Monthly Archives: April 2022

A grabber premise gets solid if not terribly affecting workout in “The Aviary,” a psychological thriller about two women escaping from a cult across the deserts of New Mexico. On foot, they’re putting distance between themselves and “The Aviary,” a … Continue reading →

The Limey prat piles on Disney. Way to buck up Dictator DeSantis, pal.

Telling its story out of order does nothing for the undercover cop investigating the Birmingham drug trade thriller “Bluff.” This indifferent cop-embeds-with-junkies-and-drug dealers tale is already saddled with colorless performances, banal dialogue, low energy villains and an overfamiliar story arc. … Continue reading →

“The Bad Guys” is a children’s version of a caper comedy, an “Ocean’s Eleven” featuring CUTE critters as criminals. It’s got cartoonish car chases and “Impossible” heist missions. And thanks to droll, cool crook voice work by Oscar winner Sam … Continue reading →

The premise is so crazy that it’s a wonder nobody’s attempted a “Weekend at Bernie’s” take on “Operation Mincemeat,” one of the cleverest bits of spycraft pulled off by the Brits during World War II. Morbid as the story might … Continue reading →

“The Inevitable Death of the Crab” is a low-heat Mexican thriller about the targets of an extortion threat. It builds from a first half of phone calls that grow more menacing every time somebody picks up — and mostly, they … Continue reading →

Apparently, thirty minutes were whacked off the Nigerian running time of “Man of God,” a slick Nigerian “Nollywood” tale of the abused son of an abusive “prophet” and popular TV preacher who spends years dabbling with religion, pursuing a music … Continue reading →

Hard to tell much more than the seedy milieu and mostly unknown cast from the trailer. This indie feature streams/downloads April 28.

The anime exception to the rule that “If you can tell a story more easily without animation, why animate?” is given a pretty serious test by “Pompo the Cinephile,” a movie about the magic of the movies. Sure, it was … Continue reading →

This is the first honest-to-Pete B- or C movie I’ve seen Butler in since his “Olympus Has Fallen” late leading man career bump. He’s not getting along with “the wife,” the wife disappears, “The Vanishing” style, at a convenience store. … Continue reading →