Category: Uncategorized

“Seed 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a grimy sequel to the 2006 horror show which I don’t think anyone other than freaks, masochists, or the immediate family of Jeffrey Dahmer was waiting for. A young girl (Natalie Scheetz) and her friends are driving back from her bachelorette party in Las Vegas but become stranded in the desert and are stalked to the death by psychopathic killer Max Seed from the original who is resurrected and bloodthirsty. Strictly for the 42nd street grindhouse crowd or those who thought “Saw” was too tame and articulate. The catering budget on “Saw” was probably higher than the whole cost for this low-budget mess.

Continue reading →

“Who Killed Jonbenet?” (** out of four) was a mediocre true story about the infamous murder of a young girl Jonbenet Ramsey (Phoebe Lawrence) in 1998 and the various infrastructures of the local police and the media who focused on the parents’ guilt (Julia Campbell and Lane Edwards) instead of following other leads and solving the crime. Attempt to tell a murder mystery with various finger-pointing at the justice department and the media for serving their own personal agendas instead of finding the truth is watchable but cries out for a sharper and stronger director like David Fincher or Christopher Nolan who might have made this story more galvanizing. Not bad but never as arresting or powerful as it should have been.

Continue reading →

“Vanishing: Left Behind- Next Generation” (*1/2 out of four) was a slapdash post-apocalyptic horror melodrama about a tough 15-year old (Amber Frank) who is thrust in the midst of a worldwide crisis when a billion people suddenly disappear without a trace, forcing her and her friends to fend for survival and quickly develop their adult instincts while enjoying the remainder of their youth. Film attempts to be a zombie horror thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a relationship drama and succeeds at none of these. You have to admire director Larry McLean for trying something different within this genre but the result is lumpy and forgettable. This one should “vanish” from Redbox machines pretty quick.

Continue reading →

“Almost Christmas” (*** out of four) was a winning holiday comedy about a dysfunctional family (Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Mo’Nique, Romany Falco and others) who gather together for the first time since their mother died. First-rate cast led by Glover makes this a fine Christmas present. Smoothly directed and written by David Talbert who balances a large cast with multiple characters and storylines but blends them all together very easily.

Continue reading →

“The Frontier” (** out of four) was a lukewarm crime melodrama about a fugitive from the law (Jocelin Donahue) who drives into the The Frontier, an isolated diner and motel in the middle of the desert, where she soon realizes both the owner (Kelly Lynch) and other patrons are involved in a robbery and various double-crosses. Twisty story maintains interest at the beginning but after a while- you soon realize there’s no reason to care about any of these characters or their plights. Donahue’s strong lead performance helps to keep this afloat and watchable but it still comes up empty.

Continue reading →

“The Hoarder” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average Redbox horror thriller about a young woman (Mischa Barton) and her sarcastic friend who break into an underground storage facility but find themselves trapped and stalked by a mutant killer and the facility’s deranged owner. Good-looking horror movie is well-made and well-acted but starts to get repetitive in its second half and its ending is a letdown. Still, a considerable cut above most direct-to-Redbox junk.

Continue reading →

“Eliminators” (*** out of four) was a slick, stylish action thriller about a former U.S. federal agent (Scott Adkins) who is forced to come out of retirement to save his young daughter when multiple thugs mistakenly break into his home and his daughter is kidnapped and both their lives are threatened. High-octane story features plenty of hand-to-hand combat and explosive action. Adkins doesn’t exactly have Oscar acting ability but he has cool martial arts moves and film lovers will enjoy seeing “Braveheart” actor James Cosmo as the main villain.

Continue reading →

“Night Of Something Strange” (*1/2 out of four) was something awful about a group of teenage partiers (Trey Harrison, Rebecca Kasek, Wayne Johnson) who get detoured to a local motel where a deadly STD virus is running rampant and turns those infected into the walking dead; they are subsequently pursued by a zombie who looks like a bad cross between Mick Mars from Motley Crue and Gene Simmons from Kiss. Crude, stupid umpteenth rip-off of “Night Of The Living Dead” proves once again that the zombie genre needs a transfusion of fresh blood and ideas but that doesn’t appear like it’s going to happen anytime soon.

Continue reading →

“The Fiance” (*1/2 out of four) was a jumbled, confusing horror thriller about a bride (Carrie Keagan) who is bitten by the legendary Bigfoot and is soon transformed into a terrifying creature who is hellbent on murdering her fiance and anyone who gets in her way. Potentially fun horror story is undone by inept storytelling and direction and characters with no appeal whatsoever. Horror fans would best leave this one at the altar and watch “Wolf”, “Sasquatch”, or even “Harry And The Hendersons” instead.

Continue reading →