“A Man Called Otto” (** out of four) was a disappointing comedy melodrama about a grumpy old widow (Tom Hanks) who has decided to end it all following the recent death of his wife but he soon forges a friendship with a new neighbor (Mariana Trevino) which gives them both a new lease on life. Hanks is always worth watching but film earnestly meanders for over two hours and is never particularly moving or funny. This was a remake of the 2016 Swedish film of the same name. In one scene, Hanks’ face has to be digitally de-aged using old footage of him from 1989’s “The Burbs”; his son Truman plays him as a younger character in other scenes.

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“The Devil’s Conspiracy” (*** out of four) was a crackling horror thriller about a Satanic cult that steals the Shroud Of Turin for apocalyptic purposes and it’s up to some concerned locals (Alice Orr-Ewing and Joe Doyle) to combat them and Lucifer (Joe Anderson) himself to steal it back and thus save the world. Gonzo storyline is made entertaining by never stopping moving, never taking itself too seriously, and giving viewers flashy and stylish effects and action to take in. A solid-B effort and strong showing from director Nathan Frankowski.

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“From Hell To The Wild West” (* out of four) was utter hack about Jack The Ripper (Charlie Glackin) who tries to immerse himself on the American frontier and find some new victims to slash but a hard-nosed sheriff (Robert Bronzi) is determined to put an end to his menacing reign once and for all. Feeble attempt at grafting the Ripper legend onto a Western melodrama; dreadful filmmaking and cheapjack production stop film dead in its tracks. Charles Bronson lookalike Bronzi plays a character named Mr. Buchinski which was actually Bronson’s real name but that’s about all here for cleverness.

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“Evil Bong 888: Infinity High” (* out of four) was a chronically awful entry in this inexplicably popular series about the main character Rabbit (Sonny Carl James) who finally opens a legitimate restaurant whose marijuana joint is the most exotic dish in town which leads to the whole town being nonstop high and him in the crossfire of the cops who want a piece of his business or to shut him down. Film features enough sex and marijuana jokes to satisfy series fans but usual in-your-face filmmaking and stupid writing turn this into a bad trip. This makes “Half Baked” or some of Cheech and Chong’s adventures look like Oscar fare by comparison.

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“The Offering” (*1/2 out of four) was an offer well-worth declining about a family (Paul Kaye, Emily Wiseman, Nick Blood, and others) trying to recover from recent loss who soon find that they’re being torn apart by an ancient evil from within and only by unifying can they bury it in the past and save their future. Stale pileup of possession/haunted house/paranormal activity cliches; can anybody actually tell any of these interchangeable horror movies apart? Originally titled “Abyzou”

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“Graves” (**1/2 out of four) was a gritty if minimalistic pulp melodrama about a determined street cop (Shawn Black) who embarks on a personal vendetta to bring criminals around his neighborhood to justice but this puts him head-to-head against a criminal mastermind (Wilfred La Salle) as ruthless as he is and they begin to realize (and respect) they have more in common than they may think. Writer/director/co-star La Salle works in a visceral guerilla verite style that recalls some of “The Wire” and some of Michael Mann’s “Heat” and holds your attention but is limited by its low-budget and obvious story derivations. Still, an impressive showing from La Salle overall on both sides of the camera.

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“Kate” (** out of four) was a fairly routine pulp thriller about a world-weary assassin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is assigned to target a deadly yakuza clan and finds out she has been poisoned and has 24 hours to live and seek her vengeance and she then turns to her mentor (Woody Harrelson) for help. Yet another female-assassin/vengeance film in the mold of “La Femme Nikita”, “Atomic Blonde”, and too many others although at least it’s directed with some style by Cedric-Nicholas Troyan and remains watchable. Lyle Vincent’s eye-candy cinematography is a highlight throughout.

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“Wetware” (** out of four) was an inherently derivative thriller set in yet another dystopian future in which a bioengineering company releases a new product called Mungoes- artificially intelligent human beings with no feelings or emotions but a lead engineer (Jerry O’Connell) has bigger plans for them to turn into actual human beings and begins to implant them with new emotions which leads to ambiguity and conflict. Perhaps it’s time filmmakers were “implanted” with new emotions and ideas because virtually every idea now about movies set in the future have been told in the past and far better. Hardly the worst of its genre and watchable for sci/fi diehards but a definite sense of deja vu hangs over the proceedings.

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“Dog Gone” (**1/2 out of four) was a hokey but likeable adaptation of Pauls Toutonghi’s true-story novel about a father (Rob Lowe) and son (Johnny Berchtold) whose beloved dog runs off and they embark on a search for him along the Appalachian mountains and attempt to repair their strained relationship at the same time. Uneven, with a few unnecessary scenes and plot strands, but easy-to-watch especially for those who love dogs and have ever had one missing. Plus- the dog itself is adorable and great! An interesting companion piece to director Stephen Herek’s live-action remake of “101 Dalmations”.

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“Bed Rest” (*1/2 out of four) was a dour horror thriller for people who likely need bed-rest about a pregnant woman (Melissa Barrera) at home who starts to wonder if her house is haunted or if the hallucinations and paranoia she is going through is all in her mind. Suspenseless and sluggish for most of its running time until it finally gets going in the final third but even then is simply a collection of haunted house horror-movie cliches. Barrera tries in the lead but is unable to enliven or enrich material.

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