Category: Uncategorized

“Behind The Line: Escape To Dunkirk” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically effective WWII melodrama about a group of British soldiers who are captured after retreating from the Germans toward Dunkirk; once in captivity, their lead soldier (Sam Gittins) is forced into the ring to compete in boxing as they all struggle to escape. Nowhere near as captivating or stirring as the subject matter calls for and lacks the epic sweep and grandeur of most WWII movies (and hindered by its limited budget) but is still overall well-captured both on the war field and in the boxing ring. Climactic boxing bout is hard-hitting and makes this worth sticking through even if it doesn’t all quite hang together.

Continue reading →

“Useless Humans” (* out of four) was a useless sci/fi comedy about four none-too-bright friends (Josh Zuckerman, Rushi Kota, Davida Williams, and Luke Youngblood) celebrating a thirtieth birthday when a mysterious creature (James Croak) crashes the party and (yawn) the fate of the world and mankind is hanging in the balance. Irritatingly stupid characters and writing make this a chore to sit through. Cast attempts to enliven the terrible script by overacting as much as possible but it’s like squeezing blood from a stone.

Continue reading →

“Suburban Wildlife” (*1/2 out of four) was a crushingly bland story about a group of high-school graduates (Maddy McWilliam, Hannah Lehmann, Priscilla Doueihy, and others) who are unsure of their direction in life and end up engaging in the usual sex, drugs, and partying to distract themselves from the precious next steps they need to take. Tame and cliched story of the young and the reckless goes down the same roads countless other movies have covered at a molasses pace. Almost 25 years exactly after “Kids” told the same story far more electrically and realistically, it’s hard to watch this comparative trifle and not yawn.

Continue reading →

“Ice Cream In The Cupboard” (** out of four) was a well-intentioned but limited melodrama about a husband and wife (Dana Ashbrook and Claudia Ferri) whose happiness is suddenly and severely affected by her bizarre and erratic behavior and they soon have to face the reality that she has deteriorating Altzheimer’s disease but they realize that this cannot take away from the memories they have together. Solid performances from the leads keep this on track as much as possible but film never shifts into high-gear and never hits a dramatic peak as it should. “Still Alice” with Julianne Moore covered similar territory with more emotional power and insight.

Continue reading →

“The Secret: Dare To Dream” (*** out of four) was an affecting adaptation of Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 book which has been fashioned into a Nicholas Sparks movie framework about a struggling single mother (Katie Holmes) who meets a very nice college professor (Josh Lucas) who ingratiates his way into their lives and becomes the glue to keep them together as they are financially and personally falling apart. Unabashedly predictable and old-fashioned but good performances by all and rock-solid direction from Andy Tennant make this hard to resist. Byrne co-wrote the perceptive and sometimes funny screenplay.

Continue reading →

“The Go-Go’s” (***1/2 out of four) was a sensational documentary about the legendary title band (Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, Gina Schock) who became the first all-girl rock band who ever hit the top of the charts only to watch everything splinter apart over drugs, feuds, jealousy, finances, and more but have since reconciled and reunited multiple times over the years. Full of great music, terrific interviews, and rare behind-the-scenes photos and concert footage; a very entertaining and well-done film about an important band in rock history who broke both ceilings and walls even if only for a brief time.

Continue reading →

“Host” (** out of four) was a tiresome horror thriller about six friends (Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb) who gather for an internet zoom call when an evil spirit suddenly comes from out of nowhere and threatens their friendships and their survival. Better than most horror movies revolving around the internet and chatrooms/zoom calls and features enthusiastic performances from its cast but unfortunately this wears out after a while even at less than an hour long. Director Rob Savage tries but this is essentially the definition of “minimalist” movie-making.

Continue reading →

“Solar Impact” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror thriller set in the not-too-distant future in which a group of friends (Grace Dixon, Oliver Goodwill, Polly Kilpatrick, and others) try to band together and survive a solar radiation disaster which has left the rest of humanity turning into flesh-eating zombies that are out for the apocalypse. Competently made and features some overall good acting and dialogue but ultimately too derivative of “World War Z” which in itself was a derivation of “Night Of The Living Dead” and “28 Days Later.” At this point, there may not be much left to do with movies about the apocalypse and about zombies anymore.

Continue reading →

“Heartbeat” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous exploitation thriller about a news reporter (Nicole D’Angelo) who finds her life in danger when a news story she publishes results in several murders of people around her and she finds that the killer may be targeting her next. What sounds like (and should have been) a crackerjack and tense thriller is completely undone by slipshod production with dumb dialogue and some terrible acting. No one should be too surprised by film’s ending but you’ll likely be glad it’s over by then. D’Angelo also co-wrote the script.

Continue reading →