Author: BO

You know that sinking feeling when you’re watching a movie and you begin to realize it isn’t working? For “Playdate,” it’s more of an immediate understanding. It’s a wholly generic endeavor from director Luke Greenfield, who’s made many of these during his career (including “Something Borrowed,” “Half Brothers,” and “Let’s Be Cops”), and his streak continues here, overseeing a soul-flattening action comedy that seems like a family film, but contains hard PG-13 material from screenwriter Neil Goldman (a television vet). And it seems like a picture that would be funny, but there’s not a single laugh to be found. It’s just a noisy, ugly offering of uninspired stupidity that struggles with performances, editing, dramatic structure, and themes, with Greenfield putting all his faith in stars Kevin James and Alan Ritchson to be extraordinarily charming and goofy to carry this awful, awful movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1982, Stephen King wrote “The Running Man” (under his pseudonym, “Richard Bachman”), presenting a dystopian tale of societal ruin and government corruption, looking to hit readers with big ideas about a possible tomorrow. The novel was set in 2025. We’re there now, and certain realities are quite bleak, teeing up a chance to bring the material to the big screen without having to change much. Screenwriters Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright (who also directs) are absolutely looking to play close to the King handbook for their version of “The Running Man,” which was previously brought to screens in a 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action vehicle that veered wildly from the book. Wright oversees a slightly more grounded picture that hopes to hold up a mirror to the real world, but, as entertainment, the feature runs out of steam pretty quickly, often stuck dealing with lousy dialogue and miscast actors as it tries to marry the silliness of the previous adaptation with the sobering qualities of King’s work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Comedy hasn’t been kind to director Michael Dowse in recent years. He’s tried to merge wackiness with violence in such efforts as 2019’s “Stuber” and he hit a real career low point with the awful “Coffee & Kareem,” which was one of the worst films of 2020. He’s not exactly a mastermind when it comes to merging thrills with laughs, and his latest, “Trap House,” initially promises another lighthearted take on dangerous situations involving clueless characters. Mercifully, the screenplay (by Gary Scott Thompson and Tom O’Connor) eventually pulls back on its humor to transform into more of an action thriller, developing an interesting idea for peril and parental protection involving the children of DEA agents and their foolish idea to steal from a Mexican drug cartel. “Trap House” has its limitations, but it remains mostly involving and, at times, a bit exciting, keeping Dowse focused on dramatic interests. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director John Swab typically makes B-movies, keeping his career going with the usual in action entertainment these days, trying to adrenalize such endeavors as “Little Dixie,” “One Day as a Lion,” and “Long Gone Heroes.” Swab tried something different in 2021’s “Body Brokers,” striving to highlight the corruption of the treatment industry. While the feature ultimately wasn’t successful, it still took a swing, and Swab offers another at-bat with “King Ivory,” which is his version of Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic,” examining the war on drugs from multiple perspectives. Looking to get tough with the subject matter, Swab tries to remain pitiless with “King Ivory,” offering a grim state of the union address that’s vivid at times, getting into the ongoing disaster of drugs and gang violence. It’s not a complete statement on the situation, but the helmer certainly has passion for the topic, scoring an intermittently suspenseful film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s nothing wrong with vanilla entertainment. People need comfort movies, especially ones that play up the power of love and hope, providing escapism with appealing actors involved in mild drama, preferably in an exotic location. “Under the Stars” has a few of these elements, but it’s disappointing to find screenwriter Victoria Vinuesa (“See You On Venus”) remain so unadventurous with the writing. She doesn’t put much thought into the picture, which takes an emotionally wounded man to Italy on vacation, meeting a woman capable of restoring his spirit and power his creativity. Simplicity isn’t the problem, but a lack of charm and tension is, watching director Michelle Danner (“Miranda’s Victim”) unwilling to make a livelier offering of tenderness and companionship. “Under the Stars” has two fine actors in Andy Garcia and Toni Collette, but they’re in support mode here, leaving the rest of the movie to tepid events and easily solvable problems. