Thriller
The Rental
THE RENTAL My daughter just rented a large beautiful house on the water so their wedding party can spend a couple of nights. Jocelyn, Claire, and the entire wedding party, under no circumstance should you watch The Rental, a horror, thriller film set in a similar location. Charlie (Dan Stevens, The Call of the Wild)…
The Night Clerk
THE NIGHT CLERK The Night Clerk ending will surprise you – or make you feel stupid as it did me – but it is a long slow plod to get to that ending. The Night Clerk is a crime thriller drama, released on Netflix, that almost borders on creepy, but remains just dull and only…
Oldboy
OLDBOY Y’all tired of these cutesy Netflix or Amazon Original films that deal with teenage coming-of-age, or relationship issues that your girlfriend or wife asks/makes you watch. It’s time for a change – at least for 2 hours. Watch the original 2003 Oldboy, a South Korean action thriller film written and directed by Park Chan-wook. …
Extraction
EXTRACTION Extraction is a better than the average action movie on Netflix, set in an interesting but saddening city, with lots of action (killing), and one long uncut action sequence. That sums it up, but I’ll go on. Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor, is a mercenary named Tyler Rake. He works with a high-tech firm lead…
Lost Girls
LOST GIRLS Lost Girls is a Netflix crime/drama about the oldest daughter of three girls going missing. The working-poor, high-strung mother, Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan), tries to get the attention of the police. However, the police are apathetic, inept, and sexist throughout the entire ordeal. Lost Girls is based upon actual events that began unfolding…
Knives Out
KNIVES OUT Knives Out is a surprisingly funny – and a bit quirky – whodunit murder mystery. The dysfunctional Thrombey family meets at the father’s mansion in Massachusetts to celebrate his 85th birthday. The father, Harlan Thrombey, is a self-made one-percenter obtaining his fortune by writing murder mysteries; the rest of the family are just…
The Coldest Game
THE COLDEST GAME Sending The Coldest Game, a spy “thriller” set during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, straight to Netflix is the right decision. Thank you, Netflix, for not making people buy a ticket to see this movie; it’s a watchable movie but not too exciting. Plot: As Soviet ships sail toward Cuba, the USA…
- 2019
- Thriller
Bad Times at the El Royale
BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE Bad Times at the El Royale is a horror/thriller, written and directed by Drew Goddard. Drew wrote Cloverfield, and co-wrote an excellent movie with Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods; both are horror films. Bad Times at El Royale is the first film he both wrote and directed, which…
- 2018
- Thriller
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood
ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood is a fairy tale. More precisely, the movie is a “what if, fairy tale.” It makes you wonder how the world would differ if the movie’s ending was true. Plot Summary: Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) just wrapped up his 1950’s Western…
Earthquake Bird
EARTHQUAKE BIRD Earthquake Bird is a psychological drama set in Tokyo 1989. Unfortunately, the most interesting part is hearing the birds chirp after an earthquake. Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, Tomb Raider) is an American – fluent in Japanese – living and working in Tokyo. During the open credits, the Police…
Us
US I usually do not enjoy horror movies. I dislike seeing people dehumanized, treated like meat, slashed, sawed, and physically tortured. However, Us is different and worth watching. Us is shot in Southern California. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is prominent in several scenes. Us is more than just a scary movie with an appropriate…
Triple Frontier
TRIPLE FRONTIER A retired USA Special Ops unit, starting to feel their age – agree to dispense with the patriotism and their “save-the-world philosophy” – and finally cash in on their abilities. This Special Ops unit plans to steal a lot of money from a South American drug lord. This “Hey Bro” action thriller is…
Close
CLOSE Include Close with the growing number of recent female protagonist movies showcasing strong women, such as Wonder Woman, Ocean’s 8, Annihilation, Tomb Raider, Red Sparrow, and Mary Queen of Scots. Close may lead the women’s list since this movie is directed and co-written by a woman, Vicky Jewson. The film stars a woman, Noomi…
The Third Man
THE THIRD MAN The Third Man – a 70 year old movie – has to have more than just a good racketeering story-line to remain viable after so many years. The devastated Eastern Europe city of Vienna helps quite a bit. The European portion of WWII ended in 1945. The Allied-occupied city of Vienna, Austria…
The Lobster
THE LOBSTER Almost gave up on The Lobster since it is so offbeat, quirky and purposely oddly acted. But this is a piece of art co-written and directed by the typically offbeat Yorgos Lanthimos. Mr. Lanthimos most likely invested years worth of effort into writing, planning and directing this film so the least I can…
- 2015
- Thriller, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction
Eye of the Needle
EYE OF THE NEEDLE After a Whidbey Island, Washington State beach fire on a cold, clear November day, the Eye of the Needle was intriguing enough WWII movie that only one of the six people watching fell asleep. Had to rewatch it the next day when there was no laughing, talking or spouting sarcasm to…
Kahaani
KAHAANI Complexion? “Wheatish.” Would you or any of your friends use wheatish to describe a person – no – which is one of the reasons to watch an International film, so you experience things that are not wholly American. Kahaani was filmed in Kolkata, India, mainly on the streets of Kolkata during the colorful festival…
Trick r Treat
TRICK ‘R TREAT Break the Halloween traditions in Warren Valley, Ohio and a little Ghoul will find you and your Trick r’ Treat might be death/mutilation. This town also has a Halloween festival and parade, a pack of Werewolves dressing as hungry, horny hotties (Anna Paquin is the runt of the litter), a trick or…
The Wailing
THE WAILING Not the brightest nor the bravest nor the fittest police office in a mountainous village in South Korea investigates murders performed by people covered with rashes and boils in The Wailing a horror/mystery film. Is it a disease, or is it something else, something more horrific? A two and a half hour movie…
Wake In Fright
WAKE IN FRIGHT Wake in Fright begins in a tiny and remote township in the Australian outback called Tiboonda. John Grant (Gary Bond) a teacher, reluctantly must work in Tiboonda for two years to pay back government student loans. Going on holiday, John Grant must spend a night in Bundanyabba (Yabba to the locals) to…