BRIAN ORNDORF

Author: BO

  • Blu-ray Review – Pure Luck

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    1991's "Pure Luck" is a remake of 1981's "Le Chevre," a French production directed by Francis Verber. The popular French filmmaker proved to be an object of fascination for Hollywood, with studios trying to bring his sense of humor to American audiences. Star Martin Short previously Verber-ed in 1989's "Three Fugitives," and he returns for "Pure Luck," trying to find some funny business with co-star Danny Glover. Instead of luring Verber to handle directorial duties, Universal Pictures turns to Nadia Tass, an Australian helmer who isn't quite up for the challenge of mastering the slapstick comedy. Instead of winding up the leads and arranging plenty of tomfoolery, Tass is caught up with uneven material, constructing a farce about clueless people that's also a detective story, often stopping the feature to highlight weirdly DOA sequences that lack jokes. There's Short, who's always a welcome screen presence, but he's working hard for no reward in this tedious misfire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Scared to Death

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    To make a first impression as a filmmaker, William Malone leans on his love of monster movies with 1980's "Scared to Death," joining a long list of directors using genre entertainment as their way into the Hollywood system. The effort is low-budget and limited to a few locations and sets, but Malone has heart, working with whatever he's got to piece together a horror film featuring the threat of a "synthesized genetic organism," or Syngenor, who's basically the Xenomorph from "Alien" if he grew up in the sewers of Los Angeles. Enthusiasm for the project is appreciable, but "Scared to Death" isn't crisply edited, with Malone refusing to tighten the bolts on a picture that often wanders away from the central crisis, dealing with character business that's not important, which helps to dilute what little suspense is present here. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The Six Million Dollar Man

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    Author Martin Caidin created the character Steve Austin for his 1972 book, "Cyborg." Hollywood was soon interested in the material, and a television movie, "The Six Million Dollar Man," was produced in 1973. It provided an origin story for Steve, detailing the former astronaut's horrific accident and his recovery, where his body was reconstructed with bionic parts, giving him super powers he didn't immediately understand. Two more television films followed, taking the premise into a James Bond-ish direction, and a weekly series eventually arrived in 1974, keeping Steve busy with various adventures that involved the use of his bionic powers, his cool demeanor around certain doom, and his feminine appeal. "The Six Million Dollar Man" quickly turned into a hit show, offering audiences a fantasy premise with unusual visuals (and sound effects) and defined heroism, with the production's command of escapism keeping the series going for five seasons. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Blonde (2022)

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    “Blonde” began life as a 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates, who presented a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe’s life, playing up her torturous experiences and the violence, in many forms, forced on her by men. The book was quickly adapted into a 2001 television miniseries, sanitized for the mass audience, and now returns to the screen in an NC-17 interpretation, with writer/director Andrew Dominik (“Killing Them Softly,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) free to explore the murky headspace of the subject as she craves to be treated humanely, only to face horror. There have been so many versions of this story across all forms of media, but Dominik doesn’t lead with his Monroe obsession, looking to explore the turbulence of her existence, spending nearly three hours in the swirling vortex of her cancerous thoughts. The helmer touches on the steps in Monroe’s life, but he’s more interested in creating a suffocating viewing experience, which works to a certain degree, especially when interpreted by star Ana de Armas, who delivers a full-body breakdown in the part, singlehandedly supporting the feature at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Goodnight Mommy (2022)

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    “Goodnight Mommy” was originally a 2014 Austrian chiller from writer/directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. The pair concocted a dark tale of suspicion featuring twins who no longer trust the identity of their mother, going to extreme lengths to deduce if she’s truly the woman she claims to be. It wasn’t a horror endeavor in the traditional sense, aiming for more of a slow-burn churn of discovery, and it worked wonderfully, delivering terrific menace. The premise has been recycled for an American remake, with “Goodnight Mommy” attempting to summon the same level of unease with a different set of actors, with director Matt Sobel and screenwriter Kyle Warren tasked with sprucing up the fear factor while retaining the same story. Unfortunately for the filmmakers, “Goodnight Mommy” didn’t need a remake, especially one that doesn’t do anything special with the working parts of the original movie, sanding down some of the sharper edges of the 2014 effort to appeal to a wider audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Do Revenge

