BRIAN ORNDORF

Author: BO

  • Blu-ray Review – Hot Under the Collar

    H15

    Director Richard Gabai found some success with 1991's "Virgin High," which represented his effort to participate in teen horndog cinema from the 1980s, looking to get his career going by playing with a safe subgenre. Unfortunately, the feature wasn't really up to the challenge of providing a raunchy good time, with Gabai more interested in silliness without the comedy chops to sell such craziness. However, profit is profit, and Gabai was sent right back into action for 1992's "Hot Under the Collar," which is a sequel/remake of "Virgin High," with most of the gang back to make trouble at a Catholic institution, revealing some strange hostility toward religion from Gabai. Still, mockery of Christianity is something in "Hot Under the Collar," which largely tries to skate by on nothing, with the helmer recycling some jokes from the previous endeavor, and his new material isn't effective at all, creating quite the patience-testing viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Virgin High

    V4

    1991's "Virgin High" is a little late to the party, but director Richard Gabai is determined to participate in the teen horndog cinema gold rush of the 1980s, offering his take on the undersexed antics of young men trying to terrorize/enchant the young women they're lusting after. The setting is familiar, with boarding school high jinks the name of the game here, but there's a slightly religious curve to the material, with the screenplay laboring to pants Catholic control as it faces the all-powerful ways of horniness. Gabai looks to infuse a little "Airplane!"-style humor into the endeavor, but he's mostly stuck with low-budget shenanigans, which are largely uninspired and weirdly chaste for this type of entertainment. Gabai leads the thespian charge as well, also falling short of subgenre needs, delivering an awkward performance as the top party animal on a mission to force his object of desire to bend to his will while making life hell for an assortment of nuns, security types, and parental figures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Step Into Silk

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    Shenanigans are afoot in 1985's "Slip Into Silk," which begins with seductive activities at a radio station and graduates to more of a blackmail plot, bringing some structure to this collection of adult cinema highlights. The story isn't advanced, but the production is clearly having a little fun with this endeavor, with plenty of screen time devoted to the actors and their special way of working through scenes. "Slip Into Silk" gets a little peculiar at times, especially when director R. Michael Stringer goes random and permissive with his editing, but it's an entertaining sit, presenting just enough silliness to charm and plenty of heated encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Amber Aroused

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    Writer/director Marc Davis doesn't have a grand story to tell with 1985's "Amber Aroused," but he's got a sense of humor about the picture. The helmer keeps things breezy in the film, sticking with unusual acts of seduction and some bizarre playtime among consenting adults, and there's even a robot on the loose, going places Paulie's robot from "Rocky III" never did. "Amber Aroused" is a starring vehicle for Amber Lynn, who provides a plucky performance and total commitment to adult cinema highlights in the feature, helping the endeavor reach a nice fun factor, playing it simple with a small cast of characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Underdoggs

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    Snoop Dogg isn’t much of an actor, but his simple screen presence has certainly livened up a few movies over the years. For “The Underdoggs,” Snoop Dogg has created a lead role for himself, also co-hatching the story for the pee-wee football saga, which lifts liberally, as they all do, from the 1976 classic, “The Bad News Bears.” Once again, it’s the hardened, light-headed coach put in charge of rascally kids against his will, with underdog cinema expected to form around all the formula concocted by screenwriters Isaac Schamis and Danny Segal, who have zero interest in adding some originality, or even passable human emotions to the feature. “The Underdoggs” is woefully cliched, but it’s not without a few laughs and some dependable kids sports energy, in need of more inspired leadership, with director Charles Stone III putting in the least amount of effort to boost the endeavor’s appeal. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Junction

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    Bryan Greenberg has been in the acting trenches for quite some time now, and he’s been steadily employed, taking supporting roles here and there. Greenberg looks to acquire a new level of career power with “Junction,” also stepping behind the camera to make his directorial debut, claiming credit for the screenplay as well. The helmer’s heart is in the right place, taking on the horrific systems of corruption involved with the opioid epidemic, following a community of characters as they navigate addiction, ethics, and legal affairs while in the midst of dealing with the nightmare of oxycodone. Greenberg hopes to create a low-budget take on “Traffic” and other drug-related pictures, but he ends up with a clumsy television movie instead. “Junction” should be tougher and more cinematic in its depiction of human decay, but the production doesn’t have that kind of energy, with tedious melodrama prized instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Miller’s Girl

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    Writer/director Jade Halley Bartlett makes her filmmaking debut with “Miller’s Girl,” and she offers an ambitious tale of seduction and power with the material, which has a distinct theatrical quality to it. The movie examines an unsettling relationship between a high school writing teacher and his top student, who’s quite capable of reaching inside the older man’s mind in an effort to tap into his fantasies. Bartlett isn’t making a thriller with “Miller’s Girl” (which is co-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), but something slightly more sinister, toying with the influence of sexuality as it beguiles and destroys in equal measure. The writing stays close to character, generating some powerfully intimate moments, and those highlights are enough to carry a somewhat unsteady picture, but one that offers fascinating sequences of manipulation, finding horror in the hotness of it all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Seeding

