Kajaki (2014)

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aka Kilo Two Bravo

I love it when a movie surprises me. Because I didn’t read the description too closely, I went into this one thinking it was a horror film. As it turns out, it’s a surprisingly effective, taut thriller. Now when I say  “thriller,” I don’t mean “action” or “horror” or any of the other genres that thrillers are often confused (or blended) with. This is a very simple story—a unit of young British soldiers are stationed in Afghanistan, guarding the Kajaki Dam. Two of them leave their post to set up a sniper’s nest to cover some suspicious locals who may be Taliban. Continue reading

Don’t Blink (2014)

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Another film that surprised me. I expected a slap-dash, made-for-tv, paint-by-numbers horror film. After all, it stars Brian Austin Green, and the guy who I always refer to as “the dude who played Christopher Titus’ stupid brother” (Zack Ward). But although the story did have a “made for TV” vibe about it, the overall quality was pretty good. Ward was a little over the top, but from him, we can buy it. He does “crazy” well. Green and the others did a good job. I liked him in the Fox show “The Sarah Conner Chronicles,” too, so I guess he’s slowly been converting me. Good for him. The others are solid, especially Joanne Kelly as Claire. Continue reading

Money Monster (2016)

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If Money Monster was a stock you owned, right now I’d be yelling at you to “sell! Sell!” The film tries to sell itself as both a film of social criticism and a hostage thriller. Unfortunately, as a film of social criticism, it never seems to get much more specific than “rich=bad” and “poor (and in this case, stupid) =good”; and as a thriller, it never gets very thrilling. Continue reading