July 23, 2018 “Broken Star” (*1/2 out of four) was an impenetratable story about a fallen starlet (Analeigh Tipton) who has been abandoned by her friends and family and finds herself secluded in a duplex with her reclusive and strange landlord (Tyler Labine) who she begins to realize may have a few screws loose. Some interesting dialogue at the outset about Tipton’s descent and addiction are eventually lost as film becomes sleazy, repetitive, and (after a while) boring. Disappointing directorial debut for “Game Of Thrones” cinematographer Dave Schwep. Continue reading →
July 22, 2018 “Ruin Me” (*1/2 out of four) was a dumb horror thriller about a former heroin addict (Marcienne Dwyer) who tags along with her friends and takes part in Slasher Sleepout which is an extreme camping trip that predictably turns deadly and lethal and she must figure out who is really involved in the event and who is the real killer. Dwyer is good but the film itself is ruined by irritating characters and predictable plot twists. Final plot twist is especially ridiculous but at least the movie is over soon afterwards. Continue reading →
July 22, 2018 “The Immortal Wars” (*1/2 out of four) was a mortally awful futuristic sci/fi thriller set in a wasteland prison in which a war exists between Deviants (aliens with bad makeup and worse wisecracks) and Humans (actors who look in need of makeup and have terrible dialogue). Eric Roberts sleepwalks his way through another token role as a sadistic prison administrator; Tom Sizemore chews and throws up the scenery as a loony inmate. Twenty years ago almost exactly he seared the screen in “Saving Private Ryan” but now looks like his career is in need of saving. Continue reading →
July 22, 2018 “Cheerleader Chainsaw Chicks” (* out of four) was a nearly unwatchable horror show about three cheerleaders (Alexis Giller, Calli Hynes, and Chloe White) attending “cheerleading camp” (!) and unknowingly become involved in a government facility theft and kidnapping and have to take matters into their own hands to restore order and seek justice. Obviously with a title like that you won’t be expecting Oscar material but the movie doesn’t even provide any trashy thrills or sex or anything providing any entertainment value. The chainsaw theme is appropriate since the movie literally looks like it was edited by a chainsaw. Continue reading →
July 22, 2018 “Duck Duck Goose” (*** out of four) was a likeable Netflix animated feature about a bachelor goose (voiced by Jim Gaffigan) who befriends two lost ducklings (voiced by Zendaya and Lance Lim) and embarks on an incredible journey down South with them. A little of this goes a long way but it’s visually spectacular with strikingly detailed animation that recalls some of Pixar’s finest works. Thin storyline prevents this from soaring but it’s dialogue and characterizations are better than you would expect. Good family fare of its kind. Continue reading →
July 21, 2018 “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” (** out of four) was a tired sequel to the original adaptation of the Broadway musical set 5 years after the original as Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is now pregnant and learns more of her mother’s (Meryl Streep) past. Cher shows up late as Streep’s mom and Streep herself appears in flashbacks but Cher looks more like Lady Gaga’s mom than anything. Lacks the fizz and exuberance of the original and most of the musical numbers aren’t that well-staged, with the exception of “Dancing Queen”. Seyfried is good as usual but most of the supporting cast (Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard) are wasted. Die-hard ABBA fans may want to take a look but before taking a chance on this- they may as well re-watch the original. Continue reading →
July 21, 2018 “Unfriended: Dark Web” (*1/2 out of four) was an unbearable follow-up to the 2014 hit about a teen (Colin Woodell) who comes into the possession of a new laptop but soon finds that the previous owner is watching him and his friends online but also will do anything to get it back and they are unable to exit their online watch or else they will be killed. It’s much easier to exit the movie instead. More-or-less a rehash of the original but unlikeable characters, uninvolving story, and unpleasant violence make this a request not worth answering. Inauspicious directing debut for noted horror writer/producer Stephen Susco Continue reading →
July 21, 2018 “The Equalizer 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a dull sequel to the dull 2014 original which became a surprise smash showing the further vengeance of a former CIA agent turned rogue vigilante (Denzel Washington) who is trying to lead a peaceful life as an Uber driver but is brought back and drawn into underworld espionage by the murder of his close friend (Melissa Leo). Opens with a great train sequence but then quickly derails, as film becomes talky and tedious and actually gets slower as it goes along. Even Washington’s effortless charisma can’t breathe much life into this one. This marks the fourth collaboration between him and director Antoine Fuqua but this is no equal to their previous teaming on “Training Day” and “The Magnificent Seven.” Continue reading →
July 21, 2018 “Krystal” (**1/2 out of four) was an odd but curiously endearing story set in the South of a young man (Nick Robinson) who has lived a sheltered life with his family (William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman) and suddenly falls in love with a stripper (Rosario Dawson) and then joins Alcoholics Anonymous just to be close with her but soon finds she has lots of extra baggage to deal with. Hard to swallow as a story but kept watchable by its engaging characters and cast and Dawson is first-rate as usual. Macy also directed; T.I. and William Fichtner are also good in key supporting roles. Continue reading →
July 21, 2018 “Father Of The Year” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically funny Netflix comedy about two friends (Joey Bragg and Matt Shively) who start a drunken debate about whose father would win in a fight which leads to one of the boy’s redneck fathers (David Spade) taking this seriously which leads to unexpected consequences for all of them. Uneven but has its share of laughs and is helped by its enthusiastic cast. Spade, in particular, seems to be having fun and more-or-less is playing the same role as he did in “Joe Dirt.” Continue reading →
dlepikcom 