August 16, 2019 “The Witches Of Dumpling Farm” (**1/2 out of four) was a gonzo but entertaining horror show set in England in which a young man (Duncan Casey) returns to his home farmland and realizes that his friends and family have all been possessed by a coven of flesh-eating witches (Samantha Schnitzler, Jasmin Clark, and others) and he has to try and defeat them and escape. Indefensible in terms of story and script but film is directed with flair and a good visual style involving striking cinematography and propulsive camerawork. Definitely not all for tastes and stomachs but good of its kind. Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Outlaws Don’t Get Funerals” (* out of four) was a dreadful melodrama about a recently paroled older man (Robert Pike Daniel) who teams up with his eager grandson (Justin Taite) for a big score but a ruthless killer stands in their way and forces them to think whether to persevere or finally make changes in their lives. Ham-handed direction and performances combined with low-rent filmmaking and production values and moribund pacing make this a real chore to sit through. Let’s see how quick this one gets a “funeral” at Redbox machines. Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Horrible Histories: The Movie- Rotten Romans” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically funny adaptation of the best-selling series by Terry Deary about a smart-aleck Roman teenager named Atti (Sebastian Croft) who clashes with the Emperor Nero (Craig Roberts) and is punished and banished to Britain where he meets and works with the Celts and plans out his revenge. Lots of puns and jokes which are hit-and-miss but film is so enthusiastically performed by its fun cast and moves so fast that it carries you along and sends you out with a smile on you face. Derek Jacobi is amusingly cast as Emperor Claudius here after he played Nero in the ’70’s mini-series “I, Claudius.” Continue reading →
August 15, 2019 “Teacher” (** out of four) was a heavy-handed melodrama about a high-school English teacher (David Dastmalchian) who is beset and disturbed by an increasingly violent and wealthy bully (Curtis Edward Jackson) who causes his life to gradually fall apart. When the school and the police can’t do anything due to the boy’s rich father (Kevin Pollak) and he subsequently loses his job, he begins to take matters into his own hands. Good performances can only do so much with this unpleasant story and film never fully gets off the ground. Samuel L. Jackson played a similar teacher in 1997’s more stylish and surreal “187.” Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “I Am Richard Pryor” (*** out of four) was a raw documentary about the legendary comedian Richard Pryor who survived a childhood of trauma and poverty and took the comic and cultural world by storm in the ’60’s and ’70’s only to be undone by his self-destructive behavior involving drugs and excess which subsequently took its toll on his career and health and later led to his death. Interesting look at a comedian whose funny and perceptive points about racism and classicism influenced a generation of comedians but was his own personal worst enemy offstage although it starts to get a little redundant after a while. Features interviews with Mike Epps, Sandra Bernhard, and Tiffany Haddish who all talk about his strong influence and features some of Pryor’s hilarious concert material. Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “From The Dead” (* out of four) was a deadly dull revenge potboiler about a woman (Sarah Hollis) who accidentally murders her husband (Will Leon) during a domestic dispute. Her husband’s brother introduces her to an Aztec ritual spell that brings him back from the dead but he seeks bloodthirsty vengeance. Unfortunately, nothing that he does can bring this movie back “from the dead.” Leaden and sleazy affair goes nowhere for nearly an hour-and-a-half. It’s movies like these that make you realize why “Ghost” was such a masterpiece back in 1990. Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “Darker Than Night” (** out of four) was a moody but mild horror story about a young blind woman (Bea Santos) who spends the weekend in a countryside getaway with a few friends (Erik Knudsen, Melinda Shankar, and others) but soon comes to suspect that one of them is a deranged killer when strange occurrences begin happening and murders start piling up. Holds your attention with it’s melancholy atmosphere and strong lead performance from Santos but impatience rather than tension is aroused, especially in the second half when it becomes pretty apparent who the killer is. A story about a blind woman is only so effective when the killer is too easy to see. Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “The Mummy Rebirth” (*1/2 out of four) was an abortive attempt at keeping “The Mummy” brand-name alive about two treasure hunters (Brittany Goodwin and Carter) who uncover a long-lost sealed tomb and awaken a mummy (Shamel Hashish) who is out for vengeance and wants to eradicate all of humanity and they have to race against time to prevent the mummy from escaping and wrecking havoc. No relation to either the Brendan Fraser nor the Tom Cruise “Mummy” movies and is more akin to “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” but is pretty feeble regardless. Terrible performances provide a few unintentional laughs. Continue reading →
August 14, 2019 “Blinded By The Light” (***1/2 out of four) was an exuberant musical comedy set in 1987 Britain in which a Muslim teenager (Viveik Kalra) learns to express himself through the liberating rock-and-roll of Bruce Springsteen music but this puts him at odds with his strict family and the repressions of society. Full of great music and musical numbers and anchored by a winning and star-making performance from Kalra; a real treat, especially for Bruce fans. One of the rare movies also that harks back to the 50’s and 60’s and Hollywood’s Golden Age of musicals. Continue reading →
August 13, 2019 “Incredible Violence” (*1/2 out of four) was an incredibly unpleasant horror story about a hack filmmaker (G. Patrick Condon who also directed) who wastes the money that has been given to him to produce a low-budget horror movie and then decides to recoup his losses and his movie by locking a cast of actors (M.J. Kehler, Michael Worthman, and others) in a rental house and becoming the villain in his own movie! Potentially fun story is bungled by unlikeable characters and a sea of ugly violence. You can only imagine what the Wes Craven of “Scream” could have done with this material. Continue reading →
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