“Other Monsters” (*1/2 out of four) was a generally ugly melodrama about an ex-Marine (Anthony Herrern) who embarks on a final mission to settle a score and get even with the four men who robbed him of the love of his life but finds that the path to this is more troubled than he may have ever realized. Dreadful film gives you no one to root for since the heroine is as sleazy and unlikeable as the bad guys he’s chasing! Herrern- who looks like a cross between Liam Neeson and James Russo- tries to hold this together but viewers would fare best picking an “other” movie instead.

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“My Best Friend’s Exorcism” (**1/2 out of four) was a mindless but somewhat entertaining horror comedy set in 1988 about two friends (Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller) who have to grapple with the fact that an exorcism is growing in one of their bodies and the social/physical/psychological uncomfortabilities this could result in ’80’s high school. Affectionately done nostalgia piece for the ’80’s with plenty of cheeky set design and costumes and soundtrack hits but not quite enough for a satisfying feature-length film, as story starts to grow thin after a point. A loose adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s horror novel and worthwhile for his fans and ’80’s fanatics.

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“Blackout” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately entertaining suspense thriller about a man (Josh Duhammel) who awakens in a hospital after a severe accident and has no memory of his past but has to relearn it fast and piece together his memories as he’s pursued through the hospital by deadly assassins (led by Omar Chapparo) and a grizzled cop (a well-cast Nick Nolte). No masterpiece, as film derivatively tries to mold together a Hitchcock mystery with “Bourne” thriller elements, but keeps its grip thanks to taut pacing and a solid cast. Abby Cornish has a key ambiguous role as a mysterious woman by Duhammel’s side.

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“Hocus Pocus 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a stultifying sequel to the even-worse 1993 original about the Sanderson sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who are resurrected once again in modern-day Salem on Halloween and it’s up to three high-schoolers (Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escopedo) to put a stop to their bewitchery. Midler, Parker, and Najimy seem to be having fun together once again but film is an unlucky brew from start to finish. Fans of the original (I was NOT) may like this better but let’s hope it’s another 30 years at least before another one is unleashed.

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“Nix” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretentious muddle about a dysfunctional family (Michael Pare, Dee Wallace, James Zimbardi, and others) who discover a mysterious and unknown entity that has manifested itself from their own madness and secrecy and only when they resolve their dysfunction and conflict can this creature go away. More fun (and scares) may have ensued if they had all embarked together on family counseling instead; ridiculous and molasses-moving psychobabble seems to be building but has no real story to tell. Ryan Broomberg’s moody and bleak cinematography is film’s only asset. It’s nice to see Wallace and Pare back on screen again but they and you should have “nixed” this from their list.

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“Bring It On: Cheer Or Die” (*1/2 out of four) was a cheerless continuation of this series about a struggling cheerleading squad (Kerri Medders, Sierra Holder, Marlowe Zimmermand, and others) who start to utilize a creepy and closed gym for their practices but soon find themselves under siege from a masked assailant and they have to put aside their differences and unite to stay alive. Lame attempt to incorporate horror and slasher elements into its moldy story. For hardcore fans of the series only and others who thought the 2000 original was robbed at Oscar time.

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“Girl In Room 13” (*** out of four) was a harrowing melodrama about a recovering drug addict (Larissa Dias) who is kidnapped by her boyfriend (Max Montesi) and held captive in a motel room and sold into human trafficking and the online sex industry while her determined mother (Anne Heche) refuses to believe she’s dead and keeps up the search until she is found. Hard to watch at times due to unpleasant subject matter but holds you in its grip. Heche is first-rate in one of her last film roles but so is Dias and especially Montesi. Imperfect but still a tensely made thriller combined with a jagged expose of what is a multi-billion dollar underbelly global business.

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“Dig” (*1/2 out of four) was a tired potboiler about a widower (Thomas Jane) and his deaf daughter (Harley Jane) who are held hostage by two criminals (Emile Hirsch and Liana Liberato) and forced to dig under their house to find a hidden reward. By-the-numbers story ripoff of “Desperate Hours” covers all-too-familiar territory and gets really unpleasant at times (do we really need to see a kid hostage getting shot and executed?) Liberato fares best out of the whole cast. Both Thomas and Harley are actual father-daughter in real life but they both themselves should start to “dig” for better scripts.

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“Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind” (*** out of four) was a stylish animated continuation of the legendary action scenes about a young warrior named Kenshi (voice of Manny Jacinto) who has to rise above his own insecurities and limitations and stop the havoc of Kano and the Black Dragon (voiced by David Wenham and Keston John) who become a deadly threat to the Outworld. No great shakes in terms of story and script but has colorful animation and enough refreshingly hard-edged and gory kills to make it worthwhile for “Kombat” addicts. Not the best of the series but more fun than the 2021 live-action reboot.

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“When The Screaming Starts” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritatingly stupid horror comedy about an aspiring documentary filmmaker (Jared Rogers) who is invited into the home of an aspiring serial killer (Ed Hartland) and starts to think this may be what he needs to launch his career but naturally all does not go as planned. Some flashes of macabre humor and amusing satire are defeated by generally dumb writing and characters and a one-joke idea that soon wears thin. Hartland also was one of the co-writers and co-producers.

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