Lake Placid is a fun horror-comedy, with more emphasis on humor, that might not be the best written flick but it’s a breezy enough 82-minutes of sarcastic one-liners and characters, albeit mostly on-dimensional, that you actually enjoy watching, especially a fouled-mouthed Betty White in a small yet pivotal role.
Parts Per Billion had a lot going for it including an impressive cast who, Frank Langella and Gena Rowlands especially, turn in fine performances it’s just that the story never quite gelled and some of the character’s actions were beyond dumb. But beyond that, it was a slow and honestly boring movie to plod through and there are plenty others with a similar plotline that are a lot better (see: Contagion and Perfect Sense).
“True Detective” is one hell of a series propelled with sharp writing, enough of mystery plot to keep one’s involvement and, most of all, incredible performances particularly from Matthew McConaughey who is yet again in top form and an amazing follow-up to his Oscar winning performance in Dallas Buyer’s Club and for this, he’ll be in the race for an Emmy.
The Birdcage is a wonderfully hilarious comedy headlined by Robin Williams and Nathan Lane and holds up as well today as it did some 10+ years ago when I last saw it.
Kissing Jessica Stein is a fun, quirky and charming romantic comedy starring two unknowns who both not only can write but aren’t bad actresses either sharing some good on-screen chemistry.
Small Time is an easygoing but still well made drama-comedy with great performances all around, but in particular Christopher Meloni, in his post-“Law & Order: SVU” career and Dean Norris of “Breaking Bad” fame having a good time.
The Motel Life is a somber but well acted drama headlined by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff who both work well together playing brothers. The writing is well done and it’s not your typical, run-of-the-mill film interjecting animation into the storytelling.
Alexander: The Ultimate Cut is supposed to be the final cut… the final FINAL cut, and even though I’m still not overly enamored with the film, I can appreciate the production and costume designs, some of the performances and the ambitiousness of the character and story.
Nobody is going to mistake Death Spa as the highest form even in the horror genre, but there’s something fun in the quirky low-budget fair between some respectable special effects and an ample amount of suspense amongst some of the cheesy story.
The Monkey’s Paw is a silly supernatural horror film that might take itself a bit too seriously for its own good yet it’s a watchable flick primarily for Stephen Lang’s performance.
RoboCop actually isn’t that bad of a movie and taken on its own, it’s at least enjoyable enough. However, unlike its 1987 counterpart, it’s unlikely to be remembered years from now and like Total Recall (a movie I actually liked), will be a mere footnote alongside so many other remakes and reboots. This one has a few things going for it from an eclectic cast to wonderful production design and cinematography.
Non-Stop might not re-write the manual on the suspense/thriller and the script seems culled from the 1990s, but it’s an enjoyable flick and another winner with Liam Neeson in the lead who has proven to be more than a capable action hero.
Son of God is a cheap money maker for the studio, re-cutting the popular “Bible” miniseries for a feature-length movie. What’s here is generally acceptable acting but more in line for television and some respectable production design although the visual effects aren’t anything great. It’s an inoffensive movie and isn’t terrible but also nothing I can recommend.
Endless Love actually isn’t a terrible film (not exactly the highest praise, I know) where the two leads at least have some good chemistry and Bruce Greenwood is a lot of fun even if his character becomes a caricature by the end. It’s the typical love story seen numerous time but it’s not all bad and at least watchable if not also safe and forgettable.
Sleepaway Camp might not be my favorite slasher, and generally I’m not a big fan of the genre anyway, but it’s got its moments even outside of the classic and shocking climax.