Black Water

My View:  Black Water  (2018)  R  A deep-cover operative named, Wheeler (Jean-Claude Van Damme), finds himself imprisoned in a CIA black op-site on a submarine. Kidnapping Wheeler will be a deadly mistake.I was looking forward to seeing Black Water because I thought putting Van Damme in tight quarters to fight in but there is too much talking in this film and not enough fighting. Dolph Lundgren is in his fifth film with Van Damme playing a fellow detainee, but fans of Lundgren are going to be disappointed as he doesn’t get into the action until seventy minutes into the film. The plot does have a few twists and turns, one which I didn’t see coming. I just wanted more action from this film and less talking.  My Rating: Cable   Black Water Info

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)  PG-13   Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) teams with Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots. Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood), Jake’s rival and hacker, and Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), join the team when a new Kaiju threat rears up.  Unlike the first, this film doesn’t have heart. The characters are shallow, the dialogue is creaky, and the action sequences are confusing. The only thing that saves this movie is the performances of John Boyega, who is charismatic, and Cailee Spaeny, who does a phenomenal job, considering this is her first feature film. I just wish the two of them had better material to work with.  My Rating: Cable   Pacific Rim Uprising Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Meg (2018)  PG-13   Jonas (Jason Statham) must protect his family and fellow workers from a 70-foot shark while in a sunken submersible. We already have the Sharknado movies, why do we need this version?    The Meg Website

Forgotten Film:  Frailty  (2001)  R   A man named, Fenton (Matthew McConaughey), shows up at an FBI agent’s (Powers Boothe) office and tells the agent that he knows who did a series of serial killings that occurred in the area and have never been solved. The man begins to tell the story of his dad (Bill Paxton), who was visited by an angel and told to kill demons disguised as people. The movie flashes back to when he was a young boy, and we see how and why his father, with the help of his sons, killed the victims. The late Bill Paxton directed this psychological drama that adds a little horror to the story as it goes along. Paxton is brilliant in the part, creating a character that is terrifying but is also a loving father who thinks he is doing the right thing. Frailty is a movie that isn’t always easy to watch but is fascinating in its delivery.  My Rating: Full Price    Frailty Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Black Water:  Stunt Guard

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Whitney  (2018)  R  Documentary on the life and music of the immensely talented but troubled Whitney Houston. The director of the film, Kevin Macdonald, got two nominations for this project at the Cannes Film Festival.    Whitney Facebook Page

Until Next Time!