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    “The Seeding” isn’t shy about hiding its horror, with the opening shot of the film following a filthy baby around a desert area, with the kid snacking on a severed finger. The concept of the movie isn’t exactly obscured either, with the next shot in the endeavor a car driving along a trail that forms the image of a spermatozoon. Writer/director Barnaby Clay is ready to deliver an unnerving viewing experience with “The Seeding,” but he’s not always in a hurry to share frights with the audience, going the slow-burn route with this tale of a man stuck in the wild, pulled into a situation of imprisonment that’s not what it initially seems. The writing portions out details of doom carefully, with Clay looking to generate a heavy atmosphere of confusion and frustration, finding his way to some crazy acts of torment in a compelling feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Greatest Night in Pop

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    “We Are the World” was released globally on March 7th, 1985. It served as the foundation for the U.S.A. for Africa movement, where a large assortment of musical stars of the 1980s came together to sing an anthemic song about the healing power of love and unity, endeavoring to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The record captured the imagination (and wallets) of listeners, emerging as one of the biggest singles of its release year, becoming omnipresent and representative of what such a project could achieve. There are stories to be shared about the making of the tune, and documentarian Bao Nguyen tries to sort through the incredible details of it all with “The Greatest Night in Pop,” which examines the herculean effort to create the song and corral all the diverse personalities involved in the music scene at that time. There are no twists or turns here, just a straightforward understanding of the moment, and Nguyen does an extraordinary job bringing order to chaos with this massively entertaining picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Sometimes I Think About Dying

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    “Sometimes I Think About Dying” is a very small film about feelings and personalities. There’s no major dramatic movement in the screenplay (by Stefanie Abel Horowitz, Kevin Armento, and Katy Wright-Mead), just quiet interactions and heavy reflection on depression, while sensitivities start to develop during the run time. Director Rachel Lambert sets a delicate mood with the endeavor, hitting some comedic moments along the way, but she mostly remains in a state of stillness, creating a small mission for two characters to understand each other in different ways as they participate in daily life. While its subject matter promises a gloomy viewing experience, “Sometimes I Think About Dying” ends up gentle and lovely, best reserved for audiences with patience to explore a personal connection between two people hunting for a way to communicate with each other. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Hundreds of Beavers

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    Co-writer/director Mike Cheslik takes on an unusual filmmaking challenge with “Hundreds of Beavers.” He’s resurrecting a silent movie approach to a cartoon-style study of survival and fur-trapping in the 1800s, going wild and wacky with the story of a man and his desperate need to bring in enough beaver pelts to win the hand of a young women in the middle of a frozen forest. Silliness is the name of the game in “Hundreds of Beavers,” which is non-stop nonsense from Cheslik, who shows remarkable creativity with his limited budget, working with whatever he can to bring his war of animal vs. man to life. It’s a wild ride, and an exhausting one too, but before the feature loses steam with its parade of shenanigans, the production achieves an enjoyable level of madcap antics, sold with a charmingly tireless lead performance from Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (who co-scripts with Cheslik). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Bad Hombres

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    After helming last fall’s little-seen “Muzzle,” director John Stalberg Jr. is back in action with “Bad Hombres,” returning to the land of vicious men playing dangerous games of trust, like so many B-movies of the last few years. Screenwriter Rex New arranges a situation of escalating violence in the American south, playing with border tensions and general lawlessness in the area. His intent seems to be the arrangement of verbal hostilities with the occasional spray of aggression. Stalberg Jr. appears to be aiming for Coen Brothers mode with “Bad Hombres,” but there’s not a lot of style and limited interest when it comes to these exasperatingly loquacious characters, who go on and on about their interests and lifestyles, but have surprisingly nothing of interest to share with viewers. Freshness and incident are mostly missing from the feature, which doesn’t get far on conversations alone. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The Seduction of Gina

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    Aiming to rough up her image a bit, Valerie Bertinelli takes the lead in 1984's "The Seduction of Gina," which examines the slow creep of gambling addiction facing a young woman uncertain about her surroundings and her future. It's a cautionary tale, though one that doesn't press down too hard when it comes to depicting the ways of submission, keeping things relatively approachable as Bertinelli does her thing, providing a performance that's more mild irritation than absolute distress. "The Seduction of Gina" isn't completely about financial ruin, with just enough of a domestic side to keep things dramatic for director Jerrold Freedman. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Incident at Crestridge

