January 10, 2021 “Apocalypse Of Ice” (** out of four) was an utterly routine and by-the-numbers disaster thriller about a massive polar vertex which threatens to cover all of Earth in ice when a virologist (Emily Killian) and her former partner (Tom Sizemore) race against the clock to try to stop it and prevent worldwide destruction. Fairly fast-moving but is simply an amalgam of ideas derived from other (and better) disaster movies, particularly “2012” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” The end-of-the-world simply isn’t what it used to be. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “Mercy” (*1/2 out of four) was a mercilessly dull melodrama about an older man (James Yaw) who goes through a series of personal crisises that lead to him mentally unravelling and falling back into alcohol abuse before an unexpected event brings him back from the brink. Yaw tries but his character is simply not all that compelling or interesting and neither is the movie, as it plods and never builds to anything dramatic. Yaw also wrote and co-produced. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “COVID-21: Lethal Virus” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average horror thriller about an ancient rabies virus that is released from Antarctica ice leading to people turning into ravenous zombies that threaten worldwide destruction; one determined scientist (Loretta Hope) tries to race against the clock to create a cure while the military tries to decide their next move and how to stay alive. Ultimately hindered by its overall routine story and framework but the zombie attack scenes are unusually vivid and film provides a reasonable amount of jolts and scares along the way. Well directed by Daniel Hernandez Torrado on a low budget. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “The Serpent” (** out of four) was a passable political thriller about a top-secret C.I.A. agent (Gia Skova) who is given an international covert assignment but subsequently finds out she has been double-crossed by her own government and some renegade agents (Travis Aaron Wade, Jason Scott Jenkins, and others) and has to outsmart everyone to stay alive. Uneven mix of espionage intrigue and pulp action melodrama jumpstarts occasionally but never quite catches fire. Yet another “Bourne” imitation that comes up short. Skova also wrote and directed. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “The Wrong Real Estate Agent” (** out of four) was a laughably obvious suspense thriller about a single mom (Vivica A. Fox) and her daughter (Alaya Lee Walton) who move into a luxurious new house purchased from a real estate agent (Andres Modono) who turns out to be (what else?) an obsessive nutjob bent on revenge against them from something in the past. No surprises and thus no suspense or sparks although competent filmmaking and cast helps to keep it watchable. By this point, though, it’s about time Fox said Independence Day to these “wrong” movies and started doing something else. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “Hacksaw” (* out of four) was a repellent horror thriller about a young couple (Amy Kay and Brian Patrick Butler) who take a road trip to seek out the urban legend of a killer named Hacksaw (Michael C. Burgess) but find out too-little/too-late that he is alive and well and is looking for fresh new blood in the form of them. Inept horror story mashes unpleasant blood and gore in-your-face but the result is still minimalist and boring. Title is somewhat ironic since this seems like it was edited with a hacksaw. Continue reading →
January 9, 2021 “Nina Of The Woods” (*1/2 out of four) was a lifeless horror melodrama about an aspiring actress named Nina (Megan Hensley) who agrees to take part in a supernatural reality television show set in the small town she left as a child and they are drawn into the woods and (naturally) overtaken by a sinister and enigmatic force that threatens to kill all of them. Stale pileup of horror cliches goes through the motions without much style or conviction. “The Blair Witch Project” told virtually the same story over 21 years ago with much more scares and skill. Continue reading →
January 8, 2021 “Sorry I Killed You” (* out of four) was a disastrously lame horror comedy about a group of none-too-bright friends (Jonathan Bennett, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Ben Kurland, Jon Artigo, and others) who get together for a weekend getaway when new secrets are revealed and they soon begin to realize that one of them may be a mass murderer. Crude, stupid comedy is filled with moronic dialogue and shrill characters you can’t wait to see die. “Sorry I Watched” would be a more apt title for this inept attempt at black comedy. Continue reading →
January 5, 2021 “Kiss 2020 Goodbye” (***1/2 out of four) was a rollicking concert film of Kiss at their New Years Eve 2020 concert in Dubai featuring all their spectacular pyrotechnics and effects and their wall-to-wall rock classics (“I Want To Rock And Roll All Night”, “I Was Made For Loving You”, “Lick It Up”) and some innovative technology involving 360-degree cameras. A visual feast for Kiss fans which shows their dazzling theatrical concerts (this broke the Guinness Book Of World Records for most amount of pyro at one concert) but also a very elaborate and informative documentary showing the pre-concert and just how much amazing preparation and work goes into staging one of their concerts. Play it out loud! Continue reading →
January 4, 2021 “Monster Hunter” (**1/2 out of four) was a fast-paced (if overly derivative) adaptation of the Capcom video game about a fierce lieutenant (Milla Jovovich) and her military team (Tony Jaa, T.I., Diego Boneta, and others) who are transported to a new world in which they engage in battle with otherworldly monsters with ferocious superpowers. Diverting action thriller throws in enough gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, and visual effects to efficiently give you your money’s worth; just don’t look for much in terms of originality or character development. About what you’d expect from director Paul W.S. Anderson who throws in various homages to his earlier hits (“Mortal Kombat”, “Resident Evil”, “Event Horizon”). Continue reading →
dlepikcom 