“Fatale” (Thriller: 1 hour, 42 minutes)

Starring: Hilary Swank, Michael Ealy and Mike Colter

Director: Deon Taylor

Rated: R (Violence, sexual content and profanity)

 

Movie Review: “Fatale” is a psychological thriller except nothing much exists that is cerebral. Instead, this screenplay appears like a quick Sunday movie on the Lifetime channel.

After a one-night stand in Las Vegas, Derrick Tyler (Ealy), a married businessman, and Detective Valerie Quinlan (Swank) thought they would not meet again. Later in Los Angeles, Quinlan’s investigation of a break-in at Tyler’s house leads to an uncomfortable association between the adults. Tyler soon finds he is entangled with Quinlan in a grave scandal.

A sophisticated Oscar recipient Hillary Swank is an attractive talented actress. Michael Ealy is a handsome leading man. A tryst for them should be a seductive moment. It is not. Audiences should feel as uncomfortable as they appear together.

Producers waste Swank’s talents. She is a skilled performer. Her notables are “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) and “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999). Swank is less than par here because of an uninspiring script.

Deon Taylor (“The Intruder,” 2019) directs this screenplay by scripter David Loughery. If you have a private rendezvous with your lover, this is not it.

“Fatale” is interesting, but feels all too familiar. It appears as a cheaper version of “Fatal Attraction” (1987), and it is similar to “Obsessed” (2009) and ” Unforgettable” (2017). “Fatale” adds a twist to its story but it still feels like an over-cooked Tyler Perry feature. 

Grade: C (It is fatal moviemaking.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas.

 

“Monster Hunter” (Action/Adventure: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Rated: PG-13 (sequences of creature action and violence throughout)

 

Movie Review: “Monster Hunters” gives some insight as to where some dinosaurs disappeared eons ago. They hid so they could avoid this adventure movie.

Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian-born actress and supermodel known for “The Fifth Element” (1997), “Resident Evil” (2002) with its multiple sequels, and “Ultraviolet” (2006). Here, she plays Army Ranger Capt. Natalie Artemis leading a team of six soldiers in a desert. 

A freak sandstorm with extreme lightning bolts leads them into a portal to another world, a place filled with large lethal monsters. Capt. Artemis’ only hope of survival exists with a native of the planet known as The Hunter (Tony Jaa).

Paul Anderson is no stranger to monster movies. He directed the four “Resident Evil” franchise movies. He also directed “Alien vs. Predator” (2004). Those movies focus on the visual aspects of their stories and plentiful action sequences more than a solid, plausible plot. The same is true of “Monster Hunters.”

Action is plentiful. The visual effects and action scenes are numerous, too. The movie is entertaining but such does not equate to good.

This narrative starts similarly to “Enemy Mine” (Director Wolfgang Petersen, 1985). Artemis and The Hunter must survive each other as they learn to work together to survive a very dangerous terrain. These scenes are strong.

However, the first 20 minutes and the latter third of this movie are lacking. The first 15 minutes show monsters killing soldiers but offer no reason to care as these people are unknown characters. As the movie progresses, it changes during its latter third. It becomes a B-movie. The tangibility of the story declines at this point. The movie becomes senseless action scenes.

Grade: C+ (Entertaining until the hunt begins.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas.

 

“Skylines” (Science Fiction: 1 hour, 53 minutes)

Starring: Lindsey Morgan, Rhona Mitra, Daniel Bernhardt and Alexander Siddig

Director: Liam O’Donnell

Rated: R (Violence and profanity)

 

Movie Review: A story exists somewhere in this messy science-fiction piece swamped with nominal visual effects. That story remains scrambled throughout, haphazardly presented. The plot is underdeveloped. Actors’ performances are subpar. Definitely, “Skylines” never makes it off the ground, much less hits its target in the sky.

A virus changes peaceful alien hybrids into predators. Their prey is humanity. Capt. Rose Corley (Morgan), a former military commander, joins a team of elite military soldiers on a mission to the alien world. There, the group led by Gen. Radford (Siddig) must find answers to save what remains of humanity.

“Skylines” is a strange story. It lacks development; mainly, it fails to create solid connections between its characters. Even more, the ambition to do so appears absent.

Grade: F (The sky is not the limit.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar has been reviewing movies for The Valdosta Daily Times for more than two decades.