April 7, 2018 “A Quiet Place” (*1/2 out of four) was a lifeless thriller about a family (Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds) who live in the woods in silence and hiding from mysterious creatures who hunt by sound. No one could accuse the filmmakers of deception in advertising because my God this movie is quiet (the entire film has virtually no dialogue) and, as a result, also forgettable and boring. A particular waste of Blunt who is given nothing to do. Some striking shots of upstate NY (it was filmed mostly in Herkimer and Ulster County) are film’s only virtues. Continue reading →
April 6, 2018 “American Bred” (** out of four) was a stale underworld melodrama set in Detroit in which one crime-syndicate family (Michael Lerner, Eva Tamargo, Andy Martin, Jesse Staccato) becomes unraveled by greed, jealousy, lust, and betrayal and they realize they have to set aside their differences and band together if they want to survive. Sleek cinematography and lots of violent action do their best to enliven tired and familiar storyline. This is the kind of movie Martin Scorcese and Brian De Palma could easily have made in their sleep. Continue reading →
April 5, 2018 “Toy Gun” (**1/2 out of four) was a scattershot but entertaining black comedy about a down-on-his-luck loser (Luke Allen Gale) who robs a bank with the title toy gun and seeks refuge and advice from his wisened neighbor (Anthony LaPaglia) while a burned-out police detective (Julian Sands) and the weaselly bank manager (John Hannah) are on his trail. Good cast and storytelling keep you watching as film bounces between dark comedy and an underworld melodrama but it never quite takes flight. Similar in style and story elements to Guy Ritchie’s “Lock, Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”. Continue reading →
April 4, 2018 “Relentless” (** out of four) was an earnest but empty melodrama about an American mother (Lauren Shaw) who searches for her daughter who was kidnapped by sex traffickers in Central America and turns to a local bounty hunter (David Castro) for help. Well-made and well-intentioned but covers awfully familiar ground about the sex-trafficking industry and never becomes fully gripping. For a more searing and powerful look at the same subject, watch last year’s “Trafficked” instead. Continue reading →
April 4, 2018 “Killing Joan” (* out of four) was a grindingly inept death-wish revenge thriller that does nothing but kill your time about a mob enforcer (Jamie Bernadette) who is double-crossed and left for dead and then enacts her revenge against the mob and those who betrayed her. Slapdash filmmaking and awful acting make this a chore to sit through and it goes on forever at nearly two hours. Strictly recommended for anyone who thought the recent “Death Wish” remake with Bruce Willis was not well-done. Continue reading →
April 3, 2018 “The Titan” (**1/2 out of four) was a diverting but derivative sci/fi melodrama about a military family (Sam Worthington and Taylor Schilling) who take part in a groundbreaking evolutionary experiment ran by a sinister army scientist (Tom Wilkinson) which naturally doesn’t go as planned. Too many ideas borrowed from other movies (“The Fly” especially) and takes too long to get going but film is creepy and stylish in parts and its unexpectedly touching final third makes this worthwhile. Worthington is first-rate as usual and has strong support from both Schilling and Wilkinson. Continue reading →
March 31, 2018 “Ready Player One” (***1/2 out of four) was a dazzling sci/fi adventure story in which the creator of a virtual reality game called OASIS dies and challenges all OASIS users (Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn and others) to find his Easter egg which will give the finder his massive fortune. Director Steven Spielberg floods you with imagination, creativity, and sparkling visual effects in a way that invites comparison to his earlier works of “E.T.” and “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” and is his most entertaining movie in years. Love those ’80’s songs and references also! Continue reading →
March 27, 2018 “A Wrinkle In Time” (** out of four) was a heavy-handed adaptation of Madeline Engle’s hugely popular 1962 novel about a young girl (Storm Reid) who is guided by three astral travelers (Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling) on a quest to find her long-lost father (Chris Pine) who disappeared years earlier after finding a new planet. Some magical moments are enhanced by strong cast but film never gels and never fully takes off. Fans of Engle’s novel might like this better; an odd starring vehicle for Winfrey. Continue reading →
March 24, 2018 “Pacific Rim: Uprising” (*** out of four) was a sweeping sequel to the 2013 original about the son of the previous film’s hero (John Boyega) who reunites with Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots against a new Kaiju robot who threatens worldwide destruction. At times, this often feels like outtakes from the “Transformers” movies but film is packed with so much wall-to-wall action and eye candy that it’s still entertaining just the same. Boyega is strong in the lead role even though this is practically the same role he played in the recent “Star Wars” entries. Continue reading →
March 23, 2018 “Inoperable” (*1/2 out of four) was an inoperably dumb and often disgusting horror thriller about a young woman (Danielle Harris) who awakens in a seemingly abandoned hospital as a hurricane is rapidly approaching which awakens malevolent spirits inside that threaten her and her sanity. Plenty of gore for those who want it but little in the way of originality or coherence. Harris is much better than the material. Can’t someone make a good horror movie that saves her from this junk? Continue reading →
