June 2, 2019 “Huckleberry” (** out of four) was a bland teenage melodrama about the title character (Daniel Fisher-Golden) who pursues a girl (Sarah Ulstrup) who he is interested in but gets rejected and then unleashes personal revenge on her abusive and controlling boyfriend (Justin Rose) but this leads to a personal crossroads and series of consequences for all of them. Well-captured by writer-director Roger Hill and has some effective scenes at the beginning but never takes off. Film is only an hour and 20 minutes but still runs out of gas pretty early. Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Fear Footage” (** out of four) was an overall decent horror story about a cop (Ricky Umberger) who vanished but his body camera was found the next day leading to speculation and exposition as to what really happened. Yet another found-footage horror movie done in the form of a documentary but in all fairness- this one is better than most and does have a few scares. Hindered by an obviously very low budget Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Sun Is Also A Star” (** out of four) was a plodding adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s novel about a hopeless romantic (Charles Melton) who is at a personal crossroads in life and falls in love with a young woman (Yara Shahidi) and tries to convince her to fall in love with him within 24 hours even though her and her family are about to be departed. Earnest but colorless story has a few effective moments in its final third but loses its momentum by going on too long. Shahidi’s strong performance helps to some extent and John Leguizamo has a good supporting turn as an unscrupulous attorney. Continue reading →
June 1, 2019 “The Cleaning Lady” (*1/2 out of four) was a disheveled thriller about a lonely young woman (Alexis Kendra), in the midst of a steamy affair, who befriends a young woman (Rachel Alig) who becomes her cleaning lady but she soon realizes she has some deep psychological and psychotic problems that rise to the surface and threaten to turn her world upside down. Film alternates between the unsurprising and the unpleasant, as it ventures into flashbacks involving child abuse and sexual abuse which weigh film down. Film doesn’t climax, so much as stop, for viewers who make it that far. Continue reading →
May 31, 2019 “Kiss Kiss” (* out of four) was a sleazy and stupid melodrama about four friends (Natascha Hopkins, Nathalia Castellon, and others) who embark on a wine-tasting tour but soon find that they’re fighting for their lives as they are soon forced to wrestle and fight one another but try to eventually turn the tables on their captors. Incoherent has periodic flashes of style but little flashes of anything else resembling intelligence or good filmmaking. Kiss this one goodbye and watch WWE and GLOW re-runs instead. Continue reading →
May 31, 2019 “Fatal Getaway” (** out of four) was a thoroughly predictable thriller about a group of friends (Anja Ankstin, Laura Ault, Christie Burson, and others) on a weekend getaway who rent property from a young charmer (Tilky Jones) who- to the surprise of no one- turns out to be a real sicko with a personal vendetta. Attractively shot but utterly lacking in any surprises or sparks. Original title was “Scare BNB” which would have actually been a more original title but somewhat didn’t trust the audience’s intelligence. Continue reading →
May 29, 2019 “The Kid” (** out of four) was a lumpy Western which is one more take on Sherriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke) and how he took Billy The Kid (Dane DeHaan) into custody and eventually had to kill him which sent ripple effects throughout the West. Handsomely shot and featuring a stirring music score like most Westerns but film sputters after a while and never fully regains its momentum until the climax. Several other actors (Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio who also directed, and Adam Baldwin) are surprisingly wasted and given little to do. Hawke is a standout in an unusually strong and forceful performance. Continue reading →
May 29, 2019 “Theater Of Horror” (0 stars out of four) was a bottom-of-the-barrel bore about four actors (Darren Assante, Matt Bruzzio, Barbara Bush, and Will Collazo Jr.) who go on an audition for a play in New York City but soon find out they are auditioning for their own lives in the title “theater of horror” in which they are all plunged in the middle of a sick game of life and death. Shrill and stupid movie with dreadful filmmaking and even worse special effects. All of the lead actors are terrible even playing bad actors! Film is only 71 minutes long but root canal is a lot faster than that and probably less painful. Continue reading →
May 28, 2019 “Deadly Assistant” (** out of four) was a standard-issue melodrama about a successful businesswoman (Jeanette Sousa) who attempts to reconnect with her estranged family but this results in suspicious deaths involving her assistant (Breanne Hill) and others in her family who she is unsure if she can trust or not. Of note mainly for being the directing debut of ’80’s siren Daphne Zuniga (“Spaceballs”)- she does a competent job and makes good use of music but is unable to ovecome the obvious and predictable plotting. Continue reading →
May 28, 2019 “The Legend Of 5 Mile Cave” (*** out of four) was a nicely done Western about a drifter (Adam Baldwin) with a mysterious past who finds solace and immerses himself with a woman and her son (Jill Wagner and Jet Jurgensmeyer) and they are all put in the crossfire against an evil lawman (William Shockley) who is returning to their land to seek long-lost gold. Leisurely but never slow and is helped immeasurably by Baldwin’s strong performance and his chemistry and camaraderie with the family. No masterpiece or legend but fans of Westerns will find it entertaining. Continue reading →
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