“Nefarious” (* out of four) was a grating horror thriller about a convicted serial killer (Sean Patrick Flannery) who gets a psychiatric evaluation from a prison worker (Jordan Belfi) and claims to be (yawn) the spirit of the title demon who will curse the prison worker to commit a series of three murders on his own. The talented Flannery backfires horribly in the lead role in an unbearable performance that is irritating and over-the-top; the rest of the proceedings are static and stupid. Obviously inspired by “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Manhunter” but fans of those films would be better off having some fava beans and a nice chianti instead of this mess.

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“Mojave Diamonds” (**1/2 out of four) was a fast-paced if overbaked action thriller about a former MMA fighter (Donald Cerrone) and his family who must spring back into action when a dangerous mob boss (Quentin Jackson) kidnaps some of their family members leading to all Hell breaking loose along the Texas and Mexico border. Throwback to ’80’s action fare is packed with enough hand-to-hand combat and car chases to give action fans their money’s worth although it veers off the ramp into too much amorality and ugliness after a while. Film features 3 UFC heavyweights with Cerrone, Jackson, and Chael Sonnen.

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“The Last Deal” (*** out of four) was a solid underworld crime melodrama about a wealthy black-market marijuana dealer (Anthony Molinari) who finds his business and profits turned upside down with the legalization of marijuana and has to make one last score for himself and his family to get out and stay alive but multiple complications ensue. Timely and interesting storyline about marijuana’s legalization and its effects on dealers and also businesses is framed into a conventional pulp-crime story. Imperfect, as film becomes somewhat generic as it goes on, but kept on track by Molinari’s strong lead performance and good storytelling. This was shot guerilla-style with no film permits or sets.

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“Student Seduction” (** out of four) was a plastic teenage suspense melodrama about a high-school student (Cameron Cipolla) who joins a cheating ring in her school and then begins a torrid affair with her school coach (Cameron Stoddard) and then the mean-girl leader of the ring (Jazlyn Nicolette Sward) blackmails her and prevents her from leaving. Icky subject matter is sanitized into typical contrived thriller histrionics. Not the worst of its ilk but overall gets mediocre grades.

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“Fire Island” (*1/2 out of four) was a threadbare horror clunker about a group of friends (Jonathan Bennett, Connor Paolo, Kahyun Kim, and others) who go on a party getaway to Fire Island which soon spirals into a nightmare of sex, drugs, and murder and they need to uncover which one of them may be involved. Completely by-the-numbers story without much surprises or scares and turns laughable in its final third. Sad to see talented one-time “Mean Girls” co-star Bennett stuck in this timewaster.

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“Blackberry” (**1/2 out of four) was an intermittently interesting melodrama about the revolutionary development of the world’s first smartphone when the engineering geeks Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) joined forces with hotheaded multimillionaire Jim Basillie (Glenn Howerton) which resulted in a meteoric rise on the cusp of the technology boom and a catastrophic crash over the next decade. Uneven and doesn’t have the sustained sweep that a film like this needs as it’s held back by a certain aloofness but still holds you in its feverish grip as it takes you through one of the most important technological inventions of its time. Howerton’s powerhouse performance as Basillie makes this overall worthwhile.

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“Follow Her” (*1/2 out of four) was an unpleasant horror psychodrama about an aspiring actress (Dani Barker) who responds to a mysterious classified ad for an actress and finds herself initially entranced by the man (Luke Cook) she has met but soon realizes it is all part of an elaborate revenge fantasy that puts her physical and psychological mindset to the test. Plodding and predictable story grows increasingly lurid and bizarre until it self-destructs completely. Barker also wrote this but unfortunately there’s not much worth “following” here.

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“The Boogeyman” (*1/2 out of four) was a boring horror thriller about a young woman (Sophie Thatcher) and her younger sister (Vivien Lyra Blair) who start having the jitters when a supernatural presence starts overtaking them in their house and they can’t get their father (Chris Messina) to listen to them until it’s too late. Allegedly based on a short story by Stephen King and has no relation to previous “Boogeyman” movies but it’s reheated horror elements without much sizzle or juice. Film takes forever to get going but final third at least does provide a few (minor) jolts. Watch “Boogie Nights” again instead.

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“Padre Pio” (*1/2 out of four) was a ponderous religious melodrama set during the aftermath of WWII based on the true story of the title character Padre Pio (Shia Labeouf) who struggled with his own personal demons but summoned through them to unite his post-war village and attempt to bring them back to religious solidarity. Disappointing result for writer/director Abel Ferrara; while this is certainly in keeping with his past themes of Catholic guilt and redemption (“Bad Lieutenant”, “The Addiction”) it lacks those film’s visceral charge and passion and dramatic energy. Labeouf tries his best but is badly miscast in the lead.

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“Wolf Garden” (** out of four) was a torpid suspense psychodrama about a man (Wayne David) who goes into isolation following various tragedies he has gone through but becomes haunted by visions of the woman (Sian Altman) he loved and starts to become unhinged by a ravenous wolf in the nearby woods. Star/writer/director/co-producer David and cinematographer Ariel Artur definitely give their best but film is disconcertingly glum and inert. Too self-serious for a horror film and not incisive or dramatic enough for anything else. Watch “Wolf Creek” instead.

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