Shameless Self Expression

Competitive swimmer Kaya Scodelario is informed by her sister that their divorced dad Barry Pepper is missing during hellacious Florida weather. She takes the drive to find her dad, who it turns out has ignored evacuation orders and is still at his home. When she finds her dad (who was her swimming coach as a kid), he’s in the basement, with water rapidly coming in. Before she can try to get the old man out though, another problem arises: Florida alligators. The only thing worse than a hurricane may be a hurricane with gators swimming about all bite-y.   It seems as though every reviewer of this 2019 horror-thriller from director Alexandre Aja ( “Haute Tension” , “Mirrors” ) is obligated to mention that Quentin Tarantino listed it as his best film of 2019. Well, I can’t say I agree with QT on this one, as this alligator-in-a-flooded-house flick is pretty much a ‘jump scare’ film. Y’all know my feelings on that subgenre of horror by now, I find it lazy and annoying. It’s not t...

In Depression era New Orleans, stoic drifter Charles Bronson (too old by a decade, but in terrific manly-man shape) hooks up with small-time fight promoter James Coburn, whose last fighter didn’t pan out so well. A lucrative partnership in illegal bare-knuckle fights is formed, though Bronson doesn’t intend on sticking around for too long, while Coburn isn’t exactly reliable in paying his (seemingly plentiful) debts to some awfully shady people. Jill Ireland plays Bronson’s main squeeze (a hooker), Robert Tessier is a thuggish fighter, and Strother Martin plays a drug-addicted ‘cut man’ on Coburn’s payroll.   It might have limited appeal for others, but I must say watching Charles Bronson punch the shit out of hulking slabs of humanity for 90 minutes or so was quite an easy time-waster for me. This 1975 Depression Era flick from director Walter Hill ( “The Warriors” , “48HRS” , “Streets of Fire” , “Trespass” , “Undisputed” ) is exactly what you would expect a Depression Era f...