Oh the Drama
Oh the Horror
Keep Me in Suspense
Feels like Sci-Fi
Isn't it Romantic
So-called Comedies
Western Unions
Comic Book Heroes
Kid Stuff
Fact not Fiction
Cinema Fantastico (Subtitles)
Just Seen
Nightcrawler (2014) Jake Gyllenhaal is creepily compelling as a wide-eyed sociopath anxious to find a job; then one night he comes upon a grisly car accident and the camera crew filming it for the news, and finds his true calling instead. With a pulse pounding story & Rene Russo as his hungry editor, this was inspired film making. You will never look at the local news in the same way again. My grade: A Plus
Every Time I Die (2019)
Sam is a troubled young man; plagued with flashbacks of his sister’s
drowning when both were little, and now experiencing mysterious
blackouts. But after a violent attack from another man, he’ll awaken in a
friend’s body… again and again, until things are made right. This is
more than chilling suspense; it’s real feeling, thoughtful and quality
filmmaking. It’s not a happy movie, but it’s a gallant one. My grade: A
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Red
Sparrow (2018) Hobbled in an “accident” and desperate to take
care of her mother, Russian ballerina Jennifer Lawrence (wow!) joins an
espionage school where students are trained to use their bodies for Russian
intelligence. Her first assignment: a
CIA agent sent to stop an American traitor. Will Jennifer fall for him and switch sides? Ignore the mixed reviews, this was
provocative, dangerous, graphic—I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My grade: A-
Happy Hunting (2017)
Warren is a drug runner who wind ups in Bedford Flats, a dusty Texas
town near the Mexican border. He’s out of money and waiting for his
next run—and about to learn this town has an annual festival, where
outsiders are hunted as prey. This is a seriously underrated black gem.
Directed by Lou Gibson, it’s as stylish as it is ominous, with hints of
black humor, a terrific score and a take-it-or-leave-it way of
storytelling. It’s almost great. My grade: A-
Berlin Syndrome (2017) A
budding photographer, Clare travels to Berlin to study it’s
architecture and meets a German man her age, Andi. They’ll talk
buildings & books, go on a date and afterwards he invites her
upstairs for tea. When Clare says yes, Andi jokes he’s never going to let her leave. It turns out Andi is a man of his word in this moody, psychological thriller. This was quality stuff, but I still wanted a louder ending! (German-English) My grade: A-
Small Town Crime (2017) Mike is a drunk. He’s an ex-cop now
too, after his partner is killed while Mike was drinking on duty. So
when he finds the body of a young woman along the road, he’s going to
solve this case and maybe get his job back. What he both uncovers and
becomes is so much more in this first-rate, offbeat crime-thriller. A
couple sloppy shoot-outs, but such terrific characters here… I’d love to
see Mike in action again. My grade: A-
Remember (2016) Christopher
Plummer has dementia, Martin Landau is in a wheelchair & both
now live in a nursing home. But they are Auschwitz survivors too, and
Christopher (with the help of Martin's notes) will travel the country,
to find the Nazi who murdered their families 60 years ago. It
begins gentle & brave, but this is a quest for revenge, in a way
you never expected. My grade: A-
All is Lost (2014) Robert
Redford is enjoying his solitude at sea when a derelict metal shipping
trailer rips a hole in his hull. As he tries to repair the damage and
hours become days, supplies dwindle and his vesssel worsens. Now what?
There is no narration here, only a weary, frightened man alone with a
sinking boat. My grade: A-
Taken (2008) A young woman is randomly taken by sex traffickers while on vacation in
Paris; thankfully, her father just so happens to be a retired
international spy with a nice arsenal of weapons. A bit implausible (and
very brutal) but still smartly told--and Liam Neeson adds real soul. My grade: A-
Paranoid Park (2007) Gus
Van Sant's unconventional tale (haltingly narrated by the main
character) of a 16 year old skateboarder who accidentally kills someone,
and the secret toll it takes on him. A pale story, but brilliant
filmmaking. My grade: A-
The Ghost Writer (2010) Roman
Polanski (!) reminds us how "smart movies" can deliver real intrigue,
when Ewan McGregor is hired to write the British Prime Minister's
memoirs & comes across some chilling truths. My grade: A-
The
Neighbor (2018) Mike is middle-aged, quiet, friendly. When Alex & Jenna, a younger couple move
in next door, he watches them curiously. Especially Jenna. When she
befriends Mike and asks for yard advice, even better. Mike’s wife notices… so does Jenna’s
husband. When Jenna confides to Mike
she’s unhappy, his wife tells him not to get involved. Listen
to your wife, Mike. Too late, in this
tense, punishing drama. My grade: B
Plus
A Patch of Fog (2017)
Sandy is an author, a tv personality—and a shoplifter. Just little
things, but still… until he’s caught by Robert, a store security guard.
He agrees not to turn Sandy in if he’ll have a drink with him. Fine. And be his friend. “Turn me in then—it was just a pen!” “Oh no, Sandy. I have you on tape stealing LOTS of things.”
Let the friendship begin! And the blackmail & mind games too,
in this Irish thriller with a serves you right finish. My grade: B Plus
Dig Two Graves (2017) After
the drowning of her big brother Sean, young Jake (Jacqueline) is
approached by 3 backwoods men in her small rural town; they can bring
Sean back to life, in return for Jake doing an equally deadly deed. Okay, let’s stop—the critics got this right, but horror fans and other viewers didn’t. This isn’t a horror movie! It’s a thoughtful tale of adolescent loss, love and the lengths ones go in pursuit of vengeance. It’s a dark, surprising gem. My grade: B Plus
The Foreigner (2017) Jackie Chan is chilling as an inconsolable man after his daughter is
killed in an IRA bombing in London; he’ll demand answers, even going to
Ireland’s Prime Minister (Peirce Brosnan) who wearily waves him away,
he’s too important, too busy for this Chinaman. He’ll regret that, Chan
isn’t going anywhere—neither are the Brits, in this lean, cunning
thriller of 2 men’s anguish. It’s smartly told and I have new respect
for Chan & Brosnan. My grade: B Plus
Too Late (2016)
John Hawkes (don’t you love this guy?) is an old school private eye,
after the killers of a young woman. Who hired him? No one—yet. This
whodunit (and whydunit) is told in 8 chapters with fascinating
characters and real repartee, but not in the order you’d
expect. And yet somehow, the ending known, we’ll still get a surprising
conclusion. Written & directed by Dennis Hauck, it’s modern
film noir brightened with California sunshine. My grade: B Plus
The Lesson (2023)
An acclaimed writer and his wife hire Liam (Daryl McCormack), a
strikingly handsome English major and early novelist to tutor their son
Bertie to help get him in an Ivy league school. But the father has
recently completed his latest novel and is trying to pull Liam
into his things as well. Why? It’s a pretty dry suspense, but told
with real elegance and class; you shouldn’t mind sticking things out. My grade: B
Sharper (2023)
A bookstore owner. A student from NYU. A con man. A billionaire and
his fiance (John Lithgow, Julianne Moore). Their lives will intertwine
as one cons another, then is conned in return. Everyone’s a little too
clever for their own good, but it does make for some elaborate twists
and turns in this on-the-edge-of-being-a-B movie suspense flick. It
still beats anything with CGI at least! My grade: B 
The Menu (2022)
12 people will pay $1250 each to dine at an ultra-exclusive restaurant
on a remote island—but this will be REALLY different, as the head chef
(Ralph Fiennes) has gone mad and wants to go out with a bang. Hmm… I
don’t like to squirm or cringe, but I was expecting to here and didn’t. Interesting premise, lots of talent… but missing ingredients left me hungry for more. My grade: B
Deep Water (2022)
Ben Affleck has a sexy wife named Melinda who enjoys throwing
parties--and herself, at men. She likes it best when Ben is around, so
he can watch & fume. But her lovers always wind up disappearing,
is Ben killing them? Even their six year old daughter kids him—“it was
you, Dad.” Crikey! You’re not going to find many answers here,
but this is still compelling and a taut thriller. I loved the kid!
WATCH THE CREDITS. My grade: B
No Exit (2022)
Darby is en route to visit her mom at the hospital when a blizzard
halts her trip. Forced to pull into a visitor center, she’ll encounter 4
strangers also waiting out the storm—and a little girl gagged and tied
up in a van parked outside. What the—! This sleepy mystery will
escalate into a VERY violent thriller; I’m not a big fan of bloodshed,
but I must confess this grabbed my interest and held it with a clenched
fist until the end. My grade: B
Ice Road (2021)
When 26 miners are trapped underground from a methane explosion, only a
couple ice truckers are available to haul giant blasting caps on a
perilous journey—an angry Latino woman and Liam Neeson & his
mentally challenged brother. What they don’t know is, corrupt company
execs WANT them to fail. Liam, that’s your cue! A stark wnter
background, tense storyline and “TAKE THAT!” ending make this a
predictable but satisfying watch. My grade: B
Synchronic (2021)
A pair of paramedics are being run ragged by a boutique drug who leaves
its users bloodied, trampled, or dead. When one medic’s teenaged
daughter goes missing, the other has an idea why—impossible as it may
seem. He’s going to take a little trip, a synchronic one. It’s a dark
& murky mystery, but when the answers come, everything will suddenly
make strange, unreal sense. I’d love a sequel. My grade: B
The Vanished (2020) Shortly after arriving at an RV
campground, Anne Heche and her husband discover their 10 year old daughter is
missing. As the local sheriff and other
campers volunteer to help find her, Anne is frantic; what mother wouldn’t
be? But does that excuse an accidental
killing? And another? And another?
