“The Silent Hour” (*** out of four) was a tensely done action melodrama about a hard-boiled cop (Joel Kinnaman) with hearing loss and a deaf witness (Sandra Mae Frank) to a murder who find they have only themselves to rely on as they have to outsmart a sinister conspiracy involving other cops (Mekhi Phifer, Mark Strong, and others) and thugs that are out to kill them. Sharply made and directed and has sturdy momentum and final 45 minutes will have you holding on tight. Strong and Phifer stand out as usual in strong supporting cast.

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“Bagman” (** out of four) was a not-bad horror thriller about a devoted father (Sam Claflin) whose childhood trauma and fear returns to haunt him and his family (Antonia Thomas and Carell Vincent Rhoden) in the form of the sinister title character (Will Davis) who wants them all terrorized and dead. Ultimately never transcends general and basic horror movie cliches and becomes more conventional as it goes along but is watchable throughout with good filmmaking and acting.

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“V/H/S/ Beyond” (** out of four) was a wearisome continuation of this never-ending series about six VHS tapes that are found and how this inflicts fear and punishment on many (Brian Baker, Trevor Dow, Gerry Eng, and others) who try to make sense of them and survive. Overlong and overdone like so many others in the series but in fairness this is one of the better entries, thanks to stylish direction and cinematography and some occasional scares. For those keeping track, this supposedly is a direct sequel to “V/H/S” from 2012.

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“Joker: Folie a Deux” (*1/2 out of four) was a terminally weird sequel to the 2019 original about Arthur Fleck/The Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) who is imprisoned at Arkham and awaiting trial for his crimes when he meets the love of his life in another inmate (Lady Gaga) as well as the music that will unlock his pain and set both of them free. Fans of the original (I wasn’t) may want to take a look but it’s awfully tough to take, with ridiculous musical montages and a story that is alternately bizarre and tedious. Phoenix is solid again and Gaga is strong but wasted.

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“Reunion From Hell 2” (*1/2 out of four) was a sorry slasher sequel about a clueless idiot (Hayden Newman) and his friends (Lisa Wilcox, Mark Patton, Danny Hassel, and others) who reunite and celebrate Christmas at a secluded cabin when (what else?) a homicidal maniac shows up uninvited and begins slashing them off one at a time. This is one reunion and sequel that the world could most definitely have done without even though it reunites 3 “Nightmare On Elm Street” alum (Wilcox, Patton, Hassel). Something tells me the third won’t be the charm for this unappetizing series.

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“The Killer’s Game” (**1/2 out of four) was a slickly done action melodrama about a hitman (Dave Bautista) diagnosed with a terminal illness who goes to another hitman (Ben Kingsley) to take out a hit on himself but when they also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella) he must swing back into action and save both of their lives. Somewhat similar in plot to this year’s “Knox Goes Away” but played more for high-level action and gunplay and moderately entertaining for what it is. Jason Statham was originally set to star in the lead.

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“Hounds Of War” (** out of four) was a predictable action potboiler about a a mercenary (Frank Grillo) who is the only one left alive from a group of renegades and has to enact revenge at a group of friends and family (Robert Patrick, Rhona Mitra, Mark Strange, and others) as he fights back to stay alive. Action, intrigue, and combat by-the-numbers in this routine programmer. Grillo adds some style as always but can play this role in his sleep by now and for that matter so can Patrick.

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“Slingshot” (** out of four) was a muffled suspense melodrama about an astronaut (Casey Affleck) who struggles to maintain his sanity aboard a space shuttle with other space travelers (Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham) on a trip to Saturn’s moon Titan as he finds himself gradually losing his grip on reality. Well-acted and stylish but hollow and hokey and never sufficiently delivers as a thriller or as a human drama. Fishburne seems to be more-or-less playing Morpheus all over again here. This sat on the shelf for 2 years after completion.

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“The Critic” (** out of four) was a disappointing melodrama set in 1934 London about a powerful film critic (Ian McKellen) who becomes embroiled in a duplicitous web of intrigue and murder in which he employs a young woman (Gemma Arterton) to seduce his boss (Mark Strong) who wrongfully terminated him from his job and destroyed his life. Doesn’t take off, despite the best efforts of a stellar cast. Film has some various points of intrigue and good atmosphere but never develops substantial momentum and thus never becomes fully involving.

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