“Ape Vs. Monster” (*1/2 out of four) was a lumbering action thriller about an ape who crashlands on Earth which creates a sludge that makes him and a scorpion grow to gigantic size resulting in a fight to the death while the military (Eric Roberts, Shayne Hartigan, Katie Sereika, and others) stands on the sidelines trying to figure out what to do. The kind of cheesy thriller that’s made to cash in on a much bigger one (“Godzilla vs. Kong” in case you were wondering); some of the visual effects aren’t bad but script and story are lame and film wanders too much to its inevitable conclusion. Does Roberts have it in his contract that he has to appear in every movie that’s direct-to-DVD?

Continue reading →

“Bang! Bang!” (*1/2 out of four) was an ugly and exploitative melodrama that fires all blanks about five teenagers (Nicole Fahel, Lucas Mogerley, Jordan Knapp, and others) who rob a supermarket but soon find that it has consequences upon all of them that they never imagined. Since none of the characters are likeable, it’s hard to care about them or their plights and thus the movie. Writer-director Nicholas Joseph Cunha mashes so much unpleasantness in your face that he seems to be straining to make another “Kids” but film is low on ammunition and firepower.

Continue reading →

“Without Remorse” (**1/2 out of four) was a slick if overly generic adaptation of Tom Clancy’s spy novel about a navy-seal (Michael B. Jordan) whose family is murdered and he is left for dead; he subsequently finds out that his entire unit was targeted and assassinated and he goes on a rampage gunning for revenge in a conspiracy that goes all the way to the political top (Guy Pearce, Lucy Russell, and others). Commanding and gripping at first then starts to lose its way as it wanders into a mechanical and routine political pulp melodrama which feels “Bourne” again. Jordan is first-rate as usual and makes this worth watching. Not up to the craft and polish of the Harrison Ford/Clancy adaptations but an improvement over the last adaptation with Chris Pine.

Continue reading →

“The Unholy” (** out of four) was a mindlessly derivative adaptation of James Herbert’s horror novel about a young deaf girl (Cricket Brown) who is visited by the Virgin Mary and can suddenly heal the sick and is visited and worshipped by millions but a disgraced journalist (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and a local priest (William Sadler) and bishop (Cary Elwes) begin to suspect that some sinister paranormal activity may be at play. Good cast tries their best to inject all the life they can but are defeated by well-worn material. By this point, there have been at least 100 horror movies too many about religion and the church.

Continue reading →

“F.E.A.R.” (*1/2 out of four) was a joyless horror melodrama set in the future in which a terrifying pathogen has been released and one family (Marci Miller, Jason Tobias, Danny Ruiz, and others) have to fight to stay alive when an onslaught of zombies appear on the horizon and threaten their safety. Dour and grim story drifts through all-too-familiar terrain without much conviction or invention. Viewers would just as well watch an episode of “The Walking Dead” instead. Byetheway- the title stands for Forget Everything And Run which perhaps the cast and filmmakers should have taken to heart.

Continue reading →

“Sharks Of The Corn” (0 stars out of four) was an excruciating horror schlockfest set in a nowheresville town in Kentucky in which the small-town rednecks (Shannon Stockin, Ford Winstar, Steve Guyn, and others) are being besieged and mutilated by a group of sharks that somehow are able to exist and swarm in the midst of the cornfields. Some of the “sharks” look like hand-puppets with strings! Indescribably awful acting and filmmaking is matched by unwatchable special effects and horror scenes. So bad it’s almost worth a look for a few scenes but that is by no mean a recommendation. Official title is Steven Kang’s “Sharks Of The Corn.”

Continue reading →

“Escape To The Cove” (*1/2 out of four) was a banal horror thriller set in the not-too-distant future in which a pandemic has ravaged Earth and it has become overtaken by assorted criminals and zombies; one survivor (Garrett Barghash) meets another woman (Elisa Jannelle Alpizar) who vows to lead him to safety and serenity in a place called The Cove which has been untouched by this disturbia. Yet another movie set in the future that only rehashes ingredients from past movies. Film looks chintzy and lumbers and plods through all-too-familiar terrain. Eric Roberts has a minor throwaway role as a sleazy businessman; it’s about time he “escaped” from drivel like this and actually started rebuilding his career.

Continue reading →

“86 Melrose Avenue” (** out of four) was a jaded action melodrama about an ex-marine (Dade Elza) with intense PTSD who storms into an art gallery and takes hostages (Gary Sturm, Anastasia Antonia, Gregory Zarian, and others) while the police (Jim O’Heir and Terry Ivens) try to defuse and de-escalate the situation and subsequently uncover his true motivation and whether any of the hostages were actually involved in this. Well0-intentioned attempt at mixing a mental health melodrama with a police procedural and pulp action thriller but limited in its emotional power and thus never shifts into high gear; final third may remind you a little of “Inside Man” but sadly there’s no Denzel Washington here.

Continue reading →

“Saving My Daughter” (** out of four) was a suspenseless suspense thriller about a young girl (Emily Skinner) who once disappeared when she was a child and suddenly goes missing again while her parents (Alicia Leigh Willis and Robert Pralgo) try to keep themselves from unraveling while trying to sort out what really happened to her. Reasonably well-made and decently acted but lacking in any voltage of surprise or originality. Willis is strong as the girl’s strong-willed mother but is unable to “save” the proceedings.

Continue reading →

“Chasing Whiskey” (*** out of four) was an endearing documentary about the whiskey Jack Daniels and its history from being cultivated and designed in Lynchburg, Tennessee to being a multi-billion dollar empire and a cultural icon among multiple rock stars and celebrities which no other whiskey has been able to touch. Interesting look at how unique and iconoclastic Jack Daniels was- and still is- and how it remains to this day a source of pride for Tennessee and a lot of people in the entertainment industry. Features interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with prominent Jack drinkers such as Eric Church, Lemmy Kilmeister, Slash, Jimmy Page, etc. which definitely makes this a shot worth taking.

Continue reading →