Oh my God, what’s going to make it stop?
The truth will... grim and insane as it may be. It’s strange, but original. My grade: B
Rent-A-Pal (2020)
David lives in his mother’s basement and is her caregiver as she
suffers from dementia. He’s lonely, but thanks to videocassettes and
his VCR, he’ll join a video dating service with high hopes. What
happens when the perfect woman comes along? He’ll ask his special pal
with canned responses, on an old videotape “Rent A Pal” in this creepy
sad retro thriller. This can't end well. My grade: B
Glass (2019) M. Night Shyamalan takes his emerging superhero & villain (Bruce Willis, Samuel Jackson) from Unbreakable, the multi-personality Beast (James MacAvoy) from Split (both
superb films) and locks all 3 in a mental institution, where a doctor
tries to convince them their ‘comic book origins’ aren’t real. It’s a
weird, wonderful story, sullied with a sorry finale. Your ‘comic books
are real, tell the world’ ham just doesn’t fly, M. Night. Grow up. My grade: B
Rust Creek (2019) En route to a job interview in DC, college
senior Lauren takes the backroads option via her GPS and winds up lost
on a Kentucky backroad. When 2 shady characters offer to help, she’ll
end up injured and lost in the woods. Her troubles are just
beginning—but so are theirs, the longer she stays missing. This is like
a well done ‘Movie of the Week’, but with a meth lab and one very nasty
blow-up. Whew--this is one tough little lady. My grade: B
Arctic (2019) Mads Mikkelsen is a survivalist, but he’s been
stranded in the Arctic with little but his wits. He survives by ice
fishing and using the hull of his crashed plane as shelter. Help will
come, but after they’re brought down in a storm like his, Mads will have
to make a life or death decision… while a polar bear watches from
afar. With virtually no dialogue, Mad’s eyes will have to tell the
story (which isn’t much to tell). It’s a noble watch still. I love
Mads. My grade: B
Goldstone (2018) Jay is long-haired, haggard… a drunk. “Are you a cop, Jay?” “Sometimes.”
Sent by the Crown to a remote desert community, he’s in search for a
missing Asian girl. But who & what would send her to the
Australian outback? Drugs, corruption, sex trafficking… and the more he
finds, the more they’ll do to get him out. The story is long, the
buildup slow… there will be justice, but not for all. Here, it’s like
the Wild West lives again. My grade: B
The Girl on the
Train (2016) Everyday, Rachel rides the commuter train to NYC and
stares forlornly at one house along its way; she lived there once, before her
drinking took it away. Her ex is still there, a second wife & child
now, Rachel drunkenly calls them sometimes. Leave us alone! And then one day she sees their nanny kissing
a strange man before going missing… this is one helluva soap, told with
real style & suspense. I couldn’t
turn away. My grade: B Plus
John Wick (2014) Keanu
Reeves was an assassin for the Russian Mafia, but that was 5 years
ago--he got out after marrying the girl of his dreams. But she recently
died and as he deals with his grief, thugs break into his home--beat
him, kill his dog, take his car. They didnt know who he was, but they
soon will. It's ultra-violent but you should've known that going in! My grade: B Plus for Blood
Creep (2014) Aaron
is a videographer hired to film "A Day in the Life of" a man with an
inoperable brain tumor, for his unborn son to someday see. But as quirky
& personable as his client is, Aaron can't help but feel a real
and growing unease... what's going on here? We'll find out soon enough,
in this low budget but masterfully done tale of suspense. There is mad
genius here. My grade: B Plus
Out of the Furnace (2013) Christian
Bale is a poor but honest mill worker in North Braddock, Pa--his
brother (Casey Affleck) is a kind-hearted but broken vet who can't seem
to stay out of trouble. So when Casey takes up bare-knuckle fighting
(run by a crazed Woody Harrelson), Christian decides to fight back.
Heavy-handed & grit galore, bettered by Bale's artistry. My grade: B Plus
Unsane
(2018) Sawyer is a jumpy woman… maybe it’s because
she moved 435 miles from family & friends for a new job, a new life. So when she decides to seek therapy she’s shocked to discover her
therapist has committed her. Wait—why?? The angrier she gets,
the more unstable she appears. And then
this: “Your male nurse—he’s the man who stalked me for 2 years, he’s who I’ve
been running from!” He is?? Crazy! Crazy-ass thriller!! My grade:
B
Calibre
(2018) When Marcus and Vaughn head to the Scottish
countryside for a wee bit o’ deer stalkin’, they become involved in a tragic
hunting accident. Do they contact the
local authorities or try to cover things up? They’re very much going to regret their decision when things go from bad
to so much worse in this disquieting story of deception & punishment. These scars will last a
lifetime. My grade: B
You Were Never Really Here (2018) Joaquin Phoenix defines ‘character actor’ as a thick, grizzled older
man with a tortured past of childhood abuse—he rescues underage girls
from sex-traffic rings now. But after saving a senator’s kid, men in
black come after him—why? Stunning in its camerawork, with little
dialogue and its violence muted, it’s so brief in story it’s more
film-short than movie. I felt frustrated, I really wanted this to be
more of what it is. My grade: B
Bad Match (2017)
Harris has got it made—he’s young, single, works in advertising—and
thanks to his phone’s Tinder app, hooks up with a LOT of one night
stands. But after one young woman won’t move on like the rest, he’ll
grumble to friends he’s in a real life Fatal Attraction; then the bad
things really start happening. He’s savvy, you’re savvy—and just
when you both think you got it all figured out… I’ll be damned, this
one even got me! My grade: B
Creep 2 (2017)
Mark Duplass returns as the enigmatic weirdo serial killer Aaron, who
places an ad for a videographer to “tape his life”. Enter Sara, a
wannabe viral video maker who applies for the job and soon realizes
she’s dealing with a real kook. But Sara is one cool cucumber, much to
Aaron’s dismay. His crazy is fun, but it lacks the "wow this is
demented" of the original. I was surprised some critics liked this
more. Oh well... you still can't turn away! My grade: B
Kidnap
(2017) Halle Berry is a single mom, raising her 6
year old son Frankie. (There’s a nice montage of home movies with him as a baby
at the start.) And then one day at a
local fair, he goes missing. She’ll spot
him—being loaded into an 80s Ford Mustang by a white trash couple! Snub the critics and get ready for 90 minutes
of nail-biting as they make their getaway and she tears after them, cuz Hell
hath no fury like a Halle behind the wheel! My grade: B
Wheelman (2017) Out of prison less than a year, he owes the mob for taking care of his
ex-wife & daughter. He’s their getaway driver now, and tonight
it’s for a pair of bank robbers. But while they’re inside, he gets a
call—“They’re going to kill you. After they put the money in the trunk, TAKE OFF.”
Aargh! He’s being set up, but by who? Here comes 90 minutes of
frantic calls and spinning wheels in this tense, jarring thrill-ride. Bam! My grade: B
The Immaculate Room (2022)
A couple is promised $5 million if they can last 50 days in a cavernous
white room with no windows, no tv—just a large white bed and all the
Ensure they can drink. Can they do it? They sure think so! There’s no
surprises here, it’s pretty much a mindset that some people have and
others don’t. It dragged a lot, but it’s quiet, positive ending really
saved this drama, for me at least. My grade: B-
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
In an idyllic 1950s suburb, men in suits kiss their beautiful wives
goodbye and head to the office. It’s nostalgia at it’s best, but after
one homemaker kills herself, Alice begins to grow suspicious; what’s wrong with this picture?
Plenty, Alice. There's a tricky truth to be found, but this movie gets
too artsy rather than just explain things—I had to google it
afterward. Ah, okay… got it. My grade: B-
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)
Casey is a lonely teen who spends her life in her bedroom on her
computer. She hears of a horror challenge to cut yourself, wipe your
blood on your screen and record what happens over the days. Soon, left
to her own devices… madness is afoot. This is one
teeny-budget-but-weirdly-compelling mental episode. My grade: B-
My Son (2021)
James McAvoy is an ‘absent father’ who returns home to Scotland when
his ex contacts him: their 7 year old son was kidnapped. Imagine the
worst it could be—yep, that’s it. It’s James torment & resolve to
find his boy that defines this picture, ‘cuz there’s no script—it’s all
improvised. It will become a nail biter before all is said & done,
still you’re left feeling a bigger story was at play but just fizzled
out. I’m left with some questions. My grade: B-
Sweet Girl (2021)
When his wife dies after her cancer drug is taken off the market, Jason
Momoa swears a vendetta against the company’s head honcho. His daughter
in tow, they’ll both chase and be chased out of Pittsburgh and back in
again. But things are not what they seem in this oh c’mon action
thriller. It's hard to swallow, but a twist boosts the movie’s grade—so
did filming in Pittsburgh, I recognized everything! My grade: B- 
Strange But True (2019)
A (very pregnant) young woman shows up at her former boyfriend’s house
and tells his mother she’s about to have her son Ronnie’s child. She
gets an angry, tearful response: GET OUT. Ronnie died in a car
accident 5 years ago, so how can this be? We can be so naïve, in this
sleepy tale that morphs into one despicable thriller. I was on the edge
of my seat for awhile there... and then I wasn’t. Moving on... My grade: B-
Serenity (2019)
Matthew McConaughey is the always broke captain of a small fishing
boat, who’s approached by his uber-wealthy ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) with a
proposition; take her crap husband fishing, push him overboard
& collect 10 million. Hm. While we all chew on that, Matt’s
about to learn this film noir is set in the Twilight Zone. Wait, what the—! Critics ravaged this for its out there twist, but if you can shrug & say ‘whatever’ it’ll keep you entertained! My grade: B-
Gemini Man (2019) 51 years old government
assassin Will Smith is ready to retire after his next hit. When he discovers his mark wasn’t a bad guy
and wants answers, the government decides he has to go too. Guess who they send? A younger him! Oh the critics barfed all over this—and while
it is predictable, egocentric and Freudian, hey it’s Will Smith and he’s a
likeable guy who works hard for his money.
