BRIAN ORNDORF

Author: BO

  • Film Review – You Had to Be There

    Documentarian Nick Davis is trying to communicate a special kind of magic with “You Had to Be There.” The picture examines the 1972 Toronto production of the musical “Godspell,” which wasn’t just a hit show, but a premiere showcase of young Canadian comedy talent, with some of these performers going on to become legends in show business. And it all started with a strange stage show about a hippie-fied Jesus and his followers. Davis endeavors to tap into memories and emotions with the movie, gathering a good amount of the original cast to discuss their experiences with “Godspell” and one another during a unique time in their early careers. We’re talking Martin Short, Victor Garber, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Paul Shaffer, with these performers (and more) sitting down to reflect on an experience that, for some, changed their lives. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Musical

    “The Musical” is a bizarre feature. It initially seems to be polite enough, investigating a teacher’s inner life as he navigates a failed romance with a colleague and manages the daily drudgery of the job. Perhaps a “School of Rock”-like viewing experience is about to arrive, but screenwriter Alexander Heller isn’t going cute with the material. He creates a comedy, but a very dark one where the primary influence appears to be Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” blended with bits of Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore,” with the picture getting weird with its take on obsession. “The Musical” isn’t always inspired, but most of the endeavor is highly amusing, delivering a viewing experience with surprises and a demented sense of humor that’s capably handled by director Giselle Bonilla. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Goody Goody

    “Goody Goody” is meant to be a horror movie, exploring the tensions of a home birth in the middle of nowhere to get viewers to the edge of their seats. Writer/director Raymond Creamer has a premise that could work, playing up the human experience of birth with the cinematic terror of an undefined evil joining the process, toying with the visceral and the unreal. However, the helmer isn’t all that inspired with the endeavor, taking an extraordinary amount of time to get the story going, and once a threat is somewhat defined, the picture doesn’t do much with it. The overall slowness of “Goody Goody” is maddening to endure at times, especially when it becomes clear that Creamer doesn’t have much to offer with the script, and the whole effort seems like a short film idea that was forced to become a feature-length release. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The History of Concrete

    At the start of “The History of Concrete,” director John Wilson is in a dark place. He’s recently lost his job as the creator of “How To with John Wilson,” losing a gig that kept him employed for a handful of years, also exposing his particular way of storytelling to a small but loyal audience. Jobs are hard to come by, and fame has its price, with the filmmaker’s voice stolen by A.I., making his peculiar way of speaking accessible to all, but mostly a gutter repair service. Wilson needs something to occupy his time, returning to New York City streets to reenergize his creative batteries, only to find a chance at focus with an educational opportunity provided by the WGA. “The History of Concrete” initially appears to tell the story of how Wilson got his groove back, but, keeping in line with the helmer’s career interests, it veers all over the place instead, taking a simple assignment to understand the world of concrete into a dozen different directions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Run Hide Fight: Infidels

    If you haven’t seen 2020’s “Run Hide Fight,” don’t worry. Few have. The picture was written and directed by Kyle Rankin (“The Battle of Shaker Heights”), who decided to turn the horror of a school shooting into an action film, delighted to play with a taboo subject matter, and doing so on an extremely limited budget. Rankin returns to duty with “Run Hide Fight: Infidels,” which orders up another school massacre scenario, only this time the screenplay explores the plight of a liberal college campus overwhelmed by Islamic terrorists during an autumn festival, putting political passions up against the reality of Middle Eastern villainy. “Infidels” imagines itself to be a “Die Hard” clone, but Rankin isn’t sharp enough of a filmmaker to pull off such ambition. He goes painfully crude instead, tasked with making fun of left-wing ideas and creating a mess of violence without much money, turning the endeavor into a 128-minute-long patience-tester as nothing really happens to a collection of characters you likely won’t care about. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The Warrior and the Sorceress

    The success of 1983’s “Deathstalker” proved to producer Roger Corman that the world needed more sword and sorcery entertainment during a time when the subgenre was red hot. And at the cheapest price imaginable. Enter 1984’s “The Warrior and the Sorceress,” which is shot on sets used in other features, while the screenplay lifts from the 1961 Akira Kurosawa film, “Yojimbo.” Effort and clarity aren’t invited to this party, with co- writer/director John C. Broderick merely hoping to survive the low-budget experience, slapping together something of a story while playing up Corman’s love of exploitation elements. “The Warrior and the Sorceress” has the dramatic guide rails to deliver at least some passable suspense, but Broderick isn’t too bold with the endeavor, keeping the tale surprisingly sedate while star David Carradine is tasked with portraying an antihero with no discernable personality or mighty action presence, shuffling through this tired take on fantasy conflict. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Wildwood, New Jersey

    During the summer of 1992, directors Carol Weaks Cassidy and Ruth Leitman set out to document the experience of Wildwood, New Jersey, a vacation destination for thousands of visitors looking to escape everyday life by spending a little time at the beach or boardwalk. For the moviemakers, a chance to really understand the tourists arrived, putting the pair out into the wild to find interviewees willing to discuss their lives for the camera. Instead of documenting recreation, taking in the sights and sounds of distractions, Cassidy and Leitman found their way into a study of the female experience. “Wildwood, New Jersey” is a slight endeavor, but an interesting one, permitting young women to share their opinions when it comes to life and love in 1992, giving them a voice during a time of change and possibility. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Escape from Death

