Month: July 2019

Film Review – The Quiet One

It seems like Bill Wyman is ready to speak. For 31 years, Wyman played bass for The Rolling Stones, garnering a reputation for being the “silent Stone,” unable or unwilling to share himself with the press and public, permitting his bandmates to take the spotlight, which they happily did. Now in his eighties, Wyman is in a retrospective mood, giving director Oliver Murray access to his vast archive of personal items, including an enormous year-by-year assembly of Rolling Stones photos, film, and memorabilia. While he was always the guy hanging in the back of the stage helping to keep the rhythm, “The Quiet One” hopes to offer more insight into Wyman as an average man with keen interest in the art of collecting, also tracing his years in one of the biggest bands in the world, doing his best to downplay rock god-ery. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 4, 2019
Film Review – My Days of Mercy

Perhaps hunting for a ripe acting challenge, actresses Kate Mara and Ellen Page co-produce “My Days of Mercy,” helping to bring difficult material to the screen. There so much here for the talent to dig into, with Joe Barton’s screenplay touching on the death penalty, forbidden love, and family ties, giving the leads a chance to feel around for emotional purgings as they strive to stretch as performers. It’s mission accomplished for the most part, as “My Days of Mercy” has a severe tone that welcomes nuanced performances and troubling turns of fate. There’s a message about the reality of the death row experience, and a potent one, but the feature is mostly about watching Page and Mara manage dramatics, trying to make potentially one-dimensional characters into living, breathing human beings. They’re successful, even when the movie isn’t. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 4, 2019
Film Review – Cold Blood

25 years ago, Jean Reno starred in “The Professional.” It’s an odd film, but also an excellent one, using the star’s comfort with silent reaction to create a fully European action event that paid close attention to character. Today, Reno participates in “Cold Blood,” a low-budget thriller that’s not all that interested in providing thrills, once again putting the French actor in the role of a muted force of violence, stuck in a dangerous situation with a younger woman. It’s no “Professional” sequel, but writer/director Frederic Petitjean tries to pretend he’s making the new adventures of Leon with the effort, delivering Reno in enforcer mode, only there isn’t a script or a sense of style to back up his wavering commitment to the project. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 4, 2019
Blu-ray Review – Born in East L.A.

According to Cheech Marin, "Born in East L.A." was put together in a hurry to complete a 1985 Cheech & Chong album without Tommy Chong. The tune was a hit, thanks to a popular video that visually sold the story of a California man accidentally deported by steely immigration officers. And that MTV-staple video inspired a movie, with Marin breaking away from Chong to mastermind a cinematic elongation of his original idea, creating 1987's "Born in East L.A." That's quite a journey from initial inspiration to multiplexes, but Marin finds plenty of inspiration to fill up the run time, intending to blend commentary on immigration issues with broad bits of slapstick comedy, positioning himself as a Chaplin-type with this border-hopping adventure. Chong isn't missed here, as Marin has something of a vision for his helming debut, trying to find the funny as much as possible without slipping into preachiness or melodrama. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 3, 2019
Blu-ray Review – Man’s Best Friend

It's not easy to make a movie that involves a killer animal. Certain viewers are quite sensitive to violence committed against creatures, forcing filmmakers to maintain concentration on a proper tone while exposing horrors to helpless animals. For 1993's "Man's Best Friend," writer/director John Lafia ("Child's Play 2") seems well-aware of the problems he's facing with the material, which pits a genetically modified Tibetan Mastiff vs. several people who choose abuse over care, triggering the dog's killer instinct. Instead of crafting a grim survey of pain, Lafia goes bright and somewhat silly with "Man's Best Friend," which emerges as an enjoyable genre exercise in good taste with problematic material. It's not exactly lighthearted, but the picture has a ripping pace and plenty of savage moments, with the helmer largely understanding when to play the severity of the moment or just give in to the absurdity of it all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 2, 2019
Blu-ray Review – The Earthling

"The Earthling" is the penultimate film for actor William Holden, and in many ways, it's perhaps the proper capper on his amazing career. The 1980 picture offers Holden a chance to portray at character at the end of his life, facing his mortality and trying to do so with some dignity and a sense of closure. It's a role that demands introspection and silent reaction, and Holden is more than up for the challenge, paired with young Ricky Schroder for this survival drama, which brings the Americans to Australia, interacting with strange wildlife and challenging surroundings. "The Earthling" is severe at times, but also tries to be tender, with the leads managing surges of emotion as they inhabit opposites trying to conquer a dangerous situation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

July 1, 2019