Category: Uncategorized

“Margaux” (*1/2 out of four) was a ludicrous suspense thriller about a group of college friends (Madison Pettis, Vanessa Morgan, Phoebe Miu, and others) who rent a house for a weekend of sex and partying but soon find that the house’s A.I. system Margaux (voiced by Susan Bennett) has sinister plans for all of them and turns against them. Perhaps the first movie ever about an evil A.I. house system is often laughably dumb. Lochlyn Munro has a small but key role here and this is a reunion for him and Vanessa Morgan but this just doesn’t have the conviction and intelligence of their last collaboration “Riverdale.”

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“Pinocchio” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually enthralling but dramatically hollow live-action/CGI adapation of the classic Disney tale about the title puppet (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) who is brought to life by his magical owner (Tom Hanks) and is then corrupted by the real world and then his inventor has to rescue him and attempt to restore the both of them to safety and security in an unsafe and insecure world. Full of eye-popping visuals (Pleasure Island and the final whale scenes are a wow) which give you your money’s worth but film as a whole comes up empty since the script, story, and characters are so mild and threadbare. Worth a look for family audiences and animation fans but this still bears the mark of another remake simply made for money, and not much else.

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“Delia’s Gone” (** out of four) was a meandering melodrama about a young man (Stephan James) with mental retardation who is wrongfully convicted in the death of his sister (Genelle Williams) and breaks out of prison in search of the truth and to find the real killer and to seek personal/moral/legal redemption. James’ sincere and strong performance is the best asset of film which otherwise wanders and never peaks emotionally or dramatically and thus never achieves much impact. Marisa Tomei is solid as usual in a key role as an empathic cop on the case.

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“It Hatched” (*1/2 out of four) was a stillborn horror melodrama made in Iceland about a young couple (Vivian Olfasdottir and Gunnar Kristinnson) who open a remote guesthouse and soon find that there is something evil lurking in their basement but it takes them a long time to find out what it is and why the need to escape. It’s much easier to simply escape the movie instead. Ugly cinematography and plodding storytelling turn this into a real chore to watch. Film received substantial critical praise in Iceland but regadless- it’s films like these that make you wish horror filmmakers would finally “hatch” some new and original ideas.

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“The Dead Girl In Apartment 03” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster horror thriller about a young woman (Laura Dooling) who finds her roommate dead under mysterious circumstances and finds herself haunted in her apartment and physically and psychologically trapped and tormented there. Just an unpleasant pile of horror cliches (haunted house, loud shock effects, etc.) you’ve seen done before and done much better. Horror fans will note the return of “Friday The 13th” horror-siren Adrienne King as a hard-nosed detective but this movie is unlikely to bring her career back from “the dead.”

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“Gone In The Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a moribund suspense melodrama about a couple (Winona Ryder and John Gallagher, Jr.) who show up at a cabin in the woods but find a strange young couple (Owen Teague and Brianne Tju) already there and they decide to share the cabin together which leads to an onslaught of strange occurrences and consequences and they decide too-little/too-late that they need to escape. Suspenseless and snail-paced story offers few surprises and even fewer scares and thrills. Nice though it is to see Ryder again- a few more bores like this and her comeback attempt may be “gone” for good.

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“Graphic Designs” (*1/2 out of four) was a leaden soft-core adult melodrama about a reclusive nerd (David Wayman) who meets a woman (Sian Altman) on a dating app and their relationship becomes a dominating sexual obsession for both of them and film also intercuts with another couple (Ocean M. Harris and May Kelly) who have a parallel relationship that is also headed for doom. Film lives up to its title with plenty of “graphic” sex scenes but you’ll likely be satisfied after 1 or 2 scenes and sitting through the rest of the terrible acting and unpleasant story is a difficult chore. Watch “Red Shoe Diaries” re-runs instead.

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“No Way Out” (** out of four) was a pointless melodrama about a young man (Joey Bicicchi) who arrives in L.A. and meets a free-spirited hedonist (Allie Ayers) and falls in love with her and her reckless attitude and their relationship becomes embroiled in sex, drugs, and lust but it soon spirals out of control and reaches a breaking point for both of them. Earnest film about young lust and wild living may appeal to younger viewers but is jumbled and aloof, mostly because you don’t care about either of the main characters. For anyone wondering, this is not a remake of the 1987 Gene Hackman/Kevin Costner classic of the same name.

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“Bullet Proof” (*1/2 out of four) was a numbskull action melodrama about a small-time thief (James Clayton who also directed) who steals from a vindictive mob boss (Vinnie Jones) and finds sanctuary with the mobster’s pregnant wife (Lena Lecompte) but this puts them all on a dangerous intersection that can only lead to an impending bloodbath. Lots of flashy action for those who want it but you’ll eventually be worn out by all the noise and ugliness. Jones grimaces through his umpteenth role as a mumbling thug (will someone please get this man a real role to play?)

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“Dead Zone” (** out of four) was a thoroughly routine end-of-the-world zombie thriller about an elite team of soldiers (Michael Jai White, Chad Michael Collins, and others) who have to descend on a town poisoned with radiation and have to perform a stealth mission using high-tech armor and weapons but soon find that they are not alone and have to unite together to stay alive. Full of video-game like visual effects and the usual futuristic themes and images. Jai White’s strong presence and charisma and Marshall Douglis’ candy-colored cinematography give this a real boost. No relation to the 1983 Stephen King cult classic of the same name.

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