No Exit is a thrilling ride with great performances!

A college student, on her way home from visiting her mother, gets stuck with a group of people at a mountain rest stop during a blizzard.

No Exit was a nice surprise, it’s directed by Damien Power who previously directed Killing Ground (2017) and while I don’t think No Exit is as strong it’s still quite a solid little movie. No Exit does take a bit to get going, it requires patience from the viewer that ultimately rewards the viewer with the very thrilling second and third act. The performances combined with the atmosphere are what make this film, Havana Rose Liu who gives such a fantastic performance there’s a couple particular moments that felt incredibly raw from her. Which is probably the last thing I expected from this film, Dennis Haysbert is also pretty fantastic and is by far one of his best performances. Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey and Mila Harris all do really great as well! The atmosphere I said before is pretty fantastic, it has such a strong thrilling feel to it that completely pulls you into the film. The direction from Damien Power gives it more strength to leave the viewer on the edge of their seat, the build up to the final act is very strong and finishes the film very strongly. It’s also a film that uses the confined space element extremely well, it has this feel of claustrophobia to it that really gets into the viewer’s skin. Overall No Exit might not break any new ground but it is a very thrilling film that takes advantage of several thriller elements.

No Exit is available on Hulu!

8/10 B+

A Madea Homecoming is a nothing special about it installment into the Madea series.

Madea’s back, and she’s not putting up with any nonsense as family drama erupts at her great-grandson’s college graduation celebration.

So what’s there to say about the latest Madea movie? Well it’s definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be, for starters unlike some of the other movies in the series this one actually got some laughs out of me. Granted not any jokes I’ll be quoting but the series hasn’t done that in such a long time to where I’ll give credit where credit is due. David Mann I actually thought was genuinely pretty funny and even Tyler Perry got a few laughs out of me. There’s also some genuinely sweet moments that actually worked, with all that said the movie isn’t good. It still has the exact same issues that a lot of the other movies in the series suffer from, most of the jokes just not being funny, the pacing still feels way too long yet it’s 1 hour and 45 minutes and the writing is just not well done. There’s definitely some interesting bits with the writing as it does mention politics but really does not expand beyond just mentioning them. Overall A Madea Homecoming isn’t one of the worst of the series, it’s a very forgettable installment that at least somewhat tries.

A Madea Homecoming is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

Big Gold Brick is a messy movie that has no idea what it wants to be.

An enigmatic, middle-aged father of two enlists the help of fledgling writer Samuel Liston to pen his biography. The circumstances leading up to the arrangement are astonishing, and efforts to write the biography are quickly stymied by ensuing chaos.

The major problem with Big Gold Brick is that it’s so uninteresting, this is the very definition of a movie saying or showing so much but saying and showing so little. There was some interesting stylistic choices at times and there’s a few moments that did get a laugh out of me due to how bad they were, but that was not worth enduring 2 hours and 12 minutes of complete and total nonsense, what baffles me is how Megan Fox, Oscar Isaac (although he’s really not in it that long it’s a cameo.) and Lucy Hale are in this. Megan Fox definitely tries her best with what she’s given but the problem is her character is very flat and has no personality, but the same can be said for the rest of the characters. I completely understand the type of comedy Big Gold Brick was trying to go for but it completely misses it’s mark. Lastly there’s the running time which has absolutely no reason to be 2 hours and 12 minutes long, there is so much here that could have been cut and the movie would not have changed at all. Overall Big Gold Brick is a terrible movie that feels like you just wasted your time.

Big Gold Brick is available on all VOD Platforms.

2/10 F

Heckle leaves you with no laughs.

A stand up comedian encounters a seemingly insane heckler, who becomes his stalker. This is a heckle on a whole new level…

Heckle is a complete and total mess that despite having a budget of $750,000 feels even cheaper. I have been trying not to be so harsh with films that are obviously meant to go straight to DVD recently, but there comes a point where something this bad can’t be ignored. Everything from the acting, writing and directing is painful and very very hard to get through. The movie is very unappealing to look at and for a movie that’s centered around stand-up comedy it doesn’t have any idea what makes a good routine, this is the type of slasher film that does absolutely nothing for the genre. There’s a great idea in here it’s just surrounded by a terrible movie.

