MoVTie Critic

 "Dirty Harry" movies have always been one's to watch. The cop who doesn't play by all the rules, but gets the job done showing the audience that beneath the rough exterior lies a heart of gold. Though when you see the side of the criminal, you see the lines start to blur between the characters leaving you unsure of who to root for. In the bank robbery capital of the world, Los Angeles, a team of skilled robbers led by leader Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) executes an seizure of an empty armored car, but one member Bosco (Evan Jones) gets a little trigger happy when one of the guards goes for his gun and one of their own ends up dead as they take off into the night. Detective "Big Nick" O'Brien (Gerard Butler) who has been monitoring Merrimen and his crew for some time and has been waiting to make a move to find out what their plans are and decides to get a man on the inside. Seeking a local bartender Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) who...

In life, we find ourselves at a moment where we find out what we're capable of. Whether it's a rite of passage or a step towards independence. The test we face show us what we can do and helps us determine who we are. Yet most of these don't come with fights for survival. Thirteen year old Shaun (Aiden Cullen) has been going through a rough time. His parents Kristopher (Jamie Kennedy) and Rachel (Vail Bloom) are going through a divorce and his beloved outdoorsman maternal grandfather Gus (Jon Voight) has just passed away. Yet while Gus is gone from this world, his spirit lingers keeping Shaun company when no one else can see or hear him.  Deciding to take his grandfather's ashes and spread them over Delilah's peak where Gus was supposed to take him, Shaun ventures out on the journey unbeknownst to his parents with Gus's old dog Riley (and of course Gus coming and going) as his only companions. Soon Shaun finds the journey has its difficulties and mo...

 The movie I am about to review is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are a mother. I had a hard time viewing this movie since as a mom anytime I view a movie where young children especially babies are put in any sort of danger. Still I feel as a writer giving her honest opinion that it would be wrong not to give a fair review. Mary (Christie Burke) and Jack (Jesse Moss) experience a great joy and loss all at once. They have a new baby boy named Adam (Grace Christensen) but his twin brother who would have been named Thomas is sadly dead at birth. Yet despite the loss, the new parents try to feel blessed with what they have. It isn't long until Mary begins to see and hear strange things that make her believe Adam isn't safe. She soon comes to find that a demonic force has targeted Adam and Mary must find a way to fight this entity before it takes Adam, or drives her over the edge. This movie will put you on edge. The steady descent into a mother's mad...

 Since the story of how Ed Gein murdered people and dug up bodies to use as gruesome décor in his home told back in the fifties, many terrifying serial killers such as Leatherface, Norman Bates and more. Needless to say the idea of a rural farm in the middle of nowhere where strange people with dark secrets and psychotic tendencies tend to be the stuff of horror writing and cinema that still terrifies us and captures our imagination. "Escape From Cannibal Farm" or "Cannibal Farm" as it is called here in the U.S. takes place in the British countryside where Wesley Wallace (Toby Wynn-Davies) and his wife Katherine Harver (Rowena Bentley) are taking a trip along with Katherine's children Jessica (Kate Davies-Speak) her boyfriend Kurtis Daniels (Joe Street) and her brothers Toby (David Lenik) and Sam (Dylan Curtis). While camping the tent catches fire burning Katherine and forcing the family to seek help, but the camper won't start. Seeking help at the Han...

Since the dawn of time, man has looked up to the stars and wondered if we were truly alone in the universe. Sounds like a line from the movie at the planetarium I know, but it's true. We all wonder what lies beyond our solar system and we've only begun to scratch the surface. Yet what if something decided to come to us? How would we approach it, and more importantly, would we find a friend or foe? In a documentary-style portrayal, Gillian (Jane Perry) who works for NASA is being documented regarding the disappearance of an astronaut Carl Roberts (Tom Christian) and the arrival of a wormhole that they have named "The Void". In order to discover what is on the other side of The Void, scientist have come up with a way to allow someone to travel through, but it requires giving up your life as a person to become a robotic version, a Human 2.0. Through trial and error, they have success with Jessica Johnson (Noeleen Comiskey with Jessica 2.0 voice by Kosha Engler...

 Frank (Paul Sorvino, famous for his role on the television series "The Sopranos") plays Frank, a cop soon looking at a lonely retirement after the death of his wife and daughter nearly a decade ago, until he learns from a previous relationship that he has a daughter named Judy (Fiona Dourif, daughter of famous Child's Play franchise actor Brad Dourif) who has run away from home and is abusing heroine. On the night he finds her and restrains her to ride out her withdrawal, he learns a retired cop/friend Larry (Joe Estevez) is found shot in his home and his safe containing valuables including small bars of gold have been stolen. As Frank digs for clues, he discovers there's more dirt than he realizes and that this may have been someone close to Frank, as well as his daughter. So close that it could put them both in the line of fire. Suspenseful and thrilling. Paul Sorvino plays the role of tough cop with a heart of gold to a T. Finding this gold comes with twi...