    For this UHD release, the film is titled “Escape from Death.” The cover art features a deadly weapon, a character with their face bloodied, and a seductively posed woman. There’s a promise of mysterious, violent escapism to come with this Italian production, but the viewing experience quickly reveals extraordinarily little screen activity is actually involved in the production. Co-writer/director Enzo Milioni has an idea for a mystery involving a missing man, a lot of money, and a possible killer on the loose, but there’s no pursuit of thrills in the endeavor, which remains frustratingly talky as it tries to present itself as a study of suspects and potential madness. “Escape from Death” is a real bore that only gets something going in its final ten minutes, with the rest of the movie trapped in stillness with strangely defined characters and clunky, uninspired screenwriting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Liebestraum

    In 1990, writer/director Mike Figgis had something he would only encounter one other time during his lengthy career: a hit film. “Internal Affairs” was a creepy, sinister thriller starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia, dumped into theaters with a January release date. And yet, something about the endeavor tempted a decent number of ticket-buyers, giving Figgis a chance to sample success with a major studio release. He elected to follow up the picture with 1991’s “Liebestraum,” which didn’t offer major stars, and largely pursued film noir influences, mixed with plenty of dream logic. Figgis visits David Lynch country with the movie, huffing “Twin Peaks” fumes with this attempt to deliver a mystery with touches of eroticism and emotional ruin. “Liebestraum” isn’t a riveting feature, but Figgis is working hard to turn a lot of nothing into something stylish and powerful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Uprising

    In 2025, director Paul Greengrass orchestrated the horrors of a wildfire raging out of control for “The Lost Bus,” which played to his interests in everyday people experiencing some form of heroism, often reluctantly. He returns with “The Uprising,” which totally isn’t a Robin Hood origin story (wink), but a recreation of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt in England, where corrupt and cruel royal domination was challenged by the poor and frustrated, resulting in a violent revolt. Greengrass isn’t playing the picture as a college lecture, hoping to turn the tale into an R-rated epic that occasionally explodes with big scenes of armies clashing and kingdoms threatened. It should work, as we’ve been here before, but Greengrass seems dramatically constipated this time around, with his screenplay struggling to find its footing as a thunderous tale of revolution, throttling pace and intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Fix

    Co-writer/director Guy Moshe hasn’t enjoyed much creative success with his releases, previously overseeing the messiness of 2011’s “Bunraku,” and the nothingness of 2020’s “LX 2048.” He returns with “The Fix,” joining screenwriters Mark Bacci and Ron Hutchinson for what’s meant to be something approximating a heist story, only the goods targeted for lifting are stuck in a war zone, putting a team of trained Americans on a quest to extract a fortune, running into many complications along the way. Moshe has a premise that’s typically played for big thrills, inspecting the heat of greed and the danger of it all. With “The Fix,” the helmer doesn’t accept an invitation for a more active viewing experience, hoping to get procedural instead. The feature is missing a great deal of excitement as it attempts to sell a knotted tale of loyalties and deceptions, and it takes an incredibly long time to do it (140 minutes), managing to turn lust for treasure into an unwelcomingly protracted endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Weight

    “The Weight” explores the heaviness of existence during trying times and the physical demands of carrying a bag filled with gold bars over 50 miles of dangerous terrain. The title has a dual meaning, and the screenplay (by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines) embraces all the dramatic possibilities of such a mental and physical challenge, taking viewers back to the tortuous days of the Great Depression, where a man facing a dire future is handed a chance to escape it through an opportunity that could destroy him. It’s the stuff of classic fiction, and director Padraic McKinley rises to the challenge of visual interpretation, submitting an outstandingly leathery feature that’s rich with suspense and cold-blooded interactions. “The Weight” fumbles its resolution, but the road to an ending is riveting and superbly performed by the cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Practical Magic 2

    “Practical Magic” was originally released in 1998. An adaptation of an Alice Hoffman novel, the feature didn’t stir up much attention when it initially hit theaters, rewarded with lukewarm box office and minimal pop culture attention. But something happened to the endeavor when it arrived on home video and especially basic cable, finally finding its audience, and one that grew in size over the last 28 years. “Practical Magic 2” hopes to return to the world of the Owens witches, presenting viewers with a sequel that’s very much like the original picture, only now the screenplay is a bit more managed this time around. “Practical Magic” was messy work, electing to be four different movies instead of a single consistent one, and while “Practical Magic 2” has moments of slackness, it’s more of a complete viewing experience, putting director Susanne Bier (“Bird Box”) to work corralling the many characters and feelings the follow-up contains. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Mr. T: I Pity the Fool

