August 13, 2019 “The Peanut Butter Falcon” (**1/2 out of four) was a meandering but sweetly told drama about a young boy (Zack Gottsagen) with Down’s Syndrome who runs away from a living facility to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional wrestler and is befriended by a stubborn redneck (Shia LaBeouf) while his nurse caretaker (Dakota Johnson) goes after him and attempts to find him and bring him home. Leisurely story never builds to much but is nicely shot and told and given a boost by its strong cast. Thomas Haden Church has a good supporting role at the end and Johnson once again proves herself as a first-rate character actress. Continue reading →
August 13, 2019 “Capsized: Blood In The Water” (*** out of four) was an unsettling action drama based on the true story about a group of travelers (Josh Duhammel, Tyler Blackburn, Beau Garrett, and others) whose yacht capsized leading them to fend for survival in the brutal waters of the Atlantic and become ravaged and attacked by some vicious tiger sharks. Yet another killer sharks movie and very similar to the true story of the USS Indianapolis but this one scores points for dealing more with the physical/psychological/mental effects of this ordeal while at the same time providing some good scares. Bonus: the sharks look genuinely real and terrifying. Continue reading →
August 12, 2019 “Every Time I Die” (*1/2 out of four) was a muddled mess about a young man (Drew Fonteiro) who is murdered on a remote lake and his soul and spirit gradually travels through his friends (Michelle Macedo, Marc Menchaca, and others) in order to protect them from his killer and this leads him to attempting to discover his true identity, the reasons for his death, and the true meaning of life. Brain-teaser of a movie will drive you crazy with its twists and turns and changes of identity that only make the movie incoherent. Good actors are helpless with this material. Continue reading →
August 12, 2019 “The Kitchen” (** out of four) was an overcooked melodrama set in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970’s in which three wives (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss) of NYC gangsters continue their husband’s run of organized crime after they’ve been locked up in prison but soon realize they might be over their head. Not bad, with some flashy storytelling and good soundtrack selections from the ’70’s, but story is awfully similar to last year’s “Widows” and you may soon realize after a while you don’t care about any of the characters or their plights. Both Haddish and McCarthy are relatively subdued here in change-of-pace roles. Continue reading →
August 12, 2019 “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark” (**1/2 out of four) was a somewhat creepy adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s blockbuster children’s book series set in 1968 about a group of teens (Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, and others) who have to face up to their fears in life in a small town in order to stay alive but they soon realize that past secrets and various dark mysteries could lead to their deaths. Vividly made and directed and holds your attention but its thin storyline prevents it from excelling and really taking off. One of the producers was Guillermo del Toro who leaves his distinctive stamp on film’s visual flash. Continue reading →
August 10, 2019 “Nekrotronic” (*** out of four) was an extravagant futuristic sci/fi thriller about a man (Dave Beamish) who discovers he is part of a secret sect of magical beings who hunt down and destroy demons in the internet and he must decide whether this is right and attempt to find his rightful place in life all while trying to fight and stay alive. A visual candy-store of sleek visual effects and colorful sets which makes this worth watching, especially for sci/fi fans. Script is less-than-perfect and story goes a little over-the-top at times but it still never fails to entertain. Monica Bellucci is strong as one of the members of his team. Continue reading →
August 10, 2019 “Rapid Eye Movement” (** out of four) was a genuinely strange thriller about an egomaniacal radio-DJ (Francois Arnaud) seeking publicity and attempts to break the 11-day record for staying awake but this causes his sanity to gradually fall apart especially when a psychotic caller calls up and threatens to kill him if he falls asleep! Writer-director Peter Bashai tells the story at a frantic pace, to mirror his main character’s sanity and psychological duress, and has some stylish visuals but it winds up a waste of time, since story and script are pretentious and unpleasant. Similar in parts to “Phone Booth” with Colin Farrell/Kiefer Sutherland which was richer and leaner. Continue reading →
August 10, 2019 “Doe” (** out of four) was an uninvolving melodrama about a man (Timothy Davis) who wakes up with no memories of his past but has the ability to speak multiple languages fluently and discovers that things weren’t quite right before he lost his memory and has to race against the clock to find his true identity before it is too late. Interesting and intriguing storyline stalls after a while and never gets back on track. Wolfgang Petersen’s “Shattered” from 1991 told a similar story with a lot more electricity and powerful twists. Tatyana Ali is good in a key role as his girlfriend Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “Shellmont County Massacre” (** out of four) was a lurid horror melodrama about a masked serial killer (Matthew Lafferty) who is out on the loose in the small Southern town of Shellmont and one lone lawman (Roderick Klimek) attempts to end his reign by having to take the law in his own hands, even if that means becoming as demented and debased as he is. Ultimately too gory and too disgusting to recommend, as fllm becomes over-the-top and loses its way in the final third, but its acting is strong and the dialogue and characterizations are better than you’d expect. Promising directing effort from Gus Trapani who has been a noted cinematographer. Continue reading →
August 8, 2019 “Running Out Of Time” (** out of four) was a fairly obvious thriller about a widow (Tasha Smith) and her family who are taken hostage and she realizes the kidnappers want something from her late husband’s past and she has to outsmart them so she can stay alive and save the rest of her family. Reasonably intriguing and well-acted but hindered by its overall predictability and final plot twist at the end isn’t very much of a surprise. By the standards of these direct-to-DVD movies, this isn’t bad but it never rises above the routine. Smith (who is a dead ringer for Kelly Rowland) is solid in the lead. Continue reading →
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