“The Puppetman” (*1/2 out of four) was a toothless horror story about a convicted killer (Zachary Le Vey) on death row for multiple murders who always claims he was possessed by the deadly spirit of The Puppetman when committing his murders; when his daughter (Alyson Gorske) is grown up, she begins to believe him and teams up with a seasoned detective (Michael Pare) to uncover the truth of this before it is too late. Routine and unpleasant story soon goes nowhere. Director Brandon Christensen said this was inspired by the Tom Jones song of the same name but “Release Me” and “Funny Familiar Forgotten” were more apt song titles to describe this.

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“Vindicta” (** out of four) was a self-indulgent, meaninglessly self-important serial-killer melodrama about a burned-out detective (Sean Astin) and new paramedic (Elena Kampouris) who attempt to stop a vicious serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. Director Sean McNamara obviously watched “Seven” a few times before filming this and film is watchable but too logy and overly familiar to have much resonance. Astin is miscast as a world-weary cop but Jeremy Piven livens things up in a key supporting role.

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“The Kill Room” (** out of four) was a wildly uneven action comedy that zig-zags from action to comedy to thriller and back again and keeps the audience off balance; a jaded hitman (Joe Manganiello), his boss (Samuel L. Jackson), and an art dealer (Uma Thurman) all get thrusted into a money-laundering scheme involving the criminal underworld and all of them start double-guessing and double-crossing one another. Enthusiastically performed by its strong cast but given that cast and its pedigree, this should have been more entertaining and more fun and it’s not. Film marks a reunion between Jackson and Thurman but does not have the adrenaline rush and sensation of “Pulp Fiction.”

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“How To Rob A Bank (And 10 Tips To Get Away With It”) (*1/2 out of four) was an inept action comedy that robs nearly 2 hours of your life about a slacker (Nick Stahl) and a bank employee (Erika Christensen) who become caught in the midst of a bank robbery and have to operate as the intermediaries between the bank robber (Gavin Rossdale), the master criminal (David Carradine), and the hostage negotiator (Terry Crews) outside. Utterly stupid and annoying movie goes nowhere slowly. Reminds you a little of “Inside Man” except that movie had much more tension and laughs. Made in 2007 and being released now but hasn’t exactly aged like fine wine.

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“V/H/S/85” (* out of four) was a dreadful continuation of this inexplicably popular series about a television documentary that unveils five horror tales about various serial killers, murderers, and other swell folks (James Ransone, Freddy Rodriguez, Kelli Garner, and others) and how they all try to psychologically and physically outsmart one another. For anyone keeping track, this is officially a direct sequel to “V/H/S (2012)” but who cares? Just like previous entries, it’s numbing, stupid, and pretty much devoid of any entertainment value. Horror movies actually made in 1985 had much better filmmaking (and acting) than this.

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“Ouija Witch” (*1/2 out of four) was a mean-spirited clunker about a young woman (Miley Rose) who is brutally assaulted and visits a mysterious shopkeeper (Sean Young) who helps her summon even more brutal revenge on her attackers. Lame attempt at horror and tongue-in-cheek comedy; not all that different from “The Craft” except that movie was made with style and flash almost 30 years ago. Young is wasted in a very minor role and by this point she needs more than a “ouija” board to resuscitate her stalled career.

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“Scary Tales: Dead Zone” (* out of four) was an abysmal horror show about a couple (Lorrie Godeck and Phil Godeck) who get lost on a drive and wind up stranded in the middle of the woods where (yawn) they enter a haunted house with a maniac (Mark Carter) and realize their lives are in jeopardy. Aptly titled timewaster is a complete dead zone for scares or thrills and looks cheap. Made ONLY for hard-core fans of the “Scary Tales” series, whomever they are.

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“Final Summer” (*1/2 out of four) was a limp pile of horror cliches about a group of camp counselors (Jenna Kohn, Seth Boyer, and others) who find themselves fighting for their lives against a masked killer and have to find a way to outsmart him and get out of the camp alive. Ridiculous rip-off of “Friday The 13th” (in case this story sounds at all familiar) right down to the casting of “Friday” alum Thom Matthews as a sheriff. Somehow, this won accolades at several independent horror festivals and critics but not this FB reviewer.

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“The Admirer” (** out of four) was a plastic suspense thriller about a woman (Roxanne McKee) whose life is turned upside down by a dangerous woman (Tina Casciani) from her past who has been harboring and obsessing over revenge for years. Yet another suspense thriller without much suspense or thrills and is thoroughly predictable. Glossy cinematography from Andrei and Andrey Andreev and decent acting keeps this watchable but there’s otherwise not much else to “admire” here.

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“Secrets In The Desert” (** out of four) was a hollow suspense thriller about a young couple (Kayleigh Ruller and Alex Trumble) whose car breaks down in the desert and when they initially separate and look for help, the woman finds that her boyfriend has gone missing and has vanished without a trace. Good-looking and decently acted but film lovers may notice that this is more-than-a-little reminicent (and ripping off) of “Breakdown” and also “The Vanishing.” By now, we’ve been through this “desert” a few too many times.

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