October 5, 2018 “Smallfoot” (** out of four) was a trifling animated children’s story about a group called Yetis who live in the mountains and away and above the clouds and one such Yeti (voiced by Channing Tatum) who begins to believe that humans actually exist and embarks on an adventure to find civilization and find the truth but this stirs up some resistance from others who don’t want to be assimilated with the rest of society. Some of the animation is striking and spectacular but film is limited because its script, story, and songs are all so forgettable. Kids may like it anyway but they might as well watch “The Ice Age” or “The Smurfs” instead. Continue reading →
October 5, 2018 “Betrayed” (*1/2 out of four) was a lurid psychodrama about a corrupt mayor (John Savage) who attempts to have increasing control over his city by opening the doors to the Russian mob but soon realizes they cannot be controlled and subsequently opens up the doors for various cartels but the Russians subsequently kidnap his daughter (Kaiti Wallen) which leads to all-out war. Promising beginning soon drops off, as film becomes increasingly ugly and unpleasant and thus uninvolving. Savage is cool and charismatic in the lead but his efforts are unfortunately betrayed by story contrivances and violence. Continue reading →
October 5, 2018 “Exposure” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismal horror thriller that will likely receive as little exposure as possible about a couple (Lynn Lowry and Carmen Anello) trying to reconcile their relationship who go on a vacation to a cabin in the mountains which is (what else) haunted by an ancient evil that makes them both turn against one another. Hard to believe that another movie rips off “The Amityville Horror” (and also “The Shining”) the same week one of its umpteen sequels comes out but seeing is unfortunately believing. Very low-budget and also very low on scares or intelligence. Continue reading →
October 4, 2018 “The Amityville Murders” (** out of four) was the umpteenth “Amityville” movie, this one set in 1974 in which another innocent family (John Robinson, Chelsea Ricketts, and Paul Ben-Victor) move into the famous house and go berserk and naturally all hell breaks loose. Neither the best nor worst “Amityville” movie and reasonably well-directed but you’ve seen it all before and done better, especially since this series began 40 years ago! “Amityville” addicts will note the casting of Burt Young and Diane Franklin in small roles and they both played father and daughter in “Amityville 2: The Possession.” Continue reading →
October 4, 2018 “Strange Nature” (*1/2 out of four) was a congenitally derivative sci/fi thriller about a single mother (Lisa Sheridan) who moves with her young son to a small town where she discovers that deformed frogs in a nearby pond are mutating into murderous creatures that threaten the whole community. Pointless and dull story takes far too long to get going and doesn’t provide enough thrills or scares. Stephen Tobolowsky is amusing as the town’s clueless mayor. Watch “Tremors” or any one of the “Piranhha” movies again instead. Continue reading →
October 3, 2018 “Cynthia” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically amusing horror comedy about a suburban couple (Scout Taylor-Compton and Kyle Jones) and their increasingly desperate attempts to have a child which results in a monstrous abnormality. Starts to wear out towards the end and loses its way but until then provides enough off-the-wall humor and scares to keep things lively and entertaining. Cult actors Sid Haig and Robert LaSardo seem to be having fun in their best roles in years. Obviously inspired by “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Alien” but seems more directly inspired by Rob Zombie. Continue reading →
October 3, 2018 “Anne Of Green Gables: The Good Stars” (*** out of four) was a winning retelling of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s blockbuster novels which was lovingly adapted into a 1980’s series of successful television movies. This time, Anne Shirley (Ella Ballentine) begins comfortably settling in with her warm and caring aunt and uncle (Sara Botsford and Martin Sheen) while becoming a teenager for the first time and beginning her interests with friends and guys. One of the rare remakes that captures the warmth and sincerity of the original and is exceedingly well-cast in all its roles. It’s hard to forget Megan Follows from the original from Ballentine is still first-rate in the lead and Sheen is terrific as usual. Continue reading →
October 2, 2018 “Above Ground” (** out of four) was a below-average Coen Bros. imitation about a recently divorced guy (Clayne Crawford) whose boss commits murder leaving him to dispose of all the evidence and a bitter sherriff (Robert Leeshock) attempts to frame him from the murders when he finds out his former partner (M.J. Brackin) is in love with the guy. Then, a hard-nosed private investigator (Ken Hudson Campbell) attempts to sort all this out. Confusing, contrived story moves fast enough to remain watchable but viewers should save themselves the bother and watch “Blood Simple” or “Fargo” again instead. Continue reading →
October 1, 2018 “American Dresser” (**1/2 out of four) was a pleasant but pedestrian road movie about a recent widower (Tom Berenger) who sets off on a cross-country motorcycle road trip with his lifelong buddy (Keith David) to re-evaluate their lives and their pasts. Unexceptional script is made palatable and easy-to-take by good performances, and a first-rate supporting cast including Gina Gershon, Bruce Dern, Jeff Fahey, and Penelope Ann Miller. Film buffs will note that Berenger and David play Vietnam vets and both starred as soldiers in Oliver Stone’s 1986 masterwork “Platoon.” Continue reading →
October 1, 2018 “Hell Fest” (** out of four) was an utterly by-the-numbers horror show about a group of friends (Bex Taylor-Klaus, Reign Edwards, and Amy Forsyth) who go to a Halloween-themed amusement park where a masked killer is on the loose but naturally- everyone thinks it’s part of the show. Full of eye candy from director Gregory Plotkin and Jose David Mantero but also full of dumb dialogue and unimaginative plotting. Still, this is one of the best-looking horror movies in a while and is worth taking a glance at least for a few minutes. Continue reading →
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