January 27, 2018 “The Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (*** out of four) was a sweeping final entry in the “Maze Runner” series showing Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) racing around the clock to save civilization and find a cure for a deadly disease known as “The Flare” that is destroying all of mankind. If this doesn’t quite match the breathless momentum of “The Scotch Trials”, it’s better than the first in the series and far better than any of the “Divergent” movies which it has been compared to. Marred by a few lulls here and there but overall an intense and entertaining entry in the series, with stylish direction and production design in a nod to “Blade Runner” and “Mad Max” at times. O’Brien is strong in lead role. Continue reading →
January 21, 2018 “Small Town Crime” (*** out of four) was an arresting melodrama about an alcoholic ex-cop (John Hawkes) who finds the body of a dead young woman and attempts to redeem himself by finding her killer but finds the path to the truth is a lot darker and more demented than he realized. Hawkes is outstanding and once again shows his flair for playing sleazy yet moral characters. Fine supporting cast including Octavia Spencer as his neighbor and Robert Forster as a mysterious family member who hires him enhance a very sharp (and often funny) script by Eshon and Ian Nelms who also directed. A small winner all around. Continue reading →
January 21, 2018 “The Commuter” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably entertaining Hitchcockian thriller about a businessman (Liam Neeson) on his commute home who is approached by a stranger on a trainer (Vera Farmiga) with a financial offer which he reluctantly accepts but this in turn leads to the endangering of him and his family and everyone else on board. Intriguing and involving at first but story gets progressively more ridiculous, especially in the final third when plot holes really start to show. Neeson is first-rate as usual and holds this together but this cannot measure up to the last collaborations between him and director Jaume Colle-Serra “Run All Night”, “Unknown”, and “Non-Stop” which this often resembles Continue reading →
January 19, 2018 “Deadly Delusion” (** out of four) was a ludicrous thriller about a woman (Haylie Duff) with mental health problems who moves with her supportive boyfriend (Mike Faiola) to a new house in Los Angeles where she goes even more downhill and questions her sanity and questions their relationship and the safety of their new home. By the end, it’s the movie that seems like it may have mental health problems. Duff is good in a difficult role but story and script is alternately predictable and exploitative and doesn’t support her. Teri Polo has a key role as her doctor. Continue reading →
January 19, 2018 “12 Strong” (*** out of four) was an engrossing true story about the first special forces team (Chris Helmsworth, Michael Pena, Michael Shannon, and others) deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 and had to work with various Afghan warlords to take down the Taliban and had to face sudden death at every turn. A sincerely done homage to the risks that soldiers took in what was a classified and almost completely unknown mission that turned out to be one of the key losses to Al Qaeda; good performances and good action scenes, and most importantly features terrific camaraderie between the soldiers. Helmsworth has never been better as a man determined to save his country no matter the danger. The real special forces unit are shown in films final credits. Continue reading →
January 17, 2018 “Break Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a misfired crime melodrama about a stubborn young hood (Jared Abrahamson) who within one night has to repay a debt to a vicious loan shark, try to avoid a crooked parole officer and his NARC partner, and try to run for his life from a former partner with a grudge all while he tries to win back the love of his life who has fallen into her own personal hell of drugs and crime. Sounds like a crackerjack underworld thriller but is uninvolving and unpleasant. Abrahamson’s sincere performance and Brittany Perk’s striking music score are only virtues. The type of movie that cries out for Martin Scorcese or Richard Price at their prime. Continue reading →
January 16, 2018 “Bad Stepmother” (*1/2 out of four) was a lame thriller about a brother and sister (Logan Huffman and Sofia Vassilieva) whose father mysteriously dies and they return home to their New Orleans estate where their vindictive stepmother (Kristy Swanson) will stop at nothing to obtain control of their inheritance and family money. Laughably obvious movie should be predictable to anyone from the first 15-20 minutes. Swanson has had so much plastic surgery she is starting to look like Amanda Peet. Continue reading →
January 16, 2018 “Your Move” (*1/2 out of four) was a drab action melodrama that doesn’t move fast enough about a former soldier (Luke Goss) whose wife and daughter are kidnapped and has to search through the bowels of the foreign underworld and tangle with a corrupt detective (Robert Davi) to find out what happened. Charismatic martial arts star Goss makes his ineffectual directing debut; film looks cheap, is heavy and draggy, and even the action scenes aren’t particularly well-staged. Davi played this same role practically in “The Goonies” 30 years ago and can do this in his sleep by now. Continue reading →
January 15, 2018 “The Post” (*** out of four) was an absorbing true story about a cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents regarding the Vietnam War and how the first female news publisher (Meryl Streep) and a hard-nosed and determined editor (Tom Hanks) at the Washington Post sought to expose the truth, in spite of the consequences with the government and other media. An interesting old-fashioned story about the determination of journalism and truth is well-acted and well-detailed but offset by a certain remoteness which prevents it from excelling. A solid effort from director Steven Spielberg but this cannot match the intensity or sweep of the recent newspaper-journalism drama “Spotlight.” Continue reading →
January 14, 2018 “Trafficked” (*** out of four) was a searing, engrossing story about two young girls (Elizabeth Rohm and Kelly Washington) who are abducted and sold into the sex-trafficking business and enslaved in a brothel in Texas where they become friends with other inmates and make a daring attempt to reclaim their freedom. Almost nail-bitingly intense at times and all-too-real and well-captured by its cast and by director Will Wallace, even if the subject matter is often hard to watch. Both Ashley Judd and Sean Patrick Flannery are terrific in change-of-pace and key supporting roles. Continue reading →
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