May 7, 2016 “Barbershop: The Next Cut” (*** out of four) was a funny third entry showing the crew at Calvin’s Barbershop coming together to try to bring some change as their Chicago neighborhood starts to fall apart due to gangs and violence. Queen Latifah is noticeably absent but Nicki Minaj acquits herself nicely as the new hairdresser and weave specialist. Carried along by the easygoing camaraderie between Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Common but also deserves extra points for pertinent social commentary regarding youth and violence. A definite worthy addition to the series and worthwhile for fans of the first two. Continue reading →
May 2, 2016 “The Cutter” (** out of four) was a not-bad action thriller starring Chuck Norris as (what else) a renegade detective coming to the aid of a beautiful diamond cutter (Joanna Palicula) caught in the crossfire of a violent underworld war related to The Holocaust. Not as explosive or action-packed as you might expect and features an unusual amount of character development for this kind of thing but Norris is ageless and likeable and makes this watchable. Made in 2005 and released only recently but Norris has made far worse than this. Continue reading →
May 2, 2016 “Christmas Land” (** out of four) was a treacly comedy-drama about a yuppie businesswoman (Nikki Deloach) who inherits a Christmas-themed farm and initially plans to sell it but soon changes her mind when she falls in love with the down-home townsfolk. Feel-good holiday themed story is vibrantly shot and certainly pleasant enough but predictable at every turn and not helped by a tacked-on happy ending. Not surprisingly, this was made by and for The Hallmark Channel. Watch “A Christmas Story” again instead. Continue reading →
May 2, 2016 “Sacrifice” (*1/2 out of four) was a dreary horror melodrama about a hospital surgeon (Radha Mitchell) and her husband (Rupert Graves) who move to The Shetland Islands where they discover a body in the house that may be linked to an urban horror legend. The Shetland Islands scenery is pretty but otherwise there’s nothing legendary about this movie. Don’t sacrifice two hours of your life on this timewaster Continue reading →
May 2, 2016 “Term Life” (** out of four) was a tepid Redbox melodrama starring Vince Vaughn as a guy wanted around town by a hitman (Bill Paxton) and numerous other criminals and hopes to stay alive long enough so his life insurance can help his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld). Uneasy mix of underworld thriller, dark comedy, and father-daughter relationship drama doesn’t gel into a satisfying whole but a good cast helps keep it watchable. Vaughn is likeable as always but his combover hairstyle doesn’t do him any favors. Continue reading →
May 2, 2016 “High Rise” (*1/2 out of four) was an incomprehensible adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s 1975 acclaimed novel about characters you’d probably meet on the underbelly of the Internet who all live together in a luxurious high-rise and are secluded from the rest of the world and one inhabitant (Tom Hiddleston) who tries to make sense of their existence of isolation and privilege. Interesting story elements of classicism and materialism are muted by meandering and unpleasant story and characters whose relationships make no sense at times. Some critics thought highly of this mess but I’m not one of them. After this and 1996’s unwatchable “Crash”, perhaps J.G. Ballard’s novels simply don’t translate well to the big screen. Continue reading →
April 28, 2016 “Crossing Point” (*1/2 out of four) was a sleazy, derivative action melodrama about an American couple (Shawn Lock and Maria Gabriela de Faria) on vacation in Baja when she is kidnapped by a vicious drug dealer who demands that he smuggle a backpack of cocaine into the U.S. or else she will be killed. Promising story is bungled by low production budget and you’ll eventually be numbed by all the sleaze. Not all that different from last year’s “No Escape” which was far more harrowing and suspenseful. Tom Sizemore and Luke Goss pick up a couple of bucks in wasted supporting roles. Cross this one off your list. Continue reading →
April 28, 2016 “Temps” (** out of four) was a predictable, unexceptional romantic comedy about a slacker temp-worker (Grant Rosenmeyer) who falls in love with an ambitious hard-worker (Lindsey Shaw) whose relationship forces him to change his priorities in life and broaden his ambitions. Plays like a sitcom pilot that’s no longer fresh. Corporate boardroom comedies like this were much more fun in the ’80’s (“Big Business”, “The Secret Of My Success” just to name a few). Shaw’s strong performance is films only real bright spot Continue reading →
April 27, 2016 “Boned” (*1/2 out of four) was a heavy-handed “comedy” about a struggling actress (Angela Landis) trying to save a valuable Maltese puppy from a group of murderous thugs, a lurid dominatrix (Bai Ling), and a conniving and manipulative doctor (Josh Randall). Fittingly enough- the movie that all of these weirdos are stuck in is a real dog itself. All of them should have said “woof” to this dumb and unfunny script. Comic book fans will remember Bai Ling from the 1994 masterpiece “The Crow” but she was more convincing cutting people’s eyes out and foretelling the future than as a dominatrix. Continue reading →
April 27, 2016 “The Driftless Area” (** out of four) was a hazy, remote melodrama about a bartender (Anton Yelchin) who returns to his hometown after his parents die when he crosses path with a nutjob criminal (John Hawkes) and becomes involved with a sultry town girl (Zooey Deschanel). Attempt at a David Lynch/Sam Shepherd small-town film noir doesn’t add up to much, despite decent performances. Film isn’t bad but becomes overly weird after a while. Watch “Blue Velvet” again instead. Continue reading →
