“Suitable Flesh” (*1/2 out of four) was a ridiculous psychological thriller about a loony psychiatrist (a facelifted Heather Graham) who becomes intimately involved with one of her patients (Judah Lewis) which drives a further physical/emotional wedge between her and her husband (Jonathan Schaech) especially when she realizes that this patient is linked to an ancient and deadly curse. Good cast is wasted on a story that gets sillier with each scene and new plot twist and soon sputters and becomes laughable. Somehow, this is actually based on the H.P. Lovecraft story “The Thing On The Doorstep” and they should have left it there.

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“Rebroken” (*1/2 out of four) was a needless horror psychodrama about a grieving father (Scott Hamm Duenas) in recovery who receives mysterious messages from a stranger (Tobin Bell) which allows him to communicate with his deceased daughter but what at first seems like a miraculous and wondrous breakthrough turns out to have severe consequences. Exploitative and pretentious attempt to mix addiction and recovery into a suspense thriller mold with weak results. Bell (aka Jigsaw) is wasted and likely only cast for his name/poster value here.

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“A Town Full Of Ghosts” (** out of four) was a mostly empty horror melodrama about a couple (Andrew C. Fisher and Mandy Lee Rubio) who move into a supposed ghost town with visionary plans to restore it but soon find that it is full of deadly and dark secrets that threaten to tear them apart and anyone in their path. Unnecessary entry in the found-footage horror genre although final third (when film finally gets going) does provide some style and scares. Still, film only runs over an hour long and still seems padded and protracted.

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“Milli Vanilli” (*** out of four) was a piercing documentary about the legendary pop duo (Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan) and their rise from obscurity and poverty to almost-immediate international fame and wealth and abrupt crash when it was revealed they weren’t really the singers which later led to tragedy. A well-made look at the temptations (and trappings) of fame with candid interviews from Morvan himself and others involved in the scandal although not quite as powerful as VH1’s “Behind The Music” episode on them done years ago. Morvan’s recent live performance of “Blame It On The Rain” at the very end is one of film’s strongest moments.

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“Apocalypse Clown” (*1/2 out of four) was a tiresome comedy set in Ireland about a mysterious technological blackout that plunges the country into chaos; realizing that the end of the world may be near, a group of washed-up clowns (David Earl, Natalie Palamides, and others) travel the country for one last attempt at achieving their clown dreams. Good-natured but innocuous movie is a one-joke premise stretched well beyond its lengths at nearly two hours. Some good visual stylistics can’t save it. Even still, this won the Best Film Award at the Galway Film Festival this past summer.

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“The Quantum Devil” (** out of four) was a sketchily done horror thriller about a group of international scientists (Neil Dickson, Tyler Tackett, and others) who are summoned to a location in Europe to breach a quantum barrier and travel to another dimension but soon find that this has lethal effects on their psyche and stability. Shoddy and silly at first but starts to grow in intrigue as it goes along and does feature some psychedelic imagery and scares, just not enough to sustain a whole film.

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“Shrapnel” (** out of four) was a detached action melodrama about a former Marine (Jason Patric) and his former war buddy (Cam Gigandet) who team up to go after a Mexican drug cartel after the disappearance of his daughter but soon find that things are about to get really ugly on the sides of the border. Film has the requisite amount of gunplay and violence for genre fans but overcome by a sense of ennui and boredom. Typical one-note performances from Patric and Gigandet don’t help. Similar story to “Taken” and “Rambo: Last Blood” but not up to the artistry of either.

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“Old Dads” (** out of four) was an uneven comedy melodrama about three middle-aged dads (Bill Burr, Bobby Canavale, Bokeem Woodbine) who find themselves in the midst of a mid-life identity crisis as they try to balance work, parenting, and their ideals. Earnest and likeable performances from the three leads combat a very thin story and a script that varies from amusing to endearing to crude and dumb at times. Comedian Burr’s directorial debut and he also co-wrote and produced.

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“Parable” (*1/2 out of four) was a pointless, predictable horror thriller about a troubled preacher (Michael Richard) who accidentally summons an evil demon and has to try to keep it contained and controlled but there’s a group of friends (Carla Classe, Jan De Wet, and others) who are attempting to set it free. Umpteenth rip-off of “The Exorcist” covers all the expected bases (religious omens, loud shock effects, etc.) with no style and little skill. Somehow, this won some independent horror award festivals in New Orleans and Mexico City.

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“Cocaine Cougar” (* out of four) was amateur hour about a cougar high on cocaine who escapes an animal testing facility and wrecks havoc on all of Los Angeles while various residents (Dawna Lee Heising, Dustin Ferguson, Melissa Brasselle, and others) try to track him down and put an end to his reign of terror. Obviously inspired by the surprise success of “Cocaine Bear” (as if you couldn’t guess from its title) but this movie is even more crude and stupid. Three different directors are credited for this toothless mess.

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