The Vault had an interesting enough premise and respectable cast led by Francesca Eastwood who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, alongside the always entertaining James Franco, but unfortunately was poorly executed.
Kin is a nice little drama-science fiction flick but is a victim of a bit of overreaction based on its initial trailer. That said, it is enjoyable enough even when you get a finale that felt like the end of the pilot episode.
Future World is just a poorly made copy of the much superior Mad Max: Fury Road, and even when accounting for a lesser budget, still was pretty bad which is unfortunate considering the cast, which were rather wasted (both in terms of talent and alcohol).
The 1996 version of Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? was certainly terrible but oh so entertaining especially the laugh-filled finale, along with the poor acting from beginning to end. I can’t quite say the same for the “re-imagining”
The Disaster Artist is quite the interesting insight into how The Room came into existence, though if you’re looking for answers as to who Tommy Wiseau actually is, you’ll walk away with many more questions than answers.
The only reason High School Lover, a Lifetime movie, received any notice, is because it stars an A-list(ish) actor in James Franco (he also executive produced), otherwise it’s just another bad made-for-TV flick that features some sub-par performances, Franco especially.
Queen of the Desert is a finely acted, especially on the part of Nicole Kidman, film about an important time in the Middle East, however it is slow plodding and can be trying to sit through, so I can’t really recommend this sadly.
Alien: Covenant had plenty of potential as it starts off well enough before taking a nosedive into derivative territory, filled with idiotic characters, and an utterly stupid finale.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn’t perfect but it is a fine way to reboot the series with a new trilogy, especially after the disastrous Tim Burton version. This addition actually gives the apes more character which will be furthered in the sequel.
Why Him? is certainly not very good but harmless enough and perhaps worth a watch if only for Bryan Cranston and even James Franco who at least were somewhat entertaining to behold as they both appeared to be having fun.
Wim Wenders’ character-driven drama wants to be emotional and weighty but fails in both regards. While the performances from McAdams and Croze weren’t bad, Franco seemed to be miscast though he still does enough to make for an amiable character. The screenplay could’ve used an extra draft however all in all, I still found Every Thing Will Be Fine to be satisfyingly above average.
True Story isn’t terrible but at its core, there wasn’t enough ‘there’ to make for a very interesting feature film. The performances I suppose weren’t terrible yet by the same token the odd relationship between Finkel and Longo never really did much or make any sort of emotional connection.
While well intentioned, The Color of Time is basically a student film, by Franco’s pupils, with high level actors filling the roles. The story isn’t that well written and all in all just not that interesting. The DVD released by Anchor Bay is very basic with no features and so-so video and audio transfers.
Good People tells the same story that has been done countless times before but does excel, albeit on a limited-basis, to a fine cast including James Franco, Kate Hudson and Tom Wilkinson, all three of whom do a good job while relative newcomer Omar Sy, to the U.S. anyway, is wasted with a cardboard cutout bad guy character laughably nicknamed Genghis Khan.
Homefront isn’t a great film yet still more than watchable fare especially for Statham who is on top of his game even if his character is more or less the same as we’ve seen before. The action is half-decent but the fights are tough and well done helping one ignore a messy plot and two-dimensional characters played by actors who probably deserved better.