August 22, 2020 “Rogue” (** out of four) was a highly uneven war melodrama about a soldier mercenary (Megan Fox) who leads her squadron on a rescue mission in Africa to free hostages from their captors but the mission goes awry as they find themselves stranded in the African desert against a brutal gang of rebels and a group of ravenous lions. Starts off engrossing and intriguing but then goes flat; remains watchable through-out and jump-starts now and then but not often enough to make it stand out. Fox is unusually forceful in a change-of-pace role for her. Continue reading →
August 22, 2020 “You’re Not Alone” (** out of four) was a middling horror suspense thriller about a mother and daughter (Alexis Alton and Whitney Andrews) who are forced to acknowledge and analyze the presence of an evil spirit that exists in the walls of their home and they have to decipher how to get it out. By the standards of these “Exorcist”/”Amityville Horror”/”Paranormal Activity”/”House” rip-offs, this is by no means bad and is well-made and does have some watchable content and style, but you have seen this before and better many times and likely will again. Watchable but overall eclipsed by the memories of many other (and better) movies. Continue reading →
August 21, 2020 “One Night In Bangkok” (*1/2 out of four) was a flashy but empty action thriller about a grimly determined hitman (Mark Dacascos) who flies into Bangkok seeking vengeance for the death of his wife and child and hires an all-night cab driver (Vanida Golten) to drive him around until she discovers what he’s really up to. Result is such a brazen and ridiculous rip-off “Collateral” but let’s just be kind and say that Dacascos isn’t at the masterly level of Tom Cruise and writer/director Wych Kaosayananda is no Michael Mann. Golten’s strong performance and glossy cinematography by Kaosayananda are plusses but otherwise this is one mighty long night. Continue reading →
August 21, 2020 “Star Light” (** out of four) was a hokey horror thriller about a rebellious teenager (Cameron Johnson) who finds a pop star (Scout Taylor-Compton) who is beaten and left for dead and he has to help her to escape her violent pursuers but finds that they may be more than meets the eye. Ungainly pastiche of sci/fi and horror and teen melodrama elements doesn’t gell but is well-made enough to be watchable. From the executive producer of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” but this lacks that movie’s gory vitality and buzz. Continue reading →
August 20, 2020 “The Goocher” (* out of four) was a hideous horror thriller about six strangers (Tyler W. Abron, Reese Acuff, Louis Banks, and others) who find themselves stranded in the woods and are stalked and slaughtered by the title creature who may have watched “Ten Little Indians” ten too many times. Strictly amateur night in terms of acting and filmmaking which turns this into a real horror show. Even at less than an hour-and-a-half, this still feels padded and prolonged (and painful). Continue reading →
August 20, 2020 “Spree” (* out of four) was an irritatingly stupid and disjointed “comedy” done in the vein of a docudrama about a rideshare driver (Joe Keery) who tries and fails to build up a following on social media but then hatches a deadly scheme to go viral one night even if it kills him and others in the process. Amateurish and inept literally from the beginning; Keery’s obnoxious and in-your-face character (and performance) is of no help. David Arquette shows up in a meaningless cameo and “Scream 5” must be looking awfully good to him right about now. Continue reading →
August 20, 2020 “Poor Greg Drowning” (*1/2 out of four) was styrofoam Woody Allen about a young guy (Graham Sibley) whose girlfriend leaves him for their therapist and he soon becomes depressed and heartbroken but a new girl (Marguerite Gioia Insolia) moves in with him and they subsequently fall in love which helps him discover the true meaning of life and companionship. Some nice moments in the film’s final third are drowned out by Sibley’s unlikeable character and a screenplay that’s often crude and contrived and not especially funny. Cedric The Entertainer provides film’s narration but is unable to add much entertainment value here. Continue reading →
August 20, 2020 “You Don’t Know Nomi” (*** out of four) was an affectionately done documentary about the notorious 1995 flop “Showgirls” and how it was an unprecedented disaster that torpedoed the careers of director Paul Verhoeven and writer Joe Eszterhas and all-but-destroyed the career of star Elizabeth Berkeley- but was it really as bad as people said at the time or most people remember? An interesting revisit on a film that has gone on to be a cult classic (and a huge subsequent hit on video rentals and DVD sales) but received scathing and savage reviews at the time. For hard-core fans of director Verhoeven like me, it also dissects his film trajectory from his early Dutch fims to his Hollywood blockbusters (“Robocop”, “Total Recall”, “Basic Instinct”) and how this film came to fruition. Continue reading →
August 19, 2020 “Fragmentary” (*1/2 out of four) was a frustrating psychodrama about a man (Jace Packard) who believes he can travel to an alternate reality when he is intoxicated and this enables him to actually see and interact with his wife (Jacinta Moses) who was murdered two years before. Is he insane? Or is this actually real and can he actually see and prevent her murder? What should have been a crackerjack and cerebral thriller (with shades of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and John Dahl’s “Unforgettable”) turns into a monotonous and murky muddle. Star/writer/director/co-producer Packard gets an A for effort here but story doesn’t ignite and take wing as it should. Continue reading →
August 19, 2020 “Copper Bill” (*1/2 out of four) was a lugubrious action melodrama about two thieves (Thom Hallum and Dustin Rhodes) who attempt to steal $80 million in hidden drug money from the title Texas ranch but are soon encumbered by members of the Cowboy Mafia (Aaron Noack, Arthur RedCloud, and others) who want it back at all costs which leads to an all-out bloody war. Not all that different if you think about it than the Coen Bros.’ “No Country For Old Men” except this one is dry and plodding and has little dramatic payoff. Former pro-wrestler Rhodes is adequate in the lead but more movies like this could be the real golddust finisher for his acting career. Continue reading →
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