January 28, 2019 “Loophole” (** out of four) was a muddled futuristic thriller about (yawn) the fate of humanity hanging in the balance in the midst of an all-out spiritual war and one college student (Chloe Lukasiak) who finds herself in the midst of this war and is kidnapped and then rescued and finds she has to be the savior of humanity. Fairly fast-moving story covers all-too-familiar ground and never fully takes flight. Lukasiak is good but her character is one-note and annoying. Yet another movie inspired by “Bladerunner” and “Total Recall” which can’t come close. Continue reading →
January 27, 2019 “Close” (*** out of four) was a jaggedly intense and exciting action melodrama in which a bodyguard and counter-terrorism expert (Noomi Rapace) takes a job protecting a young rich heiress (Sophie Nelisse). They initially don’t like one another but a violent kidnapping and shakedown forces them to go on the run and to both protect one another and stay alive and at the same time find out the evil conspiracies that are at work. Less-than-perfect script, with numerous “Bourne” undertones, is more than compensated by first-rate and compelling action scenes and swift direction that never stops moving. Rapace is rock-solid as usual and helps make up for script and story shortcomings. Continue reading →
January 26, 2019 “City Of Lies” (*** out of four) was an engrossing melodrama about the labyrinthine investigations into the deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac and how a hard-nosed former cop (Johnny Depp) and a determined reporter (Forrest Whitaker) sought out to find the truth but found that the path was a political minefield, involving corrupt cops, gang members, and money. Interesting film for fans of the two hip-hop stars and their murders which remain unsolved to this day. Depp is outstanding in easily his best performance in years. Starts to lose some focus in the second half as it covers too much ground (and too many characters) but still overall well-made. Key ’90’s supporting actors Glenn Plummer, Peter Greene, and Xander Berkeley all make good returns here in minor roles. Continue reading →
January 26, 2019 “Killer High” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless, silly horror romp about several dimbulbs (Kacey Rohl, Humberly Gonzalez, Asha Bromfield, and others) who gather for their high-school reunion which soon turns into a bloodbath when the school’s mascot (!) comes to life and begins devouring them all one by one. Threadbare movie is yet another throwback to ’80’s horror and a reminder on why these movies were more fun back then and why they died once the ’80’s were over. At least it’s mercifully short at only 85 minutes Continue reading →
January 25, 2019 “The Upside” (*1/2 out of four) was a downbound comedy drama about the unexpected relationship that develops between a quadriplegic millionaire (Bryan Cranston) and his helper (Kevin Hart) who is on parole and is trying to turn his life around. Terminally predictable story is needlessly silly at times and contrived and overlong and winds up a waste of time, with only the good-natured performances of its leads to carry it. Will someone please give Hart a different role to play? Nicole Kidman is wasted as Cranston’s assistant. Continue reading →
January 23, 2019 “Pledge” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash horror thriller about a group of none-too-bright college freshmen (Zachery Byrd, Phillip Andre Botello, Zack Weiner, and others) who pledge an exclusive fraternity but soon realize they have to endure a series of sadistic tests in order to belong. Evidently, though, none of these guys have watched any prior fraternity comedies or college horror movies because they all make the same continued bad mistakes. Both predictable and confusing and runs out of gas pretty quickly. Pledge to watch something else instead. Continue reading →
January 22, 2019 “Polar” (*** out of four) was a wildly entertaining Netflix action thriller about a world-weary former top assassin (Mads Mikkelsen) who begins to settle into retirement when his former employer (Matt Lucas) double-crosses him and decides not to pay him his pension and he finds himself in a final fight to the death for his life against a band of ruthless younger killers. In-your-face mix of style, ultraviolence, and sex never stops moving and thus never stops entertaining. Goes too far at times but excess is the name of the game here. Mikkelsen is perfectly cast in the lead and Richard Dreyfuss has an amusing cameo as a turncoat former friend. Continue reading →
January 21, 2019 “Deadly Patient” (** out of four) was a deadly predictable “Fatal Attraction” clone (don’t studios ever get tired of making these?) about a dedicated and caring doctor (Bree Williamson) who saves the life of a patient (Eddie Matos) who soon becomes fixated on her and turns her life (and that of everyone around her) upside down. Easy to watch but is at the same time the type of movie you can easily predict within the first 10 minutes and features the genre’s usual contrivances and plot holes. Matos is creepy in the lead role. Continue reading →
January 21, 2019 “The Goblin” (* out of four) was a nearly unendurable mess set in the 1920’s about a young boy (Robert Levey II) imprisoned in a mansion by an abusive recluse mother (Nicole Hargrove) who begins to conjure ideas of escaping when a mysterious goblin in the closet comforts him in the dark. Even at only about an hour, you’ll feel more imprisoned than the boy by the end of this dreck. Cheapjack production and terrible filmmaking make this a real brutal watch. Re-watch “Hansel And Gretel” instead. Continue reading →
January 21, 2019 “Don’t Come Back From The Moon” (** out of four) was a hazy and distant adaptation of Dean Bakopoulos’ 2005 novel about a young boy (Jeffrey Wahlberg) who lives with his mom (Rashida Jones) and little brother (Zackary Arthur) and they try to keep it together when their father walks out on them and find that fathers abandoning their families has become a recurring trend in their small desert town. Director Bruce Thierry Cheung shows some flair for mood and pretty imagery but film unfortunately has little plot and never gathers any significant momentum as it plods along. James Franco has a small but key role as the boy’s father. Continue reading →
dlepikcom 