It shows. My grade: B-
The Good Liar (2019) Ian McKellen can hardly
believe his good fortune when he meets Helen Mirren on a senior dating site;
he’ll get his hands on her money in no time!
But perhaps she’s onto him, in this crafty—stop. This isn’t at all what I was expecting, as
this con-game takes one dark turn and then another in an unforgiving,
never-forget thriller. I love these two,
but they're a tough watch here and not so tender. My grade: B-
Escape Room (2019) Six—six strangers come together for a chance
to win $10,000 if they can figure out the clues to break out of an
escape room! They can’t stop screaming and yelling! Just wait until
they learn each room they break out of takes them into another escape
room! And only one can survive! It’s an imaginative, sadistic mystery
(you won’t get bored) but the awful acting and hammy, gimmicky ending
means you won’t take it seriously either! Juvenile stuff! My grade: B-
Bad Samaritan (2018)
Sean is a valet at a posh restaurant who uses the opportunity to drive
to owners houses & rob them; but after entering one posh abode,
discovers a girl gagged & chained inside, eyes wide with
terror. Unable to free her, he’ll go the police, who find nothing—but
now, her captor is going to make Sean pay. Not suspenseful like it should be, I still liked Sean’s earnest fright and transformation when he saw that girl. There’s good in all of us. My grade: B-
Hold the Dark (2018) A young mother in a remote Alaskan area writes to an authority on wolves. “My
little boy was taken by a wolf. I don’t expect him to still be alive,
but could you come and kill the animal. My husband will be home from
the war soon and I need to give him something.” The writer comes,
but what he finds is darker; a husband who’s brought the war home with
him. Ominous, bloody… it’s superb filming, but why, why, why. My grade: B-
Message from the King (2018)
When Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) receives a call for help from his
sister, it will take 3 months to raise the money needed to fly from
Africa to the US; what he finds is brutal. When he demands answers from
the seedy crowd she was part of and gets nothing, the bicycle chain he
bought in a local hardware store should help. Gritty, violent &
unforgiving, I’ll still take Chadwick here as the anti-hero over the
superhero. My grade: B-
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Colin Farrell is a cardiologist, he and his wife (Nicole Kidman) and 2
kids live in a beautiful home. And then there’s Martin, a 16 year old
boy without a father, who feels Colin should marry his mom and be his
dad, or pay a debt owed in karma. Listen, this is an art house film and
will turn bloodied, tragic and give new meaning to the word surreal.
It’s such a compelling watch, but first throw all logic out the window.
My grade: B-
The Assignment (2017)
After hired hitman Frank Kitchen kills the drug czar brother of a
maniacal plastic surgeon (Sigourney Weaver), he’s abducted &
operated on—and awakens in a fleabag hotel as a woman! While she
(Michelle Rodriguez) goes on a killing spree to find the doc who did
this, Sigourney confesses all to a disbelieving doctor— why? Critics
pissed all over this, I’d like to piss all over them. This is one freaky film noir and I ate it up. Gritty, hammy stuff. My grade: B-
Delirium
(2018) Topher Grace is released from a mental
institution after 20 years, but on house arrest for 30 days. It’s a huge mansion, he’ll be alone—his mom
disappeared years ago, his dad recently committed suicide. It sure is a ridiculous set-up to justify
someone questioning their own sanity when things go bump in the castle… but
what he finds in the basement will bring the house down! It’s preposterous but campy thrills I guess! My grade: C Plus
Welcome Home (2018)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and his gorgeous wife Cassie rent a beautiful
villa in Italy to work on their marriage. Soon they are met and
charmed by a lusty, thick-lipped Italian named Federico who lives close
by in a hidden lair. He’s fallen in love with Cassie… and someone’s
about to die. Things sure speed up towards the end, but I don’t think
their story is over. My grade: C Plus
Black Butterfly (2017)
Antonio Banderas is a recluse, a once successful writer attempting a
comeback. On the way home from town, he offers a ride to a drifter,
even invites him to stay the night at his remote cabin. The stranger
wastes no time making himself useful; he’s going to help Antonio get his
career back on track whether he likes it or not. Great location
filming & a suspense that starts out strong, but wore out its
welcome with one too many gotchas. My grade: C Plus
24 Hours to Live (2017) After a botched assignment, military assassin Ethan Hawke is brought
back to life long enough to disclose the location of his target. But
after learning who his target was, decides (with his remaining hours) to
redeem his years of killing by saving him—even if it means killing a
hundred others instead! Turn off those thinking caps cuz this is just
guns, blowups & action ACTION ACTION. My grade: C Plus
All I See Is You (2017) Blind since childhood, Blake Lively relies on
her husband James for everything, from her clothes to life outside their
apt;
but when an eye operation partially restores her sight, her confidence
is restored as
well. New clothes, friends, an
adventurous spirit… James is missing her dependence on him more each
day. It’s a too stylish, complex story and yes I had to wiki its ending
afterwards, but I’ll still take this over a formula
‘thriller’ any day! My grade: B
Thumper (2017) In
a low rent neighborhood, Cat is the new student in school. She begins
circulating among the potheads and druggies, is mouthy, disheveled, the
loner type. She’s also an undercover narc--not there to bust kids but
to find who’s cooking for them. But nothing is black & white,
from the dealer’s scarred, angry life to Cat’s personal one, which has
fallen apart because of her career. Harsh, compelling, suspenseful. Good job. My grade: B
Atomic Blonde (2017) Set in the MTV ‘80s, Charlize Theron is a British spy sent to West
Berlin to retrieve a list of double agents before it falls into Russian
hands—then discovers someone told them she was coming. Get
ready, cuz she’s about to get her badass on as she bludgeons, stabs,
strangles and shoots to a classic 80's soundtrack. It’s gritty
& real, with one twist too many—but Charlize' spin on the
ultra-violence is a beautiful thing to watch. My grade: B
Emelie (2016)
When Dan & Joyce make plans to go out, Maggie (their regular
babysitter) isn’t available—but recommends her friend Anna. It doesn’t
take long for 3 little ones to realize something is very wrong, as
Anna’s games become meaner, creepier—like laying out their dad’s gun for
them to play with. Wait, why does her driver’s license say Emelie? Loaded with real suspense, but my God! Forget monsters, this is every parents worst nightmare. My grade: B
The Ones Below (2016) Justin & Katie are a thirtysomething London
couple, expecting their first child—and intrigued when the Bakers, a couple
similar to them (and also expecting) move into the flat below theirs. But soon the Bakers lose their baby, and as
time goes by, Katie suspects she’s losing her mind. Oh it’s a tidy little thriller, stylish &
soapy and predictable (though you’ll wish it wasn’t). To the victors go the spoils. My grade: B
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Michelle
awakens from a car accident in an elaborate underground bunker--with
John Goodman, who tells her the world as they knew it is gone. She
can't accept this, and as John's behavior becomes more erratic, she must
know the truth. What will she find? And how did this twisty thriller
surprise me given the online spoilers? Hide in a bunker until you've
seen it. My grade: B
The Shallows (2016) After
the death of her mother, Blake Lively (love her) travels to Mexico to
surf her mom's secret beach; what she doesn't know is that a dead whale
nearby has made the water a feeding ground for a great white shark. The
suspense is riveting, the imagery stunning and they didn't have to give
us such a satisfying ending but they did. I'm hooked, reel me in! My grade: B
Green Room (2016) A
punk rock band finally land a real gig, for a scary group of skinheads
& neo-Nazis. But when one of them sees too much, a massacre is
ordered--complete with guns, knives & pitbulls. Patrick
Stewart is surprisingly chilling, adding credence to this grisly
thriller as the tired, sinister property owner. "Kill them all so we
can clean up and go home." Ulp... My grade: B
Cop Car (2015)
When 2 ten year old boys find a police car in a cow pasture, they can’t
believe their good luck—they’ll poke it, explore it—and get up the
courage to test-drive it in the fields. Little do they know it belongs
to a corrupt, coked up sheriff (Kevin Bacon) who parked there while
disposing of a body. Ulp—between these boys putting their lives at risk
and not knowing Bacon's after them, this is one edge-of-your-seat
ride. These little boys make it real. My grade: B
Mr. Holmes (2015) In
