“Murder, Lies, And Marriage” (** out of four) was a stale, synthetic suspense melodrama about a woman (Kelly Sullivan) wrongfully imprisoned for murder who is released and tries to reconnect with her daughter (Mia Romay) but then begins to suspect that her daughter’s father (Alex Trumble) and his new lover (Nadia Adelay) may have been the ones who framed and had her railroaded in the past. Just another prefabricated pretext for another connect-the-dots psychodrama. Glamorously shot by Patrice Lucien Crochet with exquisite lighting which provides film’s main highlight. Watch “Sex, Lies, And Videotape” again instead.

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“Untitled Home Invasion Project” (** out of four) was a strained comedy about an actor (Jason Biggs) who- in desperation to save his faltering marriage to his wife (Meaghan Rath)- stages a home invasion from various fellow actors but naturally things don’t go as planned. Lively and buoyant comedy is crammed with offbeat humor but not enough to sustain a feature-length film and starts to wear out after a while. Pleasant enough directorial debut from Biggs and certainly is influenced by his “American Pie” series.

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“Silent Night, Deadly Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a needless remake of the 1984 unwatchable mess that is somehow now regarded as a cult classic; once again a troubled young man (Rohan Campbell) witnesses his parents getting murdered by a killer in a Santa Claus outfit and it scars him for life and makes him grow up to be a psychopath on the loose. Incredibly- this is actually the second (!) remake after 2012’s far more stylish “Silent Night.” Loaded with terrible dialogue and unbearable attempts at black humor and irony.

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“Speed Faster” (** out of four) was a muddled “Fast And The Furious” wannabe about a street-car racer (Jason Park) and his crew (Christopher Deon, Luka Dingess, and others) who are forced into a high-stakes mission of underground espionage when they are threatened by a shadowy underworld operation. Lots of flashy cars and car chases but little coherence or character and story cohesion although it remains watchable if you’re not too demanding. Park also wrote, directed, co-produced, edited, and did the cinematography and gets an A for effort so hopefully he’ll be “faster” moving onto bigger-and-better things.

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“He’s Watching You” (*1/2 out of four) was a pretty awful horror hodgepodge hardly worth watching about a teenager (Gianna Decenzo) investigating a series of murders in his hometown who discovers some VHS tapes that could lead to the identity of the killer but finds that some of his friends (Elizabeth Yu, Kaya Rosenthal. and others) may be linked or involved. Ho-hum story plays like re-heated Wes Craven except he made fun of movies like this nearly 30 years ago in “Scream.” Even still, this won some acclaim and awards at the Nevermore Horror Festival in Durham, NC and the Telluride Festival in Colorado.

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“The Beldham” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a struggling new mother (Katie Parker) who learns there is a sinister and malevolent presence in her home with her parents (Corbin Bernsen and Patricia Heaton) and this soon threatens all of their safety and sanity. Yet another amalgam of story elements from “The Amityville Horror”, “The Shining”, and far too many others but without hardly any energy or conviction. Even the usually dynamic Bernsen can’t breathe much life into this one.

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“Ruthless Atonement” (*1/2 out of four) was a ruthlessly awful melodrama about a convict (A.D. Scott) who seeks revenge for his wrongful incarceration and the murder of his wife and son while he was in prison and vows to take on any adversaries and underworld foes, no matter the odds. Three directors are credited for this mess; Scott tries hard in the lead but he is no Mel Gibson and this is no “Payback”, despite obvious influences and story derivations. Watch “Ruthless People” again instead.

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“Bullet Rush” (** out of four) was a flashy but hollow action thriller about a narcotics detective (Leslie Sheri) who is transferred to Atlanata after a controversial drug bust; she then rekindles a relationship with her estranged sister (Ty Kruz) but soon finds that she is dating the drug kingpin (Dominique AXE) she and Atlanta PD are now pursuing! Stylishly made and directed and moves fast enough to be watchable but is let down by hackneyed and ordinary screenplay. Sheri (who is a dead ringer for Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes) is strong in the lead but this never quite provides the “rush” that it should.

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“Girls Night” (*1/2 out of four) was a clunky horror thriller about a family (Valeka Jessica, Anthony Applewhite, and others) who move into an upscale neighborhood and soon begin to sense that things there aren’t quite right and there is something creepy lurking beneath the picture-perfect surface and they have to unite to stay together and stay alive. Film obviously blends elements of “Blue Velvet” and “The Stepford Wives” with various social and cultural commentary but it’s a lumpy mix at best. George Clooney’s 2017 “Suburbicon” told a similar story with similar faults and weaknesses.

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“Dying To Be Famous” (*1/2 out of four) was a sour, stale suspense thriller about a popular social media influencer (Tami Roman) with a dark alternate personality who goes to extreme measures to ensure her fame all the while keeping her dark impulses (and psychoses) in check and maintaining a relationship with her philandering partner (Blue Kimble). Glamorously shot and made but loaded with plot holes and banal dialogue. Roman’s strong performance in the lead can’t keep this one from “dying” long before it’s 90 minutes are up.

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