“Assassin’s Vow” (* out of four) was an ultra-shoddy pulp thriller about the daughter (Arlene Tur) of a Miami drug lord (Ari Novak) who arranges for her to be married but she soon finds out that she is a pawn in various underworld schemes and has to fight her way out all guns blazing but this puts her in a crossfire between numerous underworld figures and killers. Inept filmmaking and production makes this fire all blanks for nearly two hours. Peter Greene shows up as (of all things) a priest but he may want to say a few hail mary’s about the current status of his career.

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“Roller Squad” (*1/2 out of four) was a grindingly dumb comedy thriller about a group of roller-skating friends (Alice Sanders, Benjamin McMahon, Amy Newton, and others) who join forces to try and catch a serial killer who is too fast for the police and who keeps eluding public view. Strictly for those who can’t wait for “Roller Derby” re-runs or who thought “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” series was too artistic or intellectually challenging; tough skating for anyone else. This dud is unlikely to lead to a resurgence of roller-skating anytime soon.

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“Minamata” (** out of four) was an overly diffuse melodrama based on the true story of war photographer W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) who traveled back to Japan to document the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on coastal communities which made him a severe enemy of various Japanese businesses and the government (Hiroyuki Sonada, Masayoshi Haneda, and others) but made him an icon of truth and journalism. Earnest and well-intentioned story never quite connects emotionally and doesn’t have the emotional pull or wallop that it desires and needs. Depp is OK in the lead but lacks the fervency and fire of his earlier and better performances 20-30 years ago.

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“Mind Games” (*1/2 out of four) was a mindless pulp melodrama about a feisty army psychologist (Jet Jandreau) who is held captive by a mysterious assailant (Robert Lasardo) and she realizes she is in an RV in the middle of nowhere and has to psychologically and physically fight her way out while her military superior (Michael Pare) tries to sort out what is really going on. Just a foundation of ideas borrowed from other (and much better) movies. Good cast is unable to pump much life into this lurid and unpleasant material.

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“All I Can Say” (*** out of four) was an overall affecting documentary of Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon cobbled from his own home movies from a camcorder which he always kept by his side showing the last 5 years of his life with the band’s meteoric rise and unfortunate descent into one-hit wonder status and drug addiction that derailed his life at 28 years old. Undeniably self-indulgent (do we really need to see him brushing his teeth and going to the bathroom) at times but extremely well-edited and captures a charismatic artist whose life and music were going out of control. A definite must for Blind Melon fans as it features them at Woodstock ’94 and other rare footage and interviews but a worthwhile watch for rock fans and docudramas in general.

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“House Of Quarantine” (** out of four) was a tired horror thriller about nine people (Drew Leatham, Phillip Carlisle, Zoey Walker, and others) who are shooting a movie in a secluded house and soon find out that one has been infected with COVID in the midst of the beginning of the pandemic and a global shutdown and they soon find their worst instincts rising to the surface as they all turn against one another for survival. Intriguing storyline with current and topical themes is hampired by routine execution and approach. Overall OK for what it is but another COVID-themed horror movie you’ve seen at least 19 times already.

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“How To Deter A Robber” (*1/2 out of four) was an irritating story about two inept burglars (Abbie Cobb and Sonny Valicenti) on Christmas Eve who break into the home of a young girl (Vanessa Marano) and her moron boyfriend (Benjamin Papac) and her uncle (Chris Mulkey) who turn the tables on them and attempt to thwart them and take back their home. Film has a hard time making up its mind whether its a witless comedy or a by-the-numbers violent melodrama so it comes close to being nothing; a few scattershot chuckles don’t build to anything more than that. Talented cast is left high-and-dry.

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“Masquerade” (** out of four) was an unnecessary horror melodrama about a young girl (Alyvia Alyn Lind) who must survive the night after a group of intruders (Michael Proctor and Skyler Samuels) break into her family’s home to steal their priceless art collection. Reasonably watchable but yet another home-invasion story in the vein of “Desperate Hours” and “The Purge” that is pretty basic and predictable. It might be time to put this genre to rest for a little while. No relation to the 1988 Rob Lowe/Meg Tilly cult classic of the same name

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“Horror In The High Desert” (**) was a bland pseudo-documentary about an enthusiastic outdoorsman named Gary Hinge (Eric Mencis) who vanished in 2017 and various friends, family members, and conspiracy theorists (Suziey Block, Tonya Williams Ogden, David Morales, and others) are all interviewed and theorize about the real reasons for his disappearance. Not bad and some of the performances by the concerned friends and family members are authentic and convincing but after a while you may start wondering who the hell was this guy and why do you have to watch an entire film about his disappearance? Not much horror per se but lots of faux-interviews and news footage.

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“Big Cat Trail” (* out of four) was an amateurish horror mess about three couples (Beau Yotty, Lisa Barnes, Katrina Kelly, and others) who go into the mountain for an overnight hike and soon find themselves (what else?) fighting for their lives as an otherworldly creature mauls and kills them all one at a time. Looks like someone’s bad home movies and is totally bereft of any scares or chills. Nearly 50 years later- audiences are still having to pay for having made “Deliverance” such a smash hit. Yotty also wrote, produced, and directed and all you can say is hopefully he’s on the “trail” of better things to come.

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