March 11, 2019 “The Neighbor” (*1/2 out of four) was an aimless melodrama about a quiet, middle-aged man (William Fichtner) whose seemingly stable life is interrupted by a beautiful young girl (Jessica McNamee) who moves in next door and he realizes she is in an abusive relationship. A good showcase for the long-underappreciated Fichtner but this dour and sluggish film lets him down. By the end, you realize how much film echoes both “Heavy” and “Sling Blade” but lacks their resonance and power. Continue reading →
March 10, 2019 “Kiss Kiss” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy melodrama that viewers should kiss off about four friends (Natascha Hopkins, Nathalia Castellon, Tamra Dae, Janae Bolina) who embark on a trip to a ranch which is supposed to involve luxurious wine tasting but instead end up fighting for their lives as they are subjected to sadism and other forms of brutality. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hills Have Eyes”, and “Mother’s Day” all told virtually this same story with much more scares and style (and a lot more coherence) several decades ago! Re-watch those classics instead of this mindless retread. Continue reading →
March 10, 2019 “The Hard Way” (** out of four) was a fairly basic underworld melodrama about a former Special Ops soldier (Michael Jai White) who learns that his brother died on a mission in Romania and teams up with a former ally (Luke Goss) to hunt down the criminal mob organization responsible and enact bloodthirsty revenge. Both Jai White and Goss have played these roles so many times by now they could easily play them in their sleep which they seem to be doing at times and you can’t exactly blame them. Routine action blowout has some good hand-to-hand fight sequences and martial arts sequences but is enervatingly predictable. Byetheway, this is not a remake of the Michael J. Fox/James Woods 1991 cult classic of the same name. Continue reading →
March 9, 2019 “Captain Marvel” (*** out of four) was a fun adaptation of the Marvel comic book series about the origin story of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) who morphs into one of the universe’s most powerful superheroes in the midst of an escalating war on Earth between two alien races while she is investigated and later assisted by dogged federal agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and mentored and trained by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Full of great action scenes and incredible special effects that are eye-catching and give you your money’s worth but what really makes the film work is Larson whose strength and charisma holds the film together. Story gets a little choppy in the second half but never fails to entertain. Jackson is a standout as usual and Annette Benning is strong also as Dr. Wendy Lawson. Continue reading →
March 7, 2019 “Pretty Broken” (** out of four) was a pretty bland story about a young girl (Jillian Claire) whose father goes missing on a mountaineering expedition while she tries to sort out her own life by going to work at a car dealership and deal with her mother (Stacy Edwards) who already starts moving on and starts dating again! Bizarre movie moves in all different directions but never congeals or coheres into a satisfactory whole. Claire’s engaging in performance and some sweet moments at the finish can’t save it. Watch re-runs of “My So-Called Life” instead. Continue reading →
March 5, 2019 “Isn’t It Romantic?” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritatingly stupid and unfunny comedy about a young girl (Rebel Wilson) disenchanted with both life and love and suddenly finds herself trapped in her own romantic comedy movie and finds her own inner strength and confidence in life. Potentially funny idea is undone by dumb writing and annoying characters, with only Wilson’s bright performance to keep this pushing forward. One exuberant scene of Wilson singing karaoke in a bar of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is the only funny scene in the movie. Continue reading →
March 4, 2019 “We Die Young” (*** out of four) was an arresting story set among the mean streets of Washington, D.C. in which a 14-year old (Elijah Rodriguez) is inducted into a merciless and vicious street gang but tries to prevent his 10-year old brother (Nicholas Sean Johnny) from following in the same path. Meanwhile, a drug-addicted former soldier (Jean Claude Van Damme) arrives in the area which stirs things up even more. Not at all a Van Damme action vehicle (he only has a supporting role) but an explosive look at the savagery of gangs and drugs. Very well-acted and directed in naturalistic fashion. Continue reading →
March 3, 2019 “Run The Race” (**1/2 out of four) was an engagingly done melodrama about two brothers (Evan Hofer and Tanner Stine) in a small Southern town who are torn apart by health issues, their drunken and absent father (Kristoffer Polaha), and their different worldviews on God which take their toll on them on-and-off the field in football and track. Heartfelt movie in the vein of “Varsity Blues” and “Friday Night Lights” is weakened by maudlin religious moments questioning the validity of God which takes film off course but it gets back on course again for a rousing and touching finale. Mykelti Williamson (Bubba Gump) is strong as usual as their coach. Continue reading →
March 2, 2019 “Message Man” (*1/2 out of four) was a disjointed action thriller about a retired assassin (Paul O’Brien) who is (what else?) coaxed out of retirement to go on one final killing spree to make things right but this turns out to be a far uglier and more violent mission than he imagined. The kind of vehicle that Arnold and Stallone (and even Chuck and Steven and Van Damme) did better decades ago and this feels like warmed-over stale leftovers. Even the action scenes are poorly photographed and staged. Don’t bother “messaging” this one. Continue reading →
March 2, 2019 “Bullitt County” (*1/2 out of four) was a haphazard melodrama set in 1977 about four friends (Mike C. Nelson, Jenni Melear, David McCracken, and Napoleon Ryan) who reunite for a wild bachelor party to search for buried Prohibition money along the Kentucky Bluegrass Bourbon Trail but soon find themselves torn apart at the seams by greed, corruption, and murder. Seems aimless at first but then meanders into an amateurish pastiche of “Reservoir Dogs” and (in its final scenes) “The Deer Hunter” yet it still fires all blanks. Even the beautiful Kentucky scenery is drably filmed. Co-star McCracken also wrote and directed. Continue reading →
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