Monthly Archives: July 2021

Wow. Did not see THAT coming. The German hijacking thriller “Blood Red Sky” hides its hand so well early on that it’d be a shame to give much of that away. The surprises have a grim delight about them, the … Continue reading →

No Kyle. No Sting. No Lynch. This is not your Mom’s “Dune.” The third crack at Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic may be the one that delivers its desert planet pre George Lucas, its neo Arabic/Bedouin arid life in space novelty.

“The Five Rules of Success” is a compact, artful and blunt take on an ex-con’s life “outside,” re-entering a world tempered by violence and fraught with the perils of recidivism. Writer/director/cinematographer and co-editor Orson Oblowitz immerses us in a very-indie … Continue reading →

Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass co-wrote and co-star this September comedy (Morales directed) about a Spanish teacher and her semi-goof of a student. Geuss who plays which role? Hey, I laughed.

“Old” begins as mysterious, creepy and filled with the foreboding — that sense that some “gotcha” is coming — that is M. Night Shyamalan’s brand. Immaculate camera compositions, a beautiful but forbidding isolated beach location in a digitally-augmented Dominican Republic … Continue reading →

“Cosmic Sin” is a fine example of how much science fiction you can put on the screen these days, even after paying Frank Grillo and Bruce Willis took most of your budget. It’s not a “fine example” of anything else. … Continue reading →

Two couples pal up in Mexico, get awkward when they come back home. This is an August 27 “dumping ground” release. No wonder Cena is putting on his wrasslin’ togs again.

Maddie Hasson, Annabelle Wallis and Nichole Briana star in “Saw” man Wan’s latest “universe” expander and potential franchise, a Sept. 10 release.

“Kandisha” is not your run-of-the-mill demonic assault thriller. No movie that summons up a burka-clad Moroccan demon to avenge herself on toxic masculinity, that depicts animal sacrifice and an Imam performing an Islamic exorcism could be. Of course it’s French … Continue reading →

Kids grow up…so fast. Especially when they’re on the wrong beach without sunblock, or whatever the hell it is that’s aging them with or without SPF80.