July 27, 2017 “The Horse Dancer” (*1/2 out of four) was a treacly coming-of-age drama about a young gymnast (Sophie Bolen) who finds out she doesn’t make the Olympics team and then goes off for the summer to a horse-back riders camp. When financial cuts threaten to shut the camp down, she then takes it upon herself to use her gymnast talent to start a horse-dancing team to save the camp! If Nicholas Sparks had begun writing kids stories, it might have looked something like this. Strictly for very young girls who might like it but bad writing, directing, and acting and juvenile dramatics make it tough riding for anyone else. Watch “The Horse Whisperer” instead. Continue reading →
July 25, 2017 “Illicit” (*1/2 out of four) was an overlong and underdone melodrama about a successful but distant married couple (David Ramsey and Shireen Crutchfield) who begin having affairs to restart their sexual engines but don’t realize the effects that this will have on their happiness and how this will wreck their relationship. Lurid premise provides not enough heat or sparks or thrills and goes on so long that it ends up a fizzle. Lush photography and Ramsey’s solid performance are definite plusses but end up drowning in film’s excesses. Vivica Fox has a key role as Ramsey’s boss but the video of “You’re Making Me High” was steamier and more entertaining in 3 minutes than all of this film’s 2+ hours. Continue reading →
July 25, 2017 “The Gracefield Incident” (** out of four) was a serviceable found-footage horror movie that rips off “The Blair Witch Project” for the umpteenth time and also “The Evil Dead” and too many others to mention; in a Midwestern town Gracefield, three couples are spending the weekend in a cabin which is suddenly crashed by a meteorite and an alien who one-by-one hunts them all down. Director Matthieu Ratthe shows some talent and style in his filmmaking and staging but his own derivative story does this in. Far from the worst of its kind but once you’ve seen one alien crashing a party, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Continue reading →
July 25, 2017 “Tonight She Comes” (* out of four) was an abysmal horror show about two friends and a group of redneck strangers (are there any other kinds in movies like these?) who search for one of their friends and are drawn to a mysterious cabin in the woods where (yawn) they encounter the living dead. George Romero may have died last week but he’s probably already turning over in his grave that filmmakers are still ripping him off. Only freaks and masochists need to “come” to this party. Continue reading →
July 22, 2017 “Cop And A Half: New Recruit” (*** out of four) was a pretty cute sequel to the 1993 Burt Reynolds monstrosity about a burned out cop (Lou Diamond Phillips) who teams up with a precocious grade-school kid (Lulu Wilson) for her help on a case which fulfills her dream of becoming a cop. Naturally, he hates it at first but then…..For a movie that’s completely unnecessary and a sequel to a movie that was dreadful to begin with, this is surprisingly entertaining and is carried along by some funny lines and deft interplay between Phillips and Wilson. A little of this goes a long way but still fun. Continue reading →
July 22, 2017 “First Kill” (*** out of four) was a first-rate thriller about a dedicated father (Hayden Christensen) who takes his son out for a day in the woods when they witness a murder over stolen money; the murderer (Gethin Anthony) then kidnaps his son and offers him in exchange for the return of the money so he turns to the corrupt local sheriff (Bruce Willis) but finds he can trust no one as he tries to save his son’s life and stay alive himself. Tense story has some expected logic gaps but is anchored by Christensen’s terrific performance. Willis is good also in an unusual villain role. Continue reading →
July 22, 2017 “War For The Planet Of The Apes” (**1/2 out of four) was a hit-and-miss third entry in the sci/fi series about Caesar (Andy Serkis) who wages war against a cruel and sadistic general (Woody Harrelson) after his wife, child, and numerous other apes are slaughtered. Genuinely emotional and moving interplay between the apes and excellent costumes and cinematography are marred by film’s slow pace and overlength. Serkis’ terrific performance and Harrelson’s perfect casting make up for a lot. Continue reading →
July 22, 2017 “Wish Upon” (*** out of four) was a well-crafted horror story about an awkward teenage girl (Joey King) who is given a wish box by her well-meaning dad (Ryan Phillipe) which will grant her seven wishes; initially she loves it but she soon finds out that each wish has horrific consequences that result in death. King’s strong and compelling performance and some unexpectedly effective moments and scares make this a surprise sleeper. Covers the usual bases for a horror movie but features more complexity and psychology about high-school bullying and isolation than usual for this kind of film. Continue reading →
July 22, 2017July 22, 2017 “Dunkirk” (**1/2 out of four) was a sporadically effective recreation of the fierce WWII battle in which allied soldiers (Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, and others) from Belgium, France, and England were surrounded by German soldiers and faced certain death. Director Christopher Nolan ably replicates the aerial battles and some hair-raising moments of terror in battle but it never gathers much momentum and gets going. Well-made but lacking in character dimension of other war classics like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Platoon” which gives film an overall sense of aloofness. Excellent music score by Hans Zimmer Continue reading →
July 21, 2017 “Death Fighter” (**1/2 out of four) was a rollicking ’80’s style action thriller about an American cop (Matt Mullins) who witnesses his mentor’s murder in Thailand and there is suddenly a bounty out on his head and he is forced to team up with an alcoholic ex-military mercenary (Don “The Dragon” Wilson) to pursue the killers through the jungle and bring them to justice. Throws in pieces of “The Delta Force”, “Bloodsport”, and “Predator” in the blender; undeniably derivative but it’s good of its kind, with lots of martial arts action, gunplay, and some surprisingly good acting. Continue reading →
