August 16, 2020 “His Deadly Affair” (** out of four) was an underwhelming suspense thriller about a violinist (Helina Mattson) who develops feelings for the intellectual conductor (Max Ryan) of the orchestra but soon realizes that he has a violent and obsessive wife (Gina Holden) who is waiting to enact revenge on anyone she thinks may get in the way of her and her husband’s happiness. Far from the worst of this genre but oh-so predictable by now and second-half has some pretty noticeable plot holes. Mattson’s sincere performance helps keep you watching but this still isn’t exactly an affair to remember. Continue reading →
August 16, 2020 “Curse Of The Blind Dead” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired supernatural horror thriller about a group of Satan worshippers called The Knight Templars who were executed in the 14th century but rise from the grave centuries later to wreak havoc and a father (Aaron Stielstra) and his daughter (Alice Zanini) try to fight back and stay alive. Cheesy and corny in equal measure and not helped by its grating soundtrack. Based on a short story by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer and short is what it should have stayed. Continue reading →
August 15, 2020 “The Bay Of Silence” (*1/2 out of four) was an enervated thriller about a devoted husband (Claes Bang) who refuses to believe that his wife (Olga Kurylenko) is guilty of their son’s suspected murder but soon comes to realize there is much more about her mysterious past that he never knew which forces him to question her innocence and question their marriage together. Hitchcockian-like thriller is encumbered by snail pacing and characters who are frustrating and aloof. Former Bond beauty Kurylenko is solid but this is unlikely to provide much “solace” to her career. Continue reading →
August 15, 2020 “A Daughter’s Plan To Kill” (** out of four) was a superficial melodramatic thriller about a seemingly perfect husband and wife (Claire Coffee and Matt Dallas) who take in his estranged daughter (Jordan Lane Price) to their household but soon realize all-too-late that she intends on wrecking havoc including foul play and murder. Yet another predictable thriller whose plot basically telegraphs itself within the first 10 minutes; any one who can’t guess the story and plot twists needs to get a new hobby. Handsomely shot and lit and competently made but otherwise not worth making “plans” to see. Continue reading →
August 15, 2020 “Cut And Chop” (* out of four) was an embarrassingly awful black comedy about a method actor (Drew Hale) with obvious mental health problems who gets carried away with his new role as a butcher and (yes) starts butchering and dismembering others to get into character and make the role his own. Ugly, to say the least, and without any saving graces of style or humor as it mashes your face in unpleasantness and gore. Hale also wrote/directed and co-produced but based on this effort he may want to take himself back to the chop shop. Continue reading →
August 14, 2020 “Beast No More” (** out of four) was an over-the-top horror thriller about a young biologist (Jessica Tovey) who has suffered the loss of a child and ventures to the Australian outback when she encounters a mysterious man (Dan Ewing) who offers her the chance to be a mother again but a huge cost of which she never imagined. Interesting and arty story is more morally complex than most films of this genre but it still wallows in excess and unpleasantness and eventually wears you out. Film’s ending is jarring and abrupt but by that point you likely won’t want to watch this “no more” anyway. Continue reading →
August 14, 2020 “Skin Walker” (* out of four) was an incomprehensible horror story about a troubled young woman (Amber Anderson) who tries to escape from the dark secrets of her family (Udo Kier, Jefferson Hall, and others) but is forced to confront them when she has to return to the family’s estate and has to relive her various traumas to uncover the many secrets of her and her family’s past. The film equivalent of a jigsaw puzzle that you simply don’t care about putting together, as film plods through unpleasant characters and cerebral plot twists that make hardly any sense. A film that cries out for (and imitates) the hypnotic artistry of Guillermo del Tormo. Continue reading →
August 13, 2020 “Apple Seed” (** out of four) was a pleasant but minor melodrama about a man (Michael Worth) whose life is falling apart who is on his way to his hometown to rob a bank and along the way befriends an older former bank robber (Rance Howard) and their unexpected friendship becomes poignant to both their lives in learning from their past and helping out each other’s futures. Both Worth and Howard give their best and have a nice rapport together but this needlessly overlong fluff doesn’t congeal into a solid whole. Worth also wrote/directed and co-produced this labor of love so hopefully this is a seed of better things to come. Continue reading →
August 13, 2020 “Uncle Peckherhead” (* out of four) was a jarringly awful horror comedy about an underground punk band (David Bluvband, Ryan Conrath, Greg Maness, and others) who embark on their first tour but become encumbered by the title roadie (David Littleton) who turns out to be a flesh-eating zombie and they have to decide whether to continue creating music or fight for survival. With a title like that- you should know not to expect Oscar material but movie isn’t funny enough, gory enough, or even bad enough to carry any entertainment value for your buck. Not even the music is good or well-captured! For a story about a vampire/zombie masquerading as a rock star with more bite and conviction, read Anne Rice’s “Queen Of The Damned” instead. Continue reading →
August 13, 2020 “Rook” (*1/2 out of four) was an abjectly dumb comic thriller about a wiseguy kid (Zack Rush) who takes part in a botched gold heist and finds himself at the mercy of two redneck brothers (Zachary Andrews and C. Matt Burns) who want to reclaim back what they see as their own. Slapdash filmmaking from many who have spent too much time watching Coen Bros, Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Michael Mann movies. Rush tries to enliven the flimsy script as much as he can but you’ll likely feel “rooked” yourself by the time you make it to the end of this clunker. Continue reading →
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