Author: BO

“The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure” is the brainchild of Kenn
Viselman, a marketing wizard behind “The Teletubbies” and “Thomas the
Tank Engine” who decided to strike out on his own, overseeing a family
film geared toward the short attention spans of pre-schoolers. Billed as
“interactive,” “Big Balloon Adventure” encourages young viewers to
twist and shout in front of on-screen characters, getting into the
spirit of this lackluster musical blasted with puppetry and nuclear
colors. Although it’s meant to tickle toddlers, “Big Balloon Adventure”
isn’t worth punishing multiplex pricing, delivering small-scale thrills
on a limited budget. It’s definitely a rental, offering parents a chance
to escape while wee ones bop around for 85 minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s difficult to recommend “Lawless” to the average moviegoer. It’s a
film that contains scenes of pure evil, with lacerating violence to back
up its arguments, making it extremely troubling for those with
sensitivity to screen brutality. Thankfully, there’s a consistently
impressive effort inside its grim ambiance, embellishing its
Depression-era setting just enough to activate splendidly as an offering
of pulp cinema, keeping viewers glued to dramatic developments and
widescreen menace. It’s a rough feature, yet this intensity keeps the
material on task. Instead of lounging around as an evocative slice of
backwoods history, “Lawless” stands up straight as a revenge picture,
with flawed heroes and a villain of unparalleled sliminess. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Marketed as a sinister picture with heavy demonic overtones, “The Tall
Man” turns out to be something quite different, absent a juicy genre
hook to immediately pull viewers in. That’s not to say the film is
successful, but its intentions are unique, hoping to approach formulaic
scares with moralistic twist. It’s a shame the feature isn’t terribly
interesting beyond its central concept, laboring through pedestrian
chase sequences and flaccid confrontations. Writer/director Pascal
Laugier has a few inspired visual ideas to share, but what begins as an
intriguing Stephen King riff devolves into a Lifetime Original,
effectively burning off the potential of the complex misdirection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Victim” has been routinely referenced as a classic grindhouse
production, out to charm fans of sleazy, violent entertainment. However,
writer/director/star Michael Biehn doesn’t put his best perverted foot
forward with this lackluster, budget-minded suspense picture.
Underdeveloped and occasionally directionless, “The Victim” is actually
quite tasteful for the genre, preferring windy dialogue exchanges to
wrathful acts of bloodshed. While not without a few highlights, the
feature is disappointingly tame, missing a grand opportunity for screen
insanity. Biehn has a germ of an idea here, but lacks the sickness
needed to bring this tale of murder, sex, and feverish uncertainty to
life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The trailer for “The Apparition” contained more story than the picture
it was promoting. In fact, I think the trailer for “The Apparition” is
actually more of a movie than “The Apparition.” A wildly incoherent
effort that spends most of its running time avoiding its own plot, “The
Apparition” is one of those major studio releases that is so stunningly
inept, it’s a wonder it’s receiving a theatrical release. However, maybe
a brief stay in multiplexes is a positive thing, allowing those with
heavenly B-movie patience to sit down and decode the bungled filmmaking.
Perhaps there’s someone out there who could possibly explain the
feature to me one day. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After his lackluster turn in the recent “Magic Mike,” it’s encouraging
to watch star Matthew McConaughey dig his teeth into something
positively evil like the character of Joe Cooper. A cop drenched in
Texas swagger, Joe is a man you wouldn’t want to cross, yet he carries a
seductive, strangely respectful aura about him that’s almost appealing.
It’s a tremendously controlled and creepy performance from the actor,
matching the intensity of director William Friedkin, who summons a humid
atmosphere of desperation and humiliation for “Killer Joe,” a ripe,
captivatingly repellent picture that challenges its cast with stark
portrayals of stupidity and intimidation, roasting in the Dallas heat.
It’s a punishing viewing experience, but a uniquely vile sit that
rewards the brave with exemplary technical credits, a sure pace in the
early going, and the sight of McConaughey reacquainting himself with
excellence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The rush in “Premium Rush” only arrives in short bursts, often after
lengthy offerings of exposition I doubt most ticket buyers will care
about. A chase film that consistently torpedoes its momentum, the
picture is frustrating sit, finding co-writer/director David Koepp
insisting on a story that matches the intensity of the pursuit. He fails
to find one, though “Premium Rush” is determined to deliver on
characterization despite a premise that works just fine focusing on the
heat of the moment, supported by a marvelous display of bicycle stunts
and streetwise navigation that’s depicted with the utmost urgency. Koepp
doesn’t trust the basics of the hunt, bending over backwards to paste a
soul on a simplistic machine of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since the release of “Like
Mike,” leaving “Thunderstruck” ample room to pick up where the
teen-centric sports fantasy left off. However, while “Like Mike” at
least made a faint attempt to conjure curiosity concerning the iffy
magic dust it was spreading, “Thunderstruck” doesn’t even attempt to
pinpoint its basketball enchantment. It’s a peculiar creative choice in
an otherwise bland, feebly acted comedy, concentrating more on laughs
and half-realized messages of adolescent responsibility than solidifying
a truly bizarre premise, at least to a point where it appears as though
the production actually cared about telling a coherent story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com