“Deborrah” (*1/2 out of four) was a joyless suspense melodrama about a group of friends (Sophia Bush, Deborah Ann Woll, and others) who gather at a remote cabin and find a device that allows them to rewind time but soon find that this has grave and mind-altering consequences. Yet another movie about time-travel and the dangers of technology but film is dangerously derivative and dull. Unfortunately by the end viewers won’t be able to rewind time and get their 2 hours back. Speaking of back, watch “Back To The Future” instead for the right way to make this kind of story.

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“Prancer: A Christmas Tale” (*** out of four) was a nicely done remake of the 1989 Christmas children’s classic about a grumpy family patriarch (James Ellsworth) and his granddaughter (Darcey Ewart) who stumble upon an injured reindeer who they start to think may be one of Santa’s escaped deer and who proves to be the catalyst for them and their abundance of family problems. Respectful and engaging story is a bit too pat and contrived but makes all the right moves to entertain a holiday family audience. Ellsworth and Ewart’s strong performances are a definite plus and so is James Oldham’s striking and eerie cinematography.

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“The Curse Of Humpty Dumpty” (* out of four) was a grade-Z horror thriller about the return of Humpty Dumpty in the form of a doll and how he finds his way into the home of a woman (Nicola Wright) with dementia and before anyway can say “Child’s Play”- the bodies start piling up. Regardless- this is a scareless snooze. Maybe just maybe it’s about time filmmakers put an end to movies about killer dolls. Horror fans will likely find more entertaininment from a nursery-school book on Humpty Dumpty instead of this timewaster.

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“Paradise City” (** out of four) was a jumbled action melodrama about a young man (Blake Jenner) who travels through the dangerous underworld of Hawaii to seek vengeance on the crime kingpin (John Travolta) who murdered his father (Bruce Willis) while a bounty hunter (Stephen Dorff) tries to sort out everything and cash in on this intersection of bloodshed. Disappointing reunion of Willis and Travolta after their 1994 smash “Pulp Fiction” and a half-hearted effort from one-time action/horror specialist Chuck Russell. Despite the solid cast, only Dorff seems to be fully engaged and having any fun.

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“Fatal Influence” (0 stars out of four) was an absolutely worthless horror thriller that looks like it was made by people under the influence; a social media messiah (John Glover) assembles a variety of internet personalities (Irene Rising, Rob Campbell, and others) to take part in a dangerous game of which no one knows the meaning until it’s all over. Believe me, you won’t be able to wait until “it’s all over” almost as soon as film starts although to call this a “film” would be a stretch since it looks like someone’s poorly recorded cell-phone videos. Vertigo-inducing camerawork is especially annoying but then so is almost all the shrill acting and dialogue. Don’t make the near “fatal” mistake of wasting your time on this drivel.

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“Bar Fight” (*1/2 out of four) was a witless romantic comedy about a couple (Melissa Fumaro and Luka Jones) who break up and decide to split everything that they had but start to bicker when they have to sort out who will have “custody” of their beloved bar that they have together. Generic comedy feels like it was spit out of a sitcom computer except “Cheers” told a similar story with far more laughs (and better drinks) about 40 years ago. By the end of this misfire, you may wish you had gone to an A.A. meeting instead.

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“A Savannah Haunting” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster horror thriller about a married couple (William Mark McCullough and Tommi Rose) whose daughter dies in a tragic drowning accident and they move to Savannah only to be (yawn) haunted by her presence in their new home. Allegedly inspired by true events but seems inspired even more by “Paranormal Activity” and “The Amityville Horror” and also “Poltergeist”; why filmmakers continue to rip those movies off constantly is the real mystery. McCullough also wrote, directed, and co-produced.

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“Swim Instructor Nightmare” (** out of four) was a pedestrian suspense thriller about a psychotic swim instructor (Sydney Hamm) who is hired by a family (CJ Hammond and Shellie Sterling) to teach their young daughter (Kiarra Beasley) how to swim but realize too-little/too-late that she is a sociopath/psychopath intent on taking over the household. Overall efficient filmmaking and a strong lead performance from Hamm can’t keep film from drowning in its own predictability and plot cliches. Final showdown is especially weak. Watch “Swimfan” instead.

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“Run Sweetheart Run” (*1/2 out of four) was a genuinely bizarre melodrama about a young woman (Ella Balinska) who goes out on a date with a seemingly nice guy (Pilou Asbaek) who turns out to be a sicko who attempts to hunt her down and kill her and she has to run for her life throughout a deadly maze of a city until she decides enough-is-enough and she decides to hunt and kill him! Film attempts to mix elements of Kubrickian horror and Tarantino psychedelic action and suspense but the result is surreal and ugly. Filmed in 2019 and then re-edited and re-filed with additional scenes, to not much avail. Not to be confused with “Run Lola Run” despite similar title and almost the exact same movie poster.

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