This 2016 Russian animated film is coming to American soil for the first time and adapted into English from some well known American actors. Yet no matter what language you speak, a fun family movie is the same in any language, family time. Far off in the country side, there is a sheep village living a peaceful and fairly uneventful life until it is learned that a wolf pack has moved into the area. Magra (Jim Cummings) the leader of the wolves and enforcer of the ancestor's traditions and philosophies announces that he is going to step down as leader and must pick a new leader. The two candidates are Ragear (Rich Orlow) a fierce controlling wolf who doesn't share the same ideals as leader Magra and Grey (Tom Felton) a popular, but goofball wolf who is the preferred choice of the pack but leaves Magra unsure that he is ready for the responsibility.  While Grey is positive he'll win the right to be leader, he neglects the feelings of his love interest Bianca (Ruby ...

Since the time of King Tut's tomb being discovered with all it wonderful treasures, the world has fantasized about discovering a great find that would change the way history is written. Yet rarely do they ever ask themselves if some things should remain buried. When Jia (Bingbing Li) learns from her parent's former associate and her brother's current employer Mason (Kelsey Grammer) that her brother Luke (Chun Wu) has gone missing in search of a Chinese Emperor's tomb said to have secrets to eternal life hidden inside out in the desert region of China, she goes in search of him. Aided in her journey by a former international rescue responder Jack Ridley (Kellen Lutz) and along with a team, they race to reach the last known location from an electrical storm. Finding shelter in an abandoned home leading down into a network of caves connecting to the tomb, they soon discover the storm is the least of their worries as they become pursued by aggressive poisonous sp...

As a small state, Vermont has only a handful of claims to fame in the world of cinema. "Beetlejuice" was filmed in Springfield. The former bridge connecting West Addison, Vermont to Crown Point, New York was featured in "What Lies Beneath" and "Me, Myself and Irene" had that scene where Jim Carey gets into a fight with a group of softball players over a flicked cigarette in my home town of Addison. Yet while this movie isn't filmed in Vermont, it has Vermonters lining up well in advance with sold out shows across the state. All for the comedy team that is brave enough to portray themselves as Vermont Highway Patrol officers in the much anticipated sequel seventeen years in the making. Taking place not long after the events of the first movie, we find Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Mac (Steve Lemme), Foster (Paul Soter), Rabbit (Erik Stohlhanske) and of course Farva (Kevin Heffernan) along with their Captain O'Hagan (Brian Cox) are no longer...

Every day millions of people use public transportation all across the world from buses to trains of all kinds. Usually the commuters make it to where they're going quietly without talking to anyone or without incident, but in the blink of an eye, that quite commute can turn into a struggle to survive. Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson) is a former cop turned insurance agent living a suburban life with his wife Karen (Elizabeth McGovern) and his college bound son Danny (Dean-Charles Chapman). Traveling on the train to go to work and home daily, he knows the regulars and his day is usually uneventful. Though on this day two things occur, after a decade and only five years away from retiring, he is let go of his job without warning and while on the train ride home contemplating on how to tell his family this news, he is approached by a woman named Joanna (Vera Farmiga) who tells him that on the train there is $25,000 in a bathroom on the train and more money if he finds a pass...

When most people think of DC Comics, they think of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, etc. Yet the Justice League is not the only team of heroes. Before you can make it in the big leagues, usually you become a Teen Titan. Taking a look at the team, we get the first look at when Starfire (Kari Wahlgren) comes to Earth after escaping her sister Blackfire's takeover of the throne and becomes acquainted with the Titans and seeks refuge with them.  Now years later, the original Robin has become Nightwing (Sean Mahr) and after a leave of the team has returned and other titans have joined since his time as the boy wonder. Raven (Taissa Farmiga), Beast Boy (Brandon Soo Hoo), Blue Beetle (Jake T. Austin) a new Robin who is the son of Batman Damian Wayne (Stuart Allan) and Terra Makov (Christina Ricci).  As the team investigates the a villain and cult leader known as Brother Blood (Gregg Henry) and hired hand and long time foe of the Titans Deathstroke aka Slade (Miguel Ferrer...

