November 2, 2019 “American Hunt” (* out four) was an American dud about a group of friends (Lacy Hartshelle, Taylor Novak, Allison Shrum, and others) in the wilderness on a camping trip who soon realize they are being hunted by a pair of sick weirdos and they attempt to turn the tables on them and stay alive. Umpteenth rehash of “Deliverance”, “Mother’s Day”, “Wrong Turn”, and too many others to mention begs the question of why not watch those movies again instead of this one? Film is only about 80 minutes long but you can still feel the padding. What a waste Continue reading →
November 1, 2019 “College Pranks” (* out of four) was a dreadful horror story that looks like it was made by college film students about a group of college kids (Shannon McKinnon, Kevin Derkash, Nick Ian Holmes, and others) who are invited to play a game sponsored by a website but soon find that this is not a game at all but a genuine case of life or death in which they have to fight to survive. Pretty stupid horror story with characters that you don’t care the least about and it goes on endlessly for about 2 hours. David Fincher’s “The Game” in 1997 told a similar story with much more richness and style. Continue reading →
November 1, 2019 “Deviant Behavior” (0 stars out of four) was a repulsive horror thriller about a seedy private eye (Eric Rodrigue) who is drawn into an underworld of murder, torture, and depravity and doesn’t know if he can morally or psychologically get himself out. Film is as disgusting and sleazy as the world it’s showing but also stupid and boring and terribly made. Rodrigue’s one-note performance (and unlikeable character) is no help. For a more inceptive and non-exploitive look at similar material, watch 1999’s “8 MM” instead. Continue reading →
October 31, 2019 “The Informer” (*** out of four) was an engrossing melodrama about a former criminal turned undercover informant (Joel Kinnaman) who has to go into federal prison on a last assignment but doesn’t realize the federal agents he’s working for (Clive Owen and Rosamund Pike) have an agenda of their own and he is caught up in a much larger conspiracy and operation than he realizes. Plenty of twists and turns in this familiar but entertaining story. Owen is aces in a role he can probably play in his sleep by now, Common is strong in his umpteenth role as a hard-boiled cop, and Kinnaman carries the movie in probably his best performance yet. A small gem all around Continue reading →
October 31, 2019 “Late Night” (** out of four) was a tiresome comedy about a late-night talk-show host (Emma Thompson) who has to sadly realize her glory days may be behind her and she hires a female writer (Mindy Kaling) to spice things up but this results in her losing control of her own show. Starts off funny and sharp, with engaging performances from Thompson and Kaling, but then flattens out and becomes repetitive and one-note and loses its comic punch. John Lithgow is wasted in a throwaway supporting role Continue reading →
October 29, 2019 “Water” (* out of four) was an almost completely inept horror film about various people (Sanel Budimlic, Big Brody, Amy Faithe, and others) living on an estate who soon come to realize that the water in their surroundings is taking on a life of its own and is resulting in strange occurrences taking place. Utterly dehydrated movie is amateurishly told and practically incoherent at times. Writer/director Phillip Penza seems to be trying to make a social commentary point with this story but what the hell is it? Lorenzo Lamas is wasted in a small supporting role. Continue reading →
October 28, 2019 “Black And Blue” (*** out of four) was a nerve-wracking thriller about a rookie police officer (Naomie Harris) in New Orleans who witnesses a corrupt fellow officer (Frank Grillo) committing murder and is shot but survives and has to struggle to stay alive with her body camera evidence while the rest of the police force and the community hunt her down! Tensely paced and staged and never stops moving even though story starts to get unbelievable in its final third, with credibility strained to the breaking point in its finale. Strong performances all around, especially Harris and Grillo. Continue reading →
October 28, 2019 “Girl On The Third Floor” (** out of four) was a muddled horror melodrama about a family man (Phil “CM Punk” Brooks) who tries to renovate a rundown mansion for his family (Trieste Kelly Dunn and Elissa Dowling) but soon finds out it has a troubled history and strange occurrences start happening. Reasonably well-directed and well shot but never really gets off the ground and doesn’t feature anything that “The Amityville Horror” didn’t cover much better over 40 years ago! Brooks is relatively good in his feature debut but is lucky to have other employment Continue reading →
October 26, 2019 “Rattlesnake” (** out of four) was a tepid melodrama about a young mother (Carmen Ejogo) whose daughter is bit by a poisonous rattlesnake along a desolate strand of road in the SouthWest. She accepts the help of a mysterious woman who gives her daughter rejuvenating powers but subsequently finds that she has made a deal with the devil and has to kill an innocent person for this deal to be finalized. Intriguing story keeps you tensely in its grip for a while but then wanders off and loses its grip as story unfolds in too many different directions. Ejogo’s palpable and believable performance make this worth watching, at least for a little while. Continue reading →
October 25, 2019 “Blue” (** out of four) was an overreaching emotional melodrama about a young woman (Callie Schuttera) suffering from depression and anxiety who is fired from her job and loses her grandmother and then attempts suicide and is placed in a hospital where she has to re-evaluate her life. Give writer-director Gabriela Ledesma points for tacking tough subject matter but in attempting to make a movie about the difficulties of finding help for one’s mental health, an indictment about the health care system, and personal/professional relationship problems- she’s taken on more than she can juggle and it grows tiresome after a while. Byetheway, for hard-core film fanatics like me- this is not a remake of Krzystof Kieslowski’s 1993 “Blue” which covered a similar storyline. Continue reading →
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