August 28, 2020 “Monster Hunters” (*1/2 out of four) was a cheesy monster horror schlockfest about an alien prison ship which crashlands in the California desert and unleashes a series of unrelenting creatures while the army (led by Tom Sizemore) realizes it’s apocalypse now and sends in a secret branch of the government (Connie Jo Sechrist, Anthony Jensen, and others) who specialize in alien weaponry to stop them. Unimaginative pastiche of “Independence Day”, “Tremors”, and (naturally) “Alien” without the sharp wit or shock value or conviction of any of those. Sizemore could play this military role in his sleep by now and does; he needs to be on the “hunt” for a bigger and better comeback role. Continue reading →
August 27, 2020 “Ruthless Realtor” (*1/2 out of four) was a subpar suspense thriller about a newlywed couple (Lily Anne Harrison and Brian Ames) who buy a new house and couldn’t be happier but soon find that the realtor (Christie Burson) is becoming more-and-more obsessed with them and is dropping by more than needed and they soon realize she is a real sicko who will stop at nothing to get her house back. Pretty silly thriller asks you to get excited at the prospect of real estate; if that sounds like little to get scared or excited (or even entertained) by, you wouldn’t be wrong. For a sharper and slicker look at similar story, watch 1990’s “Pacific Heights” instead. Continue reading →
August 27, 2020 “DieRy” (*1/2 out of four) was a brutal story about an instagram model (Claudia Maria Mailer) who is trying to move on from an abusive past with the help of a psychiatrist (James Sutorius) but subsequently her diary is stolen and her friends and family start getting murdered and she has to sort out who is targeting her and why before it’s too late. Ugly and unpleasant, to say the least, although every now and then there’s some flashes of style which remind you of what film is trying for. Clever title, though, if nothing else. Continue reading →
August 26, 2020 “Psycho Sister-In-Law” (** out of four) was a synthetic horror thriller about a happily married couple (Haley Downes and Brando Eaton) about to have their first child together when the husband’s father unexpectedly dies and his estranged- and psychotic- sister-in-law (Lydia Hearst) shows up and wants her piece of their estate and also their upcoming child. You can pretty much guess the rest. A movie compendium of thriller cliches and plot points made for those who have basically never watched a thriller before. Cast of decent actors and attractive lighting at least give this a glossy surface but you’ll forget this pretty much by the time the credits roll. Continue reading →
August 25, 2020 “What The Night Can Do” (** out of four) was a maudlin melodrama about a 12-year old girl (Peyton Kennedy) who is on the cusp of adolescence and trying to find her identity but is surrounded by an onslaught of family problems (Stuart Margolin, JoBeth Williams, Mercedes Mason, and others) that challenge her every step of the way. Heavy-handed coming-of-age story changes moods and directions often and has some sporadically effective moments thrown into the mix but has no real story to tell. John Rotan’s vibrant cinematography and Margolin and J.A.C. Redford’s moving music score are definite plusses but can’t compensate for film’s pedestrian script and storytelling. Continue reading →
August 25, 2020 “Hard Kill” (** out of four) was a wearily derivative action potboiler about a billionaire C.E.O. (Bruce Willis) whose daughter (Lala Kent) is kidnapped for ransom money and he enlists mercenaries-for-hire (led by Jesse Metcalfe) who save her and protect vital and valuable information for his company that could lead to worldwide war and destruction. Neither the best nor the worst of this genre but Willis has done- and can do- far better than this. Features enough firepower and fighting to make it watchable for genre fans but a definite sense of deja vu hangs over the proceedings. At 65 years old, it’s “hard” to see what keeps Willis doing these routine paycheck programmers. Continue reading →
August 25, 2020 “The Pale Rush” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale, hollow Western/horror hybrid about two brothers (Jake Ryan Scott and William Tate) who engage in a bungled train heist and end up stranded in a ghost town inhabited by a coven of witches and have to fight to the death to make it out alive. If you’ve ever wanted to see “Pale Rider” or “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” remade as a low-rent horror film, then look no further; anyone looking for suitable entertainment or scares would best look elsewhere. Superb character actor Stan Shaw pops up in a minor supporting role but unfortunately this is unlikely to give his career the “rush” that it needs. Continue reading →
August 24, 2020 “The Vanished” (**1/2 out of four) was a moody but meandering story about a husband and wife (Thomas Jane and Anne Heche) whose daughter mysteriously disappears; when the local police (Jason Patric and Peter Facinelli) are stumped on leads, they then take the law into their own hands to find their daughter and enact justice at any cost. Intriguing at first but story wanders after a while and never gets fully back on track until its finale. Fun fact: both Heche and Jane played husband-and-wife previously in the HBO series “Hung.” Similar story was covered with more power and raw emotional ferocity in 2013’s “Prisoners.” Continue reading →
August 23, 2020 “Unhinged” (** out of four) was an unwieldy action thriller about a woman (Caren Pistorius) who induces the road rage of a psycho (Russell Crowe) who she honks her horn at and he will stop at absolutely nothing to enact revenge and turn her life upside down. Alternately tense, harrowing, unpleasant, and routine as film derives elements from “Duel” and also “The Call” among many others; not bad but film is overall too slight and too derivative to make much of an impact. Pistorius is solid in the lead but Crowe surprisingly isn’t and is atypically awkward and unconvincing. Continue reading →
August 22, 2020 “The Unfamiliar” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary horror thriller about a British army doctor (Jemima West) who returns home from a war and thinks she has PTSD but soon finds that there is a mysterious malevolence in her life that has overtaken her and is threatening her and her family. Ironically titled time-waster is actually very familiar and is simply an amalgam of ideas borrowed from “The Exorcist” and “Paranormal Activity.” West’s sincere performance fails to enliven or enrich the proceedings. Continue reading →
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