October 28, 2017 “Jeepers Creepers 3” (** out of four) was an unnecessary third sequel that I don’t think anyone was exactly waiting at the multiplexes over about the return of the killing monster and how one determined sherriff (Stan Shaw) rallies the support of the local town to hopefully destroy it once and for all. No better and no worse than the previous two entries but is for hard-core fans of the series only. Takes too long to get going although final hour has a few good thrills and action scenes. Final scene leaves the door open for yet another sequel, for those who care. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 “Christmas Crime Story” (*** out of four) was a cleverly done melodrama about a botched robbery on Christmas Eve told from the vantage points of several different characters: a troubled cop (Scott Bailey) trying to reconnect with his mother, a photographer (Adrian Paul) with escalating mental health problems, his vindictive fiancee (Neraida Bega), and a drunken and desperate Santa (Eric Close). Story is a little hard to believe and goes a little too far by the end but is well-acted and well-told and holds your attention with its pungent story involving its plethora of characters. An impressive showing for director Richard Friedman. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Espionage Tonight” (*1/2 out of four) was an incoherent supposed satire of reality television about some sleazy broadcasters (Sean Astin and Chasty Ballesteros) who devise a reality show about spies and their trials and tribulations in life. It’s movies like these that make you wish that reality t.v. would just stay dead and buried. A one-joke idea needlessly stretched out well beyond its limits at nearly an hour-and-a-half. Astin should get work on “The Goonies II” rather than waste his time on junk like this. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Birth Of The Dragon” (** out of four) was a hazy biographical story set in 1960’s San Francisco in which a young Bruce Lee (Phillip Ng) was spurred on by one of his students to challenge Shaolin monk and tai-chi master Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) to a fight which began the seeds of his status as a martial-arts legend. Interesting story for hard-core fans of Bruce Lee but there are too many murky secondary characters and subplots, and final showdown between Lee and Man isn’t all that exciting. Watch 1993’s “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” for a more passionate and intense story of Lee’s life and fights. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 “Geostorm” (** out of four) was an unexceptional disaster thriller about a scientist (Gerard Butler) and his estranged brother (Jim Sturgess) who realize it’s apocalypse now and race against the clock to save Earth when the network of satellites designed to control the global climate begin to attack creating massive destruction. Serviceable action thriller liberally rips off “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Armaggedon”. Second half offers some flashy visual effects and action scenes but movie still feels unnecessary and hollow. Top-notch supporting cast including Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, and Abby Cornish are mostly wasted. Inauspicious directing debut for Dean Devlin who was one-half the creating team behind “Independence Day” which come to think of it, is another movie this rips off. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Bunnyman Vengeance” (* out of four) was a horrendous horror thriller about the continuing adventures of The Bunnyman as he finds some new brats (and bad actors) to terrorize. Third movie in this series is no improvement on imperfection; beware of musical interlude and video-game like sequences in the second half. Terrible acting and filmmaking is far scarier than anything else in the movie. Who the hell liked the first two in this series anyhow? Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Nightworld” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary, derivative horror thriller that rips off (yet again) “The Shining” and “Poltergeist” and many others. In a run-down city in Bulgaria, a former cop (Jeremy London) takes a job as a security officer at a historic building but he soon begins to learn of the building’s terrifying history and is visited by a sinister figure (Robert Englund). Reasonably well-directed but story becomes sillier and hokier and gradually decays into sheer corn. Englund would have done better collecting his “Nightmare On Elm Street” royalties rather than starring in dreck like this. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “1922” (*1/2 out of four) was a practically lifeless story set in 1922 about an impoverished farmer (Thomas Jane) who is down on his luck and conspires with his teenage son (Dylan Schmid) to kill his wife (Molly Parker) for financial gain but they find a tough road living happily ever after. Unpleasant and uninvolving story has no energy or style and thus has no impact. The usually dependable Jane is hammy and his accent is laughable at times. Similar story was told in “Killer Joe” back in 2012 with much more style and fire. Based on a short story by Stephen King and it should have stayed short. Continue reading →
October 28, 2017 “Attrition” (** out of four) was a half-hearted action melodrama about a grizzled C.I.A. veteran (who else but Steven Seagal?) who regroups his team together after a Thai woman with mystical powers goes missing and he interrogates a renegade soldier (Luke Goss). Seagal mumbles and sleepwalks through his role and is in it very briefly; Goss fares better but his character is a muddle. Both their careers could use the addition of some good movies once in a while Continue reading →
October 17, 2017 “American Gothic” (** out of four) was a trite horror thriller about two escaped inmates (Slate Holmgrem, Mark Barthmaier) who take refuge in a farmhouse with a family (Ned Luke, Rochelle Bostrom) they hold hostage but it turns out the family are vindictive predators who turn the tables and prey on them. Clever storyline involving the victims becoming the aggressors can’t quite escape mediocre filmmaking and low budget. Still, give it some points for originality which is more than you can say for most horror movies nowadays. Also- this is a definite improvement over the last “American Gothic” in 1988 with Rod Steiger and Yvonne De Carlo which was American crap. Continue reading →
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