Director Jesse V. Johnson has directed action movies that are more than respectable. He understands the advantage of working with skilled stunt teams and performers and knows how to create good action sequences. His films with Scott Adkins are fun, 2009’s “Triple Threat” was a career highlight as it starred some of the best martial artists alive today in dramatic fight sequences. Mostly setting ... more >
ARCHIVES
Leading the Iceni Peoples in defiance of the Roman Empire; Olga Kurylenko stars in “BOUDICA: QUEEN OF WAR”
Drama/Action (1h 20m)
Starring Olga Kurylenko, Clive Standen, Peter Franzén and Rita Tushingham
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
The world is changing quicker than ever; “OLD DADS” | MOVIE REVIEW
Intergenerational wars. With a heavy dose of funny.
Starring Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine
Directed by Bill Burr
Bill Burr is one of the funniest comedians working today. Along with colleagues Greg Proops and Marc Maron, Burr completes the modern trifecta of thinking man’s comedy, existing as that rare gem, a man who speaks his mind most truly. Never kowtowing to social climates, nor suffering fools, his act reflects his life and how he sees a country and a world that has gone askew. Burr’s voice is strong ... more >
A frightening tale of a real-world battle against the “devil”: “THE DEVIL ON TRIAL”
Documentary premieres on Netflix on October 17th
Arne Cheyenne Johnson, Foster Hamilton, Susannah Spearin and Adam Hunt
Directed by Chris Holt
The use of reenactments cheapens certain documentary films. These moments are sometimes shot haphazardly and cause even the best documentaries to lose their impact. Chris Holt does indeed pepper his new film, “The Devil on Trial'', with scripted re-enactments, but the director breaks the mold, using the operating mode sparingly. Though successfully used (more than once) in England, there has ... more >
Almodovar’s “STRANGE WAY OF LIFE” holds more emotion and depth than most of today’s films | FILM REVIEW
Reinventing the Western genre in thirty minutes
Starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar’s thirty one-minute serving of cinematic tapas, “Strange Way of Life," is his first Western, of sorts. The picture has guns and horses and rugged men on both sides of the law, but there is also a burning sexuality to the piece. After all, this is Almodóvar. Fans of Almodóvar films should be aware this is not a subversive and comedically flamboyant look at Westerns but a subdued ... more >
“DARK ASSET”; let’s be honest here | MOVIE REVIEW
Telling spy stories to women in bars
Starring Byron Mann, Robert Patrick and Helena Mattsson
A super soldier genetically enhanced for maximum power; a living, breathing killing machine. The soldier escapes from a laboratory and must be stopped. Who is the real villain, the soldier or the scientists who created him? The new action film “Dark Asset” knows audiences have been here before and doesn’t seem to care. Writer/director Michael Winnick plays with time, and fills the screen with ... more >
“THE CURSE OF WILLOW SONG,” one of the year’s most memorable films | REVIEW
[Horror]
Valerie Tian, Elfina Luk, Ingrid Nilson and Adam Lolacher
Directed by Karen Lam
Writer/director Karen Lam’s “The Curse of Willow Song” is an interesting character study and effective horror film crafted with an artful eye and the kind of picture modern horror (nay, modern film, in general) needs badly. This is a well-written film that doesn’t trade chills for logic and one that respects its audience by creating adult characters presented with honesty. Shot in black and ... more >
Please don’t go to sleep; “MEGALOMANIAC”
Nightmarish film will leave an impression on you
Starring Eline Schumacher and Benjamin Ramon
Directed by Karim Ouelhaj
Inspired by the true story of the “Butcher of Mons” who murdered five women between 1996 and 1997 (and was never caught), the new Belgian thriller “Megalomaniac” is an artful and unrelenting look at madness and murder through the eyes of a psychopath. What sets this film apart from the tonnage of serial killer films in existence, is the fact that writer/director Karim Ouelhaj examines the “sins of ... more >