ll Be Watching” (** out of four) was a mostly ineffectual psychodrama about a housewife (Eliza Taylor) whose husband (Bob Morley) goes away on business leaving her alone in their large isolated house as she starts mentally unraveling and being consumed by her overwhelming paranoia and fears. Are these worries genuine or are they all in her head? Pretty thin storyline attempts to incorporate elements of PTSD, mental health, and paranoia but results are mild at best. Both Taylor and Morley are actually married in real life; hopefully their future endeavors together will be more worth “watching.” Continue reading →
May 7, 2023 “Simulant” (** out of four) was a wholly derivative sci/fi suspense thriller set in yet another dystopian future in which a humanoid (Robbie Amell) enlists the services of a global hacker (Jordana Brewster) to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities but this triggers an A.I. uprising and the rise of the machines against man. Slickly done and certainly watchable but is a pile of leftover ideas borrowed from other much better films. By this point, there may not be much more for films about the future that they haven’t already done in the past. Continue reading →
May 7, 2023 “One Ranger” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden action melodrama about a Texas ranger (Thomas Jane) who is recruited by the C.I.A. (led by John Malkovich) to stop an international terrorist (Nick Moran) from wreaking havoc on London. Drably told story makes you yearn for the golden touch of Sam Peckinpah or even Walter Hill. Heavy on tongue-in-cheek attitude but everything else about it is heavy as well, including Jane’s overbaked accent. Malkovich is wasted in yet another easy paycheck role. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 