Author: BO

“Good Kids” was included on the 2011 Black List, an annual Hollywood guide to the “most liked” screenplays. It’s a strange bit of trivia for the film, as it features a scene where the lead character tries to speed up the healing process of a yeast infection by submerging his penis in a cup of yogurt. I wouldn’t trust the Black List. The ghost of “American Pie” haunts “Good Kids,” which aims to provide a bawdy time at the movies, tracking a coming-of-age summer for a group of overachievers, who experience all the sex, drugs, and stupidity they can handle. While a comedy, the picture offers few laughs, generally avoiding any basis in reality to become a cartoon with the occasional blip of sensitivity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s brave of writer/director Angad Aulakh to make a movie like “Autumn Lights,” which defies modern editorial requirements by playing out as slowly as possible, even making a few full stops during its run time. Calling this film slow-burn doesn’t even describe the picture’s movement — it’s defiantly glacial, almost to a point of parody. Aulakh (making his feature-length helming debut) is paying tribute to the gods of European cinema with his tale of disturbance and seduction, trying his luck with an old-fashioned Bergman effort in 2016. “Autumn Lights” benefits from impressive digital cinematography and glorious Icelandic locations, but it’s such a specific viewing experience, demanding those sitting down with it to completely relax expectations and possibly hope as well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Mattel Entertainment would like to be a major player in the Hollywood franchise game. Rival Hasbro has the “Transformers” series, and the world is already in love with superhero cinema, so it makes sense that the company would try to join the profit marathon with “Max Steel,” which is inspired by a toy line from 2000. Already reworked for a few animated shows and DVD releases, “Max Steel” finally receives a medium-budget big screen adventure. However, instead of playing to the fanbase, the production wants to restart the machine, cooking up an origin story that takes the entirety of the feature to work through. That’s right, there’s barely any Max Steel in his titular extravaganza, which instead sets out to establish the character and his multiple working parts, showing more interest in exposition than action, which makes one wonder why Mattel is even bothering with the effort if they have no desire to exploit the brand name in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last time Christopher Guest directed a feature, it was 2006’s “For Your Consideration.” After riding high with faux documentaries such as “Best in Show,” “Waiting for Guffman,” and “A Mighty Wind,” Guest seemed tired of the comedic routine, using “For Your Consideration” to test some tonal challenges, which gradually soiled the jokes. After a decade-long break from movies, Guest returns with “Mascots,” but his fatigue hasn’t abated, putting in half-hearted effort with a surefire concept. The film isn’t without laughs, but there’s substantial distance between chuckles, making the bulk of the viewing experience a waiting game for Guest to spring to life and deliver the crushing gags and eccentric personalities that once came so easily to him. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps on a quest to establish his own series of actioners, Ben Affleck settles into a version of “The Bourne Identity” with “The Accountant,” matching colleague Matt Damon in icy stares and blunt hand-to-hand combat. While the feature doesn’t quite have the same globetrotting expanse as the Damon franchise, it shares a similar interest in character, taking on an almost obsessive need to get to the bottom of everyone on screen, even if the picture doesn’t need the explanations. “The Accountant” is a slow-burn thriller with plenty of detail, but it’s not a creation that stirs up the senses, with director Gavin O’Connor crafting only a passably interesting puzzle aided considerably by the cast. It’s a bruiser, no doubt, but not always as engrossing as it could be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

For fans of Adult Swim and finer examples of “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” craziness, “The Greasy Strangler” is probably going to seem familiar. It’s the latest offering of anti-comedy, where the jokes don’t necessarily come from punchlines or situations, but the silences between absurdities, which are cranked up to 11. Co-writer/director Jim Hosking aims to weird out the world with this offering, which ladles on grossness and embraces awkwardness, working to find laughs in the middle of ugliness. And it works with certain expectations and permissiveness. The world of “The Greasy Strangler” is hilarious for stretches of screentime, but the film is also determined to frustrate viewers, succeeding more often than not. It’s a bizarre movie, and not one to be watched casually, targeting a special demographic used to repulsive imagery and grotesque characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Picking a provocative release date, “Desierto” is unleashed on American audiences right before the Presidential election season comes to a close. It’s a tale of illegal Mexican immigration, but executed as a thriller, playing a cat-and-mouse game with broadly defined characters and extended chase sequences. Appreciation for its construction should be universal, as director Jonas Cuaron (son of producer Alfonso Cuaron) keeps the central chase taut and characterization economical. It’s the feature’s politics that will likely polarize viewers, with Cuaron (co-scripting with Mateo Garcia) going full black hat/white hat with the picture, underlining toxic patriotism and pure intentions to make sure the back row understands the conflict. “Desierto” is an effective nail-biter, which ends up saving the movie as it tries to turn a straightforward survival game into “Fox News vs. the World.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actors are typically hired to portray aging rock stars, offered a chance to show off range playing characters usually facing some type of generational exposure or domestic catastrophe. “Ordinary World” tries to separate itself from the pack by hiring an actual musician in the lead role, and one who’s still in demand today. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong stars in the feature, graduating from periodic supporting parts and cameos to carrying an entire picture, giving “Ordinary World” a touch of authenticity behind the microphone. It’s the suburban dad routine that’s less credible when it comes to Armstrong, who tries to keep a stiff script by director Lee Kirk relaxed with a casual turn as a once snarling dude turned into a family man. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a special person to be a documentary cinematographer. The job requires a balance of creative thinking and physical stamina, while the emotional toll is often horrendous, putting oneself in the line of fire with hot button issues, war zones, and volatile interviewees. Kristen Johnson has built an impressive resume in the field, working on “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” “Darfur Now,” and “The Invisible War,” and “Cameraperson” is her way of summing up achievements and making something out of discarded footage, permitting viewers a chance to see the process of filmmaking from the perspective of the woman who shot it all. Those already tuned into this world and its style are sure to enjoy the odds and ends of “Cameraperson,” and even those unaware of Johnson’s work are gifted an unusual break from the documentary norm, exposed to slices of life that reinforce the fragility and the oddity of the human experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com