June 15, 2019 “Daughter Of The Wolf” (** out of four) was an uneven action melodrama about a female military veteran (Gina Carano) who hunts the men (Richard Dreyfuss, Brendan Fehr, and others) who have kidnapped her son and takes them on one-by-one in the outdoor wilderness. Unfortunately, she doesn’t do anything that “First Blood” didn’t cover first- and more excitingly- over 35 years ago. Highlighted by Mark Dobrescu’s spectacular cinematography and beautiful Canadian locations but unfortunately this easily upstages the bland characters and threadbare story. Carano is one-note as usual and Dreyfuss is sorely miscast as an elderly redneck. Continue reading →
June 14, 2019 “Men In Black: International” (** out of four) was a stale sequel spinoff to the blockbuster series about a new team of MIB agents (Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson) trying to rid the universe of a paranormal scum but soon discover there may be a mole in their organization which threatens worldwide destruction. In all fairness- this is better than the first two “MIB” sequels and there are a few eye-catching action sequences and visual effects but it’s really more-of-the-same by now and strictly for series fans. Hemsworth is unusually annoying and Thompson is bland. Emma Thompson is one of the few returning cast members as Agent O and Liam Neeson has a crucial role as Hemsworth’s mentor. Continue reading →
June 12, 2019 “I Am Mother” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary, derivative Netflix sci/fi thriller about a teenage girl (Clara Rugaard) who is raised in an underground bunker by a robotic mother (voiced by Rose Byrne) to repopulate Earth after mankind has become extinct. When a visiting stranger (Hilary Swank) informs her of a dark secret, she begins to question her identity and all that she has been told and taught in life. Film opens promisingly but soon grinds to a halt, as it becomes molasses-moving and tedious. Yet another futuristic thriller that owes an obvious debt to Stanley Kubrick and James Cameron but falters by comparison. Steve Annis’ shimmering cinematography is film’s only virtue. Continue reading →
June 12, 2019 “51 Nevada” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired and predictable alien-invasion thriller in which a young couple (Sam Schneider and Arielle Uppaluri) who witness a strange event involving possible otherworldly life form and then camp outside Area 51 hoping to find some answers but soon discover (yawn) a military coverup within the government who don’t want the truth to come out. Results are so by-the-numbers that it’s actually a surprise numbers don’t come out across the screen. “The X-Files” and “The Twilight Zone” used to cover stories like this in roughly 45 minutes. Continue reading →
June 10, 2019 “The Possession Diaries” (** out of four) about a young woman (Katherine Munroe) who suffers from demonic attacks after playing with a Ouija board one night and begins to wonder whether these attacks are real or is she mentally and psychologically going insane? Nothing that “Witchboard” didn’t cover better over 30 years ago in 1987 but still remains watchable, with a few occasional scares and decent acting. Strong character actor Noel Gugliemi, who almost always plays Latino thugs or gangsters, is amusingly cast here as a cop. Continue reading →
June 10, 2019 “Demon Squad” (*1/2 out of four) was a lame horror comedy about a wiseguy paranormal investigator (Khristian Fulmer) who takes on a case to retrieve an ancient artifact which leads him into a world of vicious monsters and creatures of the night. Evidently, he’s the one person on Earth who never watched “Ghostbusters” or “Men In Black” because everything he encounters feels like a retread of that. Cheaply made and well-worn story goes nowhere fast. Continue reading →
June 9, 2019 “The Odds” (*1/2 out of four) was an extremely odd and unpleasant story about a young woman (Abbi Butler) who takes part in an underground game of pain endurance for $1 million and soon finds that the game is rigged by its sadistic owner (James J. Fuertes) and she soon learns she has to physically and psychologically turn the tables on him. Unfortunately, there’s no reward for the viewer and the pain endurance they have to suffer by the end of this misfire. Might have worked better on the stage but it’s awfully tough-to-take as a feature-length film. Continue reading →
June 9, 2019 “The Secret Life Of Pets 2” (*** out of four) was a delightful sequel to the 2016 children’s smash about the continuing adventures of Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and his pet friends (voiced by Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, and others) while they embark into the city and the country when their owners go away to work. Fun animated family movie throws in everything but the kitchen sink and never stops moving and features plenty of colorful animation. Harrison Ford has a key voiceover role as a Welsh sheepdog. Continue reading →
June 9, 2019 “The Haunting Of Borley Rectory” (* out of four) was a boring horror story about an ugly building named Borley Rectory which was alleged to be the most haunted building in the world before it was mysteriously destroyed by fire just before WWII and one inquisitive young soldier (Zach Clifford) investigates. Dour looking and molasses-moving movie is no fun at all; after a while, you may even forget you’re watching a horror movie. It’s about time the haunted house horror genre finally went back to Hell where it belongs. Continue reading →
June 8, 2019 “Changeland” (*1/2 out of four) was a drab melodrama comedy about two lifelong friends (Breckin Meyer and Seth Green) who travel to Thailand to reconnect and to find their purpose and meaning in life. Don’t look for much more plot than that or for that matter much purpose or meaning in the movie. Beautifully filmed on actual Thailand locations but story and script are aimless and adrift and has little insight or laughs. Inauspicious directorial debut for Green. Macaulay Culkin and Randy Orton have minor supporting roles. Meyer’s effortless charisma and likeability is film’s only charge. Continue reading →
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