Heckle will be released March 8th on all VOD

Disgrace To Cinema F

Quick Reviews: A Banquet and The Last Possession!

A widowed mother is radically tested when her teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service to a higher power.

Somewhere in A Banquet there is a very interesting movie but unfortunately not everything comes together, I do like the movie tried to combine many types of horror such as possession, cosmic horror and even some body horror that combine with surrealism and a the theme of motherhood. After the first act however the movie unfortunately doesn’t go anywhere, there’s a lot of interesting shots with some decent acting bits but that’s all you are really going to get for the remainder of the movie. It’s one of those slow burn horror movies that is trying to clearly have another meaning, but the movie can’t quite make up it’s mind on what that is.

A Banquet is available on all VOD Platforms!

5/10 C

Out of options after a foreclosure, Kent Peroni is forced to move his wife, Stephanie, nine-year-old son, Jack, and six-year-old daughter, Gabby into the home where his estranged father committed suicide years ago. Once there, the young family begins to notice strange events around the house, which become so terrifying they finally turn to a medium. Spirit guide, Granny Inez arrives, hoping to cleanse the home for Kent’s family, only to learn they’re horrifyingly wrong about the nature of the evil that surrounds them.

Not a whole lot to comment on, The Last Possession has some decent atmosphere that does have some effective moments. The acting is actually not too bad (definitely not anything to write home about however.) the writing definitely could have used another look as some moments do completely take you out of the movie, the movie gets a bit a stronger as it goes on but ultimately becomes a bit too forgettable.

The Last Possession releases March 4th on Terror Films AVOD Channel and on Digital plus VOD March 11th!

5/10 C

Uncharted is an entertaining adventure film but falls short as an adaption.

Nathan Drake and his wisecracking partner Victor “Sully” Sullivan embark on a dangerous quest to find the greatest treasure never found while also tracking clues that may lead to Nate’s long-lost brother.

Uncharted is an adaption of the video game of the same name, perhaps you have seen the film always appear on “coming soon” or “movies coming out in insert year here” lists, Uncharted when through a lot of production issues since it was announced all the way back in 2008. So was the wait worth it? Well not really but at least it’s nowhere near as bad as it could have been, for starters Tom Holland gives a very energetic role and definitely knows how to entertain an audience. He tries his hardest with a script that’s lacking in a lot of areas, Sophia Taylor Ali is also pretty solid as well. She gives a performance that is actually pretty investing and she becomes very likable, but as I said with Tom Holland the script is really holding her back from doing anything incredible. Mark Wahlberg however is not in the same boat as the other two, not only does he not fit as Sully at all. But his performance is just not good, he gives this very phoned in performance that feels like he walked on set and just didn’t care. The movie itself definitely has it’s entertaining moments particularly the final act however the CGI is just dreadful however (how do you have $120 million dollar movie with CGI that looks like that?) ultimately what hurts Uncharted the most is it really doesn’t feel like an Uncharted adaption, it feels more like any other treasure hunting adventure film that has been released in the last 10 years or so. As an adventure movie it gets the job done very well and has all of the elements you would expect, but as an Uncharted movie there’s definitely a lot more to be desired. Overall Uncharted is luckily not one of those video game adaption films that are a complete and total disaster, the movie is entertaining enough to watch if you have nothing else to watch. But this is definitely something I don’t see myself returning to anytime soon.

Uncharted is available in theaters.

5/10 C

The Sky Is Everywhere is a emotional film about loss and grief.

Tucked among the redwood trees of Northern California and surrounded by her grandmother’s roses, 17-year-old Lennie Walker, a radiant musical prodigy, struggles with overwhelming grief following the sudden loss of her older sister, Bailey.