the English countryside, a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen)
tends to his beekeeping, ruminates on his adventurous past (with his
housekeeper Laura Linney's eager little boy) and attempts to remember
his last case 30 years ago, and why it ended his career. A bit sad but
always dignified, Ian is wonderful to watch; there's always one more
mystery to solve. My grade: B
The Gift (2015) Jason
Bateman is of the glib sort, so he doesn't take things too seriously
when an old classmate from 25 years ago shows up, gift in hand, looking
to be friends. But Jason's wife is suspicious, and with good
reason--not for what she thinks though, in this smartly done, original
mystery. Stalker indeed; you will always reap what you sow. My grade: B
Secret in Their Eyes (2015) In
2002, Det. Julia Robert's college bound daughter was raped &
murdered, but the suspect was a snitch for the FBI who wanted him out on
the streets. He soon disappears. And now it's 13 years later, and
Julia's former partner thinks he's found him. Better than I expected,
but the truth knocked me for a loop. There is living for justice, and
then this. My grade: B
The Suicide Theory (2015) A
man covered with scars hires a hit-man to kill him. "Why don't you
just kill yourself?" "Look at me--you don't think I've tried?" And so
begins the journey of a killer and his prey, the first trying to learn
why he won't die, the other asking why he wants dead. It's a dark
and curious look at two unhappy lives... at least there seems to be an
answer for everything. My grade: B
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) Liam
Neeson is an ex-cop, leading a quiet life and attending AA meetings
when he's asked by another member to help his brother--a drug trafficker
who's wife has been kidnapped. Turns out it's much worse, in this very
dark, stylish thriller made all the more human just by having Liam in
the lead role. God I love this guy, someday I'm going to do a marathon
of all his movies. My grade: B
The Drop (2014) Bob
(Tom Hardy) is a quiet, guarded man, recently released from prison; he
lands a bartending gig at his cousin Marv's (Jame Gandolfini) gritty NYC
bar. He knows it's a mob front, but that ain't his
business y'know. But cousin Marv has big dreams, so now what Bob? More a
character study than crime thriller, we all have our own
interpretations of what's right. My grade: B
Gone Girl (2014) Based on Gillian Flynn's crazy bestseller, Ben Affleck is a man under fire when his wife goes missing
and the details of their eroded marriage come out. While impossible to
capture every detail in the book (making things feel rushed), they got
the ending just right, and manage to show us all the madness that
people--and the bloodthirsty media--are capable of. My grade: B
Hungry Hearts (2014) Jude
& Mina meet in a restaurant bathroom, laugh, fall in love,
marry. Soon Mina's pregnant, but as the fetus grows, so do her concerns
about toxins in the air and impurities in the food we eat. Jude thinks
it's just a phase, but after their baby is born, he'll have to make some
dire decisions; he loves his wife but she's starving their son. Well
done, but disquieting. My grade: B
Faults (2014) Ansel,
once a semi-famous 'cult deprogrammer', now leads a broken life giving
stale lectures at motels while pushing his self-published book. And then
one day he's approached by a couple eager to get their daughter back;
and slowly, this morphs from a black humored vehicle to a sly and
thought provoking thriller. Wait, what just happened?! My grade: B for Brainwashed :)
Proxy (2013) Esther
is pregnant and alone in the world, when she's attacked in an alley and
loses her baby. She joins a support group and meets a woman who lost
her husband & son to a drunk driver--or so she says. What will
Esther do when she finds out otherwise? Let the madness begin, in this
dark, troubling tale of suspense. My grade: B
The Harvest (2013) After
moving in with her rural grandparents, Mary Ann discovers a remote
house with a crippled boy inside, but is shooed away by his angry mom.
She returns, only to discover the very creepy secret deep within. Good
grief, why won't anyone believe this poor girl? It's a thriller tame
enough for the family hour, but the suspense satisfies just the same. My grade: B
Hours (2013) Paul
Walker (in one of his last, best roles) is the father of a newborn baby
girl; but his wife died during childbirth, the infant is in an
incubator and the hospital's being evacuated, because it's 2005 New
Orleans and Hurricane Katrira has just hit. And now the power's gone
too, in this tense one man show. My grade: B
The Call (2013) Halle
Berry is a 911 operator who's in for the ride of her life when she gets
a call from a girl in the trunk of a car--her kidnapper didn't know of
the spare phone in her back pocket. Tense and fast paced & well
told, right up until the sadistic end. Oh Hollywood, we're not all
monsters. My grade: B
Gangster Squad (2013) Based
on real events, Josh Brolin is a square-jawed cop in 1945 Los Angeles,
when he's asked to head a secret squad to take down gangster Mickey
Cohen (brutally played by Sean Penn). "This may not be paradise, but
it's still the City of Angels--light 'em up, boys!" A great cast sure
lights things up too. My grade: B
The Grey (2012) When Liam Neeson and his fellow oil-riggers' plane crash in the Alaskan
wilderness, it's a survival of the fittest as they battle the elements,
their own personal demons, and a pack of ravenous wolves on their
trail. "Once more into the fray... to live and die, in just one day." My grade: B
Donovan's Echo (2012) Danny
Glover returns to the house he shared with his wife & daughter
before they were killed in a car accident 30 years ago--and now begins
seeing current events unfold that parallel his long ago tragedy. What's
the reason? An intriguing mix of science and the paranormal, made all
the more earnest by Glover's heartfelt performance. My grade: B
Get The Gringo (2012) Mel
Gibson is a crook on the lam, when he and his car full of money smash
thru the fence bordering Mexico; now he's their problem. So what does he
do when he discovers the other side of the law is more corrupt than
him? Lots of wild stuff, if he wants to survive. My grade: B
Skyfall (2012) Daniel
Craig is back as a wounded but scrappier James Bond, in a global
adventure that finds 007 on the hunt for a former agent (Javier Bardem, I
love the man) who's intent on taking down the British Security Agency.
This had more smarts than style--well done. (And you too, Adele!) My grade: B
Unknown (2011) Surprising
suspense awaits Liam Neeson (and us) when he awakens from a 4 day coma
to discover another man has assumed his identity, and no one will
believe he's who he claims to be; not even his wife. Oh, I didn't see
this coming--good job. My grade: B
Contagion (2011) Gwyneth
Paltrow returns home from Hong Kong & promptly dies, becoming
'Patient Zero' in Steven Soderbergh's very real vision of a new
& deadly virus and how quickly things can spread--both
information and germs--in the 21st century. Good stuff, but the neat bow
made it feel like a tv movie. My grade: B
The Ledge (2011) A
man (Charlie Hunnam) stands on a ledge, ready to jump; but first he
must tell his story to Terrence Howard, the cop trying to talk him
down--who is dealing with a crisis of his own. How does Charlie's
religious neighbors (Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler) fit into all this? In
ways both tragic and soul searching. It's not the ending I was hoping
for, but it makes a good story an even better one. My grade: B
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Matthew McConaughey is in his A game as a sly defense lawyer in this
star-studded legal suspense where he's trapped into defending a possible
psychopath. With a smart script (and Marisa Tomei as his ex-wife), this
one's an open and shut winner. My grade: B
The Awakening (2011) Veddy
British suspense awaits in this ghost tale set in 1921, where famed
ghost dehunker Florence Cathcart is asked to investigate a sighting in a
boys boarding school. More suds than suspense, but the ambience and
realizations are absolutely first-rate. Stay sharp now. My grade: B
Killer Joe (2011) Whoa!
William Friedkin paints a bloody, graphic noir of a lowlife who hires
Matthew McConaughey to kill his mother for her life insurance; but when
he's unable to pay, Matt decides he'll take the guy's sister Dottie
instead. This is just about the most immoral family I've ever seen,
don't say I didn't warn you! My grade: B
Drive (2011) Ryan
Gosling is an enigma; a stuntcar driver, 'getaway driver for hire' and
loner in thie indie-style film noir where all is zen until he's
befriended by Carey Mulligan(!) and her young son. Alas, she's
married--to a man with a violent history who's being released from
prison in a week. My grade: B
Scalene (2011) Jakob
is a mentally challenged young man; Paige is his kindly caregiver.
Janice is Jakobs weary mother, bent on revenge when her son is taken
from her. Told with a Hitchcockian slant (the ending of the movie comes
first), we see there aren't always two sides to every story but three.
