OPENING TODAY: ‘I Love You Hater,’ ‘Skyscraper’ /
I Love You Hater
Directed by Giselle Andres; stars Joshua Garcia, Julia Barretto, Kris Aquino
Boy records and uploads a girl’s meltdown online. They later become officemates, so the guy pretends to be gay—to diminish the tension. Although she and Garcia work closely, Barretto feels there’s still plenty of room for them to grow as actors. It helps that “things come naturally for us,” she owns up.
Skyscraper
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber; stars Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han Ng
Inspector is blamed for a blaze that breaks out in the world’s tallest edifice. Commonsensemedia.org notes: “Expect this to be an actionpacked adventure with lots of peril … best for teens.” Den of Geek’s Simon Brew remarks: “There’s been an admission from the filmmakers that ‘Die Hard’ is a touch point.”
Kickboxer Retaliation
Directed by Dimitri Logothetis; stars Alain Moussi, Christopher Lambert, JeanClaude Van Damme, Mike Tyson
Kidnapped fighter is forced to participate in an underground death match. The Hol- lywood Reporter’s John DeFore thinks this “stylish and enjoyable fight flick [has] enough tongue-in-cheek content to keep us smiling.” Village Voice’s Craig D. Lindsey quips that it is “a hysterically entertaining train wreck.”
Ouija House
Directed by Ben Demaree; stars Tara Reid , Mischa Barton, Dee Wallace, Carly Schroeder
Student invites friends to a haunted house with a “dark” past. Moviecrypt says that “there are glimmers of hope here and there, but the entire production was doomed by a one-pass script in need of seri- ous doctoring.” Dreadcentral’s Mike Sprague states that this horror flick “packs one hell of a scream-queens cast.”
The Ninth Passenger
Directed by Ian Pfaff; stars Jesse Metcalfe, Alexa Fast, Tom Maden, Corey Large
Happy-go-lucky students travel aboard a yacht where a murderous passenger stalks them. Screen Daily’s Jeremy Kay recalls the filmmakers’ vow that “audiences are going to have a lot of fun with this film.” Variety’s Dave McNary recounts Large hailing the “firstrate cast, stellar script and fantastic locations.”