Film Reviews

San Francisco has long enjoyed a reputation as the counterculture capital of America, attracting bohemians, mavericks, progressives and activists. With the onset of the digital gold rush, young members of the tech elite are flocking to the West Coast to make their fortunes, and this new wealth is forcing San Francisco to reinvent itself. But as tech innovations lead America into the golden age of digital supremacy, is it changing the heart and soul of their adopted city?

An ex-Navy SEAL, Michael Adams, (Matthew Reese) was captured during a raid to free Japanese prisoners from a North Korean prison camp. He endures the North Koreans torture for three years -- seen only as flashbacks -- then released back into civilian life. A renegade North Korean General wants revenge for the raid on his camp, he follows Adams back to the United States with a plot to manipulate the former soldier into assassinating the leader of the raid, now a United States senator, Mason Chambers (K. Danor Gerald). The General targets Adams' estranged wife, Rachel (Jennifer Klekas) has her attacked so a doctor on the North Koreans payroll can insert a bomb into her head. Then Adam is captured, given the assignment and warned he must assassinate the senator within 12 hours or the bomb will detonate.

Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her and take her on a trip. The film is based on the experiences of the director, an ethnic Korean who was adopted by a French couple in the 1970s.

Four friends head into the jungle to locate a lost professor but instead face off against treasure hunters who are torturing and killing natives.

It’s a new school year at Monster High™, and the little sister of Clawdeen Wolf™, Howleen, is determined to be more fangtastic than ever. Her dream of popularity turns out to be easier than anyone imagined when she stumbles upon a genie named Gigi Grant™ who grants her not 3, but 13 Wishes! But the ghouls quickly learn to be s-careful what you wish for because each wish comes with a dark side, and soon the student disem-body of Monster High™ is turned upside-down! Join Frankie Stein™, Clawdeen Wolf™, Draculaura™ and the rest of their creeperiffic ghoulfriends as they journey deep inside the magic lantern to save the very soul of Monster High™… while flashing their killer style every step of the way!

A suicidal older man, Gordon Trout, is kidnapped for his car and money by three runaway teenagers who live on the streets. Their experiences together make them a close-knit family, but the nature of the crime committed could tear them apart. The intricacies of these complex relationships are explored through an emotional story with twists and turns.

A beautiful vampire turns a crime lord into a creature of the night.

A constant runaway is given over to the care of the state and finds herself in a remand centre for girls. She is soon caught between the uncaring bureaucracy, the sometimes brutal treatment from her peers and her own abusive family, and only one care worker sees her potential to rise above her tragic circumstances.

College town life gets turned upside down after a button-down botany professor secretly weds a sizzling night-club singer.

The film features several horse trainers and other track workers talking about their roles at the track, always eventually interrupted by an older man who claims to be the true authority, and demands that they be thrown out. One recurring young man, the first to appear, claims that he protects the horses from enthusiastic racing fans. He does not appear to be employed by the track, but seems to provide his services voluntarily. His protection from "fanatics" gives the film its title. The film is shot in a documentary style, but the sheer implausibility of the dialogue leaves the exact nature of the film ambiguous.

After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the U.S., where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.

Saxophonist Danny witnesses the murder of his band manager and a deaf-mute girl after a gig. Questioned by the police, he remembers only the orthopedic shoes of the killers' leader. So begins his quest to avenge her. He seeks an answer to the simple question 'Why?' but finds only more, and deeper, questions which resonate with the wider context of 'the Troubles', the inter-communal strife gripping the modern-day Northern Ireland which is the film's setting.

Nine strangers wake up in a house with no recollection how they got there and no way out. The voice on the PA introduces them to a grisly game they must play. The prize is $5 million and their life.

Jason Kelly is one week away from marrying his boss's uber-controlling daughter, putting him on the fast track for a partnership at the law firm. However, when the straight-laced Jason is tricked into driving his foul-mouthed grandfather, Dick, to Daytona for spring break, his pending nuptials are suddenly in jeopardy. Between riotous frat parties, bar fights, and an epic night of karaoke, Dick is on a quest to live his life to the fullest and bring Jason along for the ride.

The world is shocked by the appearance of two talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society; but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.