Author: BO

“360” is a story of sexual gamesmanship that takes a familiar multi-character journey around the globe. Director Fernando Meirelles (“The Constant Gardner,” “City of God”) has numerous subplots to juggle and societal urgencies to dissect, leaving “360” a sharply paced picture that’s more about ephemeral highlights than a lasting dramatic sting. A smoothly manufactured, intermittently upsetting look at impulses and desires, the feature boasts an exceptional cast to carry the brief but difficult challenges facing the characters, while Meirelles keeps the film humming along, braiding these strangers into a single display of yearning, albeit a craving that takes the occasional unsavory turn. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead” have spawned countless imitations and tributes, yet none has matched the endearment and cinematic invention of Edgar Wright’s 2004 comedy, “Shaun of the Dead.” Pilfering the playful title for another round of zombie slaughter, “Juan of the Dead” is full-blooded Cuban take on the war against the undead. Benefiting from a pronounced sense of mischief and a charming feel for horror violence, the film is perhaps on a little too slight to fill out a feature-length run time, yet it’s spunky enough to entertain and occasionally horrify, though it’s not always the zombies that induce the most revulsion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 2010 film “Skyline” attempted to reduce the scope of a typical alien invasion picture by playing the intensity almost entirely inside an apartment complex. It was an awful movie but an interesting creative choice, easing crippling budgetary concerns. “Extraterrestrial” assumes roughly the same premise, though this is not an effort of sci-fi demolition, but a relationship saga with a side of paranoia. Never quite the feature most will expect it to be, “Extraterrestrial” is a charming submission of low-fi scripting, using a colossal development in universal happenings to reinforce the quirks and hazards of love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s a little strange to be reviewing a second feature inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde” in the same week (after Fernando Meirelles’s “360”), but I certainly see the creative appeal of a sexually charged collection of short stories, bound together by various acts of desire. Without directly comparing the pictures (they have little in common), “30 Beats” aims more for a lustful community atmosphere, with writer/director Alexis Lloyd organizing a series of monologues with numerous characters, each brandishing their own personal fetishes, demands, and teases, on the prowl for a carnal experience capable of disrupting their daily routine. Unfortunately, the filmmaker mistakes inertia for sensuality, keeping the material in a frustrating state of paralysis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I don’t think anyone who caught the original “Ice Age” back in 2002 thought there would be a fourth installment a decade later. It’s quite an achievement for any franchise, yet the strain of invention wears heavily on “Ice Age: Continental Divide.” While providing moderate charms, expectedly inviting voice work, and two sizable laughs, it appears the producers are out of good ideas for this third sequel. While the last installment, 2009’s “Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” took great liberties with history to cook up a dilemma for our prehistoric heroes, “Continental Drift” doesn’t share the same passion, slapping together an unimaginative tale of pirates and parenting to keep the series sliding along. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” requires a special moviegoing mood to embrace. It’s a jittery study of behavior and disaster, anchored by first-time actors and an untested filmmaker, who use a broad understanding of the Hurricane Katrina disaster to fashion their own interpretation of regional pride and the human spirit’s thirst for defiance. It’s often indescribable and occasionally unfocused, though the originality of vision supplied here successfully lubricates a few tiresome moments. To appreciate “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” one must relax their expectations, allowing the feature’s sputtery sense of momentum to generate a feeling of detachment and parental love, communicated in a most unusual manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Why Stop Now?” is a film that should snowball into greatness, working with a talented cast and a plot that’s amenable to a madcap approach. Unfortunately, writer/directors Phil Dorling and Ron Nyswaner are more interested in fashioning a pedestrian dramedy, trying to bring real pathos to a paper-thin concept, believing a little time with characterizations might help to season the comedic elements. “Why Stop Now?” isn’t very funny or poignant, drifting somewhere in between while the actors make the best out of a lackluster storytelling situation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The direction of Rob Reiner’s career has been quite curious as of late. After scoring a major hit with 2007’s “The Bucket List,” the helmer has retreated into smaller films of a more wholesome nature, including 2010’s unexpectedly tedious family offering, “Flipped.” “The Magic of Belle Isle” furthers Reiner’s newfound interests in unexceptional entertainment on a slightly more victorious note, though the picture isn’t something that demands attention. Better with intimacy than artifice, the movie shines intermittently, holding out hope that Reiner will wake up before the feature concludes and deliver a string of amazing scenes. Instead, “Belle Isle” contains very little magic, at least the sustained kind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the world of low-budget horror, it takes a special vision to rise above the frequently dreary competition. I’m not sure if “The Pact” has any extraordinary qualities, but as the genre goes, it’s competent, suspenseful, and mercifully focused. Credit writer/director Nicholas McCarthy (making his feature-length filmmaking debut), who plays smartly with known elements, creating a chiller that carries itself with confidence, despite a lack of budgetary might keeping the picture small in scale. Although it doesn’t win any points for originality, “The Pact” is a tense, smoothly paced fright experience, proving once again that a little effort goes a long way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Because of the speedy nature of Woody Allen’s work ethic, his latest, “To Rome with Love,” is not a direct response to his last picture, the unexpected blockbuster “Midnight in Paris.” Following Allen’s filmography is a bit like riding a roller coaster, with “Paris” the impossibly perfect peak and “Rome” the unsettling drop, reinforcing the filmmaker’s erratic output, though even his misses carry a plethora of interesting elements. Continuing his tour of Europe, Allen attempts to embrace the possibility of Rome, with all of its romance, history, and temptation. The mix of whimsy and commentary doesn’t settle ideally for the master, who scrambles to pull together a comedy out of unfunny business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a long time since Oliver Stone last visited the gutter, perhaps dating back to 1999’s “Any Given Sunday” and its aggressive depiction of the NFL. After touching base with his sentimental side (2006’s “World Trade Center”) and his beloved political routines (2008’s “W.”), the filmmaker is back to sharpening his knives with “Savages,” adapted from the book by Don Winslow — and perhaps should’ve stayed as one. Expository to a numbing degree and needlessly graphic to obtain shock value, the feature is a failed cinematic masturbation session by a director who always forgets he’s capable of greatness. Coarse and half-asleep, “Savages” is a waste of Stone’s time and energy, falling back on tired habits of provocation best left buried with his 1994 sensorial blast, “Natural Born Killers.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com