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    In other hands, 1981's "Incident at Crestridge" would become a fierce little B-movie, pitting a determined woman against the good-old-boys who run a small town, and these men don't have much interest in being challenged on their illegal behavior. Alas, drive-in-style cinema is not on the menu here, with writer Jim Byrnes and director Jud Taylor aiming to create television entertainment with their study of misogyny in Wyoming, though they have a fierce lead performer in Eileen Brennan, who brings some fury to the part. "Incident at Crestridge" is pretty mild when it comes to community disorder stories, but Brennan is always compelling, and the tale's central message of empowerment is genuinely appealing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The Death of Richie

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    1977's "The Death of Richie" is based on the true story of George Diener, who went to extremes to stop his son, Richie, when the teenager fell into a drug-induced panic. It's a tale of misery and madness that's handed some understanding by the production, with the picture caught between the sensitivity of parental pain and the needs of television drama, with a few dips into extended hysterical behavior threatening to overwhelm the stillness that works so well here. "The Death of Richie" doesn't have a subtle appreciation for the ways of addiction, but the endeavor taps into the frustrations that go with this journey, working with a talented cast to do so. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – What’s Love Got to Do with It?

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    Shekar Kapur, the director of 1998's "Elizabeth" and its 2007 sequel, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," returns to duty after a 15-year-long break from big screen storytelling with "What's Love Got to Do with It?" Shedding interest in historical dramas, Kapur joins screenwriter Jemima Khan for this study of arranged marriages and challenges with true love, endeavoring to make something that deals with authentic relationship issues while still hoping to remain approachable as a study of a tentative romance. "What's Love Got to Do with It?" (which doesn't have anything to do with the Tina Turner hit, but try explaining that to your brain) has the opportunity to say something meaningful about ongoing battles between the heart and mind, but the production isn't courageous enough to really offer an honest assessment of near-misses when it comes to relationships, eventually turning to a to-do list of cliches just to make sure the material meets expectations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – I.S.S.

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    Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite has tried to forge an unusual career, dealing with oceanic creature concerns in “Blackfish,” exploring the war experience in “Megan Leavey,” and examining intimate relationships in “Our Friend.” Now she heads to the stars with her latest endeavor, which details rising tensions between Americans and Russians on a space station when the world below erupts into nuclear war. “I.S.S.” is written by Nick Shafir, who cooks up a promising tale of paranoia and close-quarters tension, using the space station setting to play with games of trust and escalating violence, with Cowperthwaite in charge of finding a visual and dramatic rhythm to the feature. “I.S.S.” struggles to match the potential of its premise, but the helmer extracts some decent performances and captures compelling visuals with this mostly talky survival film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Robot Dreams

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    The depths of loneliness and the power of friendship is explored in “Robot Dreams.” It’s an animated offering from writer/director Pablo Berger (“Blancanieves,” “Abracadabra”), who creates a feature of visual communication, eliminating dialogue to play with pure expression as he details the seriocomic ways of a friendship between a robot and the dog who’s purchased him to help lift his spirits. “Robot Dreams” is an unexpected viewing experience, with Berger willing to explore the sometimes sad side of life and relationships, and he also delivers many laughs as he observes two characters handling separate adventures into the unknown. It’s an odd endeavor, but it remains emotionally engaging and superbly animated, with a sharp sense of character movement and location, as Berger returns to New York City in the 1980s to help backdrop this adventure of the mind and celebration of cheese snacks. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Kitchen

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    Lauded actor Daniel Kaluuya makes his directorial debut with “The Kitchen,” joining forces with co-helmer Kibwe Tavares for a study of guardianship and society in dystopia London. Kaluuya also co-scripts (with Joe Murtagh), presenting an intimate story of care in the middle of grander ideas concerning community influence and survival, committing to the dramatic potential of a few simple yet important lessons on the state of humanity during dark times. “The Kitchen” has futureworld touches, but it remains intimate with characters, with the production after an understanding of choices and influences. Kaluuya and Tavares capture a special level of introspection with “The Kitchen,” which supports an involving viewing experience brought to life through vibrant, deeply felt performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Cult Killer

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    Director Jon Keeyes is not a name associated with quality filmmaking, with his last feature, 2022’s “Code Name Banshee,” one of the worst releases of the year, even with the presence of the usually reliable Antonio Banderas. Keeyes is back for “Cult Killer,” and he’s reunited with Banderas for a seedy detective/revenge story involving histories of sexual abuse, the torture of women and children, and the corruption of humanity. This isn’t something to watch with a popcorn and soda, with screenwriter Charles Burnley lifting liberally from the world of author Stieg Larsson, aiming to make a B-movie version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” with “Cult Killer,” trusting audiences are still in the mood for storytelling that plumbs the depth of cruelty. And perhaps they will be with this low-wattage tale of rage, which is propped up by a few fine performances and some interesting levels of evil. Keeyes certainly takes his time with the picture, but it periodically gets to where it needs to go. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com