“Once Upon A Time In The Apocalypse” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster melodrama set in the not-too-distant future in which a Civil War has ravaged the country leaving many dead and the rest (Robert Thomas Preston, Mig Windows, Larkin Hastings, and others) living in lawlessness and chaos as they try to re-establish order and stay alive. Not much plotwise and not much else to keep you entertained either; by now, there may have been several films too many about the desolate and distant future. Writer/director/co-producer Nathan Willard also has a supporting role as a survivor of the apocalypse.

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“The Secrets She Keeps” (** out of four) was a suspenseless suspense thriller about a 16-year old (Zoe Cramond) who uses a dating app and lies about her age and (sure enough) meets up with a young charmer (Michael Vitovich) who turns out to be a serious sicko and soon both her and her mother (Emily Miceli) realize their lives are in jeopardy. It’s movies like these that make you wonder what filmmakers would have done had “Fatal Attraction” never been made. Overall well-directed and professionally made but is obvious at every turn and thus has no surprises and thus not many “secrets.” Originally titled “Dating A Killer”.

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“Trapped Daughter” (*1/2 out of four) was a monotonous thriller about a girl (Kate Edmonds) and her former best friend (Nicole Danielle Watts) who are kidnapped by a vicious stalker and they must put aside their differences and unite to try and survive. But can they trust each other? Director Dylan Vox and cinematographer Ryan Brown try to infuse this with as much style and energy as they can but it’s all for nothing since the story is unpleasant and characters not very involving. Don’t bother getting “trapped” in this timewaster.

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“Endangered Species” (** out of four) was an uneven action adventure about an upscale family (Rebecca Romijn, Phillip Winchester, Isabel Bassett, and Michael Johnston) who travel to the wilderness of Kenya for a family vacation hoping to repair growing rifts within the family but when a rhino attacks their vehicle and leaves them stranded in the wilderness, they find that they are the real endangered species and have to unite to survive and stay alive. Heavy-handed and slow-going at first but film starts to get moving in the second half and builds to some gradual and sporadic tension before dissolving into silliness. Jerry O’Connell has a key role as a fellow traveler who is connected to South Afircan poaching.

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“A Quiet Place Part II” (**1/2 out of four) was a decent sequel to the surprise 2018 blockbuster about the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) who are forced to venture into the outside world and into the unknown but continue to be terrorized by the same creatures that hunt by sound. A definite improvement (at least to me) of the original- at least there is some actual dialogue and action- but it still never fully shifts into high-gear and gets repetitive in its second half. Deserves points for being another horror film shot in upstate NY and Marco Beltrami’s music score and Polly Morgan’s atmospheric cinematography are definite plusses.

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“Bigfoot’s Bride” (0 stars out of four) was an abjectly painful schlock horrorfest about Bigfoot (i.e. a guy in a very bad gorilla suit) who goes berserk in search of his lost bride in the woods and a series of concerned citizens and bad actors (Chris Ferrell, Devin Marcus Miller, Xia Orozco, and others) who get in his crosshairs. If Ed Wood were still alive today and making movies- this might be something he would have churned out; unspeakably awful filmmaking turns this into an unintentional laugh riot but film is also stupid and boring. Watch out for the blood-spurting that looks like exploding ketchup! Further proof (as if any were needed) that virtually anyone with a cell-phone nowadays can make their own movie

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“Captive” (*** out of four) was a rock-solid melodrama about a teenage runaway (Tori Kostic) who stops in the middle of the woods for help with a man (William Kircher) with delusional mental health issues who holds her captive thinking she’s his long-lost daughter; the rest of the film shows their gradual bond and unlikely developing relationship even as she tries to escape. Uneasy storyline takes a strange turn at the very end but first-rate acting from the two leads command your attention and make this well-worth watching. Similar in some ways to “Boxing Helena” and “Misery” but not as lurid or violent.

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“Deceived By My Mother-In-Law” (** out of four) was an innocuous suspense thriller about a woman (Allison McAttee) with PTSD from a recent vicious assault who meets and marries a new man (Rib Hillis); all seems to be going great until she discovers that his mother-in-law (Dey Young) has ulterior motives that threaten her safety and she has to overcome her trauma to fight back and stay alive. Not bad by the standards of these things, with proficient filmmaking and solid acting, but hamstrung by its predictability and plot cliches. A new title wouldn’t have hurt, either.

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“Army Of The Dead” (*** out of four) was a colorfully done zombie action thriller from the Zack Snyder factory about a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas that leads a crew of mercenaries (Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, and others) to take the ultimate gamble and venture into the hot zone of Vegas to pull off the greatest heist ever but can they stay alive and stay unaffected? A little of this goes a long way, as film has a thin story and goes on for nearly two-and-a-half hours, but throws in everything but the kitchen sick and cranks out enough thrills, scares, loud music, and action to make it worthwhile and entertaining. Basically a Snyder version of a George Romero picture but you get what you pay for

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“The Woman In The Window” (** out of four) was a disappointing suspense thriller about a middle-aged woman with agoraphobia (Amy Adams) who lives alone in New York and begins spying on her new neighbors and witnesses an act of disturbia but neither the police (led by Gary Oldman) nor her surrounding community officials (led by Jennifer Jason Leigh) believer her so she is forced to confront her fears and try to solve and resolve this on her own. Apparently, this is not a remake of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” despite a very similar storyline and even title; suspense is minimal as film holds you without ever gripping you. Adams is strong as always; Oldman and Leigh and also Anthony Mackie are wasted in nothing supporting roles.

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