Oh it's an indie alright, but a smart & stylish one. My grade: B
Seeking Justice (2011) After
the violent assualt on his wife, Nicholas Cage is approached by a man
with an offer: "We know who did this & will take care of him--if
you want us to." He'll soon find himself in a 'Strangers on a Train'
setup but on a much bigger scale. Smart and suspenseful, Cage you got it
right this time. My grade: B
Take Shelter (2011) Michael
Shannon is an earnest man who begins having ominous visions of enormous
storm clouds & weird flocks of birds, and decides he must build
an underground shelter for his family--at all costs. A slight story,
but worth watching just for Shannon's portrayal of a troubled soul--he
was excellent. My grade: B
Buried (2010) Tense,
ambitious thriller with Ryan Reynolds as a truck driver in Iraq who is
ambushed and wakes up in a coffin buried deep underground with a lighter
and cellphone. If you're not claustrophobic now, you will be. My grade: B
The Town (2010) "More bank robbers come from Charlestown, MA than any place else in the
world." Ben Affleck is one & Jon Hamm (Mad Men) is the FBI
agent on his tail in this tough, smart story of thugs, their town
& what happens after one falls for the bank manager of their
recent heist. Ben (who also directed) delivers the goods. My grade: B
The Debt (2010) Set
in the 1990s, Helen Mirren is a retired Mossad agent forced to relive
her scarred past when confronted with the news that a Nazi doctor she
captured 30 years ago is still alive. (Jessica Chastain is terrific as
the younger Helen.) Suspenseful if you're patient, this is what
intelligent filmmaking's all about. My grade: B
Unstoppable (2010) It's
a tough, solid thrill ride when an unmanned train carrying a load of
chemicals hurtles towards Stanton, Pa; and only Denzel Washington
& Chris Pine (as an engineer and his trainee, on an adjoining
track) stand a chance of stopping it. I was impressed, this was good
stuff. My grade: B
All Good Things (2010) Murky,
compelling thriller based on supposed real life events; Kirsten Dunst
is a med student who marries into a wealthy (but shady) family in the
70s, only to disappear in 1982. Twenty years later when her case is
reopened, murders tied to her disturbed former husband (Ryan Gosling)
occur. My grade: B
Harry Brown (2009) Michael
Caine is an elderly widower, watching from his small flat as his
neighborhood is overrun with drug dealers and gangs. And when his best
mate is beaten & stabbed to death, he very quietly decides he
can't take things anymore. An engrossing thriller, but prepare for blood
and lots of it. My grade: B
Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Gerard Butler takes justice into his own mad hands when his wife
& daughter are murdered in a home invasion. How will Jamie Foxx
stop him? Over the top, but still a taut and gripping story. My grade: B
Angels & Demons (2009) Tom
Hanks reprises his role from 'The Da Vinci Code' in this lavish romp
thru history and religion, as a secret organization plans to destroy
Vatican City. Some smart twists better the story. My grade: B
Cracks (2009) Set
in a British boarding school for girls in 1934, the students are
enamored with Miss G, their "New Age" teacher--who in turn is enamored
with a new student, a Spanish girl of royalty who is quick to see their
teacher is a stone's throw from madness. Unfortunately, no one wants to
listen. My grade: B
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009) Taut
suspense with two methodical kidnappers, one steely heiress & a
dozen surprises throughout. This UK crime thriller was mean and
riveting from start to finish. My grade: B
Surveillance (2008) Creepy
whodunit of highway murders & a small-town's police dept being
interviewed by the FBI (Bill Pullman & he's never been better).
Cheri O'Teri adds to the weirdness here in a dark, somber role. My grade: B
Quantum of Solace (2008) Another slick "try to keep up as we hurl espionage & explosions
your way" installment in the Bond franchise. Great opening title song
& Daniel Craig is cool as beans but I miss the nifty gadgets. My grade: B
Transsiberian (2008) Woody Harrelson & Emily Mortimer on the tail-end of a tour of
Russia, riding the Transsiberian Rail--and woefully unprepared for the
intrigue soon coming their way. A nice surprise to see Ben Kingsley--he
elevates the story. My grade: B
Untraceable (2008) Diane
Lane as an FBI "cyber agent" in this taut thriller about a website that
shows it's victims being killed online--the more hits the site
receives, the faster the murder; & with today's technology,
completely believable. (I'd watch Diane hang wallpaper. She's superb.) My grade: B
Descent (2007) Rosario Dawson is a quiet, troubled academic who's life takes a
disturbing turn after a brutal rape--and what happens when the tables
are turned. Gripping, gripping. My grade: B
The Whole Truth (2016) Keanu
Reeves is in his element as a stonefaced attorney, defending
a tight-lipped 17 year old accused of killing his father. (My God, I didn’t even recognize Renee
Zellweger as the boy’s mom!) Truth &
justice may be the American way, and we’ll see them both, just not together in
this courtroom drama/murder mystery. That ending… I should’ve seen it coming. My grade: B
Imperium
(2016) When a shipment of
radioactive powder goes missing, seasoned FBI agent Toni Collette asks bookish
newbie Daniel Radcliffe to go undercover as a skinhead, suspecting a local
white supremacy group is making a dirty bomb. (Daniel plays both parts well.) From Klansmen to Neo-Nazis, he’ll encounter every facet of angry white
trash out there—along with some scary suburban surprises in this brief,
paranoid thriller. My grade: B
The Captive (2014) Ryan Reynolds picks up his 8
year old daughter Cass from ice skating, runs into a pie shop on the way home to
get dessert—and returns to find Cass has vanished, in Atom Egoyan’s stomach churning
story of child abductions. 8 years later
and still no trace of her—but now someone is torturing his wife by leaving trinkets from their daughter’s past. This got some blistering reviews, it’s not a pleasant watch; but it sure
as hell is a compelling one. My
grade: B
Kaleidoscope (2017) Carl (Toby Jones), a milquetoast
gardener out of prison for a year, has invited a girl from the pub to his
flat. He’s excited, then
notices a message on his phone. “Carl, this is your mother. I’m coming to London tomorrow...” No! Now the girl is gone, his mother is there and
a murderer is on the loose. What are we
watching? The workings of a tortured mind. There’s a why behind the madness, buried deep. Just a glimpse will be enough. My
grade: B-
Bullet Head (2017) After a safe robbing job, Adrien Brody and a miscast John Malkovich hole
up in a dusty warehouse, waiting for the coast to clear; little do they know
that trained pit-bulls fight below in grisly death-matches, and one angry,
tortured dog is on the hunt after disemboweling it’s owner. A slow start with a where’s-this-going
feel, but hang in there; this picks up
in the third act in a big, suspense-filled way. (Psst--Adrien Brody is excellent.) My
grade: B-
The Survivalist (2017) We
don’t know how the world has ended, but he lives in a remote shack in
the woods now, some rusty mementos and a tiny garden to keep him alive. And then a white-haired woman arrives with her teenage daughter, asking for food & shelter. He’s
wary, starving people roam the country now, ready to kill (like these
two who plan to kill him)—but his want for company will overcome
caution. Critics loved this; I appreciated it, but it just felt... very spare. My grade: B-
The Good Neighbor (2016) A
pair of teenage filmmakers have an idea; rig a house with hidden
cameras & remote devices, to see if they can convince someone
they're being haunted. Why not that miserable old man (James Caan) who
lives across the street? Reality will come crashing down on them, and
us too, in this slow moving suspense that was better than expected. It
had no business surprising anyone--but it did. My grade: B-
Mean Dreams (2016)
When Casey and her dad move to the property near Jonas’ family farm, a
lonely young man is smitten. When he learns she’s terrorized &
beaten by her criminal dad (Bill Paxton) and can’t get the law or his
uncaring parents to help, he and Casey will run away. But even with a
stolen bag of money from her dad, how far can they go? Scarily, not far
enough in this quiet, rural story with real suspense. The ending’s
pretty pat, but I was still glad to see it. My grade: B-
American Hangman (2019) Donald Sutherland and a random stranger
are abducted, put in chains & locked in a basement; an internet
camera is trained on them. Why? Because a trial will soon be held for
the death of an innocent man, and social media will deliver the
verdict. It’s low budget Canadian fare with generic acting and B-movie
suspense, but I’d say it’s worth watching for Sutherland alone. He’s
first class, always. My grade: C Plus
CAM (2018)
20 year old "Lola" has a successful webcam show where she cavorts in
her panties in a fuzzy pink bedroom while flirting with her middle-aged
male audience for tokens. And then one morning she discovers her
account has been stolen--by another Lola who looks exactly like her.
Who is she, and how does Lola get her identity back? I wish there was
an easy answer, in this weirdly sleazy, new wave techno-thriller. Did
this come from the future? Yikes. My grade: C Plus
Goat (2016) Attending the same college as his older
brother Brett, Brad pledges Brett’s fraternity; he’s friends with most of them
anyway. But
that’s all about to change once Hell Week starts and the hazing begins. What will it take for someone to step in and
say ENOUGH? Based on real hazing
accounts, it’s a hard look at the brutality that can occur when young men are
given license to torture. Brotherhood..
