Category: Uncategorized

“Once Upon A Time In Deadwood” (** out of four) was a logy Western about an elderly gunslinger (Robert Bronzi) who is fed a slow-acting poison by a woman (Lauren Compton) desperate to have him rescue her sister from a gang of hoodlums (led by Michael Pare) or else he won’t get the antidote that will save his life and things start to get really ugly in the old West. Plenty of saloons, shootouts, and standoffs in this familiar trail through Western territory. Bronzi’s absolutely eerie resemblance to Charles Bronson makes this worth looking at for at least a few minutes but Pare is wasted as the main villain.

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“Jarhead: Law Of Return” (**1/2 out of four) was a mildly engrossing action melodrama about a fighter pilot (Devon Sawa) for the Israeli Defense Forces and son of a U.S. senator (Robert Patrick) who is shot down behind enemy lines and a squad of top-ranked soldiers must risk their lives to get him back. Fourth entry in this series is well-directed by action veteran Don Michael Paul who knows how to stage and shoot action scenes but story and script gradually feel hollow after a while. Still, though, you have to give this ongoing series credit because all of its entries are better than the original.

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“Killer Sofa” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous horror show set in New Zealand about a killer reclining chair (!) who becomes enraged and enchanted by his new owner (Harley Neville) and starts committing crimes of passion while two cops (Jed Brophy and Stacey King) investigate and try to find out what’s really going on. For anyone looking for original and high-concept horror ideas, the buck stops cold right here! Brophy is a literal dead-ringer for original AC/DC singer Bon Scott but rest of the cast is pretty forgettable.

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“In The Shadow Of The Moon” (*** out of four) was a nerve-wracking thriller about a determined Philadelphia cop (Boyd Holbrook) with a lifelong obsession with apprehending a serial killer (Cleopatra Coleman) whose crimes defy explanation and who may or may not be human. Gritty, stylish direction from Jim Mickle and Holbrook’s rock-solid lead performance make this a definite must-see, especially for fans of cop melodramas, even though it goes on too long at nearly two hours. Bokeem Woodbine is solid as usual in a key role as Holbrook’s partner.

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“The Curse Of Buckout Road” (** out of four) was a trite horror story about a group of kids (Evan Ross, Dominique Provost-Chalkey, and others) who soon discover that urban legend regarding evil spirits on Buckout Road is terrifyingly real; meanwhile a hard-nosed cop (Henry Czerny) and a criminal psychiatrist (Danny Glover) try to investigate and sort all of this out. Good cast and director do what they can with tired material. It’s fun to see the usually villainous Czerny in a role as a cop and Glover is strong as always but this is still overcome by the overall “curse” of other and better movies.

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“Obsession” (** out of four) was a fairly predictable Southern potboiler about a drifter (Mekhi Phifer) who is taken in by a wealthy landowner (Brad Dourif) and starts a steamy affair with his wife (Elika Portnoy) and they conspire to kill him and free her from her loveless marriage. Not all that different from “The Postman Always Rings Twice” except this one lacks atmosphere and sizzle. Good performances help keep it watchable but it never ignites like it should.

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“10 Minutes Gone” (*** out of four) was a searing action melodrama about an underworld mobster (Michael Chiklis) trying to go straight but whose memory has been lost and cannot piece together the 10 minutes of a bank heist gone wrong and has to reconnect his memory and his conscience to find out if he was double-crossed by the ruthless CEO (Bruce Wilis) in charge or others so he can save his- and others’- lives. Tense story never takes a breath and is anchored and gripped by Chiklis who has never been more commanding or charismatic before in a lead role. A small-handed winner all around.

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“Lie Low” (** out of four) was an elegantly made but empty horror story about a young man (Aaron Thomas Ward) who witnesses a gruesome stabbing and escapes to the French countryside with his family (Debra Baker, Isis Davis, and others) but soon finds that personal and psychological demons from the past threaten to haunt (and kill) them all. Several strong performances and some hallucinogenic and hypnotic visuals from director and cinematographer Jamie Noel hold your attention for a while but you soon realize that the story is much ado about nothing after a while. A film made up of strong components that unfortunately don’t congeal into a satisfying whole.

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“Artik” (*1/2 out of four) was a wretched melodrama about a comic-book inspired serial killer (Jerry G. Angelo) who teaches his son (Gavin White) to get away with a series of brutal murders until the boy befriends a mysterious man (Chase Williamson) who threatens to expose them and put an end to their reign of murder once and for all. Promising story of cross-pollinating comic books and horror movies is completely botched, as film is in-your-face and unpleasant. Even at only an hour and 18 minutes, this still is pretty tough-going.

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“Bare Knuckle Brawler” (** out of four) was a pretty routine action melodrama about a cop (Pete Passaro) who returns home and finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation of two bare-knuckle fighters but the plot thickens when his brother (Jesse Kove) is murdered and he himself has to enter the world bare-knuckle fighting to uncover his killer and solve the murder. By-the-numbers story of underground fighting and organized crime; not bad but nothing terribly original. Martin Kove is amusingly cast as a martial instructs instructor and seems to be playing John Creese all over again. Danny Trejo glowers and mumbles his way through his umpteenth role as a crime boss.

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