October 29, 2020 “Riders On The Storm” (* out of four) was an excruciating psychodrama about a driver (Jeffrey Arrington) who picks up a passenger (Brian Sutherland) on a dark and desolate stretch of road but subsequently finds out the passenger has sinister alternative motives and his life may be in jeopardy. Claustrophobic and static story is almost entirely set in the car with the two annoying characters and performances and soon becomes irritating and boring. Only about an hour-and-12-minutes long but trust this FB critic it feels far longer than that. Continue reading →
October 28, 2020 “Toys Of Terror” (*1/2 out of four) was a lavishly mounted dud about a family (Zoe Fish, Saul Franklin, and others) who move into a secluded mansion with a dark past; the children soon stumble onto a toy chest and are initially delighted when the toys magically come to life but bizarre events start unfolding which make them realize these toys are terrorizing and evil. Moody cinematography from Paul Suderman and striking sets and production design capture your eyes but it’s all to little avail since the story has more yawns than scares and never builds much momentum. Re-watch “Toy Story” instead. Continue reading →
October 26, 2020 “Chop Chop” (* out of four) was an abominable horror show about a young couple (Atala Arce and Jake Taylor) who are harboring a dark secret soon become targeted by a murderous psychopath (David Harper) and they have to put aside their problems and unite to fight together and stay alive. Alternately disgusting, stupid, pretentious, and boring; in short a mess. Meaningless slow-motion and lingering camera shots from writer/director Rony Patel add absolutely nothing. Horror fans would best “chop” this one off their list and re-watch “Deliverance” or “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” instead. Continue reading →
October 26, 2020 “The Bag Girls” (*1/2 out of four) was an amateurish action show about four struggling women (Crystal the Doll, L.A. Love, 3d Na’Tee, Carmen Mi’chelle) who become fed up with their frustrations in life and cheating boyfriends and before anyone can say “Set It Off”- they learn to shoot and rob various businesses and end up going up against the Cuban mafia before they realize what they have gotten themselves into. In-your-face melodrama just comes off as being cheap, vulgar, and exploitative. Of interest solely to see Jamal Woodard who played Biggie in “Notorious” but based on this effort he may want to “bag” himself some better roles; sometimes more money really is more problems. Continue reading →
October 26, 2020 “Blue Ridge” (*1/2 out of four) was a lugubrious thriller set in North Carolina in which a murder in the Blue Ridge mountains reignites a feud between two rival families (Graham Greene, Sarah Lancaster, and others) and the determined sheriff (Jonathan Schaech) tries to keep the peace and at the same time get to the bottom of things. North Carolina scenery is pretty as always but otherwise this is pretty much of a bore. Greene is wasted as the patriarch of one of the families and Schaech is expressionless as usual. Continue reading →
October 25, 2020 “Rebecca” (*1/2 out of four) was a sodden romantic thriller adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel about a young newlywed (Lily James) who arrives at the vast estate of her husband (Armie Hammer) on the English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife Rebecca which haunts her, literally and figuratively. Hopelessly dated story is muddled and boring; good cast can’t provide much sparks to this lifeless material. Even Hitchcock struggled with this story in his previous adaptation in 1940. Continue reading →
October 25, 2020 “Love And Monsters” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably endearing fantasy drama set in a monster-infested post-apocalyptic world in which a young man (Dylan O’Brien) realizes his girlfriend (Jessica Henwick) is 80 miles apart from him and he makes the dangerous trek to find and reconnect with her but encounters treachery and monster madness every step of the way. Lightweight and amiable story in the vein of “Labyrinth” has some engaging creatures and visual effects but story gets a little lumpy and doesn’t take off as it should. Decent enough for what it is and should satisfy kids. Continue reading →
October 24, 2020 “Honest Thief” (***1/2 out of four) was a first-rate action thriller about a reformed bank robber (Liam Neeson) who wants to start a clean slate and turn himself into the police but he subsequently finds himself on the run from corrupt officers (Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos) who want his stolen money and threaten his life and his lover (Kate Walsh) which forces him to turn the tables on them. Unusually strong screenplay deftly blends in suspense, character development, and Hitchcockian themes at a sturdy pace. Neeson is solid as an oak as usual and surrounded by a terrific supporting cast that includes Robert Patrick as a grizzled senior agent and Jeffrey Donovan as his only ally on the force. Continue reading →
October 24, 2020 “Monster Force Zero” (*1/2 out of four) was a slick but absolutely empty action thriller set in another galaxy in which ancient aliens have placed a warrior (Adam Singer) and his various local pals (Dalena Nguyen, Aeon Cruz, Shale Le Page, and others) to reign with their superpowers and save the universe from annihilation. Much more style than substance as film resembles a video game more than an actual film and (as a result) starts to get monotonous pretty quickly. Not quite a “zero” but doesn’t add up to much and has no resonance whatsoever. Continue reading →
October 24, 2020 “Bad Hair” (** out of four) was an overdone horror melodrama set in 1989 in which an ambitious music executive (Zaria Kelley) gets a weave makeover to try and succeed in the world of music but she soon finds out to her horror that the hair has a mind of its own and will cause many others around her to die. Writer/director Justin Simien uses some stylish touches and some social commentary to get your attention but it doesn’t all gel together; a half-hour idea needlessly padded out to nearly two hours. James Van Der Beek, Usher, and Vanessa Williams are all frivolously wasted in supporting roles. Continue reading →
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