September 24, 2016 “End Of A Gun” (** out of four) was a half-cocked action thriller starring a sleepwalking Steven Seagal as (what else) a former federal agent who unexpectedly comes out of retirement to save a woman (Jade Ewin) from danger when she is threatened and attacked by the enforcer of a drug kingpin resulting in him and the girl being under siege. No better or no worse than countless of Seagal’s straight-to-DVD action thrillers over the past 20 years but even he seems to be simply going through the motions. And what the hell is up with him having a terrible Southern accent in his last 10 movies? Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “Amerigeddon” (** out of four) was a hollow action melodrama that fails to be as original or detonating as its title. In the future, a global terrorist organization aligned with the United Nations institutes martial law, leaving a family of patriots to defend their homeland and save America and reclaim freedom. Full of standard-issue jingoism, cartoonish villains, and some routine action although a few scenes towards the end have emotional power. Queens’ own Dina Meyer is good in a supporting role and AnnaLynne McCord is a knockout as one of the family soldiers. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “Assault On Wall Street” (**1/2 out of four) was an affecting revenge melodrama set during the recession about a family man (Dominic Purcell) whose life becomes unraveled when the economy crashes and he loses his job and he loses his home and his wife subsequently dies causing him to become unhinged and take revenge on the Wall Street brokers whom he believed caused the crash! Chilling story with contemporary and moralistic overtones is audience manipulation to the nth degree. Not so much an action thriller as a humanistic melodrama until the end which becomes a bloodbath showdown; imperfect but made worthwhile by Purcell’s unusually strong and heartfelt performance. Either way, this is easily the best movie from megaschlock director Uwe Boll. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “Vacant House” (*1/2 out of four) was a grim, disjointed melodrama about a fugitive (Cris Cunningham) who hides out from justice in a rotting mansion where he finds a decaying corpse of the home owner. Upon being in hiding, him and the corpse form a spiritual relationship that helps the fugitive rebuild his feelings for his own life (none of this is made up in case you were wondering). Genuinely bizarre and strange storyline is also genuinely off-putting and boring. Beautiful music score by Joshua Myers is one of film’s few virtues. Watch “Full House” reruns instead. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “Blood Trap” (*1/2 out of four) was a dismayingly awful horror thriller which traps the audience for nearly two hours with horrendous acting and ugly violence. Six criminals (including Vinnie Jones and Costas Mandylor) are hired to kidnap a young woman but when they break into her mansion, she turns the tables on them and all hell breaks loose. It’s movies like these that make you realize even more how great the “Friday The 13th” and “Halloween” series were in the ’80’s. Highly similar in plot and characters to “Don’t Breathe” which opened last month. “Don’t Watch” would be a much better title for this mess. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “I.T.” (**1/2 out of four) was a slick, stylish thriller about a businessman tycoon (Pierce Brosnan) whose company is about to make revolutionary changes to the flight industry when his company, his family, and their safety are turned upside down when he terminates a co-worker (Brian Mulvey) who turns out to be a serious sicko intent on revenge. Film follows a familiar and derivative pattern of “Fatal Attraction” but is well-cast, well-directed by John Moore, and maintains interest which cover up for story and logic holes. Brosnan shows he’s continuing to adapt well to his post-007 career. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “Minutes Past Midnight” (*1/2 out of four) was an over-the-top horror anthology tale in the vein of “Tales From The Darkside” and “Creepshow” telling nine horror stories set at midnight in which various demons, killers, cannibals, and other swell folks invade the Earth. None of the stories are worth listening to. Alternately silly, gory, stylish, and stupid but this is only worth watching past midnight if there’s absolutely nothing else on and you have difficulty going to bed. Continue reading →
September 24, 2016 “De Palma” (*** out of four) was an affectionately made documentary about legendary filmmaker Brian De Palma who is interviewed and documents his career of films, from his hits (“Carrie”, “The Untouchables”, “Mission: Impossible”) to his misses (“The Bonfire Of The Vanities”, “Mission To Mars”) to his misunderstood classics (“Blow Out”, “Casualties Of War”, “Scarface”). Nothing groundbreaking but an interesting look at a filmmaker who grew up as a Hitchcock film student and poured his creativity into a career that has spanned well-over five decades. A treat for De Palma fans but worth watching for film lovers and film students in general. Continue reading →
September 19, 2016 “Joker’s Wild” (* out of four) was an incoherent bluff about a masked-clown assailant who guns down a a movie theater but the feisty owner (Lacy Marie Meyer) fights to re-open her business and punish him to the death. Anyone who lasts till the end of this fiasco will feel equally punished as well. Cheapjack production and inept filmmaking make this a not-so-wild film experience. One-time great character actors Eric Roberts and Martin Kove must be desperate to pay their bills because they show up in token supporting roles. Continue reading →
September 19, 2016 “The Intervention” (* out of four) was a staggeringly awful romantic comedy whose script and story could have used more than a few interventions before filming began. A weekend getaway for four couples is eventually found to be an intervention for one of the couple’s marriages. Since none of the couples are likeable, you probably won’t care whether they remain together or break up. Good cast (including Jason Ritter, Clea Duvall, Natasha Lyonne) are helpless against a terrible script. Yet another rehash of “The Big Chill” that turns out to be a big bore. An inauspicious directorial debut for Clea Duvall (daughter of Robert). Continue reading →
dlepikcom 