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Just last month, director Richard Linklater was exploring the history of musical theater, detailing a particular night of concern and revelry in 1943 for lyricist Lorenz Hart in “Blue Moon.” Now the helmer jumps ahead to 1959 to track the development and production of 1960’s “Breathless” in “Nouvelle Vague,” out to celebrate the formative years of the French New Wave and understand its impact on the future of cinema. Linklater and writers Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo Jr. aren’t out to make a defined statement of artistic power, preferring to observe the chaos and experimentation that brought Jean-Luc Godard’s offering to life. “Nouvelle Vague” is a light feature about the creative process, and Linklater looks to return audiences to the past with a loving examination of rebellion. It’s an engaging sit but nothing substantial, most certainly aimed at “cinemaniacs” who enjoy moviemaking history and more adventurous viewers endeavoring to learn about an influential moment in time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A longtime storyboard artist for Pixar and various other animated projects, Alexander Woo makes his feature-length directorial debut with “In Your Dreams.” Also scripting the movie with Erick Benson, Woo remains in line with the usual in family entertainment, creating a tale of youthful empowerment and fantasy that takes the main characters through a dreamscape adventure to save a marriage and their future. The production doesn’t win on originality, but there’s an enormous amount of charm to enjoy here, with the film offering lively voicework and playful comedy, also enjoying the elasticity of sleep experiences to help inspire a few exciting animated set-pieces. “In Your Dreams” has heart and a sense of humor, with Woo keeping things short and pleasant for the target demographic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg was handed an opportunity to do something with the “Predator” franchise after the critical and commercial failure of 2018’s “The Predator.” “Prey” wasn’t a low-budget picture, but it represented a move to return the series to its small-scale origin, putting emphasis on character and atmosphere while still handling alien hunter highlights. “Prey” managed to put the brand name back in a good light, and Trachtenberg went right back to work, turning 2025 into the ultimate statement of fandom with the release of two “Predator” movies. “Predator: Killer of Killers” was issued last summer, presenting an animated exploration of this universe with strong visuals and epic action. And now there’s “Predator: Badlands,” which restores live-action adventuring with new focus on the Yautja and its ways of survival. “Badlands” is a lot of fun, as Trachtenberg (joined by writer Patrick Aison) is handed serious coin to explore this universe and dream up many alien and android entanglements, delivering another fresh turn for a franchise that’s been in motion since 1987. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Lynne Ramsay doesn’t work very often. She’s particular about her projects, last seen on screen with 2017’s “You Were Never Really Here.” The “Morvern Callar” and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” helmer is generally heralded by cineastes as an artful filmmaker with a profound love of the surreal and the unexplainable, and Ramsay doesn’t stray far from her career obsessions in “Die My Love,” which is an adaptation of a 2012 Ariana Harwicz novel. Exploring the ways of postpartum depression, Ramsay (joined by co-writers Enda Walsh and Alice Birch) uses the soul-swallowing experience to inspire a tour of the unreal, following a young mother’s battle with her mind and relationships as fresh responsibilities are met by newfound instability. “Die My Love” remains in line with other Ramsay offerings, hitting moments of indulgence one too many times, but there’s star Jennifer Lawrence, who’s always interesting as she tries to communicate a volcanic eruption of pain and confusion for the picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In recent years, writer/director Tyler Perry has attempted to make a World War II film, an erotic thriller, and pulled his Madea character back into circulation after officially announcing his retirement. And now he’s attempting to make a Hallmark Channel-style study of burgeoning love in “Finding Joy,” working his typical fast-and-cheap filmmaking ways on what’s meant to be a cozy study of two emotionally wounded people getting close inside a remote cabin during a Colorado blizzard. Perry isn’t one to deeply think about his scripts, and “Finding Joy” definitely has the appearance of a first draft that went right into production. The picture isn’t romantic or amusing, it’s just boring, watching Perry stick with cliché and uninspired dialogue while trying to stretch a simple concept in the most fatigued ways. Like many of his movies, it’s forgettable, but here, the feature barely shows interest in itself, dragging to its inevitable conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Is This Thing On?” is the third directorial outing for Bradley Cooper, who initially made a splash merging depression and music in 2018’s “A Star is Born.” For 2023’s “Maestro,” Cooper went for style and submersion into the creative mind, making something very awards-ready. His latest aims to be a small-scale story about people, moving away from large budgets and grandiose emotion to deal with the internal churn of a divorcing couple attempting to make sense of their break-up. “Is This Thing On?” is inspired by the life of ex-athlete John Bishop, but Cooper and co-writers Mark Chappell and Will Arnett (who also stars in the feature) are mostly out to find moments for the characters as they manage domestic issues and intimacy problems. The picture mostly plays like a filmed acting class exercise, as Cooper doesn’t seem to care about the logic driving the story, out to capture unguarded moments and relationship turmoil in a feature that’s both over and underwritten. