“Asteroid City” (** out of four) was a meandering melodrama set in an American desert town in 1955 in which the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer convention and the lives of many of the townsfolk (Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, and many others) are disrupted. Just a series of character vignettes that add up to nothing, like too many other of writer/director Wes Anderson’s works. With that cast, it’s easy to watch but equally as easy to forget and too much of the cast is left high-and-dry. This is director Anderson’s first work since his debut “Bottle Rocket” not to feature Bill Murray.

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“The Pregnancy Scheme” (** out of four) was a pretty illogical suspense melodrama about a woman (Greta Carews-Johns) who is newly single and loses her job and finds out she is pregnant and then receives some shady advice from a new friend (Ruth Bidner) who convinces her there is big money that can be made from positive pregnancy tests which puts her on slippery moral and financial grounds. Allegedly based on true events but contrived script and story complications make this ring false almost all the way. Carews-Johns’ sincere performance helps you overlook some story flaws but this still should have been aborted before it began.

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“The Story Of Nintendo” (**1/2 out of four) was an interesting documentary about the video-game revolution which started in the late 70’s and culminated in the capitalistic 80’s in which the game system Nintendo took over almost the entire market while continuing to battle it out with rival corporation Sega for the attention (and money) of millions as each one would try to outmaneuver the other for the remainder of the decade. An endearing look at a time many of us remember at the dawn of Nintendo’s arrival to the American marketplace and a vital artifact of the early-to-mid 80’s but still somewhat superficial and truncated as it doesn’t tell you all-that-much you probably don’t already know. “Running With Speed” and “Console Wars” were 2 additional documentaries on the same subject worth checking out.

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“Maggie Moore(s)” (** out of four) was a lumpy suspense comedy about a small-town police chief (Jon Hamm) who falls in love with and teams up with a nosy neighbor (Tina Fey) to solve a murder mystery involving two women with the same name but soon find that the roots of this are enmeshed in various lies and conspiracies within their town. Director John Slattery seems to be going for something in the vein of The Coen Bros’ “Blood Simple” and “Fargo” and is given a boost by the two likeable stars but never quite gells or takes wing. Slattery himself starred in a similar story in 2007’s “Reservation Road.”

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“Legend Of Hawes” (* out of four) was a cheapjack horror-western hybrid about the survivor (Emily Whitcomb) of a brutal attack from marauders who hires the disgraced drunken title gunman (Mike Markoff) to track them down and administer revenge. Lame attempt at mixing both genres and is completely bereft of scares or skill. Whitcomb resembles a young Olivia Wilde but all other resemblances end there. Long-lost ’80’s actor Richard Tyson plays a character here named Mister Tyson, if that shows you the level of imagination here.

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“Coyote” (** out of four) was a not-bad futuristic melodrama set in yet another dystopian future in which two women (Therica Wilson-Read and Borislava Stratieva) are in a forbidden love triangle and escape genocide through new transportation technology but become separated and in order to be reunited have to take part in an underground human-trafficking ring. Writer/director Dustin Curtis Murphy shows some impressive style and cool-to-the-touch directorial touches that hark back to early Stanley Kubrick but he’s hampered by a routine story and framework. By this point, there’s not to much in the movies of the future that we haven’t already seen in the past.

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“Devilreaux” (*1/2 out of four) was a ponderous psychodrama set in the 1800’s in which a group of slaves (Tony Todd, Vincent M. Ward, and others) are set off by a supernatural voodoo to kill off their masters and also each other until they can get to the root of their sinister and malicious urges. Director Thomas J. Churchill and co-writer/co-star Ward obviously have some social and allegorical points to make regarding historical drama and present society but they’re bludgeoned by film’s shapeless and molasses pacing. While it’s always great to see Todd again, he is wasted in a nondescript supporting role that only brings back memories of the similarly plotted and themed “Candyman 2: Farewell To The Flesh.”

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“Cannibal Cabin” (*1/2 out of four) was a strictly by-the-numbers horror dud about a group of friends (Harvey Almond, Jane Buckle, Sophie Fisher) on a road trip who take a detour and wind up in the lair of violent cannibals and have to fight to the death in order to escape and survive. Undernourished story full of predictable story elements, dumb dialogue, and uneven acting; it’s movies like this that make you realize what a masterwork the original “Wrong Turn” was and make you appreciate other movies like “Cabin Fever.” Film reunites some of the cast and crew of “The Ghosts Of Borley Rectory”.

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“The Wrath Of Becky” (** out of four) was a heavy-handed sequel to the 2020 cult hit showing the continuing adventures of the title character Becky (Lulu Wilson) who after escaping the violent attack from the previous film now finds herself up against a sadistic terrorist organization (led by Seann William Scott) and has to use her survival skills to take them down. Cheeky attitude and good visual sense of humor from directors Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote can only carry this so far, as film starts to seem thin as it descends into an ozone of violence and ugliness. Wilson’s enthusiastic performance helps keep this watchable and film will likely entertain fans of the original.

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“Extraction 2” (*** out of four) was a pulsating sequel to the 2020 Netflix smash about the return of Tyler Drake (Chris Helmsworth) who barely survived the last mission in Bangladesh and is called back into action for a new mission but finds that this may be more than meets the eye. Packed with the same international intrigue and explosive action as the original and highlighted by a spectacular single take 20-minute action sequence that will leave you in awe. Story wanes a little in the final third but is revved back up again for a solid finish. Third entry in the series is on its way.

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