Like many of us, I've enjoyed Hallmark Movies from Holiday features to Romance stories, even The Good Witch movies. Yet nothing seems to beat the mystery women movies. One Aurora Teagarden has been especially interesting lately and as of last night has featured its newest chapter in the series. With her beau off in South America and having sold the "cursed" house Aurora (Candace Cameron Bure) finds herself living back with her mom and uncertain as to if Martian will ever return. Yet some happiness does come into her life with the arrival of family friend Poppy who's crafting internet channel is beginning to take off with more to come.  The happiness is short lived when while coming to pick Poppy up for an event, Aurora and her friend Sally Allison (Lexa Doig) find Poppy on the kitchen floor stabbed to death and the back door wide open.  Soon Aurora has another mystery on her hands and a long list of suspects that could hold possible motives from jilted ...

Hello again western fans. I hope you're glad I didn't wait too long to do another Western film. This time it's sticks more to the classic old west gun-slinging outlaws we all know and love. Yet much like the main character, they've become a dying breed. Yet they still find a way to give it one last go so they go out with their spurs on. Taylon (Lance Henriksen) is a dying outlaw with many past regrets resulting in losing ones he loved. Yet when a young outlaw Virgil (Billy Lush) talks him into finishing a bank job that Taylon and his old crew couldn't accomplish, he's reluctant but decides to go against his better judgement. After getting into town, he learns that his old friend Sam had passed away and that the daughter he gave up to him Heidi (Meg Steedle) has become a prostitute for the saloon he's in. While he can't bring himself to tell her who he really is, he tries to find a way to help her leave this life. However, things get more complicat...

Since H.G. Wells wrote "War of The Worlds" and from radio to television, his work and others like him have depicted what mankind would do should life from another world would come with hostile intentions. Usually it's the civilians working with scientist and military to take down the threat, yet its rarely seen from just one side.  John Blake is your average L.A. yuppie who doesn't have many lifelong goals and is living in the moment which is the exact opposite of his brother Lt. Chris Jackson (Michael Thomson) of the U.S.M.C. who has just returned home to his family. John's real parents died when he was a kid and he was taken in by Chris's family who were close friends and has never felt he really belonged, until the threat of arriving aliens striking the Northeast and showing signs of hostility does John show any interest in doing something to protect others. In the blink of an eye, Jackson loses his family and finds himself training his adoptiv...

People in Vermont know a thing or two about the isolation that the mountains can have. Most of us are fine with it and even embrace it, but the downside to it is when you find yourself in a real situation where help can't come soon enough. Given the choice, what would you if you were faced with life or death? Would you take cover and hope help finds you, or would you stand your ground? Joe Braven (Jason Momoa known better to fans as "Aquaman") is a hard working man living up near the boarder between Canada and the U.S. in the Pacific Northwest running a logging company to support his family, wife Stephanie (Jill Wagner) daughter Charlotte (Sasha Rossof) and his father who's mind is starting to go Linden (Stephen Lang).  After his father gets into a bar fight due to his dementia, Stephanie suggest to take him up to their hunting cabin to talk about alternatives to caring for him in a place Linden is comfortable in. Unbeknownst to Joe, one of his truckers W...

The DC Universe has been churning them out lately with such films as "Justice League" and even another film featured in the blog "Batman: Gotham By Gaslight" that takes Batman to another era in 18th century London where he hunts "Jack the Ripper". Of course lets not forget the live action Suicide Squad, but this time, we go back to the roots where they're featured in animation and as always up to no good. Amanda Waller (Vanessa Williams) has assembled The Suicide Squad consisting of leader Deadshot (Christian Slater), assassin Bronze Tiger (Billy Brown), the ice queen Killer Frost (Kristen Bauer van Straten) venomous mutant Copperhead (Gideon Emery) Aussie thief Captain Boomerang (Liam McIntyre) and the psychotic comic relief Harley Quinn (Tara Strong). Sent on an off-the-books mission, the unlikely team goes on a road trip in a camper to track down a man that goes by the name Steel Maxum (Greg Grunberg) for information.  Tracking him down t...

It's been a while since I've done a family friendly movie and I was very excited to see this at Redbox. While I normally don't watch sequels without seeing the first, but in the interest of diverse genres on the blog, I made an exception.  Taking place two years after the events in "Tad the Lost Explorer", we find Tad Stone (Trevor White) back at his construction job in Chicago and also going to school studying archeology while Sara Larvof (Alex Kelly) is off still exploring and making archeological discoveries. Her latest is a parchment depicting the story of King Midas and his golden touch, but just as Tad is about to set out for Las Vegas, the Mummy (Joseph Balderrama) who they met in the first film shows up having been banished from his Incan city and Tad has no choice but to take his undead friend along for the ride. As Sara is presenting her find, Jack Rackham (Ramon Tikaram) and his goons crash the event taking the parchment and Sara. Now it'...