right. My grade: B-
Solace (2016) FBI agent Dean Morgan asks
retired friend & psychic Anthony Hopkins for help catching a serial
killer. He declines—until he meets
Dean’s partner (and has visions of her death). But he soon realizes he’s met his match as the killer is a psychic too,
cursed with visions of everyone’s futures; he’s killing for a reason. This got some poor reviews, storytelling using
flash images don't help—I don’t care. I like
Hopkins here, he makes it worth watching. My grade: B-
Backcountry (2015)
With promises of a beautiful hidden lake, Alex convinces his girlfriend
Jennie to go off trail on a long camping hike. Soon they're lost. Where's
our map Alex? I was too proud to bring it. Where's my cellphone
Alex? Uh... I took it from your backpack.before we left so we could be
alone. He'll regret those decisions, when a giant black bear finds them. It's a slow moving, nervous story until the final half hour--when the terror becomes very, very real. My grade: B-
Uncle John (2015) Two stories
are at play here: there's Ben, a kind, funny guy who's falling in love
with his beautiful coworker, and 2 hours away in his rural hometown, his
elderly uncle has just committed murder. They'll all come together at
some point, including the victim's brother, lookiing for answers--in
this quiet, quiet story told by honest, engrossing characters. My grade: B-
Side Effects (2013) When
a despondent woman turns to an earnest doctor (Jude Law) for treatment,
they have a wide assortment of antidepressants on the market to choose
from; can one of them help? Yes and no, depending on who you are in this
cool, complex mystery. My grade: B-
The Tall Man (2012) In
a poor mining town deep in the Washington forests, children are
disappearing and people whisper of 'The Tall Man'. So when Jessica Biels
little boy is taken, she won't rest until his safe return. But who's
the monster here, and who are the victims? A far-fetched story is
splendidly told & gives much to think about. My grade: B-
Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) Tom Cruise returns as agent Ethan Hunt in this third entry in the MI
franchise, when he must stop a madman from hijacking Soviet missiles and
starting a nuclear war. The story isn't original, but it's still a
slick movie & it has Cruise. I guess that's enough. My grade: B-
Wrecked (2011) Adrien
Brody awakens in a wrecked car in the middle of the woods, bloody
& injured, unsure of how he got there. As he frees himself from
the wreckage and crawls for days for help, he slowly pieces this puzzle
back together. Slow moving suspense, but it gets there! My grade: B-
The Perfect Host (2010) Stylish
chills await after a bank robber goes on the lam and cons his way into
David Hyde Pierce's modern home as a "friend of a friend". "Well, I'm
hosting a dinner party tonight... ok sure, come on in." You should've
turned yourself in, fella. One twist too many, but still a creepy caper.
My grade: B-
Dismissed
(2017) Lucas (Dylan Sprouse) is the new
kid in school; he’s well mannered and smart, a teacher’s dream. Too bad he’s
also the teenage version of little Rhoda from ‘The Bad Seed’, because he’s
about to cause some real misery for a couple students and his English teacher
when he doesn’t get the grade he thinks he deserves. Dylan is good here,
he’s worth the watch—but they should’ve drawn things out more and built up some
real suspense. My grade: C Plus
Unforgettable (2017) After escaping an abusive marriage, Rosario Dawson finds love again—too
bad her new, naïve husband comes with a scary, resentful ex white—I
mean ex-wife (Katherine Heigl). The critics trampled all over this
predictable tenserama, but sometimes you’re just in the mood for pretty
faces, pretty houses and a psychotic moment or two, right? My grade: C Plus
Bad
Day for the Cut (2017) Donal is a middle-aged Irishman who
lives with his ma, until the night he awakens to her muffled cries; he’ll
discover someone has caved her head in with a mantel clock. Why? He’ll know more when 2
masked thugs show up the following night to hang him. Vengeance begets vengeance and shows no signs
of stopping, even after everyone is dead. Bloody hell. My grade: C Plus
Old (2021)
Director M. Knight Shamalayan writes this awkward, amateurish story of
ten people invited to spend the day at a secret beach, only to learn
they’re trapped there—and something inexplicable is happening to all of
them. I like the Twilight Zone premise, but the “yeah karma” ending was
harder to swallow than that crazy beach! Very hammy, I didnt hate it
but don’t believe any great reviews. This movie doesn’t deserve any. My grade: C
Intrusion (2021)
Shortly after Henry & Meera move into their upscale desert home,
it’s broken into by a trio of burglars that Henry manages to
incapacitate. But something seems off to Meera and she’ll begin
snooping thru files in Henry’s office. What will she find? A secret
door for starters, in this pretty-to-look-at-but-generic thriller that
is anything but a thriller. It’s both a story and finish you’ve seen a
thousand times before. My grade: C
Fractured (2019)
On a long drive home from Thanksgiving with family, Ray &
Joanne’s little girl takes a bad fall at a gas station. He’ll rush them
to a nearby hospital, but things just don’t feel… right. Ray
will wait, wait some more.. and when he finally asks about his wife
& daughter, big surprise—there’s no record of them. What would you do? He does that and more—lots more, in this I-saw-it-coming-from-a-mile-away-but-still-tense-little thriller. My grade: C
Secret Obsession (2019)
We see a young woman in terror, running—from whom? After she’s hit by a
car, she wakes up in a hospital, bruised, bloodied with amnesia. A man
arrives and identifies her as his wife Jennifer. Don’t worry about your lost memories, baby. We’ll make new ones. The kitsch-factor is off the scale
in this “thriller” that dares you to take it seriously. Just enjoy the
slice of ham, you knew what you were getting when you saw that title! My grade: C
Deadly Switch (2019) Soon after college-girl Ana becomes friends with Monica, she begins getting menacing notes. "I’m watching you.”
Ana is convinced by Monica to come stay with her & her parents
for awhile… where Ana learns she’s a dead ringer for Camilla, Monica’s
dead sister. And the parents think that’s just dandy, in
this laughable “thriller” that wouldn’t pass muster as a 1977 Movie of
the Week. Stepford Wives should enjoy the tepid suspense. My grade: C
House of Deadly Secrets (2018) Shortly after Maggie and her daughter Ava move into a house she
intends to flip, she’s dismayed to learn the place has a checkered past;
a little girl who lived there disappeared in the 1970s, according to
her older neighbor Sylvia. Hey, didn’t Sylvia play little Rhoda in
1956’s “The Bad Seed”? Maybe the Hallmark Channel is making suspense movies now, with this tame, predictable thriller for the tapioca mindset. My grade: C
In Darkness (2018) When her upstairs neighbor Veronique jumps from her apartment window,
the police have questions; but Sofia (a blind pianist) has no answers...
or does she? She seems to know more than she is telling, from the dead
woman's war criminal father to her own connection to them. What a
shame--a head scratching Serbian backstory muddles what should have been
a stylish, provocative thriller. A beautiful production, but it lost
me. My grade: C
Us and Them (2017) Danny (of the younger working class) is brassed when he overhears a wealthy couple in his
pub. He’ll convince his pub-mates to follow these rich wanks to their
estate for some home invading—but where his mates just want loot, Danny
is declaring class warfare. It’s like Clockwork Orange, but
without Kubrick’s vision or McDowell’s ultra-violence. Just the anger
and resentment of poverty & youth, and things going very bad. My grade: C
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers (2023)
After moving to his wife’s rural hometown, Joe is excited to go deer
hunting for the first time. His wife asks him to wait until a hunter
with experience can tag along, but he wants to go now. A homeless man
Joe meets in the woods will soon change his life and not for the
better. This has an original, jarring score but groan… this drab drama
moves slower than molasses. My grade: C-
Blacklight (2022)
Liam Neeson is a fixer, who gathers up rogue FBI agents who went “too
undercover”. But after one agent insists they’re killing innocent
people, and then is killed himself shortly after, Liam goes after the
big man himself—the head of the FBI. This was poorly written and Liam
is old and it shows. I can see why this was a box office flop, this dud
was looking for success by riding Liam’s coattails. That rarely
works. My grade: C-
There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021)
As a group of misfit seniors wrestle with being misfits, a mystery
figure in a mask & hoodie slashes the bully quarterback, then the
(very) racist head cheerleader. Too bad for them. But now he’s going
after the sweet kid with a drug problem? I liked this less & less
as it neared the end, it’s for 17 year olds written by 17 year olds.
Also, the title is click-bait and waitaminute, it’s trying to be a feel
good movie too?? My grade: C-
The Commuter (2018) Liam Neeson is a businessman who rides the train daily into the city. And then one day on his trip home, he’s approached by a woman with a
strange offer. Find someone on the train named Prynne. Attach this tracker to their bag. Collect $100K. It’s a tempting offer… until he learns his wife & son will die
if he refuses. It's just too ridiculous a premise, both Liam's
character & this gimmicky plot will prove more trouble than
they’re worth. My grade: C-
The Eyes (2017)
Six strangers awaken with their arms tied behind their backs--where are
they, why are they here? As they shout & demand answers, an
ominous voice tells them they have one thing in common—and before the
night is through, only one will live. It’s a good premise, but the
hammy performances and cheeseball ending make this a noisy amateurish
bother. These people aren't the only ones asking why! My grade: C-
Every Secret Thing (2015) Seven
years ago, Alice & Ronnie kidnapped and accidentally killed a
baby. Tried as minors, the girls were released at the age of 18--and a 3
year old has now gone missing. Coincidence? This had Diane Lane,
Dakota Fanning & some early promise, before it tumbled out one
Bad Seed and a weak, jumbled storyline. It's watchable, but not
likeable. My grade: C-
Exam (2009) Eight
job applicants (for a supposedly very plum position) are contained in a
room, handed a slip of paper and told they have 80 minutes to answer
one question; trouble is, the paper's blank. So what's the question?
