July 24, 2022 “As A Prelude To Fear” (** out of four) was a stuffy suspense melodrama about a young girl (Lara Lemon) who is kidnapped by a notorious serial killer called the Pied Piper and the police (led by Ian Cumberland) attempt to track him down and find them both before it is too late. Skillful performances do all they can to jack up the pulse and terror but there’s only so much they can do with tired material. Viewers would best re-watch “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Se7en” for the same material done better 2-3 decades earlier. Continue reading →
July 23, 2022 “Death Count” (*1/2 out of four) was a grisly, unpleasant horror potboiler about various people (Robert Lasardo, Sarah French, Devanny Pinn, and others) who awaken in a cell with no memory of how they arrived and have to solve various riddles and games or else they’ll die at the hands of a vicious executioner (Costas Mandylor) while an over-the-hill cop (Michael Madsen) scrambles to save them before it is too late. Slavish imitation of “Saw” right down to the casting of “Saw” actor Mandylor as the Jigsaw wannabe. Reasonably watchable at first but goes way overboard with ugly violence and killings. It’s cheap timewasters like this that led to Madsen and Lasardo’s careers being down for the “count.” Continue reading →
July 9, 2022 “Best Years Gone” (** out of four) was a hokey melodrama about an older man (DJ Perry) who starts to reflect on his years of self-destructive behavior and how he has few close relationships in life besides the woman (Erika Hoveland) he loves and has to make sense of his life to enjoy the remaining years he has left. Some interesting themes of reflection and loss and realizing one is at the end of their life but story is thin and emotions are muted. Perry also co-wrote the screenplay along with Karl Manke who adapted this from his own novel. Similar story was told much more powerfully with Burt Reynolds in “The Last Movie Star.” Continue reading →
July 9, 2022 “The Summoned” (*1/2 out of four) was a drably done supernatural horror thriller about two couples (J Quinton Johnson and Emma Fitzpatrick / Angela Gulner and Salvador Chacon) who go to a self-help retreat but they soon find out that this retreat (yawn) has a sinister side beneath its otherwordly veneer. Relatively well-made but covers all-too-familiar territory without any shock value or scares. Cast of decent actors helps but this overall feels like reheated Jordan Peele. Continue reading →
July 9, 2022 “Above Snakes” (** out of four) was an overly flat Western about a gunslinger (Brandon Baker) who returns home from prison seeking revenge on the judge (Jeffrey Smith) who sentenced him and sets out to kidnap his daughter (Shannon Sinclear) but finds that this is more morally and personally complex than he anticipated. Potentially juicy storyline of vengeance and moral ambiguity is constricted by mediocre production values and stilted direction. Not the worst of its kind but not memorable either. Continue reading →
July 6, 2022 “#Unknown” (* out of four) was a nearly unwatchable psychodrama about a successful author (Hal Oszan) who starts receiving bizarre phone calls as he attempts to write the follow-up to his lucrative debut but soon finds that the phone calls and stress begin twisting his reality inside-out and causing him to lose his mind. By the end of this mess, you’ll know exactly as he feels. Deeply unpleasant film is a real waste of time. Tom Sizemore is well-cast as a recovering drug addict; whether he is ever able to get his career back on track is the real “unknown.” Continue reading →
July 6, 2022 “3 Demons” (* out of four) was an abjectly painful horror clunker about a deputy (Peter Tell) who is hired to watch over the corpse of a recently deceased woman (Zoe Cunningham) until her family can arrive and claim her but instead for reasons known only to him- he performs a dead ritual on her which (you guessed it) causes all Hell to break loose. Shoddy filmmaking and overhyped acting turn this into an unintentional comedy. Writer/director was Matt Cunningham and Tara Cunningham was one of the co-producers so apparently this demonic undertaking was a family affair. Continue reading →
July 4, 2022 “Hustle” (*** out of four) was an engaging sports drama about a basketball scout (Adam Sandler) who is on a trip in Spain and discovers a phenomenal street player (Juancho Hernangomez) and tries to recruit him and bring him back to America but finds that he has a lot of personal and legal baggage to have to overcome. Film follows a predictable pattern from “Jerry Maguire” and “The Air Up There” (among others) and goes over the familiar numbers but is carried along by Sandler’s usual effortless likeability and Hernangomez’ charisma and their chemistry and camaderie together feels genuine and real. Julius Erving and Robert Duvall show up in key supporting roles. Continue reading →
July 4, 2022 “Thor: God Of Thunder” (** out of four) was a flimsy action adventure about the mighty Thor (Myrom Kingery) who has to pursue his evil uncle Loki (Daniel O’Reilly) who plans to destroy a tree which holds the power of the universe leading to a battle between them for the fate of the universe and mankind as a whole. Allegedly based on the video game of the same name and NOT in any way connected to the Marvel blockbuster series; not bad for what it is but hindered by cheesy production and filmmaking. Fans would best wait for the similarly titled “Thor: Love And Thunder” out next week. Continue reading →
July 4, 2022 “Night Blooms” (** out of four) was a languid melodrama about a troubled young girl (Jessica Clement) who begins in an affair with her best friend’s dad (Nick Stahl) but this obviously leads to moral/personal/legal consequences for the both of them as they both finds themselves at a crossroads in their life over what to do. Shallow and predictable story of young lust and rebellion and moral choices doesn’t go deep enough to carry much power or charge. Clement is good in the lead but her character is awfully aloof and obtuse. Continue reading →
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