Suspect Zero (2004)

A mysterious serial killer is hunting other serial killers, and one F.B.I. Agent suspects there may be more to the vigilante than they imagine.

It's obvious that director E. Elias Merhige has ambition, talent and visual imagination, all recognizable in this movie in patches, but not not coherently; and the two stars' abilities are regrettably not put to full use.

Maltin**: "Complex premise, reminiscent at times of RED DRAGON, with striking visual style, is hindered by the oppressive nature of the material and the fact that there's no one to care about."

Unthinkable (2010)

A black-ops interrogator and an FBI agent press a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons set to detonate in the U.S.

Highly dubious test arrangement about torture is unnerving with its contrived plot, stilted dialogues - and it's feigned message (in the extended version).

Maltin*1/2: "Attempts to make Jackson's character appear normal only succeed in making him seem even more psychotic. Other than Sheen's chameleon-like performance, there is no upside here. In fact, the whole movie is unthinkable."

Fireflies in the Garden (2008)

A family is devastated by an accident that takes place on the day their matriarch is due to graduate from college -- decades after leaving to raise her children.

Well-made family drama with a large ensemble of characters demands some attention, before one can peice together the stories from different time periods; the cast is splendid, especially Dafoe as the horrifyingly tyrannical father.

Pompeii (2014)

A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator, and, as Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.

Below-average historical catastrophe drama full of age-old cliches; one is relieved when the volcano finally erupts.

Maltin**1/2: "Special effects are the star attraction in the kind of sword-and-sandal epic that was once a staple in Hollywood. This is pure, hokey fun for the nondiscerning, even if Sutherland's bad-guy performance is a bit monotonous."

Disturbia (2007)

A teen living under house arrest becomes convinced his neighbor is a serial killer.

Well-made, fairly effective thriller is aimed at an adolescent audience and doesn't offer anything new to the genre.

Maltin**1/2: "Well-made film invites comparisons to REAR WINDOW but plays its cards right and builds considerable suspense, until it becomes obvious (and tedious) by the finale. Casting Morse as the neighbor also sends a transparent signal of what's to come."

Red Planet (2000)

Astronauts, and their robotic dog AMEE (Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion), search for solutions to save a dying Earth by searching on Mars, only to have the mission go terribly awry.

It's quite a regular sci-fi adventure with maybe a bit too many obstacles packed into the plot, but manages to entertain in an old-fashioned kind of way.

Halliwell (no star): "Dreary science-fiction, with the actors inhibited by their space-suits; nothing interesting happens very slowly."

Maltin**: "Utterly ordinary sci-fi saga...Looks good, but covers awfully familiar dramatic turf."