It's a psychological test alright, but boy a far-fetched one; these
blokes are ready to do whatever it takes! My grade: C-
Them/They (2022) From the award winning director of Gladiator & Hugo
comes this campy flop of a group of gay and transgendered 20somethings
sent to gay conversion camp, run by a phony-nice Kevin Bacon. I
wouldn’t worry too much about these “kids”, there’s a slasher who's
going after the right people—the camp’s creepy staff. Made exclusively
for Peacock, this was lame—and almost terrible! My grade: D
Aftermath (2021)
Their young marriage on the rocks, Kevin & Natalie buy a modern new
home at a great price (as the previous owners died in a
murder/suicide). Soon things go bump in the night. Is it haunted? Of
course not, someone is sneaking in or living in the attic. This is a
VERY POOR SOAP WITH VERY BAD ACTORS. Don’t believe anything positive
you read about this movie, it’s almost awful and a dumb waste of time. My grade: D
Hidden in Plain Sight (2019)
In Lifetime City, Katie meets & falls for Nick—one shady
character. After learning she’s pregnant and Nick is bad news, she
escapes to Hallmark Town, becomes Annie and has Danny. And now, 8 years
later, Nick has found them and has taken her son… good grief, this is
downright pitiful. I’ve seen better drama and suspense on Dr. Phil.
But if you’re looking for something bland, predictable and generic as
they come… My grade: D
Twinsanity (2018)
The week before Celeste & Leann are set to open a snazzy yoga
studio, their mom dies—and Celeste decides to seek a more spiritual path
by joining a hippie yoga commune. Leann is livid, what’s a frightened,
materialistic & half-baked twin to do? Stab people, of
course! This is just terrible. It could’ve been half watchable if one
of these twins were worth watching, but all we get is crazy eyes or Ohmms… I feel gypped. My grade: D
Seven in Heaven (2018) While
at a party, Jude & June play a game where they’re forced into a
closet for 7 minutes to make out. When they emerge, everything's the
same but... different. Friends are strangers, strangers are enemies. Where are they?
Hmm… what began with an intriguing idea gets progressively lamer as
the two try to return to their normal. So many questions, but why
ask...it’s not worth the bother. My grade: D
Dark Places (2015)
25 years after she testified her brother killed their mother &
sisters, Charlize Theron needs money; the funds she received as a little
girl are gone. She sullenly agrees to be a paid guest at a ‘True
Crime’ club (who’s fascinated with her family’s mass murder) and for
more money, will revisit her dark past… Hm. I read the book this was
based on (Gillian Flynn’s follow-up to Gone Girl) but it’s a complex story, and this was hurried, trashy, silly. My grade: D
Cut Bank (2015) John
Malkovich, Bruce Dern & Billy Bob Thornton take a break from
acting to appear in this humdrum 'Coen film wannabe' about a sleepy
midwest town, a dumb blonde trying to win 'Miss Cut Bank' and her dumber
boyfriend plotting a phony murder to collect a 100K Federal reward. I've seen worse, but this snoozefest was still a waste of time. My grade: D, D & D
Left Behind (2014) Nicholas
Cage is an airline pilot 'with an eye for the ladies', en route to
London when in the blink of an eye--millions of people disappear,
leaving puddles of clothing behind. Holy crap it's the rapture! Nick's
low on fuel and no one's answering his frantic calls to guide him
in--how will he land his plane full of heathens? "It looks like the end
of the world!" "And sadly, it's just the beginning." Christ, c'mon! My grade: D
Enemy (2013) Jake
Gyllenhaal's a moody professor with a moody home and moody girlfriend.
One night while watching a rented movie, he sees an actor who looks
exactly like himself. Who is this man? He must know. He's Anthony, a
third rate actor and sex addict. Is he really a twin, or another life of
Jake's? Don't ask, it just gets artsy-fartsier from there. My grade: D
Man on a Ledge (2012) Standard
yarn about an ex-cop framed for a crime he didn't commit, escapes from
prison and plants himself on the ledge outside the hotel he's holed up
in. Why? Gimmicky, outdated reasons. Predictable from start to finish,
this felt more like a 1992 movie on the USA Channel then anything else.
Most misleading movie poster ever! My grade: D
Trespass (2011) Nicholas
Cage and Nicole Kidman are terrorized by masked thugs who invade their
luxurious home, demanding all sorts of things--diamonds, cash, even a
kidney. Cage screams and resists, the thugs say "this is your last
chance" and beat him. Rinse and repeat. I like a good home invasion as
much as the next fella, but this was a confusing, dramatic spectacle. My grade: D
Salt (2010) Angelina Jolie is a badass CIA agent branded Russian spy branded double
agent branded ??? in this big, dumb spy adventure where everyone gets
shot or blown up for being or not being who they're supposed to be.
Well, it had lots of stunts. My grade: D
Disquiet (2023)
After a horrific car accident, Sam awakens in an abandoned hospital,
terrorized by a crazed old man. Soon there are other menacing figures,
and patients like himself too. He’ll bash, smash and crash his way to…
what? We get it, the hospital is a metaphor for life, death… not even
it knows. This was 1 hour and 23 minutes of utter nonsense. The worst
thriller I’ve ever seen. My grade: F
47 Meters Down (2017) On vacation in Mexico,
sisters Kate & Lisa decide to see sharks up close by donning scuba gear and
going underwater in a shark cage. “We’ll lower you about 5 meters into the
water…” Down they go… SNAP! It’s a pretty original set-up for a shark
movie, and visually striking too, but I was hoping for some real anger &
terror here… there’s only so much ‘why did we decide to do this’ crying one can
take! My grade: Sea Plus
The Watcher (2016) Noah
& Emma are excited to move into their first home, but the
happiness doesn't last when they begin receiving creepy messages to get
out before it's too late. But they have zero savings, a missing realtor
and now Emma's hair is falling out... what next? Its a whodunit
alright, but just when you think you've got things figured out... wait. They're not about to let this go until they get you. My grade: C Plus
Don't Breathe (2016) A
trio of teens who burglarize houses hear about the perfect score--a
disabled vet supposedly sitting on 300K in his run-down home. "Dude he's blind! Isn't robbing the blind effed up?"
Yep! Everyone gets what's coming to them in this dark & bloody
watch of bad things happening to bad people--but when that vet
approached a screaming girl with a turkey baster... alright, that will
be quite enough! My grade: C Plus
The Invitation (2015) Will
& his girlfriend Kira are invited to his ex-wife Eden's
spacious home in the LA canyons, for a dinner with all of their mutual
friends. There's wine and laughter, but everyone is bathed in amber and
shadows. "This doesn't feel right to me" says Will. You're not alone. The hills are dotted with red lanterns tonight, and soon the mayhem
will begin. My grade: C Plus
The Dark Sea (2015) Jude
Law is a beaten down, retired submarine captain who gets wind of a
possible fortune on the ocean floor; a sunken Nazi U-boat, filled with
Soviet gold. Sadly, he gathers the worst crew possible to go in search
for it. It's predictable suspense from start to finish, but who doesn't
love submarines? As for Jude, he just gets better with age. My grade: C Plus
The Barber (2015) A
young man comes into town looking for the local barber--"I know who you
are, a serial killer!" The barber (Glenn Scott) wearily tells him no,
he was exonerated 20 years ago. Doesn't matter, he now has a protege.
But just who is fooling who, in this thriller that starts out strong
before tiring itself out. Tack on a mildly satisfying ending and let's
wrap it up, boys. My grade: C Plus
Red Lights (2012) Sigorney
Weaver and her partner are scientists who specialize in debunking
paranormal phenomena. So when the world-reknown Silver (Robert DeNiro)
comes out of a 30 year retirement--the media heralds his return!
