October 29, 2016 “Razors: The Return Of Jack The Ripper” (* out of four) was a practically worthless horror thriller about six young film students who meet for a horror movie workshop to write a screenplay together in an old Victorian warehouse but one of them finds the knives used by legendary serial killer Jack The Ripper and (yawn) havoc ensues. Film opens with a jolt but soon sputters and becomes a dreary snooze. Jack should be turning over in his grave by now with all the bad horror movies they’ve made using his name. This is allegedly the beginning of a trilogy with two more movies to follow. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Continue reading →
October 29, 2016 “Equals” (**1/2 out of four) was a visually striking melodrama set in an emotionless utopia where two citizens (Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart) fall in love after regaining their feelings after recovering from a mysterious disease which causes tension between them and their oppressive society. Director Drake Doremus was obviously inspired by the works of early Stanley Kubrick, particularly “2001: A Space Odyssey”, and this comes very close to working but fails to connect as a whole. Film has magnificent cinematography, spectacular sets, and strong mood and style yet lacks a story thrust that would have made it more involving. Strong performances from both Hoult and Stewart make this journey worthwhile. Continue reading →
October 29, 2016 “Michael Moore In Trumpland” (**1/2 out of four) was an intermittently interesting stand-up show of Michael Moore discussing the realities of what could ensue should Trump win Presidential office. Anyone expecting the muckracking political documentary of Moore’s past works will be disappointed since this solely features him on a stage in front of the cameras and live audience and not much else. Still, Moore raises some interesting points as always and the movie isn’t quite as liberal-minded and pro-Clinton as you might expect. Hardly an essential view but an interesting addition to the recent glut of political movies especially as the election nears. Continue reading →
October 29, 2016 “Army Of One” (*1/2 out of four) was an artificial and heavy-handed true story “comedy” set in the mid 2000’s about Gary Faulkner (Nicholas Cage), a handyman who believed that God (Russell Brand- don’t ask) sent him on a mission to find and kill Osama Bin Laden and he actually ventured to Pakistan to carry out this task. Cage does actually look and sound like the real Gary Faulkner when you see him over the end credits but his whiny voice, histrionics, and weird appearance make this tough going. For a much more intense and exciting look at the hunt and killing of Bin Laden, watch Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” instead. Continue reading →
October 29, 2016 To some, 1975’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (*1/2 out of four) was brilliant, original, and daring. To me, this homage to sci/fi musicals about a couple (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) whose car breaks down and are held hostage by a transvestite dancing nut (Tim Curry) is self-indulgent, freakishly weird (to put it mildly), incomprehensible, and (after a while) boring. Even the music is mediocre and poorly staged, with the exception of “Let’s Do The Time Warp Again.” It’s being re-released and was playing at Proctor’s tonight for it’s 40th anniversary. You may want to judge for yourself. If you must watch, you may want to see it in a theater, because the audience participation and interaction is far more entertaining than anything in the movie. They must have had some really good drugs in the ’70’s Continue reading →
October 26, 2016 “Masterminds” (**1/2 out of four) was a hit-and-miss but entertaining comedy based on the true story of the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery about a none-too-bright redneck security guard (Zach Galifianakis) who orchestrates the robbery and is subsequently backstabbed by his cohorts (Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig) and takes it on the run. No great shakes but ocassionally very funny, well-cast, and likeably dumb. Jason Sudeikis is a standout in an unusual role as a hard-core hitman. Continue reading →
October 25, 2016 “Fear, Inc.” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritatingly stupid horror thriller about a horror movie fanatic (Lucas Neff) who signs him and his friends up for an interactive reality horror game in which they are stalked and which re-enacts scenes from famous horror movies (“Friday The 13th”, “Halloween”, just to name a few). At one point, one of the characters mentions how all of this is exactly like the movie “The Game” to justify this movie ripping that movie off. Potentially clever horror thriller is bungled by routine filmmaking and stupid characters. Neff, who looks a lot like Layne Staley and Chris Barron from the Spin Doctors, is good but his character is annoying. Continue reading →
October 25, 2016 “Inferno” (*** out of four) was a sturdy third entry in “The Da Vinci Code” series about Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who wakes up in a hospital in Italy with amnesia and teams up with a doctor (Felicity Jones) to find out more about what happened before he was nearly killed and to foil a deadly global plot involving Dante’s Inferno. Plenty of twists and turns in this fast-paced adventure, which is anchored by director Ron Howard’s craftsmanship and Tom Hanks’ effortless charisma. Overlength is it’s main fault. One of the rare series that has improved as it’s gone along. Continue reading →
October 25, 2016 “The Birth Of A Nation” (*** out of four) was a powerful re-telling of D.W. Griffith’s 1915 story set in Virginia in the 1830’s when a slave (Nate Parker who also produced, directed, and wrote the script) led a rebellion against his slave-traders and owners after his wife and others were abused and murdered which turned into an uprising. Parker does an impressive job on both sides of the camera and tells a story with convincing period detail and punctuated by brutal violence. Particular kudos to Elliot Davis’ rich cinematography. This generated some controversy due to past rape allegations against Parker but he has still made a stirring and effective film. Continue reading →
October 25, 2016 “Nine Lives” (**1/2 out of four) was a predictable but cute family comedy about a stern businessman (Kevin Spacey) who finds himself transported into the body of the family cat, where he tries to find out secrets regarding his business and also his relationship with his wife (Jennifer Garner). Spacey’s wisecracks are a good antidote for slow spots in the script. Nowhere near as bad as many reviews said but not nearly as deft as “The Richest Cat In The World” or “That Darn Cat.” Continue reading →
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