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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week, including our new, recurring Hallmark Christmas Movie Corner

Army of Thieves (Netflix)
Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O'Fee, Stuart Martin, and Guz Khan
Synopsis: Back during the summer Zack Snyder delivered Army of the Dead, a big spectacle action film for Netflix about a heist in the midst of a zombie apocalypse in Las Vegas. This prequel focuses on safe cracker Dieter (Schweighofer), showing the story of how he went from a bank teller to a master thief, leading right into his role in Army of the Dead. Schweighofer is great in the lead role, directing this film which adopts a different feel and tone. You see hardly any zombies, as that all comes later. This one is about Dieter and his crew, including his relationship with thief Gwendoline (Emmanuel), who finds and recruits him. The action and humor blend well here. I liked the set up and thought this was an enjoyable ride that was better than the film that spawned it. I liked the tie in to Army of the Dead at the end as well.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Hypnotic (Netflix)
Starring: Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, and Dule Hill
Synopsis: Just a fair warning, I watched a bunch of C-list horror films off Netflix this week. You get what you'd expect with most all of them. This one drew me to it because of the cast. I loved Siegel in Midnight Mass. This isn't even close to that level. She plays a woman going through trauma who turns to a therapist (O'Mara) who uses hypnosis. Surprise, he turns out to not be a great guy. Hill, a fine actor, plays a detective here. The set up and plot are not great, the cast is solid, but ultimately this is a snoozer.
Rating: TV-14
Verdict: One star out of four

Intrusion (Netflix)
Starring: Logan Marshall-Green and Frieda Pinto
Synopsis: This one centers on a woman (Pinto) and her husband (Marshall-Green) who are targeted for a home invasion. That leads her on a search that involves a missing girl and the realization her husband is hiding something. I know, I was shocked, too. Anyhow, Pinto is fine, Marshall-Green is over-the-top and this one doesn't offer a single thrill or chill. It's a flaccid story that ends up with a twist that wasn't that surprising to me at all. Everyone involved could have done better.
Rating: TV-14
Verdict: One star out of four

Nightbooks (Netflix)
Starring: Winslow Fegley, Lidya Jewett, and Krysten Ritter
Synopsis: This is more of a kid-friendly affair, which finds young Alex (Fegley) as a boy obsessed with creating scary stories. He's soon kidnapped by a witch (Ritter) in order to ply his craft and keep an even scarier creature at bey. Along with a fellow hostage (Jewett), Alex works to overcome writers' block to find a way to escape. This one was cute and creative. Ritter is great in the role, going just the right amount of over-the-top. It's not incredible, but it's a bit of fun.
Rating: TV-PG
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Night Teeth (Netflix)
Starring: Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Debby Ryan, Lucy Fry, and Alfie Allen
Synopsis: This one finds a young man (Lendeborg) serving as a driver for two young women (Ryan and Fry) for the night. When he discovers they are vampires, he finds himself pulled into a larger war between factions of vampires and the humans who have long served as their protectors. All of that puts him at odds with the vampire (Allen) who is trying to rule the roost. This one has an interesting premise and some style. It features some more high-profile actors like Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney misused in glorified cameo performances. The basics of the plot don't get fleshed out incredibly well. The final climactic showdown is OK but not great. This one felt under-whelming to me.
Rating: TV-14
Verdict: One star out of four

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (Paramount Plus)
Starring: Emily Bader, Roland Buck III, and Tom Nowicki
Synopsis: It's been 22 years since The Blair Witch Project and 14 years since the first Paranormal Activity. During that time the acting and plots of found footage horror films haven't really changed or improved much. So, it feels very stale at this point. Next of Kin, streaming exclusively for Paramount Plus, is the sixth addition to the franchise and first since 2015. It could have stayed retired. This one follows a young documentarian (Bader) who heads to an Amish compound where she was born to learn more about her roots. She finds something else entirely, a dark secret they tried to keep hidden. Terror ensues...or that was the plan. This is another flaccid presentation that feels overly long at only 98 minutes. It's safely skipped.
Rating: Rated R for violence and bloody images, and language throughout.
Verdict: One star out of four

There's Someone Inside Your House (Netflix)
Starring: Sydney Park, BJ Harrison, and Dale Whibley
Synopsis: This one is based on the novel by Stephanie Perkins and finds a group of high school seniors being terrorized by a killer that wears a mask of their face and uncovers dark secrets they'd rather keep hidden. The plot feels familiar, the violence is strong at times and the reveal of the killer and his motivations is ridiculous. There aren't any great performances here, either. This was a flat film that delivered by-the-numbers horror movie tropes and little more.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four

Till Death (Netflix)
Starring: Megan Fox, Eion Macken, and Callan Mulvey
Synopsis: Fox takes the lead here in this thriller that was released earlier in 2021 and now is streaming on Netflix. Here she plays a dissatisfied wife, who was once the victim of a serious crime. She is having an affair but ends up going to a secluded lake house in winter with her husband (Macken). Turns out he's hiding his own secrets, knows about her affair and planned an elaborate revenge scheme. That leaves her trapped in the snow as her former attacker (Mulvey), now paroled, bears down on her in search of a big payday facilitated by her husband. This is a dark and at times quite violent tale. Fox does a great job in the lead role but the film isn't incredibly interesting or compelling. It ends up being OK but far from memorable or compelling.
Rating: R for strong violence, grisly images, and language throughout.
Verdict: One star out of four

Hallmark Christmas Corner:

Christmas in Harmony
Starring: Ashleigh Murray, Luke James, and Michelle Williams
Synopsis: This one centers on a music executive named Harmony (Murray). She went to the big city years earlier to become a performer, instead making her way as an executive. She's landed a big star (Williams) that should get her a promotion. Instead, she gets downsized, heading home for Christmas where she is asked to co-direct the church program with her ex (James). Now, the character is named Harmony. The film is titled Christmas in Harmony. I refuse to believe no one at Hallmark noticed that awkward issue. Despite that, the film is OK. The musical numbers are decent and Murray, who was a star on Riverdale, does a decent job in the lead. It was lightly entertaining.
Rating: TV-G
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Coyote Creek Christmas
Starring: Janel Parrish and Ryan Paevey
Synopsis: This one finds a successful woman (Parrish) returning home to her family's small-town inn. What she doesn't know is her parents plan to sell, bringing in a consultant (Paevey) to assess the value. Sparks fly between the two while planning a party, but will the truth cut the relationship short? It's Hallmark, so of course it doesn't. This is a popular plot idea for Hallmark Christmas movies, and it works well when you invest in the characters. Parrish is solid in the role and an affable lead but she had no chemistry with Paevey, who gave an incredibly wooden performance. For that reason, this falls pretty flat.
Rating: TV-G
Verdict: One star out of four

The Santa Stakeout
Starring: Tamara Mowrey-Housley, Paul Campbell and Joe Pantoliano
Synopsis: This one finds an up-and-coming detective (Mowrey-Housley) paired with a veteran detective (Campbell) undercover staking out a famous town Santa (Pantoliano) who might be a master thief. This one has one of the more high-profile stars I've seen this season in Pantoliano and a different kind of plot. While Joey Pants doesn't have a huge role, he's fun in it. This one works best thanks to the chemistry of Mowrey-Housley and Campbell, a Hallmark Christmas movie veteran. It had an interesting plot and I enjoyed the story. This one was entertaining and fun if nothing else.
Rating: TV-G
Verdict: Two stars out of four

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