Thousands cheer! We have to prove this guy's a fraud, Sigorney, we have
to! Why? He's just a psychic. Wait for it... My grade: C Plus
The Box (2009) Set
in 1976, Cameron Diaz & her husband are given a black box by a
mysterious stranger; he tells them if they press the button on top,
they'll receive one million dollars--but someone they don't know will
die. Compelling watching with no real answers, this one's straight out
of the X-Files. My grade: C Plus
In Her Skin (2009) Based
on a true story, Rachel is an attractive Aussie teen that goes
missing--and Caroline is her former neighbor, a heavyset, older misfit
that never stopped resenting her. A compelling story but still campy,
this is Muriel's Wedding without the happy ending. My grade: C Plus
AfterLife (2009) Macabre
suspense awaits Christina Ricci when she awakens in a funeral home
& is told she was killed in an auto accident--by a mortician
(Liam Neeson) who claims he can talk to the dead. Ignore the critics
& just enjoy this for what it is! My grade: C Plus
American Fable
(2016) Gitty is your typical 11 year old, living with her parents,
older brother & best friend (a chicken) on their little farm; but it’s
1982, there’s a farming crisis & they’re struggling. And then one day while exploring, she
discovers an abandoned silo and a man in a suit trapped inside, begging for
release. Gitty has some tough decisions to make in this disquieting, almost dreamlike suspense story. My grade: C Plus
The
Beguiled (2017) In this remake of the 1971 Clint Eastwood
film, Colin Farrell is a wounded Yankee soldier found in the woods behind a
Virginia school for girls during the Civil War and brought in for mending. Seen
as their enemy at first, the girls & their headmistresses
(Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman) begin warming to him; a little too so, as
things take a dark turn. (Literally, as most of the movie is too dark to see anything!) Rent the original, it’s an
A. My grade: C
Exposed (2017)
While detective Keanu Reeves searches for his partner’s killer (against
his precinct’s wishes—they don’t want the cop’s corruption &
depravity exposed), Isabel (a young Dominican woman) is having
mysterious visions—and worried for a little girl she fears is being
abused. Somehow, their stories will connect. Critics roasted this, it’s subplots go nowhere and confuse things. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I won’t fail it. Isabel still captured me. My grade: C
Desolation
(2017) After the death of her husband, Abby, her
friend Jen & sullen 13 year old son Sam go on a camping trip to scatter his
ashes. They’ll laugh, cry, reminisce…
hey, where’d that dusty backpack come from? They’ll soon discover a man in dark clothes & glasses has been
following them—and quiet terror lies dead ahead. It’s brief but frightening enough. Let the healing begin. My grade: C
Hush (2016) Maddie
washes dishes while her friend Sara bangs on the window behind her
pleading for help; she's being stabbed to death by a man in a white
mask. Maddie can't hear a thing, she's deaf--and this maniac's next
target. It's lean, mean horror (I like the scene where she 'talks' to
herself) and we know how it's going to end, but we've gotta wade thru a
lot of blood first. My grade: C
Before I Go to Sleep (2014) 10
years ago, Nicole Kidman suffered severe brain trauma; now she awakens
each morning next to a stranger who explains he's her husband, shows her
their wedding album & goes to work. But recently her doctor
gave her a camera to keep a video diary, and as the entries build she
begins to piece together some scary truths. I have a feeling I'm gonna
forget this mild thriller by tomorrow. My grade: C
Honeymoon (2014) Paul
& Bea are a pair of fun, randy newlyweds spending their
honeymoon at a summer cottage by the lake. Things are great--until Bea
becomes moody, distant. What is she writing in that notebook? My name is Bea. I'm married to Paul. We live in Brooklyn. Uh-oh.. Paul, you should've taken Bea's advice to get lost in this slow-burner terror tale. My grade: C
Two Step (2014) When
young James discovers his grandma (and only relative) has died, he
moves back home and into her house. But what are these messages on her
answering machine? "Hi Grams, it's James--are you there?" They're not
from him--but he's about to find out who left them, in this tense but
quietly told bloody drama. Someone's gonna pay, and then pay some more. My grade: C
The Living (2014) After
Teddy beats his wife Holly in a drunken rage, he vows to stop drinking
and never harm her again. But Holly's milquetoast brother doesn't
believe him, and hires a hitman to take care of Teddy. Violence never
solves anything, as Holly's brother is about to learn--again and again
and again. An indie film noir that's slow as molasses, but you'll finish
it alright. My grade: C
White Bird in a Blizzard (2014) Shailene Woodley is a sulky 17 year old who comes home from school one
day to discover her mom has left her & her dad. So what, Mom was
a bitter, unhappy drunk who flirted with Shailene's boyfriend anyway.
But as the years pass, hard memories tend to soften... what happened to
her mom? What we did--and didn't expect. My grade: C
Non-Stop (2014) Liam
Neeson is a Federal Air Marshal on a flight to London, when he begins
receiving text messages on his phone: "Every 20 minutes someone on this
plane is going to die". Why? And who's sending 'em? Spring into action,
Liam! Hey, there's Julianne Moore--we could use another famous face, can
you play a concerned passenger? Action! My grade: C
The Calling (2014) Susan
Sarandon is a hardened Canadian detective on the hunt for a serial
killer; the clues he leaves behind are mysterious enough... is he even
leaving them on purpose? It's a tidy little thriller with Ellen Burstyn,
Donald Sutherland & hey, there's Topher Grace. "Everyone
deserves a second chance" says the killer. Apparently Canadian
filmmakers agree. My grade: C
The East (2013) Brit
Marling is terrific as a private agent who goes undercover to
infiltrate an eco-terrorist group who goes after large corporations
(that make unsafe drugs or pollute the water) to give them a taste of
their own medicine. She can't condone their violent methods, but she's
identifying with their cause more and more--and falling in love with
their leader. My grade: C
Blue Ruin (2013) Dwight
leads a scruffy life in his rusted car, away from society. But when he
discovers the murderer of his parents was released from prison, he
decides he'll kill him. Problem is, things don't go as planned--how can
he make things right in this bloody feud? Waitaminute, Eve Plumb is the
murderer's hillbilly sister? Wow! My grade: C
Scenic Route (2013) Mitchell
& Carter are two old friends in the middle of an argument when
their truck breaks down in the California desert; things were hot under
the collar before, now they're roasting. This starts out amateurish, but
gets better--with an ending to surprise us all. (Or does it?) Have a
glass of water handy. My grade: C
Oldboy (2013) Spike
Lee's needless remake (of the 2003 Korean original) has Josh Brolin as a
drunken lout, kidnapped on his way home and locked in a hidden motel
room for 20 years--only to awaken one morning freed, not knowing his
captors or why he was imprisoned. The answers aren't easy ones in this
improbable tale of revenge. My grade: C (My grade for the original: A)
Blindsided (2013) Sara
comes home from the store to the apt she shares with her boyfriend, not
knowing there's a body lying on their kitchen floor--she's blind.
Unfortunately, the killer hasn't left the scene of the crime. So what
does he want? No surprises here, in this surprisingly un-original
thriller that has some Michael Keaton, at least. My grade: C
Assault on Wall Street (2013) Jim's
your average joe--until his wife gets cancer and their insurance
refuses further treatments. Their life savings is gone too, thanks to a
shady brokerage firm who claim he owes them instead. His pay is
garnished, his home foreclosed... do you see where this is headed? No
suit will be spared, in this redneck fantasy against the white-collar
elite. My grade: C
Phantom (2013) Set during the Cold War, Ed Harris is a worn Soviet captain ready for
retirement when he's sent to sea in an old diesel submarine, on a final
mission. B-movie suspense awaits when he discovers there are rogue KGB
officers aboard--with their own agenda for war. A flat story and poor
directing don't help this picture, but dammit Ed gave it his all. My grade: C
Gone (2012) Amanda Seyfried returns to the house she shares with her sister to find
her missing; trouble is, the cops don't believe her as Amanda claimed
to be abducted herself the year before (which was never proven). She'll
show them. A predictable little farce, but revenge sure is sweet. My grade: C
End of Watch (2012) Jake
Gyllenhaal is a police officer & film student, filming himself
and his likable Mexican partner on patrol in South Central LA for a film
class. Meanwhile, a Hispanic gang war is brewing in the streets... it's
just another day in the life of a cop. I sure do miss you, Adam-12. My grade: C
On the Ice (2011) In
a tribal Alaskan village, two Iñupiaq teens are accidentally involved
in a friends death; when they try to cover it up because of Qalli's
history with the law, they soon discover that guilt and a very
inquisitive father isn't going to make things easy on them. My grade: C
Leave (2011) A
man experiences a recurring nightmare of an intruder in his home,
attacking him with a knife; he later discovers his brother is alive,
after disappearing 21 years ago. What's the connection? A predictable
but thoughtful one in this B-movie suspense tale. Just enjoy this for
what it is. My grade: C
Enter Nowhere (2011) Three
twentysomethings find themselves in a shed in the woods, how did they
get there? And do they have something in common? Oh boy do they--and if
you're 25 or younger and have never seen the Twilight Zone, then this is
new to you. Why, she is--and he is--yep. My grade: C
Boy Wonder (2010) Sean
Donovan is a quiet teen, but full of rage (and steroids); after seeing
his mom brutally murdered as a child & growing up with an
abusive dad, he's more than anxious to come after the lowlifes in this
world--no matter who they turn out to be. A good premise, but... it
needed more. My grade: C
The Book of Eli (2010) Denzel
Washington is a man on a mission, traveling across a sepia-toned,
post-apocalyptic landscape to deliver the last remaining King James
Bible to what's left of humanity. Will he complete his 30 year journey?
Not if Gary Oldman can help it. My grade: C
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) Denzel Washington & John Travolta in this remake of the 70's
film of a NYC train taken for ransom. A fun ride in places, but lacked
the grit of the original. My grade: C
Chloe (2009) Atom
Egoyan's steamy tale of a woman (Julianne Moore) who hires a young
prostitute to 'test' husband Liam Neeson's fidelity. Quality actors and
filmmaking deserve a better story. My grade: C
Cleaner (2007) Samuel
L. Jackson is a retired cop, single dad and now a crime scene cleaner
in this somewhat stale yarn of police corruption and coverups. I pretty
much lost interest halfway through, but it's still worth watching if
you're a Jackson fan. My grade: C
Shooter (2007) Mark Wahlberg is an expert marksman coaxed out of retirement to help
stop an asassination, only to get set up for the crime. Implausible
storyline & one dimensional characters still put on a helluva
show. My grade: C
Money Monster (2016) When a disgruntled New Yawker loses 60K in
the stock market, it’s off to cable news network’s stock-picker show “Money
Monster” to take host George Clooney hostage until he gets some answers. But then what? He doesn’t know and we don’t really care,
with this unlikeable story and unlikeable cast (except for Julia Roberts who’s
safe in the production booth). Oh Jodie
Foster… you can direct better than this. My grade: C-
13 Cameras (2016)
Ryan & Claire are a young expecting couple who have found the
perfect house--even if their landlord Gerald is a smelly, grimy grunge.
Little do they know he has the house wired with secret cameras, and
when Ryan begins bringing home a sexy coworker when Claire is away,
Gerald has seen enough--now its his turn. Boring, one dimensional
characters and no surprises--none. It all leads to one godawful grim
ending. Ugh! My grade: C-
