Put expectations on “popcorn” and its domino line of expertly crafted illusions culminates in a crash of devilishly crowd-pleasing shrieks.
MIDNIGHTERS (2017)
The movie’s suspense is subdued by its sullen setting when its noir-ish tone and tension is shouting to have a more scorching edge.
REPLACE (2017)
“Replace” positions horror using alluring atmosphere that is suggestive, seductive, and disconcertingly dreamlike in quality.
47 METERS DOWN (2017)
When you realize “47 Meters Down” aims to be an uncomplicated summertime thriller best consumed with a box of Milk Duds, it’s easy to settle into its style of suspense.
THE LURE (2015 - Polish)
As a purely offbeat, “out there” experience unlike few other films in existence, “The Lure” is an acid trip of alluring oddness.
DEATH POOL (2016)
Whatever the audience was meant to get out of it, what they receive is a dippy movie that doesn’t try nearly hard enough to have real impact.
THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992)
“The Lawnmower Man” wears the crown for being the adaptation of a Stephen King work to least resemble its source material.
THE UNHOLY (1988)
What does a 1980s Full Moon fright flick look like when it has a multimillion dollar budget and an all-star cast?
PRISONER X (2016)
“Prisoner X” combines the Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Unthinkable” with the sci-fi setup of “Predestination.”
200 DEGREES (2017)
If the entire movie were as gleefully silly as its final scenes, it would be easy to grant “200 Degrees” a blessing for being “guilty pleasure” entertainment.
LET ME MAKE YOU A MARTYR (2016)
The viewer becomes caught in a conflict of wanting superficial salaciousness to be backed by substance the story simply doesn’t have.
CAMERA OBSCURA (2017)
Invest in the atmosphere and stick with the story and “Camera Obscura” rewards with a moodily macabre chiller, albeit a quietly self-contained one.
AARON'S BLOOD (2016)
Look past the bare spots in atmosphere and acting and one can see deeper meaning aching to be acknowledged.
BE AFRAID (2017)
It’s a textbook thriller built for one late night watch, for which it is perfectly fine, adequate, serviceable, and not bad.
CAPTURE (2017)
Take out the second screen novelty, which isn’t strong to begin with, and “Capture” is largely forgettable as “found footage.”
INICUO: THE BROTHERHOOD (2016 - Spanish)
I’ll be sent to Mars in a rocket ship before I’ll be able to make heads or tails of the story and describe the movie in any meaningful detail.
A CURE FOR WELLNESS (2016)
Spectacular visual style would be more impressive if the pace could keep sleepy eyes open enough to appreciate the effort.
THE EVIL WITHIN (2017)
Director Andrew Getty "was addicted to train wrecks.” Apparently so much so that he obsessed over orchestrating one of his own.
BECOMING BOND (2017)
Storytelling is so smartly entertaining for the dramedy quotient that the takeaway upholds the adage, “if it ain’t true, it ought to be.”
THE DWARVES MUST BE CRAZY (2016 - Thai)
The music score sounds as if The Muppets composed background beats for a Margaritaville bar. And I don’t mean Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
It is moderately compelling in the moment, but it has a hard time holding up to even cursory scrutiny as far as believable “found footage” concepts go.