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    Originality is in short supply in “Do Revenge.” The screenplay is an update of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 thriller, “Strangers on a Train,” and the rest of the feature is a homage to teen cinema of the 1990s, even working with a soundtrack from the decade. It’s the second directorial outing for Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (who co-wrote last summer’s “Thor: Love and Thunder”), and she’s not in the mood to push the material very far, keeping things familiar to help find an audience for the dark comedy, where plans for murder are replaced by grand schemes of high school humiliations. “Do Revenge” has a game cast to embody troubled characters trying to keep up appearances, and early scenes suggest sharper antics to come, but Robinson isn’t interested in sustained cattiness, trying to give the endeavor an emotional core, which adds more formula to an already overwhelmed and overlong picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Woman King

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    While certainly boosted by the mega success of “Black Panther,” “The Woman King” hopes to sell a more historical story, going the “Braveheart” route as it mixes elements of culture and character with heavy big screen action, providing grand sweeps of physical and dramatic conflict. It tells the story of the Agojie, an all-female African team of warriors tasked with defending the kingdom of Dahomey from potential invaders. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (who recently helmed “The Old Guard,” preparing her for the stunt-heavy gig) makes a valiant attempt to preserve the reality of this story of bravery while remaining highly cinematic with the work, providing a gripping ride of dangerous events and tight relationships. There’s deep feeling and power on display here that’s thrilling to watch, with Prince-Bythewood extremely focused on making a mostly overlooked tale of honor and dedication feel enormous and emotional, largely achieving her ambitious goal, especially with help from star Viola Davis, who was born to play such roles of fiery authority. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Confess, Fletch

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    The character Irwin Maurice “Fletch” Fletcher was born from the mind of author Gregory Mcdonald. For two decades, the author developed a universe for the investigative reporter, delivering multiple novels that tracked his interactions with crime and mischief. He was a popular literary creation, but perhaps most people know the character from 1985’s “Fletch,” with comedian Chevy Chase hired to bring the wiseacre to the big screen. The Michael Ritchie film was a hit, giving Chase one of his most important successes in the 1980s, and there was a 1989 sequel that effectively terminated future tales of Fletch in action. For “Confess, Fletch,” Chase is out, with Jon Hamm taking over the part, bringing his debatable comedic personality to the picture, working with director Greg Mottola (his first feature since 2016’s “Keeping Up with the Joneses”) to create a slightly less wacky take on Mcdonald’s creation. Humor remains, but “Confess, Fletch” would also like to be taken a bit more seriously as a mystery, putting the clever man in the middle of a collection of eccentric characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – See How They Run

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    The monster success of 2019’s “Knives Out” was sure to stir interest in the return of the big screen mystery movie. “See How They Run” hopes to ride a trend with its own take on the ways of Agatha Christie, this time involving the author in a different way. The screenplay by Mark Chappell looks to restore some period activity to a classic Christie whodunit, returning audiences to post-war London, which is prime setting for cinematic troublemaking. The material launches as something of a comedy, having fun with its assortment of fussy characters and secret motivations. “See How They Run” doesn’t remain spirited for long, with director Tom George endeavoring to shape a substantial tale of criminal activity while still tending to a rapidly diminishing sense of playfulness. It’s a handsome feature with lively performances, but George can’t get the film off the ground at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – God’s Country

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    “God’s Country” takes some getting used to, as it wants to be many different films over the course of its run time. Co-writer/director Julian Higgins uses the comfort of a revenge movie to lure in viewers, teasing them with classic Charles Bronson/Clint Eastwood elements of intimidation, almost crafting a neo-western in many ways. It’s compelling, watching as the main character deals with an escalating situation of intimidation featuring two unhinged antagonists. Suddenly, all that work is set aside as Higgins explores a few different tales of confrontations and frustrations, sniffing around for additional themes useful in the pursuit of characterization. “God’s Country” loses focus soon enough, and Higgins is in no mood to maintain a steady pace to the endeavor, almost intentionally pushing away his audience after a set-up that connects as intended. There are some creative choices made here that are difficult to appreciate, but lead Thandiwe Newton works uphill to make her moments count, giving a deeply felt performance in a picture that wavers between searing and slack one too many times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Panda! Go Panda!

