SUICIDE SQUAD [2016]

Director David Ayers digs the DCEU's grave just a little more deeper with the third film in the negatively received franchise, Suicide Squad.
After Superman's death in BvS, the government decides it's time to assemble a team of disposable warriors, in the form of a group of imprisoned super-villains, should they ever face such a powerful alien-like threat again.
It's an intriguing refreshing premise to root for the villains but after some heavy duty studio meddling we get yet another superhero film with Hot Topic anti-heroes who are less intimidating than the new Supes and Batsy.  It's not nearly as nihilistic as it seems to think it is and that's mostly due to the poorly written characters that all fall flat on their faces, even if some of the performances are particularly spot-on (not you Leto. You just sucked).  The irksome attack of instantly familiar pop/rock songs every other minute felt like it wanted to be a 90's Michael Bay version of The Dirty Dozen but it doesn't have the attitude or heart to ever feel it.

2 homicidal math lessons out of 5

RUN ALL NIGHT [2015]

I think it's time to admit that I am fully enthusiastic about flashy hard-boiled thrillers about old guys (mainly Denzel Washington or Liam Neeson) who are usually ex-marines, ex-assassins or some guy who used to kill and need to find a way to redeem themselves before they too finally bite the bullet.
With that generic description you pretty much get the idea of director Jaume Collet-Serra's latest, the laughably titled Run All Night.  It starts out like a Google Maps app on speed but about an hour in I found myself pretty involved and intrigued with the mess that it was, before it winds down into a pretty formulaic and dull climax.  It met all my expectations and just sort of hovered on that notion for the duration of the film.

3 Fairytales in New York out of 5

SAFE HOUSE [2012]

Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington deliver some great performances in director Daniel Espinosa's crime thriller Safe House.

The two leads turn in some solid acting, however it's the rest of the fantastic cast that is put to waste as stock characters that have nothing to offer to the character conflicts.  The rest of the film is ruined by a predictable plot that has nothing new to offer to the genre and an irksome overuse of the shaky cam effect.   It's not offensively bad but leaves little to offer after all is said and done.

2½ guests out of 5

THE DARKEST HOUR [2011]

Even in director Chris Gorak's alien invasion thriller The Darkest Hour, which takes place entirely in Russia, do the Americans come out on top.

With Timur Bekmambetov producing we're guaranteed some effectively imaginative moments and some haunting imagery that's reminiscent of 28 Days Later but there's nothing really of substance beyond that.  The characters are paper-thin so that the suspense & thrills are absent past the 20 minute mark. With a little bit more character development and additional thought put into the potential danger it might have been a better than average popcorn thriller.

2 Старбакс out of 5