October 23, 2018 “Galveston” (*1/2 out of four) was a distant, sluggish melodrama about a dying hitman (Ben Foster) who pairs up with a prostitute (Elle Fanning) with numerous problems of her own and returns to his hometown of Galveston where he plans on revenge as he realizes his final days in life are coming to an end. Foster’s one-note performance and unpleasant character make this awfully hard to take and it takes an awfully long time for this to meander to its predictable conclusion. One scene in which Foster and Manning dance to “Fire On The Mountain” at a bar is the only moving scene in the film. Based on a novel from Nic Pizzolatto who wrote “True Detective” which had more tension and electricity in virtually one scene than this has in its entire running time. Continue reading →
October 22, 2018 “Malicious” (** out of four) was a tepid horror melodrama about a young college professor (Josh Stewart) and his pregnant wife (Bojana Novakovic) who move to a new house where they unwittingly release a malevolent entity that threatens their marriage, their sanity, and subsequently their lives. Umpteenth story about paranormal activity and demonic possession (yes there is a possessed child in the story also for anyone who was wondering) makes you wonder what the hell horror filmmakers would have done had “The Shining” or “The Exorcist” never been made. Still, this is admittedly better than many others due to intense performances and atmospheric filmmaking. Delroy Lindo has a key role as a mysterious college administrator. Continue reading →
October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 “Night School” (** out of four) was a mild comedy about an underachiever (Kevin Hart) who starts attending night school in hopes to obtain his G.E.D. and his teacher (Tiffany Haddish) is no-nonsense and has about as much sass and attitude as he does. Disappointing teaming of Hart and Haddish has only occasional chuckles and is utterly predictable. Haddish’ enthusiasm and charisma helps make this watchable but Hart can play this role in his sleep by now. Keith David has a funny cameo as Hart’s father. Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “Halloween (2018)” (*** out of four) was a chilling horror psychodrama which is a direct sequel to the 1978 original and ignores all other follow-ups and remakes. As it stands now, Michael Meyers has been held in captivity for 40 years since the night of slaughter of the original and he subsequently escapes and breaks loose but Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been awaiting him which results in a full-scale violent showdown between attacker and the attacked. Appears to be routine at first and to be just another exploitative continuation of the series but this soon incorporates complex emotional states of PTSD and anxiety for survivors of attacks which make it both relevant and interesting and the final third is one of the few (if only) of the series that can compare to the tenseness and horror of John Carpenter’s original. Plenty of homages to the original (and its first sequel) and John Carpenter’s re-working of his majestic score are definite plusses. Far better than the last Curtis/Myers reunion “H20” and the best “Halloween” entry since the fourth which was exactly 30 years ago Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “Bad Blood” (** out of four) was a moody but meandering horror thriller about a seemingly happy couple (Xavier Samuel and Morgan Griffin) who go on a vacation getaway when dark secrets from the past begin coming to the forefront and she gradually realizes he may be a demented murderer and she has to fight- both psychologically and physically- to stay alive. Well-directed thriller is layered with atmosphere and a good performance from Griffin but story plods for too long and never builds sufficiently. Yet another rehash of “The Shining” that is a shining example of why that film remains a classic. Continue reading →
October 20, 2018 “The Super” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty lame horror thriller about a former cop (Patrick John Flueger) who becomes the superintendent of a large NYC apartment building in which people have gone missing and whose owner (a grizzled and dubbed Val Kilmer) is seriously demented. Better than the 1991 Joe Pesci comedy of the same name but not by all that much; very similar to the 2005 Jennifer Connelly horror thriller “Dark Water” but worse. Flueger’s sincere performance is wasted. Continue reading →
October 19, 2018 “Death Kiss” (** out of four) was a thinly done gloss on the classic “Death Wish” about a vigilante (Robert Kovacs) with a mysterious past who moves to a city infested with crime and seeks to protect a young mother (Eva Hamilton) and her daughter by taking the law into his own hands and killing a gang (led by Richard Tyson) who are preying the streets. Kovacs’ startling resemblance to the deceased Charles Bronson is absolutely eerie at times and makes this worth watching for a few minutes but everything else about his performance is deceased as well. A few good vigilante kills give this some style but it’s still pretty low-rent and underdone. Not as powerful or entertaining as Eli Roth’s recent “Death Wish” remake but about on par with most of Bronson’s “Death Wish” sequels from the 80’s. Continue reading →
October 19, 2018 “Paranormal Highway” (*1/2 out of four)- and how’s that for an original title- was a highway to Hell about a college team and their coaches (Roger Floyd, Sean Heslep, Trini Kirtsey, and others) who embark on a three-day busride in which they are all besieged by a mysterious and mesmeric force that kills them one by one. Utterly by-the-numbers timewaster is a series of ideas borrowed from other and better movies (“Paranormal Activity” being one of them if you couldn’t guess). Three directors are credited with this. Continue reading →
October 18, 2018 “Johnny Gruesome” (*1/2 out of four) was a muddled teen horror mess about a rebellious high-schooler (Anthony De La Torre) who is murdered but returns from the grave to wreak havoc and seek vengeance on his murderers and still finish out the fun times he wasn’t able to complete in high school. Attempts to mix a horror movie with a John Hughes-like teen melodrama simply doesn’t have the conviction or intelligence to work and wears out after a while. Director/writer Gregory Lamberson adapted his own award-winning novel but viewers may be better off watching Mickey Rourke’s “Johnny Handsome” instead. Continue reading →
October 17, 2018 “Afraid” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a couple (Alanna Masterson and George Byrne) who take a weekend retreat at a cabin but soon find that the sinister owner of the cabin is watching their every move. Made from the creator (Jason Goldberg) of “Punk’d” but who seems to have ripped off “Paranormal Activity” and “Sliver” in equal measure. Almost completely bereft of any scares or energy. Continue reading →
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