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been a few attempts to bring the work of author Denis Johnson to the screen. In 1999, there was “Jesus’ Son,” and, more recently, director Claire Denis tried to do something with 2022’s “Stars at Noon.” Now there’s “Train Dreams,” which is an adaptation of a 2011 novella by the author, who attempted to create a story about memory and loss, and all the time that passes without humanity even comprehending it. It’s not material built for a cinematic interpretation, but co-writer/director Clint Bentley (“Jockey”) is up to the challenge, creating a poetic, elegiacal picture that keeps up with Johnson’s historical interests and atmospheric changes. “Train Dreams” is a specialty offering for those willing to experience a somewhat shapeless odyssey of the heart and mind, and Bentley gets it mostly right, creating a feature of deep emotion and true beauty. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“I Wish You All the Best” began life as a 2019 book by author Mason Deaver, who wanted to tell a story about a nonbinary character finding their way through their teenage years, facing all sorts of difficulties and doubt during a tumultuous time. Writer/director Tommy Dorfman attempts to translate literary ideas into a movie, and one capable of understanding the specificity of the topic and the universal feelings that orbit it. “I Wish You All the Best” is tender and gentle, handling ideas on a life lived freely with compassion as the main character seeks to better understand themselves. Dorfman delivers a sensitive picture about adolescent and familial concerns, and while the dramatic flow of the material isn’t always steady, there’s a lot here to appreciate, including approachable tone and invested performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Underdog boxing movies are plentiful, especially after the industry dominating success of 1976’s “Rocky” and its sequels, with the last 50 years of filmmaking working to recycle the formula to varying degrees of success. “Christy” is another tale of a nobody trying to be a somebody in the world of boxing, exploring the saga of Christy Martin, who enjoyed sporting glory during the 1990s. Screenwriters Mirrah Foulkes and David Michod (who also directs) have something to examine with Martin’s life and times, as she faced a lot more than some punches as a closeted lesbian female fighter married to a domestic abuser capable of tremendous evil. “Christy” deals with real-life situations of dangers and disappointment, but it doesn’t play like a bio-pic. Michod (“Animal Kingdom,” “War Machine,” “The King”) gives the endeavor an exaggerated atmosphere, with sections of the offering playing like a “Saturday Night Live” skit, while the rest is fairly conventional, making for an uneven look at a highly irregular life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The film industry has been trying to turn actor Joel Kinnaman into an action star over the last decade, and nothing’s really taken hold. His last major starring effort was 2023’s “Silent Night,” a John Woo-directed offering of gunplay and explosions that played to empty theaters, but the system isn’t done with Kinnaman yet. He returns to the ways of screen survival in “Ice Fall,” which is kinda, sorta similar to the plot of 1993’s “Cliffhanger,” but screenwriters George Mahaffey and Steve Isles don’t have the budget to create an epic understanding of criminal activity and high-flying adventure. They simply take the missing cases of money idea and try to create a more reasonably priced actioner featuring a hunt for cash in the cold extremes of Montana. “Ice Fall” has the ingredients to be junky fun, but director Stefan Ruzowitzky can’t get momentum going, creating a picture that lacks a surprising amount of excitement and danger. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A story where an assassin is hired to kill another assassin, only to be targeted by additional assassins during a long week in New Mexico? It could be fun, but entertainment is hard to come by in “Exit Protocol,” which is the latest from director Shane Dax Taylor, who hasn’t had much luck with genre releases (including 2023’s “The Best Man” and 2021’s “Masquerade”), and doesn’t break his streak here. Screenwriter Chad Law (“The Flood,” “Til Death Do Us Part”) appears interested in summoning a little B-movie escapism with the feature, putting in the minimal effort when it comes to characterization and connections, stuffing in numerous shootouts to keep viewers sufficiently distracted. There should be enough here to deliver a passable good time, but “Exit Protocol” never catches fire as an actioner, and many of Taylor’s creative decisions are bewildering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com