Shameless Self Expression

Police detective Chris Rock has to contend with being in the shadow of his retired and well-respected cop father Samuel L. Jackson, as well as a new partner (Max Minghella) and a gruesome series of killings of police officers in a very familiar vein. It appears that someone likes to play games, or more specifically “Jigsaw” puzzles. Marisol Nichols plays the fed up police captain, while Zoie Palmer briefly turns up as the widow of a slain police detective.   Chris Rock is apparently a fan of the “Saw” franchise, and actually co-wrote and co-produced this 2021 offshoot of the franchise from director Darren Lynn Bousman ( “Saw II” , “Saw III” , “Repo! The Genetic Opera” , “Death of Me” ). Aside from “Saw II” , I’m not a fan of the franchise, and I’m definitely not a fan of this film, nor Rock’s absolutely dreadful performance. He makes Danny Glover’s terrible turn in the first “Saw” look like Sir Ben Kingsley in “Gandhi” by comparison. Rock has done fine dramatic work once – o...

An excavation crew working in Hobb's End London underground station dig up a large metallic object of some kind. Whilst the bomb squad are called in just in case it’s an explosive device, a humanoid skull is also found nearby. Prof. Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Keir), inquisitive Dr. Mathew Roney (James Donald) and his assistant Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley) try to figure out what it all means, whilst military Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) also hangs around, mostly to scoff at any of Quatermass’ theories. Duncan Lamont plays a drill operator who becomes unwell and disturbed when trying to drill through the structure. Bryan Marshall turns up as a military Captain.   One of the most popular Hammer films, this 1967 adaptation of the Nigel Kneale TV serial was directed by Roy Ward Baker ( “The One That Got Away” , “Scars of Dracula” , “The Vampire Lovers” ) and scripted by Kneale himself. It’s a slow-starter with some dated elements, but very well-acted and eventually gripping. The ...

Workers/scientists on an underwater lab are hit by an earthquake and sent to seemingly unreachable depths. To the rescue comes Ben Gazzara and his new submarine called the Neptune. Also on hand are Ernest Borgnine (as the lab’s head diver), Donnelly Rhodes (as another diver), and Yvette Mimieux, whose character essentially serves to be the other scientist in the room while Mr. Science Guy (AKA Walter Pidgeon) does all the talking, thinking, and all-round science stuff.   Cheap, largely uninteresting 1973 Daniel Petrie (“A Raisin in the Sun”, “Sybil”) underwater saga is so depressingly acted (especially by the no-namers and one or two more familiar players) and mundane that even though the climax is patently absurd and inadequately explained, the audience is glad that the whole damn thing is actually moving at last. Sure, the FX are cornball and the science barely there (and hardly plausible), but it’s the only part of the film where any goddamn thing happens, and it sure is an ...

Widowed Scott Adkins lives in London with his daughter (Lily Ann Harland-Stubbs). The parking garage security guard’s boring life is disturbed by nightly home invaders, whom he lethally dispatches. It turns out that Adkins’ current life isn’t much like his former one, a life he has attempted to escape for the safety of his daughter. However, this recent violent scuffle leaves him exposed, and American arms dealer James Cosmo has an old score to settle with him. Cosmo deploys deadly European hitman Bishop (Wade Barrett, real name Stu Bennett) to rub Adkins out. Daniel Caltagirone plays Adkins’ old buddy Ray who tries to help.   Scott Adkins teams up with WWE Studios for this 2016 action film, which means a co-starring role for then-WWE Superstar (and now NXT commentator) Wade Barrett as the heavy. Directed by James Nunn (who later delivered Adkins’ enjoyable “One Shot” ) from a script by Nathan Brookes (the WWE Studios sequels “See No Evil 2” and “12 Rounds 2: Lockdown” ) and B...

Steven Seagal is Billy Jack...er...Forrest Taft, a trouble-shooter and fire-fighter (and former government operative, of course) for an oil company in Alaska owned by slick-haired, ruthless Jennings (Michael Caine- looking entirely miserable). Taft uncovers his once trusted boss’ environmentally dangerous, cost-cutting tactics. Though this is after Jennings has blamed an exploded oil refinery on Taft and an elderly co-worker, reports to the media that both men have been killed, having gotten secondary trouble-shooter McGruder (the welcome presence of John C. McGinley) to actually do the deed. Taft’s not the brightest bulb, you understand. Meanwhile, Taft has been on a trippy, boob-filled freak-out with some Inuit people, and joins up with activist Joan Chen (Didn’t she used to be a real actress?) in taking on his old boss. R. Lee Ermey turns up as a hard-ass hired goon, Shari Shattuck is the company’s soulless publicist, Mike Starr is a barroom bully, and a pre- “Sling Blade” Billy B...