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MOVIES THAT SUCK! “Within the Pines.” / “Duchess.” / “Silent Hours.” / “Deadline.” / “Postal.” / “Dunsmore.”

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“Within the Pines” (2024, Tubi) Australian independent horror-thriller. The plot follows a sound recordist who, while capturing audio in an isolated forest, becomes hunted by an unknown entity.         What do some critics say about this little project? “Focused, minimalist narrative.” “Well-made.” “Suspenseful atmosphere.” And more approving albeit spaced-out superlatives. Okay. Really?        Written, directed, and produced by a dude whose name sounds so boringly familiar: Paul Evans Thomas. Let's be honest here. Nothing happens in this obviously vegemite-budgeted indie, and nothing really ends, although the start is intriguing.        Anyhow, nothing here suggests “horror” or “thrilling.” Or suspenseful. Although the character could be “hunted by an unknown entity” or hunted later (in our post-watch imagination) we will never know. This movie is a little waste of time, while ...
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ACTION: “Tornado.” / “Trap House.” / “Stone Cold Fox.” / “Old Guy.” / “Far Haven.”

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“Tornado” (2025, Hulu) British period action drama . The plot follows a young Japanese woman named Tornado in 1790s Scotland who seeks vengeance after a brutal gang led by Sugarman kills her puppet-master father.  This movie was written and directed by John Maclean, the same cool Scottish whose only other full length feature is 2015's “Slow West,” the stylish Western with topnotch Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn.         In this his second movie, John has the master of deadpan, Tim Roth, suave Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira, and Joanne Whalley + the kickass Kōki as Tornado.        The “melange of tones” (jidaigeki drama interfaced with American frontier vibe) + character names such as Tornado, Sugarman, Little Sugar, Squid Lips, and big, supposedly big guys called Kitten and Mint, you know this is “different” kind of trip.          I like it. 🎥...
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HORROR THRILLER. “Sinners.” / “Weapons.” / “Men.” / “Ready or Not.” / “The Small Hand: A Ghost Story.” / “Angelica.”

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“Sinners” (2025, Amazon Prime) supernatural thriller. Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta , the film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as criminal identical twin brothers who return to their hometown in the Jim Crow South, where they are confronted by a supernatural evil.         Yes, this is a vampire movie with a sociocultural message, though still a vampire movie. But this has more aesthetic earnestness and cinematic craft than 2026's Oscar Best Picture, the reactionary megaphone “One Battle After Another.”         “Sinners” is kickass visual narrative spliced with theatrical blues music. Writer-director Ryan Coogler elevates himself as an A-lister with this gothic gem. And Michael B. Jordan is the young Denzel W. 🎥💻📽 “Weapons” (2025, Amazon Prime) supernatural mystery horror. The case of seventeen children from the same classroom who mysteriously run away on the same night at the same time....
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CRIME DRAMA. “Dead of Winter.” / “Down River.” / “Killer Heat.” / “Assassination Nation.” / “Taken in Broad Daylight.”

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“Dead of Winter” (2025, Amazon Prime)  psychological thriller. A grieving widow drives through a Minnesota blizzard to scatter her husband's ashes. Stars Emma Thompson .         This thriller carries a heavy backstory that is easily engulfed by the emphasis on Emma Thompson's grieving Barb. Overall, the dramatic tension between Barb and the characters of Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca's define this dreary but watchable movie. 🎥💻📽 “ Down River ” (2025, Amazon Prime) crime thriller. Set in West Virginia coal country, it follows a sheriff and deputy investigating a crime at an abandoned farmhouse.         This is a decent enough small town indie. Tight storytelling. Directors Brian Barnard and Tommy Walton confined the narrative to a minimalist reach, anchored on the performance of “unknown” actors Randy McDowell and Jody Thompson, who also co-wrote the screenplay. 🎥💻📽 “Killer Heat” (2024. Amazon Prim...
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SCIENCE-FICTION and FUTURISTIC DRAMA. “The Survivalist.” 2021. / “The Survivalist.” 2015. / “The Rover.” / “The Island.”

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“The Survivalist” (2021, Fawesome) action thriller. A woman who is thought to be immune to a pandemic flees from a religious leader and his followers.         The dystopian murk is a visual cliche. And the plotline is all about “The Last of Us.” Nothing really happens in this grey movie other than John Malkovich being John Malkovich, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers being angry, like he usually does. 🎥💻📽 “The Survivalist” (2015, Tubi) British post-apocalyptic science fiction thriller . Set after a catastrophic global population collapse , the film follows a solitary man who protects his cabin and vegetable plot with traps and alarms until the arrival of two women forces him into uneasy bargains and escalating violence.          Martin McCann as The Survivalist deserves longer attention. He is also in the remarkable series “Blue Lights.” His acting range as explored in this movie, albeit restrained yet remains ...
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JASON STATHAM. “Wild Card.” / “Wrath of Man.”

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“Wrath of Man” (2021, Netflix) action thriller , directed by Guy Ritchie . About a new cash-truck driver in Los Angeles , whose thwarting of a robbery leads to his skillset with guns and mysterious past being questioned. Stars Jason Statham.        Sans quantifiable acting talent, Mr Statham has proven that he can easily command box-office millions with his mumbles and brawn. I mean, Arnie and Sly did the trick alright, didn't they? This “Wrath…” movie earned $104 million from a budget of $40 million. You dig?         English director Guy Ritchie, who scored big  in previous actioners (1998's “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and 2000's “Snatch”), directed this project, which included a cast of fine dramatic performers and reliable top-billers: Ho lt McCallany , Jeffrey Donovan , Josh Hartnett, Eddie Marsan , Andy Garcia, and Niamh Algar. Singer/rapper Post Malone had a silly cameo, too.   ...
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