July 8, 2018 “Mad Genius” (*1/2 out of four) was an utterly stupid futuristic melodrama about a young technical prodigy (Chris Mason) who in an attempt to fix humanity and save the world attempts “to hack the human mind” but things naturally don’t go as planned leading to numerous complications for him and for society. Mixes elements of a futuristic action thriller, teen melodrama, and social commentary but results are unpleasant and dumb. Mason is one-note in the lead. Continue reading →
July 7, 2018 “The Legacy Of A Whitetail Deer Hunter” (** out of four) was a pointless Netflix story which won’t have much of a legacy of its own about a redneck professional hunter (Josh Brolin) who goes into the wilderness with his cameraman (Danny McBride) and his young son (Montana Jordan) on his first hunting expedition. Brolin is excellent as usual and him and Jordan work well together but is there a story or a point? For a more absorbing and powerful look at similar material, watch “The Deer Hunter” or “The Mountain Men.” Continue reading →
July 7, 2018 “Intensive Care” (*1/2 out of four) was a sloppy home invasion thriller whose screenplay, acting, and direction all needed more intense care; three vicious criminals (Jai Rodriguez, Kevin Sizemore, and Jose Rosete) attempt to rob the home of an elderly dying woman (Leslie Easterbrook a long way from “Police Academy”) but her home nurse (Tina Macken) turns out to be far deadlier than they imagined and she has to hold down the fort and fight them off. Pretty desperate rip-off of “Desperate Hours” without even the saving grace of good fight scenes or scares. Place this one in I.C.U. Continue reading →
July 7, 2018 “White Fang” (*** out of four) was a sharp and lean animated remake of Jack London’s classic about the title half-breed wolf who searches for his father who has gone missing during the Gold Rush and is taken in by a crooked owner (voice of Paul Giamatti) and then by a kindly marshall and his wife (Nick Offerman and Rashida Jones). First-rate animation is beautifully stylized and drawn and is matched by an intelligent script by Serge Frydman and and Phillipe Lioret. Fine fare for kids and fans of Jack London’s book or the 1991 original with Ethan Hawke. Continue reading →
July 7, 2018 “Ant-Man and The Wasp” (*** out of four) was a solidly engaging superhero sequel showing the further adventures of Ant Man (Paul Rudd) as he has to balance being an action hero and a father but has to re-discover and resolve important issues from the past in order to help Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) and also save himself. Full of cool action scenes and visual effects but what really makes this work (as was the original) is the fun interplay and chemistry between its leads and team. Final half-hour is showstopping in particular. Rudd is ideal in the lead and Douglas is perfectly cast as Dr. Hym in an amusingly ironic contrast to one of his famous earlier roles as Gordon Gekko. Continue reading →
July 6, 2018 “West Of Hell” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster Western/horror movie/historical baloney about a gunslinger (Michael Eklund), a vengeful former slave (Tony Todd), and a runaway (Jennifer Laporte) who board a midnight train to Atlanta and soon discover that the train is haunted by a malevelont force and they must band together to survive the night. Todd is hilariously awful in what may be the worst performance of his distinguished career and makes his “Candyman”/”Final Destination” performances look like Oscar material and co-stars Eklund and Laporte aren’t much better. Co-Star Lance Henriksen is listed in the credits as “The Devil.” Continue reading →
July 5, 2018 “Big Legend” (*1/2 out of four) was a big bore about an ex-soldier (Kevin Makely) who ventures into the Pacific Northwest to uncover the truth behind his fiance’s disappearance and finds that a mysterious creature is responsible and that him and other tourists are next on the menu. Good production values for this type of movie with crisp cinematography and beautiful Northwest scenery but story dawdles and lags and is pretty routine. Former horror stars Adrienne Barbeau and Lance Henriksen have practically one scene each and are wasted! Continue reading →
July 4, 2018 “Armenian Haunting” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about an Armenian-American journalist (Vaneh Assadourian) who begins to do research on the sudden deaths in her family which turn her into a ghost hunter as she realizes they are connected to (what else?) paranormal activity. Low-budget thriller is even lower on style or originality or any scares. Recommended only for those who were in a depressed state when the “Paranormal Activity” series came to a close. Assadourian is good in the lead. Continue reading →
July 4, 2018 “Counterfeiting In Suburbia” (*** out of four) was a vividly done teen drama about two high-school girls (Laurissa Albuquerque, Kayla Wallace) who encounter the seductive world of counterfeiting money and convince themselves they’re not harming anybody but their scheme goes haywire when their impoverished and malevolent teacher (James Dean) and the Secret Service become involved. An unusually well-made and absorbing teen story about the thrill and addiction of making easy money and it’s consequences. Story starts to get overly contrived in its final third but it’s still entertaining. Sarah Butler has a key role as one of the girl’s cash-strapped aunt and conscience. Continue reading →
July 4, 2018 “Minutes To Midnight” (** out of four) was a passable slasher thriller in which numerous friends gather around a cabin for a New Years Eve party and are gradually killed one-by-one by a mutant stranger (Bill Moseley who can play this role in his sleep by now) with a mysterious agenda. Not bad of its type but not anything you haven’t seen in other movies before, especially “Wrong Turn” and “Evil Dead” and also “Saw” which film’s finale rips off. All in all- a collection of horror-movie cliches but film is also amusingly a collection of long-lost ’90’s stars with William Baldwin, Richard Grieco, and Dominique Swain in minor roles. Continue reading →
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