Category: Uncategorized

“Honeymoon From Hell” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale horror melodrama about a young couple (Lexi Giovagnoli and Adam Hagenbuch) on their honeymoon who stay in a coastal bed which is inhabited by a legendary ghost. If that sounds like little to get excited about, you wouldn’t be wrong. Kudos though to original “Child’s Play”/”Star Trek IV” star Catherine Hicks who plays the loony owner of the coastal bed and looks almost exactly the same as she did 30 years ago!

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“Viral” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror thriller about the outbreak of a virus that leads to the quarantine of a small Midwestern town, and how one teenager in particular (Sofia Black-D’Elia) tries to protect her sister (Analeigh Tipton) who has already been infected. Good-looking and well acted but unfortunately covers too much familiar ground, in the vein of “28 Days Later” and “Outbreak”. Michael Kelly is solid as usual as the girl’s protective dad.

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“Sniper: Ghost Shooter” (** out of four) was an umpteenth entry in this mediocre and wearily repetitive series starring Billy Zane and Chad Michael Collins as sharpshooters entrusted to protecting an American gasline. When a ghost shooter mysteriously appears and starts killing both foreign and American subjects, everyone starts to wonder. In keeping with the motif, I’m starting to wonder why they have made so many sequels to a 1993 action movie that was terrible to begin with. First-half is sluggish; second half has some good firepower. Seriously though, folks, the thrill is gone. For a movie with more riveting action and emotional complexity than all 6 of the “Sniper” films combined, watch “American Sniper” instead.

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“Ghostbusters” (*** out of four) was an unexpectedly winning remake of the 1984 cultural phenomenon starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as paranormal enthusiasts who band together when Manhattan becomes under attack from otherworldly forces. Carried along by the fun chemistry of its lead actresses and affectionate homage touches to the original. Nowhere near as groundbreaking or hilarious as the first naturally but much more entertaining than the awful 1989 sequel and much better than many expected from its terrible coming attractions. Features amusing cameos from original veterans Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, (oh yeah) and Slimer and The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

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“Black Fly” (***1/2 out of four) was a riveting family drama in the vein of “The Deer Hunter” about two estranged brothers (Matthew MacCaull and Dakota Daulby) who reconnect after years being estranged from one another; one of them soon realizes however that his older brother has become an unstable alcoholic with a violent temper which threatens him, his surrounding community, and his relationship with his wife (Christie Burke). Powerful story of family secrets, small-town dispair, and buried guilt are punctuated by scenes of scary and genuinely shocking violence. Both MacCaull and Burke sear the screen in Oscar-worthy performances. A real sleeper from writer-director Jason Bourque in his feature film debut.

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“Contracted” (*** out of four) was a chilling and eerie horror melodrama about a young girl (Najarra Townsend) who is sexually assaulted at a drunken party and contracts what she thinks is a sexually transmitted disease but is actually far worse and destroys her physically, emotionally, and mentally over a period of time. Half a horror thriller but half a psychological melodrama about the ravaging effects of a deadly disease. Sometimes difficult to watch but effectively told and acted. Only the ending seems a little out of sync with the rest of the movie. Horror fans will note Caroline Williams from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” who plays the girl’s overbearing mom.

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“Preservation” (** out of four) was an OK horror thriller about an anestheseologist (Wrenn Smith who looks like a young Emma Stone) who goes on a hunting trip with her husband and her brother-in-law when they all become the target and prey of savage hunters. Gory and bloody movie is too routine and too much of a rip-off (yet again) of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Mother’s Day” to break new ground but has enough kills and thrills to make it watchable. Not original but better than most direct-to-Netflix junk nowadays.

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“Free State Of Jones” (*** out of four) was a fine historical drama about Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) who was a disillusioned Confederate army deserter who led an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government in Mississippi in the 1860’s which put him and his family in a political and personal crossfire. Richly told drama is anchored by a strong performance from McConaughey, a terrific supporting performance by Mahershala Ali as one of the slaves involved in the uprising, and a vibrant music score by Nicholas Britell. Starts to drag in the middle but recovers for a solid and very interesting final third. Not the great film it could have been but much better than the critics have been saying.

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“The Answer” (** out of four) was a wrong answer for Redbox and Netflix fans about an introverted young man (Austin Hebert) who must find clues left behind by his deceased parents to find out his true identity and also who is after him and trying to kill him. Potentially intriguing story jumpstarts every now and then and makes you think it’s going to build to something but it’s unfortunately a fizzle. The answer to this presented question is to re-watch “The Twilight Zone” again instead.

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