“Ripper’s Revenge” (* out of four) was a real snooze about yet another revisiting of the notorious murders of Jack The Ripper in 1889 London in which his reign of terror seemed to suddenly stop until a hard-nosed newspaper reporter (Chris Bell) began receiving clues and information that Mr. Jack was still on the prowl and he then determined to bring him down before he murdered any other helpless women. Both inept and inert; after “Jack’s Back”, “From Hell”, and God knows how many other movies over the years- maybe it’s time to really let this killer rust in peace. Film moves so slowly that by the end you yourself may feel as if your throat (and your patience) have been ripped.

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“One Day As A Lion” (*1/2 out of four) was a trashy potboiler about a reformed criminal (Scott Caan) who finds out that his son (Dash Melrose) is following in his footsteps and does his best to get him out which puts him at odds with various other mobsters and underworld figures (Frank Grillo, J.K. Simmons, Virginia Madsen, and others) who stand in his path. Solid cast is wasted on an unappealing story full of unpleasant characters and sordid plot turnings; the kind of movie that seems inspired by ’90’s Tarantino and Coen Bros but no longer seems fresh. Caan also wrote this, apparently with something else on his mind.

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“Scream Of The Wolf” (*1/2 out of four) was a screamless suspense horror thriller about a film crew (James Fleet, John Henshaw, Nicky Evans, and others) who are filming a low-budget horror movie in an English mansion and are mauled and slaughtered by a wolf on the prowl. Director Domenic Brunt obviously watched “An American Werewolf In London” a few times before filming but this has none of that film’s irony or wit or much of anything else. The tongue-in-cheek joke of a horror movie about filming a low-budget horror movie seems lost on the filmmakers here.

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“She Will” (*1/2 out of four) was pretentious mumbo-jumbo about an aging film star (Alice Krige in a one-note performance) who retreats to the Scottish countryside to recover from surgery but soon finds that strange occurrences start affecting her and some of the community (Malcolm McDowell, Rupert Everett, and others) which may be the hauntings of ancient Scottish witches who were burned at the stake. Good cast and visual style from director Charlotte Colbert and cinematographer Jamie Ramsay are wasted on a story that’s plodding and hokey without much payoff. Some critics and horror fans thought highly of this but I’m not one of them.

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“Starcrossed” (*1/2 out of four) was a lugubrious effort about a down-on-his-luck writer (Grant Harvey) who encounters a mysterious stranger (Mischa Barton) and over the course of one night they get to know one another’s pasts and begin to re-write both of their futures. Mildly interesting at first but gets slower and talkier as it goes along and gradually all involvement begins to dissipate. Harvey and Barton both do what they can with thinly written roles but this is still an unlucky crossing for both. Eric Roberts adds some style in a throwaway cameo towards the end.

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“Bunny The Killer Thing” (*1/2 out of four) was a junky horror thriller about a group of friends (Enni Ojutkangas, Jari Manninen, Orwi Manny Ameh, and others) who get stuck at a remote cabin where they are besieged by a ravenous creature that is half-human/half-rabbit (actually an actor in a really bad rabbit costume). Made and released in 2015 and being re-released now probably to cash in on the hoopla involving “Cocaine Bear” but it’s stupid and forgettable. Based on a short film with the same title and in this case less definitely is more.

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“Butch Sundance And The Wild Bunch” (*1/2 out of four) was a feeble Western about the legendary title character (Ross Jirgl) and the Sundance Kid (Jilon VanOver) and the rest of the Wild Bunch (Geoff Meed, Josh Horton, and others) who pull off a million-dollar train robbery and are then chased to the death by a local sheriff (Jeffrey Combs). To say that this doesn’t even belong in the same category as the 1969 classic (or even the 1979 prequel) is an understatement as film leisurely moves through far-too-familiar Western terrain and simply cashes in on a name, rather than adding to it. Bruce Dern, Dee Wallace, Vic Browder fill out the supporting cast but are wasted in one-note roles. Viewers and fans of the series will likely yell “oh shit!” when they jump into this one.

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“Sunset On The River Styx” (*1/2 out of four) was a gloomy horror melodrama about two young lovers (Phillip Andre Botello and Jakki Jandrell) who form a forbidden alliance that is intercepted by their mistakes of the past which have spiraled to their present and future and also a vampire death cult that threatens to tear them apart. Overstuffed mix of young-lovers drama, horror thriller, and teen angst that doesn’t gel as it should mostly due to snail-like pacing. Idan Menin’s lush and candy-colored cinematography is a highlight but doesn’t do enough to ameliorate overall tedium.

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“Zomblogalypse” (* out of four) was an insufferable adaptation of the British cult web series which this movie will inspire no one to watch about three survivors (Andrew Dunn, Joanne Mitchell, Lyndsey Craine) of a zombie apocalypse who try to ease their boredom and frustration by documenting their day-to-day survival on a video blog. Yet it’s nothing compared to the boredom and frustration you’ll feel if you waste nearly two hours on this moronic dreck. One of the characters makes references to George Romero who is likely turning over in his grave right now thanks to duds like this.

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“Grimcutty” (** out of four) was an overly grim horror thriller about a teenage girl (Sarah Wolfkind) and her younger brother (Callan Farris) who try to survive when they find that the title internet meme comes to life and threatens to overtake them and destroy their safety and sanity. Initially tense and has some intriguing elements but eventually decays into sheer corn and loses its grip. Wolfkind is solid in the lead; director John Ross shows some promise in his first feature-length film after directing shorts and t.v. series.

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