May 14, 2020 “Driveways” (**1/2 out of four) was a moderately engaging drama about a lonesome young boy (Lucas Jaye) who accompanies his mother (Hong Chau) on a trip to clean to out his late aunt’s house but forms an unexpected friendship with the elderly retiree (Brian Dennehy) who lives next door which changes all their lives. One of the rare films that you wish was longer as some segments seem truncated and film’s ending is pat and abrupt but strong performances make it overall worth watching. Dennehy, in particular, is good in a role that reminds you what a dynamic character actor he was. Continue reading →
May 13, 2020 “Rev” (**1/2 out of four) was a better-than-average action melodrama about a young thief (Francesco Filice) arrested for grand theft auto who is offered a deal from a no-nonsense cop (Vivica Fox) to go undercover and infiltrate a criminal enterprise (headed by Sean Rey) of stolen cars and drugs but soon finds himself neck-deep in corruption, temptation, and life or death. Never fully detonates but holds its grip with its stylish direction and fast pacing. Owes an obvious debt to “The Fast And Furious” movies but better than most of its trashy imitations. Continue reading →
May 13, 2020 “The Insurrection” (* out of four) was an incoherent action melodrama about a billionaire C.E.O. (Wilma Eiles) of the world’s largest telecommunications company who is about to expose secrets about how the left-wing media uses movies to control and brainwash the masses; to ensure her survival, she hires a grizzled commando (Michael Pare) as her bodyguard but they encounter deceit and terror at every turn. Rambling and stupid movie generated some controversy due to its political overtones and viewpoints but don’t believe the hype. “The Simpsons” and “Beavis And Butthead” offer more intelligent (and entertaining) political material. Even the usually dependable Pare is stiff and lost here. Continue reading →
May 12, 2020 “Phantasmagoria 2: Labyrinth Of Blood” (0 out of four) was a staggeringly awful horror show with little to no plot or coherence about a series of ritualistic killings and murders and one woman (Rachel Audrey) tries to sort out whether this is real or whether this is all in her head. Don’t look for more story than that or much else. A sick movie that was made for freaks and masochists only. Even die-hard fans of the original should still avoid this like the coronavirus. Continue reading →
May 12, 2020 “Maternal Secrets” (** out of four) was a murky thriller about a U.S. Senator (Sean Stolzen) and his girlfriend (Kate Mansi) on vacation in Bermuda when he suddenly vanishes; the girl then runs into his bizarre mother (Kelly McGillis) on the island and begins to suspect she knows more about his disappearance than she’s letting on. Lots of twists and turns but little logic or plot continuity and even less to care about because the central mystery really isn’t all that intriguing. Try and see if you can recognize McGillis here, if you haven’t seen her in a while. Continue reading →
May 11, 2020 “Dragon Soldiers” (** out of four) was an underdone sci/fi action thriller about a deadly monster who lurks in a suburban forest and a group of elite soldiers (Tarkan Dospil, Motown Maurice, Dan Sinclair, and others) who enter the forest to exterminate it but quickly realize it may be scarier and more large-than-life than they imagined. Proficiently made and features some good camaraderie and dialogue between the soldiers but could have used more action and the dragon itself looks pretty cheesy. You may want to watch “Dragonheart” or one of its sequels instead. Continue reading →
May 11, 2020 “Greed” (** out of four) was an unwieldy horror thriller about two women (Darlene Tejeiro and Andrea Bogart) who steal a satchel of cash from a motorcycle gang who they are on the run from and then find out that an axe-wielding serial killer is on the loose who they have to hide from as well; meanwhile another criminal (Jason London) and a cop (Nathan Anderson) and a criminal psychologist (Fiona Loewi) all get involved and try to sort all this out. Throwback to grindhouse and drive-in cinema is amusing at times but uneven as a whole. Not bad but not exactly memorable either. Continue reading →
May 11, 2020 “Wretch” (* out of four) was a wretched movie about a recovering alcoholic (Martin L. Washington, Jr.) whose boyfriend (Kevin Medlin) is dying of cancer who goes off on a bender and turns to an eccentric self-help hippie (Shannon Conley) to master the occult magic of Enceladism to help his boyfriend recover and help him regain control of his life. Senseless and incoherent script and story is driven even further into the ground by ugly cinematography and shoddy filmmaking. Bad movies like these are enough to make anyone relapse and fall off the rails. Continue reading →
May 10, 2020 “Walkaway Joe” (** out of four) was a pleasant but minor character study about the relationship between a young boy (Julian Feder) and a wandering loner (David Straitharn) and how their need for comfort and companionship keeps them together even as fate and circumstance and the boy’s hustling father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) threaten to tear them apart. Good performances from Morgan and Straitharn as usual are undone by film’s meandering storyline and tedious pacing. There simply isn’t enough story here to maintain near two hours. Viewers should themselves “walkaway” from this and watch “Flesh And Bone” or “At Close Range” instead. Continue reading →
May 10, 2020 “The House On The Hill” (*1/2 out of four) was an ungainly melodrama about a woman (Samaire Armstrong) released from a mental hospital who goes back to her hometown to visit her brother but soon finds that he doesn’t exist and all traces of his existence have vanished. Is there a conspiracy at hand or is she losing her mind? Exploitative script and story about mental health disorders is juxtaposed onto a routine thriller framework and results are flat and weak. Director Nadeem Soumah previously told similar story just last year in “Who Stole My Daughter?” Continue reading →
