“Beauty And The Beast” (**1/2 out of four) was a respectable but uninspired live-action retelling of the classic Disney story about Belle (Emma Watson) going to find and rescue her father (Kevin Kline) and is subsequently imprisoned and falls in love with the beast (Dan Stevens). Enchanting story has good performances and delightful musical score but is weakened by costumes and sets that look cheap, despite the films hefty production budget. Adds some minor contemporary touches but lacks the magic and passion of the 1992 version and feels like a pointless remake. Fans of the story and kids should probably take a look but they should take a look at earlier versions first.

Continue reading →

“The Shack” (** out of four) was a mushy Christian-themed religious drama about a grieving father (Sam Worthington) whose daughter was recently murdered who receives an invitation from God (Octavia Spencer) to heal and rejuvenate at a holy ground called the Shack. Religious fundamentalists and hard-core Christian followers may find something more of merit here but it’s awfully heavy-handed and not all that moving. Glowing cinematography and Worthington and Spencer’s effortless charisma are bogged down in the corn.

Continue reading →

“Elle” (***1/2 out of four) was a fascinating psychodrama set in France about a successful businesswoman (Isabelle Huppert) who is viciously attacked and raped in her home which causes her to re-evaluate all the men in her life as she plays cat-and-mouse and tries to discover the actual attacker but adamantly refuses to report the incident to police or change her lifestyle. A lurid and sometimes disturbing look at the traumatic post-effects of being violated and sexually assaulted but it’s very well-told by director Paul Verhoeven and Huppert is absolutely sensational in the lead role in an Oscar-nominated performance. Not always easy to watch but very difficult to forget.

Continue reading →

“House Of VHS” (* out of four) was an excruciatingly low-grade horror thriller about six friends who get together in a French mansion and find an old VCR which they soon find out is cursed and leads to their demise. Cinematically, this is strictly amateur night in terms of acting and filmmaking. Worse, film offers no scares or thrills and is a real snooze. One would expect more irony in a horror movie whose main evil character is a VCR. Watch “House Of Cards” instead.

Continue reading →

“T2: Trainspotting” (***1/2 out of four) was an electric sequel to the 1996 cultural phenomenon picking up 20 years after the events of the original film as Renton (Ewan McGreggor) returns to Scotland and reunites with former pals Sick Boy (Ewan Bremner) and Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) while the psychopathic Begbie (Robert Carlyle) escapes from prison and comes after them for revenge. Director Danny Boyle ably duplicates the original’s fever-dream style and laces it with a razor-sharp script that is alternately funny, thrilling, and haunting at times. All four original cast members are terrific and recreate their chemistry from the original as they all transition into middle-age, with Bremner a standout this time around. What might have been a needless nostalgia trip turns out to be Boyle’s most entertaining film in years and a tribute and wild continuation of the original. Bullseye!

Continue reading →

“The Matchbreaker” (** out of four) was a smug, predictable wannabe romantic comedy about a romantic idealist (Wesley Elder) who is just fired from his job and soon begins a career as a professional “matchbreaker” in which he is hired to break up other’s relationships. Complications arise, when he naturally falls in love with one of his targets (Christina Grimmie). If you can’t guess what happens next, get a new hobby. No sparks or surprises whatsoever but made palatable by decent performances and able direction from Caleb Vetter.

Continue reading →

“Moontrap: Target Earth” (*1/2 out of four) was a dull sci/fi melodrama about an astronaut (Sarah Butler) who discovers a long-forgotten ancient spacecraft on Earth and then travels to the moon where she meets the various machines controlling the wisdom and well-being of society. Imagine either “Gravity” or “The Martian” without any of their soul or excitement and this is probably what you would wind up with, and the two robots at the climax seem ripped off from “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” Completely generic sci-fi story feels spit out of a computer.

Continue reading →

“Time Toys” (** out of four) was a juvenile time-travel adventure story about a group of middle-school brats who discover a chest of toys from the future which they soon realize can (yawn) save the world but their discovery is threatened from a sinister corporate madman (Greg Germann) who wants both them and the toys extinct. Only for very undemanding young kids who’ve never seen “Back To The Future” or even “Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Film’s best line comes at the end when a key character says “don’t see ‘Transformers 18’- it sucks” but he may as well have said the same thing about this trifle.

Continue reading →

“Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word” (** out of four) was a muddled supernatural thriller about a young man named Johnny Frank (Devin Bonnee) who is executed for a heinous crime he didn’t commit but leaves behind a curse letter which executes vengeance on all connected to his unfair trial and how the prosecuting attorney (Mike Doyle) tries to save himself and his family and resolve his own feelings of bitter guilt. Admirable attempt at a horror story mixed with an anecdote about the machinations of the criminal justice system is too silly and too routine to succeed as a whole. Doyle’s fine performance is a plus and makes this watchable.

Continue reading →