The Whole Truth is more or less a Law & Order: SVU episode that somehow became a feature-length film. But even so, the acting, albeit nothing profound, was solid enough led way by Keanu Reeves and enough courtroom tension to make this a worthwhile watch.
Bad Day at Black Rock is a wonderful gem of a crime-drama featuring a fantastic cast from Spencer Tracy to Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin not to mention a taut screenplay and conspiratorial plot.
The Lair of the White Worm is a fun and uber-campy horror-comedy from the 1980s that might not be well written, even for camp, and could’ve used some tightening of the story, yet it’s hard to say it wasn’t at least entertaining.
Resident Evil: Afterlife isn’t a great film but does possess some entertainment value which is good considering the plot is incredibly thin as is the villain which was merely a knockoff of Mr. Anderson from The Matrix.
Poltergeist III actually has some interesting ideas and that, like its predecessor, wasn’t executed very well but as third movies go, especially in the horror genre, this wasn’t half bad with Heather O’Rourke, when she was in it, delivers a fine performance right alongside Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen.
Poltergeist II isn’t as good as the original, no surprise there, but there’s still some fun entertainment value amongst some truly creepy scenes even if the tone isn’t exactly consistent.
The Accountant is a well done, albeit short of greatness, suspense-thriller from director Gavin O’Connor featuring a great performance from Ben Affleck with honorable mention for J.K. Simmons.
I can’t say I was entirely disappointed in Keeping Up with the Joneses but for the talent they had, Galifianakis, Hamm and Fisher in particular, the script does them no justice with humor that doesn’t quite land and a thin plot that can’t compensate for the lack of laugh-out-loud jokes.
xXx now going on 15 years later still is as dumb and ridiculous as ever… and entertaining as all hell. The stunt work is rather impressive and while Vin Diesel may not be some thespian actor, movies like this and Fast and the Furious is right in his wheelhouse.
Cheesy and utterly dumb, Jack Frost still is a funny little fantasy-horror that might not be some classic, even by cult standards, but I did manage to laugh until the end with just how ridiculous the concept was.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back wasn’t quite an ill-advised sequel but it certainly was unnecessary. As someone who hasn’t read a single Lee Child novel, I never had a problem with Cruise’s casting but here this was a forgettable action-thriller that is worth a rental but nothing more.
Comes a Horseman is an oft forgotten western-thriller that features three amazing performances, particularly by Jason Robards, with beautiful cinematography from the late Gordon C. Willis (The Godfather Trilogy).
Panned by critics (29% on Rotten Tomatoes), Stanley & Iris rests almost entirely on the talent, and charms, of the two leads, Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, rather than the script. Fans of either of these legendary actors will get something out of this rom-melodrama.
The Monster isn’t terrible, not even close, but for horror fans might be disappointed especially how the movie was marketed. There are some fine performances for sure, though, especially by Zoe Kazan and the young Ella Bellentine, just a shame the script didn’t do them any favors.
Two for the Road is a charming little romantic drama featuring two charismatic leads in legendary actors Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney (when he didn’t mumble his lines like he had as of late).