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    Looking to make something adorable and approachable during the panda craze of the 1970s, director Isao Takahata and writer Hayao Miyazaki dream up a pair of short films in 1972's "Panda! Go Panda!" and "Rainy Day Circus." The tales are directly aimed at a young audience open to the primary- colored world of a little girl and her adventures with two pandas she befriends, giving the production opportunities to play with slapstick and cuteness overload as they cook up mild activities for the characters. There's defined weirdness here that's perhaps best left unexplored, but kids are almost guaranteed to enjoy the endeavors, which go out of their way to deliver spirited antics with broad personalities. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Miami Connection

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    Cult films are a difficult thing to force on audiences. Typically, cinematic junk needs time to cure in obscurity, developing a fringe appreciation before widespread acceptance arrives. "Miami Connection" isn't a DOA offering that's been basting in the juices of bad moviedom for decades now, it's a harmless, clueless 1987 Floridian production that's been plucked out of obscurity so film geeks and students of schlock can point and laugh at its awfulness, developing a new midnight movie secret language. There's no doubt that "Miami Connection" is awful, but a celebratory, gut-bustin' kind of awful? Not exactly. In fact, you might walk away feeling sorry for the earnest amateurs who pieced this effort together back in the 1980s. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Fatherhood

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    Kevin Hart isn't known for his dramatic capabilities, offering a rare show of non-yelling sensitivity in 2017's "The Upside." He's largely remained in the field of comedy, playing to his fanbase with silly pictures that demand volume, not timing, but "Fatherhood" is perhaps the most direct acting challenge Hart has faced during his screen career. He's tasked with playing a broken widower trying to raise his daughter on his own, and while the endeavor isn't too far from laughs, it makes a few attempts to deal with the emotional realities of parenthood, especially for those unprepared for its immense challenges. Hart's does a fine job away from his usual shtick, and "Fatherhood" clicks when it stays focused on the taxing education of household management with a little baby. Any time the writing moves away from the core challenge of endurance, the movie gets caught up in irksome formula. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Pleasure

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    Co-writer/director Ninja Thyberg originally shot "Pleasure" as a short film in 2013, helping to attract attention to her burgeoning career with a look at the technical ways and psychological damage of the adult film industry. Returning to the material, Thyberg looks to expand the experience for the lead character, depicted here as a young Swedish woman hoping to break into the business doing whatever she can to score gigs. Thyberg increases the run time and ups the graphic content, but there's little dramatic expansion for "Pleasure," which plays with a certain bluntness, but any emotionality is difficult to find. The troubling details of life in X-rated entertainment is what holds attention here, as Thyberg doesn't have much in the way of characterization, presenting a simplistic take on the deadening arc of a pornography participant. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – End of the Road

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    Potential for something blistering is there for the taking in “End of the Road,” which puts Queen Latifah in Liam Neeson mode, offered an action role that requires a more physical screen presence. She plays a mother out to protect her family from the worst of the worst in Arizona, and the role suits her, offering interesting authority with some defined emotionality. For the first act, “End of the Road” builds some suspense and identifies concerns capably, as the screenplay attempts to merge domestic issues with criminal developments, with a road trip setting to keep things on the move. It builds well enough, but progress soon comes to a complete halt. There’s the sight of Latifah in butt-kicking mode, which is a decent distraction, yet the film can’t sustain tension or build compelling antagonists, and director Millicent Shelton (a television veteran) isn’t an action specialist, straining to do something different with a story that grows increasingly idiotic as it goes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Clerks III

