October 10, 2018 “Between Worlds” (*1/2 out of four) was a laughably weird melodrama which seemed like it was created by someone between mental breakdowns; Nicholas Cage plays a down-on-his luck trick driver who meets a spiritually gifted woman (Franka Potente) who enlists Joe’s help to find the lost soul of her comatose daughter (Penelope Mitchell). Unfortunately for all of them, the spirit of Cage’s dead wife proves too strong and possesses the young girl and determined to complete her unfinished business. Cage is good in one of his more ununsual roles but he’s defeated by all the pretentious and artificial hooey. And speaking of artificial- check out the fire that engulfs him at the end of this mess, if you make it that far. Continue reading →
October 9, 2018 “Killer Ending” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash, confusing murder mystery of whose ending can’t come soon enough about a best-selling writer (Emmanuelle Vaugier) whose daughter is abducted by a deranged fan who seems to be copycatting one of her recent books and her even more deranged assistant (Chelsea Hobbs) appears to be attempting to steal her identity. Hitchcock-like thriller plays like a movie he would have made in his late stages of his career, with too many characters and too many plot twists but not enough sense. Final showdown is pretty laughable, if you make it that far. Continue reading →
October 8, 2018 “Venom” (** out of four) was an OK adaptation of the Marvel comic character about an investigative journalist (Tom Hardy) who is sent to do a story on a greedy bioengineering corporation (headed by Riz Ahmed) and becomes infected with an alien parasite that turns him into the full-scale symbiote creature Venom. Competently made and filled with large-scale visual effects but never develops a sense of awe or wonder and never really gets off the ground. Hardy is better than the thin material he is given and Michelle Williams is strong as his girlfriend. Only Marvel completists or comic-book diehards should check this out. Continue reading →
October 8, 2018 “Await Further Instructions” (** out of four) was a tiresome psychodrama about a family (David Bradley, Holly Weston, Sam Gittins, and others) who awaken on Christmas Day to find a mysterious black substance surrounding their house and the news gives everyone the title instructions but their increasing paranoia and restlessness and uncertainty leads to them descending into madness and turning against one another. Interesting story of mass and personal hysteria but it eventually wears out and loses its edge. Good performances hold your attention for a little while but you should probably await a better movie instead. Continue reading →
October 8, 2018 “A Star Is Born” (** out of four) was a curiously unmoving remake of the classic story about an alcoholic rock star (Bradley Cooper who also directed) who discovers a talented singer (Lady Gaga). He initially nurtures and guides (and later marries) her but when her own stardom eclipses his, it sends him even further into self-destruction and tragedy. Director Cooper retells the story without adding anything new to it and his own frustratingly one-note characterization (and performance) give the film a sense of empty aloofness. Gaga is sensational, however, and makes this worth watching at least for a little while. Musical and concert scenes are highlights but they easily overpower the predictable dramatics. Many critics loved this film so you may want to judge for yourself. Continue reading →
October 7, 2018 “Extremity” (**1/2 out of four) was an intense but uneven psychodrama about a young woman (Dana Christina) with a troubled past who signs up for an extreme haunt called Perdition which she believes will exorcise and conquer her internal traumas but she doesn’t realize how terrifying this will be and what dark secrets will emerge from her psyche and from her past. Alternately lurid, disturbing, ugly, and riveting often in the same scene, this definitely lives up to its title. Definitely not for all tastes and not a total success but very stylishly directed by Anthony DiBlasi and a good showcase for Christina’s striking performance. Continue reading →
October 7, 2018 “Valentine Dayz” (* out of four) was an incoherent mess that will only likely make viewers dazed and confused with its awfulness. A mild-mannered middle aged man (Dallas Valdez) and a girl (Carrie Keagan) meet in Florida but their blossoming romance is cut short by a zombie outbreak that threatens their romance and later (yawn) threatens mankind. One could watch this dreck from end to beginning and it would likely still make as much as sense since it changes styles and moods (and plot) with almost every scene. Valdez and Keagan’s sincere performances are helpless with this material. This is a Valentine’s present made with lead. Continue reading →
October 6, 2018 “The Legend Of Halloween Jack” (* out of four) was a nearly worthless horror show that won’t develop much of a legend of its own; on Halloween eve, a serial killer (Lee Bane) who looks like a thrift-shop scarecrow returns from the dead to seek retribution from the vigilantes (led by Colin Holt) who killed him one year earlier. More scares may have ensued had he gone to Walmart instead. This scareless bore makes any of the maligned “Halloween” sequels look like masterpieces by comparison. Holt’s fine and intense performance is film’s sole asset. Continue reading →
October 6, 2018 “Bayou Caviar” (*1/2 out of four) was a sour action melodrama about a Russian gangster (Richard Dreyfuss in a token appearance) who utilizes an over-the-hill former boxer (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) to take down his associate’s son-in-law after a violent sex tape is made by a photographer (Famke Jannsen). Film can’t make up its mind whether it’s a sleazy underworld thriller, a punch-drunk boxing movie, or a numbing action story and thus fails at all of them. Gooding, Jr.’s directorial debut is sunk by its unfocused story and waste of a fine supporting cast. Let’s be nice and just say this probably isn’t going to show him the money Continue reading →
October 6, 2018 “Pledges” (*1/2 out of four) was a godly awful horror show about six none-too-bright college students (Arthur Davis, Tim Drier, Natassia Halabi, and others) who take part in a hazing ritual and are tied up and blindfolded in the middle of the woods where they are killed off one-by-one by an evil spirit and force who probably watched one too many showings of “The Blair Witch Project”. Result is so by-the-numbers and routine that you almost expect numbers to be coming out at the screen at you but not such luck. A few gory kills and special effects are all this time-waster has to recommend it. Continue reading →
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