November 15, 2020 “Dead Reckoning” (*1/2 out of four) was a sloppy action melodrama set around the time of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing in which a hard-nosed F.B.I. agent (James Remar) is racing against time to to find the bomb and stop one of the terrorists (Scott Adkins) involved and a group of hapless partying kids (India Eisley, Sydney Park, and others) caught in the middle. Despite the subject matter, film only makes a superfluous connection to the 2013 bombing and is simply a generic and mindless action movie which runs out of steam quickly. For a sharper and stronger look at the Boston bombing, watch “Patriots Day” instead. The talented Remar deserves much better than this “dead” material. Continue reading →
November 15, 2020 “Freaky” (*1/2 out of four) was a freakishly awful horror comedy about a high-school girl (Kathryn Newton) who swaps bodies with a psychotic serial killer (Vince Vaughn) and then realizes she has 24 hours before the change becomes permanent and there is no way out. Schizophrenic movie changes moods and styles in almost every scene and is irritatingly disjointed between being an ugly horror story and a dumb comedy. Based on (and inspired by) the 1972 novel “Freaky Friday” and was originally titled “Freaky Friday The 13th” but it’s a mess whatever it’s called. Continue reading →
November 14, 2020 “Chick Fight” (*1/2 out of four) was a disposably dumb action comedy about a woman (Malin Ackerman) introduced to an underground female fight club and becomes sucked into a rivalry with a tough-as-nails fighter (Bella Thorne) which leads to a showdown in the ring. Upbeat cast tries their best but film is TKO’d by its cliched storyline and characters and paper-thin script. Alec Baldwin picks up a few extra bucks in a key supporting role but his SNL Trump impersonations were much funnier. Continue reading →
November 14, 2020 “Echo Boomers” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately slick action thriller about five recent college graduates (Alex Pettyfer, Patrick Schwarzennegger, Oliver Cooper, and others) who become disgusted with the limited economy and lack of job opportunities and resort to working for an underground criminal (Michael Shannon) who can help them access the wealth they’ve always desired by stealing from the wealthy but they quickly realize they’re in over their heads. Hip, high-style filmmaking and fast pace hold your attention and keep you entertained for a while but the rampant amorality and overall unpleasantness starts leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Shannon is dynamite as usual. Based on a true story. Continue reading →
November 13, 2020 “Dying For A Daughter” (*1/2 out of four) was an eminently predictable suspense thriller about a woman (Melanie Nelson) who is involved in a severe car accident with her and her daughter; while recovering, her and her husband (Brandon Ray-Olive) hire a live-in-nurse (Brittany Underwood) who (naturally) turns out to be nuts and turns out to want the child (and their entire home) as her own. Thoroughly obvious movie lacks any suspense and gets pretty dumb in its final third. Yet another thriller ripped off from “Fatal Attraction” but also “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle” so no one feels left out of the party. Continue reading →
November 13, 2020 “Operation Christmas Drop” (** out of four) was a pretty basic inspirational drama about a congressional aide (Kat Graham) who is sent by her vindictive boss (Virginia Madsen) to travel to a military base to find reasons to defund the facility but soon finds inspiration from the various fighter pilots who drop Christmas presents to the unfortunate and impoverished and tries to convince her boss to keep the facility running. Earnest, well-intentioned story is harmless but thuddingly predictable. Finale actually rips off “Operation Dumbo Drop” and the tacked-on happy ending rings especially false. Continue reading →
November 12, 2020 “Words On Bathroom Walls” (*** out of four) was an endearing teenage melodrama about a high-schooler (Charlie Plummer) struggling with significant mental health problems who finally obtains a diagnosis when he falls in love with a classmate (Taylor Russell) and tries to maintain a sense of hope and positivity with his parents (Walton Goggins and Molly Parker). A rare coming-of-age film which deals with mental health problems sincerely and non-exploitively. Strikingly told and directed by Thor Freudenthal and anchored by Plummer’s and Russell’s strong acting. Julia Walton co-wrote the screenplay adapting this from her own novel. Continue reading →
November 12, 2020 “Saint Maud” (*1/2 out of four) was a sputtering horror psychodrama about a dedicated nurse (Morfydd Clark) who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the life and soul of her dying patient (Jennifer Ehle) but this takes her to Hell and back as she is forced to confront the demons of loneliness and psychosis that are creeping into her life. Many praised this horror film but I’m not among them; it’s sluggish and dour for most of its running time and ends abruptly just when it seems to be building. Clark’s sincere performance is film’s main asset. Yet another pallid imitation of “The Shining” which is another shining example of why that film was so great in the first place. Continue reading →
November 12, 2020 “Beyond Hell” (** out of four) was a tolerable horror thriller about a young girl (Kearsten Johannson) who tries a powerful new drug called Changa and is transported to a dimension of Hell in which an evil creature (Gavin R. Downes) latches onto her and then begins killing her friends one by one. Better-than-most of its dreckish ilk, with decent filmmaking and sturdy pacing, but it falls apart into cheesy silliness in its second half. A book series is simultaneously being released along with the film for hardcore fans. Continue reading →
November 11, 2020 “Lie Exposed” (* out of four) was a turgid melodrama about an older alcoholic woman (Leslie Hope) who receives a terminal health diagnosis and decides to throw caution to the wind and leaves her life and her husband (Bruce Greenwood) behind and strikes up an affair with a photographer (Benjamin Ayres) which causes her to have reflection on being at the end of her life. Self-indulgent and self-important movie is never moving or involving and is a real bore. Even the usually dynamic Greenwood is muzzled by his poorly written role. Heavy going all the way. Continue reading →
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