Sniper: Rogue Mission (2022):

This action-thriller is the ninth in the “Sniper” series of films that began in 1993 with Tom Berenger in the title role, Thomas Beckett, who, in his first assignment, was paired up with a young rookie to take out a politician and a rebel leader in the jungles of Panama. Nine years later, a sequel was made for television, still with Tom Berenger as Beckett, and it was followed by a series of direct-to-video which eventually had the Beckett character replaced by actor Chad Michael Collins playing Brandon Beckett the son, who picks up the thread from his father and continues to take out the bad guys from a distance. He is a utility actor with a long resume of appearances on such TV series as “Blue Bloods,” “NCIS,” and “CSI.” In this film which has not had a theatrical release, like most in this series, a rogue federal agent involved directly in a sex-and-drug-trafficking ring becomes Brandon’s target, although the government refuses to sanction any action, which has the sniper going rogue. To that end he hooks up with a pair of former allies, Homeland Security Agent Zero, and an assassin named Lady Death. Together they are out to stop the corrupt agent and his crooked organization. Victoria, B.C. native Ryan Robbins (“Riverdale”) plays Zero, and Japanese actress Sayaka Akimoto is Lady Death. Rated 14A.

Last Seen Alive (2022):

Gerard Butler produced and stars in this action thriller in which he plays Will Spann, who, along with his wife Lisa (Jamie Alexander from “Thor the Dark World,” and “Thor Love & Thunder”)) is on a road trip, driving to the home of his wife’s parents. We learn in short order that this marriage is on the rocks and that Will and Lisa are heading for divorce court. In a stop at a gas station, Lisa mysteriously disappears. Will has no idea what happened – one moment she was there, and the next she was gone. He enlists the help of the police, he gets Lisa’s parents to help in the search as well, but soon the tables begin to turn as Police Detective Paterson (Russell Hornsby from the TV series “Grimm”) and then others, suspect that Will is responsible for Lisa’s disappearance, and he becomes the prime suspect. Feeling that he has no choice but to run, Will begins his own investigation while dodging the authorities and soon uncovers evidence of extreme wrongdoing on the part of the town’s authorities, and some covered up secrets that some very powerful people want to remain covered. The race against time is in full flight as Will learns that Lisa’s fate is almost sealed, and that he must get someone on his side in time. Rated 14A.

Frank and Penelope (2022):

Writer and director Sean Patrick Flanery seems to be looking to make the great American road trip drama here, in a vein similar to that of “Thelma & Louise,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” and other great movie pairings. If that’s the point, the director falls short, but this is still an entertaining love story that looks as if it cannot go anywhere but wrong. Frank (Billy Budinich, an actor with a very short resume) is a Texan who has always tried to live the right way. He has his heart broken when he finds that his wife has been cheating on him, and he hits the road, leaving Austin for what he isn’t sure. In a little roadside strip club, he meets Penelope (Caylee Cowan), working as a stripper in the rundown establishment. Penelope is involved with the manager of the place in a scam that defrauds clients of their money, and she sees Frank as an easy mark. They connect on some level eventually, and she begins to fall for Frank and thus begins the do-or-die road trip across the desert. Evading the manager was easy compared to the dreadful sadistic cult leader that now has them in his sights. Rated 18A.

13 The Musical (2022):

This Netflix original is a romantic drama, or a dramatic romance, take your pick, about two young people from very different worlds, who come together with a common cause. He is Luke (Nicholas Galitzine who played Prince Charming in the recent Cinderella movie), a handsome young man from a troubled background, who has just enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. She is Cassie (Sofia Carson), a struggling singer/songwriter, and her past and present is very different from that of Luke. They agree to marry, but only so that she can have access to his military benefits such as healthcare, after a diagnosis that will change her life. As her illness becomes more pronounced, the couple must decide which part of their life was a marriage of convenience, and which part might be for much more than that. Rated 14A.

Day Shift (2022):

This film, based on actual events in WWII, was released by Warner Bros in the UK theatrically, and is being released by Netflix in North America. Colin Firth stars in this ingenious story of an espionage operation in 1943 that turned the tide of the war when a pair of British operatives used a combination of a corpse and false identity documents to deceive the Germans at a critical point when a huge build-up of troops was set to quash the allies. It tells the story of those who fight in the shadows, and whose true exploits are sometimes unknown and lost in the fog of war and the mirage of history. Rated 14A.