    About 45 years ago, Mr. T entered the media landscape. He didn’t intend to become a star, but it’s difficult to deny his presence, with this man of mohawk and gold chains, joined by attitude and confidence, pulled from a life in Chicago to become a very big deal in Hollywood. At least throughout most of the 1980s. There was a point when Mr. T was everywhere, showing up as a new kind of superhero for the kids of the day, using his practiced gruffness to deliver big entertainment and solid messages on respect in all its forms. “Mr. T: I Pity the Fool” isn’t going to win any awards for depth when it comes to an inspection of the subject, but director Scott Weintrob provides a decent 45-minute-long understanding of Mr. T and his personal and professional choices, offered access to the man himself to help track the development of an icon. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – On a String

    Isabel Hagen is a stand-up comedian and Julliard graduate using her viola skills to help boost her stage presence and add something different to her routines. She makes her moviemaking debut with “On a String,” using her background as inspiration for a comedy about a twentysomething woman facing the troubles of romantic entanglements and the slow death of her dream. Hagen goes full indie with the picture, handling writing and directing duties while also starring in the picture, and she creates a very modest endeavor that feels completely lived-in at times. “On a String” is a feature of details, which Hagen tends to with care, and she also scores some laughs along the way, finding humor in the blues. It’s an incredibly small film, but well-observed and nicely performed, offering viewers an interesting look at the world of musicians and the strange discomfort that comes with perceived failures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Why Did I Get Married Again?

    It’s hard to believe, but 2007’s “Why Did I Get Married?” was only Tyler Perry’s third outing as a director, made during a period in his career when he was hoping to get past his Madea fame and try different things. Arguably one of his best endeavors, “Why Did I Get Married?” became something of an industry for Perry, who followed it up with 2010’s awful “Why Did I Get Married Too?,” also exploring this world of relationship woes in the television series “For Better or Worse,” which ran for 162 episodes. After many years away, Perry returns to the brand with “Why Did I Get Married Again?,” which looks to expand the community of miserable people as a second generation of troubled minds joins the ongoing story. At it’s best, “Why Did I Get Married Again?” is an improvement on the last chapter in this saga. However, Perry is rarely at his best in this movie, clearly contained by budget and time as he speeds through the basics in trust issues with generic characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Office Killer

    Cindy Sherman is a respected and celebrated artist specializing in self-portraits, earning a reputation for strange, evocative work, with labor mostly provided by herself. Sherman advances to the world of filmmaking in 1997’s “Office Killer,” and the experience must’ve been something, as she’s never made another movie since. It’s a shame, as the helmer clearly has an eye for the artform, working to make this examination of an insane person trying to bring balance to her life through murder as visually interesting as an extremely low budget will allow. Of course, storytelling struggles are found through the offering, with Sherman eventually losing control of the endeavor, but “Office Killer” has unusual atmosphere and sharp performances, giving it a little boost of appeal when dramatics start to sputter out. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Mutant

    1984’s “Mutant” (a.k.a. “Night Shadows”) is an odd picture. It seems to have the right idea, with the story basically about unrepentant corporate pollution unleashed on a small town that doesn’t have the resources to fight it. And to help the medicine go down, the production launches something of a zombie film, keeping things, at least in the final act, reasonably exciting. The writing has the potential to offer a bit of commentary on corruption, but there’s not much of an effort to really investigate the central idea of the feature. “Mutant” is fairly slow-going with a television production vibe, with director John “Bud” Cardos (who replaced original helmer Mark Rosman) unable to inject much life into mysterious happenings and violent encounters for the first hour of the endeavor. The offering eventually gets a little wilder, but the wait for a payoff can be a true test of patience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – The Spine of Night

    Some time ago, I stumbled across a video titled “Mongrel & The Wrath of the Ape King,” which was created by Morgan Galen King. The director was paying tribute to the work of Ralph Bakshi with the short, creating a “Fire and Ice”-style fantasy adventure with the use of rotoscope animation, which offers fluid bodily movement and fascinating strangeness, helping to set the mood of the adventure. It was bloody and gorgeous, dripping with synth and loaded with R-rated content, recalling an era when such creative risks were actually attempted. King has now graduated to feature-length filmmaking with “The Spine of Night,” joined by co-helmer Philip Gelatt, extending ideas found in his earliest works to construct an epic tale of magic and horror with the same visual approach as before. “The Spine of Night” is deep dive genre entertainment, possibly for a very small audience, but it retains King’s love of barbaric storytelling, creating an unsteady but visually arresting picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Micro Budget

    Co-writer/director Morgan Evans goes the mockumentary route with “Micro Budget,” which examines the troubled production of a low-budget disaster movie inside a Los Angeles rental home. Humor is the star here, with Evans overseeing a troupe of actors trying to find the funny with filmmaking setbacks and personality conflicts. There’s not a lot to the endeavor beyond riffing and increasing woes for the characters, but Evans tries to maintain a sense of humor throughout the feature, which really isn’t hilarious, but consistently amusing, following small issues of incompetence that snowball into larger displays of stupidity, providing a chance for the talent to find their way around awkwardness and the messiness of production mishaps. “Micro Budget” certainly has its moments, though the endeavor could definitely cut a little deeper with its comedy and interest in the difficulty of moviemaking, especially when a complete idiot is calling the shots. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com