“Ash And Dust” (** out of four) was a mild suspense melodrama about two couples (Michael Swatton, Anne-Carolyne Binnette, and others) on a vacation who find a mysterious box and then are subsequently tormented by a vicious gang (Dave Coleman, Blake Canning, and others) who want to keep the box and its secrets hidden. Good-looking film is atmospherically lensed and well-made but never builds sufficient momentum and thus doesn’t have the impact that it should. At least it’s better than “The Box” which it in some ways resembles.

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“Offseason” (** out of four) was a languid horror melodrama about a woman (Jocelin Donahue) who travels to a desolate nowhere town which soon turns into a nightmare as she tries to escape for her life but soon finds that there may be no way out. Initially creepy and intriguing but you soon realize that film is gradually going nowhere, as it plods instead of builds. Another wannabe cult film from writer/director Mickey Keating and yet another film ripped off from “The Shining”.

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“The Seed” (*1/2 out of four) was a stale horror thriller about a group of young girls (Lucy Martin, Chelsea Edge, and Sophie Vavasseur) out on a girls weekend in the Mojave desert when they soon become overtaken by an alien invasion that pits them against one another. Yet another collection of ideas derived from other (and better) movies including (yet again) “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.” Here’s hoping that horror filmmakers start developing the “seeds” of more original ideas and concepts for the future.

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“The Changed” (* out of four) was a lackluster horror show about a group of people (Tony Todd, Clare Foley, Jason Allen Smith, and others) who are thrown together in a home in which they have to do battle with an otherworldy force that has cloned and replaced their families, friends, and neighbors. Obvious and lame rip-off of “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” but unfortunately the filmmakers here were unable to clone that film’s talent and skill. Todd is wasted here again; after all these grade-Z horror films, perhaps it’s about time he “changed” movie agents.

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“Heckle” (*1/2 out of four) was a grindingly unpleasant horror show about a vindictive stand-up comic (Steve Guttenberg) who encounters a heckler (Clark Gable III) at several shows who he realizes is stalking him and subsequently trying to ruin his life in payback for all the customers/fans whose lives he ruined. Guttenberg’s strained performance cast against type as a jerk provides plenty of “heckles” but film is otherwise lame and grim. Sadly, Gable III subsequently died shortly after this completed.

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“Operation Overlord” (**1/2 out of four) an overall well-done historical action drama set during the week before the battle of Normandy in which two soldiers (Thom Hallum and Billy Blair) have to infiltrate a Nazi fortress to rescue a prisoner of war (Stacey A. Sheffield) and face treachery and death at every turn. Too limited in scope (and budget) to achieve maximum impact but better-than-usual screenwriting and acting plus good byplay between the two soldiers make this surprisingly watchable and worthwhile, especially for fans of war films.

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“Romeo And Juliet Killers” (*1/2 out of four) was an overstylized and trendy melodrama about a rebellious young teen (Leigha Sinnott) and her boyfriend (Zachary Roozen) who decide to murder her oppressive mother (Kelly Sullivan) in California and then take it on the run and attempt suicide themselves to die together and live on in infamy. Or something like that. Allegedly based on a true story but almost everything in it rings false and hollow. It’s hard to make a young-lovers-on-the-run movie when you don’t like (or care) about either of them.

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“The Fourth Musketeer” (*1/2 out of four) was a stiff retelling of the legendary Alexander Dumas story showing a young D’Artagnan (Matt Ingram-Jones) who travels from Gascony to Paris where he immediately becomes embroiled in an escalating war between the Musketeers (Ade Dimberline, Richard Ingle, Sean Cronin) and the guardsman (Ciaran Davies) of Cardinal Richelieu. Umpteenth version of this story is drably shot and inert. Watch the 1993 version of “The Three Musketeers” or eat the candy bar instead.

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“The Batman” (** out of four) was a hollow return to Gotham City as Batman (Robert Pattinson) continues his crime-fighting vigilance but soon finds himself up against the triple threat of The Penguin (Colin Farrell unrecognizable under a mountain of latex), The Riddler (Paul Dano), and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) all while uncovering ties to his own family legacy that question his own path in life. Director Matt Reeves works in an operatic mood and style that harks back to Christopher Nolan (and also shows influences of “Chinatown” and “Blade Runner”) but film is heavy and slow-going and long at nearly three hours without much reward. Film covers the usual Batman themes of vengeancy, betrayal, and secrecy…….but you still may wish it were more “fun” and entertaining. Pattinson is definitely impressive as the Dark Knight but Dano and Farrell are over-the-top and annoying.

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“A Day To Die” (**1/2 out of four) was a gritty action potboiler about a parole officer (Kevin Dillon) who kills someone in the line of work while protecting an employee but soon finds out that he has crossed street lines and a ruthless street thug (Leon) has targeted him and his family for extermination; in desperation, he turns to his military brother (Frank Grillo) for help but complications arise when they find out this all has ties to the city’s corrupt police chief (Bruce Willis) who may have targeted all of them. Overstuffed movie takes on more than it can chew but is still overall compellingly done. First-rate cast makes all the difference here and gives this extra charge.

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