Category Archives: Reviews, previews, profiles and movie news

No other big names in the cast of this “That AI you have looks like Megan Fox” thriller. Sexy? Yes. But will this AI be bad right out of the box? Bet on it. “Subservience” opens Sept. 13.

An expertly shot and edited thriller built around a cringey/creepy performance by Josh Hartnett is undone by an indulgent father trying to make a pop starlet/actress out of his daughter in “Trap,” the latest from M. Night Shyamalan. Mr. Suspense-with-a-Twist … Continue reading →

The diplomatic thing to do would be to say the new film of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is misguided, dull and mostly humorless and leave it at that. It’s harmless enough, which is the bare minimum parents expect from … Continue reading →

I laughed more than once at the jaunty Taiwanese action farce “Breaking and Re-Entering.” It’s a jokey, violent and lighthearted collection of heist movie cliches rendered in caper comedy form. Certainly it’s an overreach when a character in this tale … Continue reading →

Most of us have heard of the “bagman” and what his role is in illicit actitivites — collecting the cash from the people being extorted, the ransom from those paying it, etc. Here he’s yet another mythic creature grabbing kiddies … Continue reading →

Here’s a gonzo, pull-out all the stops then TEAR OUT those stops martial arts “Gangs of New York” set in Hong Kong before the People’s Republicans moved in and ended to gang wars and spoiled all that cinematic fun. Sure … Continue reading →

“The Dead Don’t Hurt” is a simple revenge Western slowly teased out into rambling, meandering 129 minute saga by writer, director and star Viggo Mortensen. He and Kevin Costner must shop at the same saddlery. It can be cute, playful … Continue reading →

A murder mystery in The Islands? With a lot of cash in play? Traci Lords and Tim Black Nelson are in the ensemble. Don’t get your hopes up.  This one comes out on the dead zone dumping ground late August … Continue reading →

It’s a reflex reaction. You see an actress “putting it all out there” for a role — skin, simulated sex, violence and drug abuse. You remember how Hollywood burns through starlets, uses and misuses young actresses until many are “used … Continue reading →

“Detained” is a bloody-minded thriller of “The Usual Suspects” variety. There’s a crime scene with a lot of bodies, and somebody is going to need to explain how they got there, preferably in a series of long flashbacks. That’s the … Continue reading →