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    1994’s “Clerks” had a very appropriate ending, offering a sudden resolution to a crude comedy that was more about scenes than a narrative journey. 2006’s “Clerks II” had a perfect ending, with writer/director Kevin Smith successfully creating a full circle moment for his lead characters, concluding their convenience store odyssey on a bittersweet, borderline ominous note. “Clerks III” is the unexpected third installment of Smith’s study of minimum-wage shenanigans, and it doesn’t really have an ending, reflecting a picture that spends most of the run time trying to understand why it even exists. The helmer wants another bite of the apple, continuing his recent career choice to revisit past glories (2019’s “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”), but “Clerks III” makes some strange creative moves, including Smith’s decision to turn the feature into a dramedy, looking to mine some emotions while juggling the raunchy humor he’s known for. It’s a deeper, more sensitive “Clerks,” leading to an uneven, somewhat befuddling viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Pinocchio (2022)

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    There’s been a lot of “Pinocchio” in recent years, with various live-action and animated productions trying various ways to capture the original magic of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel. For Disney, the material represents the company’s second foray into feature-length animation, with a 1940 adaptation gradually becoming a classic to fans and film scholars, offering a brighter take on the source material, keeping up with the Disney way. To help advance their work on live-action remakes of animated endeavors, the company turns to Robert Zemeckis to help bring “Pinocchio” back to life, with the co-writer/director tasked with reviving the general mood of the 1940 picture while sprucing it up for modern audiences, mixing actors with CGI creations, also changing around some of the storytelling choices and adding musical numbers. It’s not a radically different version of an already altered take on Collodi’s work, with Zemeckis in an unusually subdued mood as he assembles a perfectly entertaining viewing experience, but nothing more. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – House of Darkness

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    In 1997, writer/director Neil LaBute made his debut with “In the Company of Men,” which studied the casual cruelty of male characters covering for their own self-esteem issues by declaring war on women. The picture created quite a stir when it was originally released, helping LaBute achieve a career that’s seen some fairly drastic differences in quality over the decades, though his obsession with heated interactions between genders has remained consistent. LaBute is back with “House of Darkness,” which also deals with growing hostilities between men and women, only this time LaBute is using genre moviemaking to help his cause, reworking a vampiric tale of gradual intimidation into an assessment of male behavior, especially when confronted by female power. Some blood flows in “House of Darkness,” but the helmer sticks with his usual presentation of conversations, which explore some fascinating areas of vulnerability, making this LaBute’s best endeavor in quite some time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Barbarian

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    2009’s “Miss March” was the last time Zach Cregger directed a feature film (sharing duties with Trevor Moore). It was one of the worst movies of the year, quickly forgotten by the public, which is likely why it’s taken him so long to make another picture. However, instead of returning to slapstick comedy, Cregger goes solo with “Barbarian,” which tries to make something happen in the world of horror. The writing has a little more on its mind than simple scares, trying to untangle the ways of predatory men and problematic choices, using the menace of subterranean terror to connect the dots on some type of gender commentary. Cregger has a stunning opening 45 minutes, offering a smooth communication of his ideas and wonderful suspense involving a disturbing situation of exploration. And then it all falls apart in a way that’s more shocking than the material’s eventual reveal of evil, with Cregger trying to be clever and surprising while he quickly loses command of his unsatisfying endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Margaux

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    There have been killer house movies before, but “Margaux” hopes to update the formula with its presentation of a high-tech dwelling turning on those wishing to spend time inside of it. It’s “smart house” A.I. gone mad, with screenwriters Chris Beyrooty, Chris Sivertson, and Nick Waters cooking up ways to use fantasy technology in a slasher film premise, and, for the opening half of the feature, they manage to deliver some enjoyably wicked violence while gradually introducing the power of the home. “Margaux” gets lost trying to pursue some form of logic, afraid to simply be a picture about a residence that’s interested in destroying humans, but the endeavor gets off on the right foot, with director Steven C. Miller delivering blood and suspense, maintaining a decent pace for the B-movie, which always works the best when leaning into its wilder ideas for wonderful nonsense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com