It seems it would be easy to do a film about the urban legend where a driver picks up a woman in white who turns out to be a ghost. We are all familiar with this story, though the details of the urban tale can vary from one storyteller to the next, and it really seems like something so straightforward that it would be hard to make a mess of it. I at least thought so until I watched Black Cab. The film at first glance just seemed like something in my wheelhouse that couldn’t go wrong; it was a ghost story starring Nick Frost, whom I’ve been a fan of since first seeing him in Shaun of the Dead and Spaced, but despite how likeable he is, there is just nothing much that could have saved this movie, which was mostly dead on arrival. Anne (Synnove Karlsen) and Patrick (Luke Norris) are a recently engaged couple. After a night of celebration turns sour, they attempt to take a cab ride home, but instead their night is about to go from bad to worse as they discover their driver is a bit unhinged. As for their cab driver, Ian (Nick Frost), his plans for the couple remain ambiguous for a good portion of the film, but it is safe to say from the start that he is up to no good. The start of the film isn’t necessarily bad, but it gets off on the wrong foot, because while this couple is supposed to be celebrating their recent engagement, Anne is clearly miserable about this announcement, and we quickly find out that Patrick has a history of abuse and that Anne is pregnant. Right from the start it is hard to believe the scenario that sets up the story, and it isn’t even introducing the paranormal elements yet.

As Ian is on his way to drop off the unhappy couple, we start to see his unhinged behavior, and before we know it he’s using a cattle prod on Patrick and kidnapping the couple while occasionally pulling aside to make some phone calls. It’s while inside the car Anne starts to see the woman in white … As for an explanation behind the lady in white and why she’s haunting the black cab, we have to wait till the third act to get these answers, and by then I was well past checking out on this film and was ready for it to be over. Sadly the third act is the best part of this film, but it is still riddled with flaws and contrivances that can’t save this film.

"Between 1889 and 1910, over two million Italians immigrated to the United States. They were desperately poor, often illiterate, and almost never spoke English. Many Americans considered these Italians to be of inferior intelligence, fit only for menial labor and a threat to the very fabric of America." 

I have to admit to a particular bias here. I am Italian. My grandparents immigrated here in the early 19th century. I am also Catholic, as most of these Italian immigrants were. In addition, I feel a bit of a connection to Mother Cabrini. The first school I attended back in first grade was that attached to my Italian Catholic parish, and it was called the Cabrini Academy. So there is a certain bias toward the subject here, but I might point out it also leads to very high expectations that these subjects are treated correctly. I still very much demanded a compelling story and an inspirational lead. In director Alejandro Monteverde's Cabrini, I was fortunate enough to find both. I know there are folks with prejudices against Italians, Catholics, or both. I suggest you give this a try. It just might change the way you look at these issues.

When I first heard Anna Kendrick was stepping behind the camera to direct her first film, I kind of expected it to be another Pitch Perfect film … but to find her instead doing a thriller about a real life serial killer and rapist who appeared on a game show in the 1970s was a curve ball I wasn’t expecting. But this isn’t simply a true crime story but instead is about how women were marginalized and heavily objectified. But the biggest takeaway I had while watching this was simply how dangerous things were back then and just how easily a serial killer could be prolific and walk the streets while no one suspected a thing. To get it out of the way, my major gripe with this film is that we meet Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) in the very beginning, and we see that he’s a vicious serial killer who lures his victims with charm while posing as a photographer. I feel this reveal could have been done better and would have added more tension when the film gets to the game show portion. Perhaps there is another edit of the film out there that does this, or at the very least they could have shown the killer in action and not reveal his face.

Then we meet Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress who moved out to LA to become a star but hasn’t had much luck.  As fate would have it, her manager gets her a spot on the game show The Dating Game as a way to get her face out in front of the public, and as it turns out one of the potential suitors on the show happens to be Rodney. In the audience there Laura (Nicolette Robinson) is attending the taping, and she recognizes Rodney, and she attempts to do what she can to stop him. When it comes to the portion of the film surrounding the game show, I was absolutely loving this. I love the spunkiness that Kendrick gave the character, seeing how they brought the set to life, and then the tension surrounding Laura; all of this worked so well until it didn’t.

"All right, kids. This is the part where you get to do the things the grownups don't wanna do anymore. Door to door on foot. Knock-knock, 'have you seen this man?' Just like in the movies. Partners have already been assigned so no one will get hurt feelings. Suspect likes to visit a certain kind of neighborhood. He's a middle-aged Caucasian male and not likely to go quietly, so let's always assume he's armed. We'll go alert and careful. That's all."

But that's really just the beginning. Writer/director Osgood Perkins has created one of those serial killer films that is bound to draw comparisons with some of the best of those films and most certainly Silence Of The Lambs. Let me just get that out of the way fast. This is a pretty solid film that deserves some attention, and is absolutely worth a look. It isn't anywhere as good as Silence Of The Lambs, and that appears to bother some folks. I'm not one who thinks if you can't make a classic that stands up to the best ever, you shouldn't be making movies. It's not as good, and I'm very OK about that. Longlegs has its moments, to be sure.

"I just love children's imaginations. What I don't like is when they get so violent."

Blumhouse is one of those horror factories that have changed the way horror films are created, seen, and marketed. There have been some powerful horror films to come out of those doors. When I think of Meg3n, the first couple of Paranormal Activity films, and even the Purge franchise, I see clever and innovative films. But the production house can be a bit feast-or-famine, and there have been a number of famine films on the bill.  Among the famine list of films you'll find Truth Or Dare and the crazy horror/hybrid take on the old Fantasy Island series. What do both of those films have in common? They were directed by Jeff Wadlow. So imagine, pun intended, my surprise when the latest collaboration between Wadlow and Blumhouse, Imaginary, turns out to be yet another disappointment. For Blumhouse there are more hits than there are flops. For Jeff Wadlow? He's 0-3.

"Let me tell you a story. A story of a great king."

Let me begin by admitting that the original 1994 classic animation feature film The Lion King has remained my all-time favorite animated film. It wasn't just the Elton John/Tim Rice songs, but that didn't hurt. I've been an Elton John fan as far back as I can remember. There was just something special, something timeless, in that film. Since that time I regard it as the very last breath of the Walt Disney Studios classic animation. It started the studio's last string of hits, and it was the end of an era. So that film has become somewhat bittersweet for me. The animated sequels were low-budget made-for-video quality, and the more recent "live action" version did not impress me with anything more than the technology it displayed. The heart has been gone for a long time. With the release of Mufasa, Walt Disney is attempting to pull on the heartstrings of people like me who love the original. Sometimes they pulled it off. Sometimes they did not. The film has its moments, and it certainly has its flaws. With all of that said, I expect it will generate pretty good box office numbers, and while its legacy won't last half as long as that of the 1994 film, it's good family entertainment, which has been missing from Walt Disney Studios for nearly a decade. Maybe the studio has learned something of late. If that's true, I welcome what is yet to come, and Mufasa is a pretty solid start.