“The Fate Of The Furious” (***1/2 out of four) was an extravagant thrill machine which shows this is one of the rare series that gets bigger, bolder, and better as it goes along in entry #8. This time around, Vin Diesel goes rogue and turns against his team (Ludacris, The Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson) when he is blackmailed by a mysterious evil lady (Charlize Theron) to steal nuclear launch codes that could lead to the end of the world. Packed with the series usual eye-popping action scenes and stunts in Cuba, NYC, and Iceland, and features Kurt Russell’s best role in years and a welcome return for Jason Statham. Final hour will have you on the edge of your seat! Extremely well-directed by F. Gary Gray. Somewhere, Paul Walker is looking down and smiling.

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“Robot Wars” (*1/2 out of four) was a junky action-thriller set (yawn) in a dystopian near future in which a corporate heist goes wrong and the thieves struggle to escape with a massive stolen weapon all the while trying to stay alive and fend off brutal gangs and robotic death squads over an ugly landscape of urban hell. Utterly disposable thriller fittingly enough seems like it was made by robots and features endless parts and pieces from other (better) movies. Strictly for those who found any of the “Transformers” movies too subtle or intellectually challenging.

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“The Fast And The Fierce” (** out of four) was a mediocre action thriller that never manages to be as memorable as its title about a group of terrorists who plant a bomb aboard a commercial 747 plane and the passengers (Dominique Swain, Adrian Paul, Jason Tobias and others) must fight to keep the plane in the air and fend off the terrorists after realizing the plane will detonate if it dips below 800 feet! Nail-biting story with obvious echoes of 9/11 is reasonably fast-moving but hindered by weak acting and production values. Not bad but could have benefited from a higher budget and a more large-scale director like Ridley Scott or James Cameron.

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“Sam Was Here” (* out of four) was an ugly and boring horror thriller about a nerdy salesman named Sam (Rusty Joiner) who is stranded in the desert and you’ll feel stranded right along with him as he begins to go out of his mind with being isolated from the rest of society and then a deranged lunatic suddenly appears and repeatedly attempts to kill him. Even at only an hour and 15 minutes, this moves at a molasses pace and still feels prolonged. If you’re looking to kill time, this beats it to death slowly and painfully. Some pretty shots of the Mojave Desert are this film’s only asset.

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“The Discovery” (* out of four) was a dreadful science melodrama about a scientist (Robert Redford) who discovers the existence of the afterlife but this discovery leads to an alarming rise in suicides; then his well-meaning son (Jason Segal) falls in love with an unstable girl (Rooney Mara) who is contemplating suicide herself. Potentially interesting and lurid story is a real yawner instead and blatantly rips off some ideas and scenes from “Flatliners”. Even Redford’s effortless charisma can’t breathe much life into this one. A considerable waste of Redford, Mara, and Mary Steenburgen who is only in one scene!

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“Aftermath” (**1/2 out of four) was a moving story about a devoted family man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is devastated when his wife and children are killed in a plane crash and begins falling apart mentally and sets out to find and confront the air traffic controller (Scoot McNary) who he thinks was responsible. Not an action movie but a melodrama about one man’s healing and grieving and trying to move on with life. Sober and somber but somewhat limited in its emotional power. Schwarzenegger is good in a very unusual role for him.

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“Misfortune” (*1/2 out of four) was a misfired action melodrama about two criminal losers (Desmond Devenish and Xander Bailey) who travel through the Midwestern desert searching for a hidden family inheritance while trying to evade police and other various criminals who are looking for them. Unlikeable characters make this really hard to get involved in and hard to care about. Various character actors (Kevin Gage from “Heat”, Nick Mancuso from “Under Siege”) pop up in supporting roles reminding you of the right way to make this type of movie. Devenish directed and co-wrote also with co-star Bailey but they’re unlikely to find much fortune with this one.

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“Mine” (*** out of four) was a tense, jaggedly exciting melodrama about a soldier (Armie Hammer) who engages in a failed assassination attempt in the North African desert and then his foot becomes locked on a land mine that will go off if he moves and he is then trapped physically and psychologically as he recounts his life and fends for survival. Riveting movie is intensified by Hammer’s first-rate performance and harrowing story line which recalls “127 Hours” and “All Is Lost” involving one man’s isolated struggle against certain death. Starts to dissipate in the final third but a strong surprise and a solid showing for directors Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro.

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“Better Criminal” (** out of four) was a by-the-numbers underworld action thriller about a shady cop (Jordan Belfi) who is forced to work for two warring crime syndicates in an escalating and bloody battle all the while trying to stay alive, keep his identity a secret, and also stay one step ahead of an internal affairs investigation he is under. Moves fast enough to make it reasonably watchable but overall action fans would be best renting a “better” movie instead. Yet another underworld thriller that practically cries out for the dazzle and complexity of Martin Scorcese or Michael Mann. Belfi is underwhelming in the lead.

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