July 16, 2016 “Sinister Squad” (*1/2 out of four) was a tacky comic-book melodrama about a female warrior (Christina Licciardi) who assembles a team of fairy-tale villains to face deathly and evil forced which threaten (yawn) world destruction. Not to be confused with “Suicide Squad” which comes out next month and will hopefully feature more energy and excitement and also (while we’re at it) characters and a story worth caring about and following. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “All Girls Weekend” (*1/2 out of four) was a pallid horror thriller about several high school friends who reunite for a camping trip in the mountains which goes swell until they all started being murdered one by one. Rips off “I Spit On Your Grave”, “Mother’s Day”, and (especially) “The Blair Witch Project” so no one feels left out. Weak script and even weaker acting make this a weekend well worth sitting out although Katie Carpenter is a knockout as one of the girls. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Everybody Wants Some” (*** out of four) was a very funny and affectionate teenage drama set in the late 70’s and early ’80’s about a group of college baseball players and their transition to adulthood while still having fun and enjoying being young. Not all that much plot per se but the cast is so engaging, the script is so sharp and perceptive, and the soundtrack has so many great rock songs from its period that it’s fun to watch just the same. Director Richard Linklater’s most entertaining movie in years. This harks back to his “Dazed And Confused” but is a much better movie in this critic’s opinion. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Cardinal Matter” (** out of four) was a muddled crime melodrama about a migrant worker (Zac Titus) who finds himself in the midst of a deadly cover up involving several factions including the cops and the underworld in a small Wyoming town. Murky storytelling makes this hard to get fully caught up in but beautiful and moody cinematography and strong performances make it watchable. Promising feature-length directing debut for Madeline Puzzo whose work seems influenced by early Terrence Malick (especially “Badlands”) and later-period Coen Bros. (especially “Fargo”). Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Elvis & Nixon” (** out of four) was an unconvincing biographical period melodrama about the untold true story of the meeting of President Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) and The King (Michael Shannon) and their opposing yet similar viewpoints on the world. Both Shannon and Spacey are terrific actors but both seem miscast. While some of the backstory of Elvis is interesting, the eventual meeting of the two at the end of the movie is heavy-handed and flat. For a more perceptive look at Nixon, watch Oliver Stone’s 1995 “Nixon”. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Bachelor Games” (*1/2 out of four) was bored games about a group of twentysomething adolescents who go to Argentina to celebrate a friend’s bachelor party but wind up stranded in the desert after a party where one of them becomes unstable and psychotic. If “The Hangover” was a horror movie, it might look something like this but this is by no means a recommendation. If anyone watches this at an all-night party, you may want to drink extra so you don’t remember this in the morning. Good performances are literally stranded in the desert by weak material. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Clown Town” (** out of four) was a standard issue horror thriller about a group of friends who get deserted in a nowheresville Midwestern town where they get stalked and attacked by a group of psychopaths dressed as clowns. Neither the best nor the worst of its ilk but strictly routine and predictable. You may want to go to Barnum & Bailey Circus instead. Horror fans may want to watch the ’80’s cult classic “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” instead. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Carnage Park” (*1/2 out of four) was an incomprehensible crime melodrama/horror thriller/Western about two inept crooks who botch a bank heist with a hostage (Ashley Bell) and flee into the desert into abandoned territory called Carnage Park which is dominated by a psychotic sniper (Pat Healy). Ugly exercise in style and gore appears all-too-obviously inspired by early works of The Coen Bros. and Sam Raimi. Gorgeous cinematography by the talented Mac Fisken is one of film’s only assets. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “Silent Venom” (** out of four) was a watchable but mediocre sci/fi thriller about a submarine captain (Luke Perry) about to retire from the navy who is sent out on one final mission aboard a vessel that becomes besieged and overtaken by deadly snakes. Yes it’s “Snakes On A Ship” but it’s nowhere near as fun or entertaining as 2006’s “Snakes On A Plane” with Samuel L. Jackson. And no- there are no lines as clever as “Let’s get these muthaphu–in snakes off this muthaphu–in plane” LOL. Perry however holds the screen and Tom Berenger is strong in a supporting role as his military supervisor. Continue reading →
July 16, 2016 “To Live And Die In Amsterdam” (** out of four) was a murky low-budget underworld thriller about a tough Interpol agent (Damian Chapa) who comes to Amsterdam to investigate a drug ring that is becoming a deadly epidemic but all is not what it appears to be as he investigates the origins and forces involved in the drug’s production. Chapa is good and reminds you that he’s a solid tough-guy actor but also reminds you he needs to pick stronger and more original scripts. Watch “To Live And Die In L.A.” instead. Continue reading →
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