October 16, 2018 “The Surrogate” (*1/2 out of four) was a thoroughly predictable thriller in which a married couple (Brian Ames and Kelly Thiebaud) discover all-too-late that the surrogate parent (Jaclyn Hales) of their child is a serious sicko who wants to kidnap the child and will stop at nothing to raise her as her own. Viewers can easily watch the trailer and basically guess the entire movie; come to think of it, viewers could easily watch “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle” for a much better version of a similar story. By the way, this is not a remake of the 1984 trash classic of the same name with Shannon Tweed. Continue reading →
October 16, 2018 “Bonehill Road” (*1/2 out of four) was a boneheaded horror movie about a mother and daughter (Ana Rojas-Plumberg and Eli DeGeer) who escape a violent domestic relationship but are chased to the death by a mysterious creature into a house in which they are plunged into a nightmarish scenario even worse than the one they just escaped. Speaking of escape, viewers will likely want to escape this mess in at least a half-hour. One time B-movie horror Linnea Quigley siren has a minor role but this movie just isn’t up to the eloquence or intelligence of “Return Of The Living Dead.” Continue reading →
October 15, 2018 “55 Steps” (** out of four) was an earnest but superficial drama about a dedicated lawyer (Hillary Swank) who takes on a new patient (Helena Bonham Carter) in the psychiatric unit of a hospital to ensure improvement in the quality of lives of mental health patients and the two form an unexpected bond and friendship that changes both of their lives. Never as powerful or compelling as it could have- and should have been- with only the two strong performances from the charismatic leads to hold your attention and keep this watchable. A disappointment from Danish director Bille August who directed the 1998 version of “Les Miserables.” Continue reading →
October 14, 2018 “First Man” (*** out of four) was an absorbing and ambitious biographical drama about the astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) who overcame incredible odds and led a dangerous American expedition into space and became the first human being to set foot on the moon. Not a great film, as some critics have said, but rich in period detail and human feeling and anchored by Gosling’s quietly powerful performance. Similar in many ways in character and structure to “Apollo 13” although lacking some of that film’s fire and fear. Continue reading →
October 14, 2018 “Bad Times At The El Royale” (*1/2 out of four) was an aptly titled fiasco about seven strangers (Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and others) who all converge at a rundown Las Vegas motel where their secrets unfold over one dark and rainy night into collective consequences that could lead them all to Hell. Heavy on style but everything else about it is heavy also and it grows increasingly weird and off-putting and goes on forever at two-hours plus. Inspired/ripped-off from works of The Coen Bros. and David Lynch and also James Mangold’s “Identity.” Despite the impressive cast, only Johnson makes an impression. Continue reading →
October 13, 2018 “Tales Of Fear” (* out of four) was a dreadful horror anthology of six different stories that makes one nostalgic for “Tales From The Darkside” or “Creepshow”; teenagers party in the graveyard at night, a nosey woman thinks her neighbor is up to no good, a child murderer abducts 2 kids who turn the tables on him, bank robbers seek refuge, etc. None are worth listening to. Alternately disgusting, dumb, and dull and sometimes all three at once. Anyone seeking “fear” or even entertainment will be sorely disappointed. Film simply stops rather than ends, if you actually make it that far. Continue reading →
October 13, 2018 “Look Away” (** out of four) was a bizarre psychodrama about an alienated high-schooler (India Eisley) whose life is turned upside down when she suddenly switches places with her sinister mirror image who she has been communicating with which perplexes her controlling parents (Jason Isaacs and Mira Sorvino). Interesting in parts and maintains its grip due to Eisley’s sensual and entrancing performance but story gets increasingly weird and aloof and eventually will make you look away at something else. Obviously inspired by mid-period Stanley Kubrick but you could just as easily watch “The Shining” again. Continue reading →
October 13, 2018 “Camp Hideaway Massacre” (0 stars out of four) was an utterly unwatchable horror show about a group of rednecks and bad actors (Lerch Buckler, Morgan Curry, Walter Curry, and others) who go camping in the woods and are massacred by a hillbilly nutjob with a preference for a machete and bad makeup. The kind of movie that looks like it was shot by someone’s cell-phone camera and makes “Friday The 13th” or “Sleepaway Camp” look like Noel Coward by comparison. Throwback to grindhouse cinema may make you throw up instead. Avoid this at all costs. Continue reading →
October 12, 2018 “The Witch Files” (*1/2 out of four) was a bewitchingly bad brew of high-school cliches about a group of teen outcasts (Paget Brewster, Holly Taylor, Valarie Mahaffey, and others) who form their own coven and start performing increasingly alarming spells for those who get in their way. Made only for those who have never seen “The Craft” but this film lacks both that film’s craft and cast and runs out of steam (and story) pretty quickly. Big special effects showdown is a big bore. Continue reading →
October 11, 2018 “Believe Me: The Abduction Of Lisa McVey” (**1/2 out of four) was an engrossing true story about a 17-year old (Katie Douglas) who plans on taking her own life due to physical and sexual abuse at home but is abducted by a ruthless nutjob (Rossif Sutherland). She eventually talks him into letting her go but found that no one would believe her story except for one detective (David James Elliott) who was eventually able to rally the force into finding her abductor who was a citywide serial killer. Initial kidnap and attack scenes are very tough to take, even if they are based on truth, but story picks up and becomes more tense and involving after she escapes and develops a relationship with the detective. Imperfect but still a well-acted and well-made story of one girl’s determination for survival. Douglas and Elliott are first-rate. Continue reading →
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