The Sky Is Everywhere I was excited for especially after Josephine Decker’s previous film Shirley which was one of the best films of 2020. Although this movie isn’t as good it still has a lot to like about it, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous combined with Grace Kaufman who gives such a great performance that will definitely go on to star in several other films. When the film tackles the topic of grief and and loss it hits very very hard and feels sort of relatable, in that department Josephine Decker does an incredible job. What’s holding The Sky Is Everywhere back however is the young adult type drama thrown into it, those parts aren’t very well written sadly and just aren’t engaging enough, there’s enough character moments in there that help minimize the young adult drama. But it really holds back the film from being so much more, Josephine Decker is a talented director who does engage the audience with her direction so it’s a shame to see some of the writing feel extremely weak. Despite the issues The Sky Is Everywhere is still a good movie, it’s themes of loss and grief are very strong with a very likable lead!

The Sky Is Everywhere is available on Apple TV+

7/10 B

All The Moons is a very different vampire film!

During the final throes of the last Carlist war, a little girl is rescued from an orphanage by a mysterious woman who lives deep inside the forest.

All The Moons is a very different take on the vampire genre, it takes a lot of fantasy elements as well as some vampire elements we are use to and blends them into one beautiful piece. The horror elements are not very present here as the movie focuses on character moments and a deep dive into the main character and her experiences, there’s a lot of emotional moments that really caught me off guard as well. The acting and writing truly make this film worth the watch, there’s a lot of emotion put into the roles which adds so much to the characters. The filming is beautifully done and completely matches the atmosphere the film is going for, All The Moons is definitely something to check out if you are seeking for a very different vampire film.

All The Moons is available on Shudder!

8/10 B+

Redeeming Love is a baffling insensitive mess.

A young couple’s relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850. Angel, facing demons that seem unsurmountable, meets Michael, a farmer who wants her for his wife. As Angel experiences love for the first time, feelings of unworthiness cause her to run from the new life she doesn’t think she deserves. When Michael sets out to find her, Angel discovers that she has the power to choose the life she wants.

So it looks Pure Flix Entertainment rebranded into Pinnacle Peak Pictures, had I know this before hand I would have probably skipped this movie altogether but too late now. Redeeming Love is a terrible movie that’s truly baffling especially the way it handles heavy subjects that include rape, pedophillia, suicide, hanging, murder, abuse and so on. There’s obviously nothing wrong about a movie tackling these topics what’s important is to make sure you know what your talking about and being a Pure Flix film (I don’t care I’m calling them Pure Flix for this review) they show they have no idea what they are talking about. Redeeming Love basically says “Jesus is the solution” which is incredibly insensitive and downright mocking. What’s worse is the movie is basically a collection of terrible things after another with no discussion about any of them. This goes on throughout the 134 minute running time, which leaves you with a horrible taste in your mouth. The acting and writing are both horrendous and the movie itself is a giant waste of time, nothing redeeming about this complete disaster at all.

Redeeming Love is available on all VOD Platforms.

Disgrace To Cinema F

The Wolf And The Lion has confused messaging.

After her grandfather’s death, 20-year-old Alma decides to go back to her childhood home — a little island in the heart of a majestic forest. While there, she rescues two helpless cubs: a wolf and a lion. They forge an inseparable bond, but their world soon collapses when a forest ranger discovers the animals and takes them away. The two cubs must now embark on a treacherous journey across the wilderness to reunite with each other and Alma.

So I didn’t realize this until just writing this review but The Wolf And The Lion is directed by Gilles de Maistre who also directed Mia And The White Lion which quite honestly explains so much. While this movie is a tad bit better than Mia And The White Lion, that is really not saying much at all. The worst part about this movie is that it has a ton of plot holes which is something you would not expect from a movie like this, combine that with the pacing plus a lot of terrible dialogue and you get yourself a very messy movie. The best parts of the movie are the Lion and the Wolf, the other characters are just not interesting or have anything going for them. The last half of the movie is especially confused about what it wants to say and what it wants to be, the movie compares forced circus performance with scientific research. There’s family drama in it that ultimately doesn’t lead up to anything interesting, then the movie eventually ends. Overall The Wolf And The Lion is terrible it’s fine if you want to see cute animals but then again you are better off looking at cute animal videos rather than sit through this.

The Wolf And The Lions is available on all VOD Platforms.

2/10 F