Western shows and movies were a big part of American pop culture in the mid-20th century, now when we think of westerns we think of Will Smith in "Wild Wild West" or something crossed over like "Cowboys and Aliens". Sometimes we need to get back to the root of westerns with the outlaws, bounty hunters and gun slinging. Yet a twist in time never hurts. Taking place in a future where global warming has wiped out major cities and the air has become unhealthy to breathe, a bounty hunter Gage (Gina Carano) is on a mission to take down the outlaws of this apocalyptic wild west for the price of water taps to make water drinkable and ground silver for filters in breathing mask. Yet it's more personal since her sister was taken from her at a young age never to be seen again. After taking down a notorious outlaw named Chavo (Luvia Petersen) she heads to New Montana where she learns from Doc (John Hannah) of a bounty on one of the biggest outlaws named Thomas ...

If you've ever been inside a haunted house, or a funhouse but hopefully not a interrogation room, chances are there may have been a two-way mirror in there where someone stood and watched you without you even knowing it. It's a scary thought that someone could be watching everything you do with nothing but a sheet of glass between you, especially when its somewhere you least expect it to be. Ray (Nicolas Cage) and Maggie (Robin Tunney) have just come into ownership of a desert motel as a way of making a fresh start after the tragic death of their daughter. The old owner Ben (Bill Bolender) doesn't meet them, but rather leaves in a hurry with nothing but a note and the keys left on the counter and after a brief phone call disappears. While fixing up the property, Ray discovers a hidden crawlspace that leads to a two-way mirror looking in on room ten and decides to keep it a secret. Yet when a guest who he witnessed being a submissive to a Strawberry Blonde woman (Ka...

For centuries, the Mayan culture has fascinated the world with its innovation in agriculture to its mysterious practices and possible link to aliens (in theory of course). The Mayan calendar predicted that the world would end in 2012, well it's 2018 and we're still here (awkward). Many believe that it just simply ended, but what if it were really the beginning? When Dr. Alan Green (Steve Wilcox) discovers an ancient parchment containing information to the location a lost Mayan hall of records, he recruits an American Archeologist and expert diver Danielle Noble (Carla Ortiz) and her team to explore the underwater caves which they will find it, it starts out as the discovery of the century. Hesitant to do it after losing someone close to her during her last cave dive, she decides to agree to lead the expedition, but nothing goes as planned. As they begin to dive the depths, they soon discover that what is below was never meant to be found and now they must fight for t...

We've all heard stories around the campfire, some are true and others are made for scary fun, but when you find yourself in your own ghost story, the fun turns frightening because the spirits are now real. Glen Sorenson (Steve Pullen) and his nine year old daughter who wants to be a ballerina Sophia (Isabella Pullen) live out in the Virginia wilderness in a homeless camp. The circumstances of their past and how they came to be are clouded in mystery and only explained by an accident that took his wife Jennifer (Peggy Pullen) and their sons David, Matthew and Joey (Charles, Bronson and Joseph Pullen). The only thing more pressing than their circumstances are Sophia's nightly night terrors that have plagued her for a year. While a fellow resident of the camp Doe Peterson (Deena Dill) who worked in a psych ward has tried to help, Glen refuses to get her professional help. As a result, the people of Sophia's nightmares are starting to appear in real life, one calling her...

Racing movies have a way of getting your adrenaline running and wanting to get behind the wheel and rev the engine like The Dukes of Hazzard, but since I don't recommend breaking the law having a drag race, let's find out how amazing "Dirt" is to watch. Dez Truss (DeRon Horton) is a seventeen-year old orphan caring for his little sister who finds himself on the wrong side of the law after stealing a Rolls-Royce and causing a police cruiser to crash in his effort to get away. Luckily a former mentor and police officer Captain Joe Freeman (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) calls in a favor to a former road racer now head of a team Rick Radden (Kevin Dillon) to take him in to live with him and his wife Glenda Radden (Christina Moore) and have him work on his team until he's eighteen. Yet when the team's driver Trent Lerion (Dominic DeVore) is made to leave the team, Rick has Dez step up to the plate, or rather the wheel and use his expert driving skills to keep ...

Welcome to another MoVTie Critic "movie verses". Last time we looked at two films that played with cheating death scenarios, today we are looking at two films in where we see women turn the tables on predatory men. Up first we have "The Executioners". We find our main character Belle (Jemma Dallender) who is still dealing with the untimely death of her father goes up into the wilderness with her girlfriends Kay (Natalie Burn), Angela (Rachel Rosenstien) and Lori (Anna Shields) to get away and have fun, but as night sets in, they soon find themselves under attack by three men wearing different color face paint and going by Mr. Red (Michael Santi), Mr. Blue (Fernando Soto Jr.) and the leader Mr. Black (Anthony Belevtsov). Their intentions soon become clear as they begin terrifying and torturing the girls, but Belle has no intention of rolling over and dying as she finds a way to take down these intruders and with the help of the others, these three intruders soo...