Category: Film Review

Director Johannes Roberts has enjoyed a very odd career. He achieved an unlikely hit in 2017’s “47 Meters Down,” overseeing a low-budget offering of shark cinema that somehow found an audience. He proved himself competent with 2018’s “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” which, as of this writing, is the best installment of “The Strangers” series, giving Roberts a chance to show his stuff. Disappointments followed, including an unnecessary sequel in “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” and a needless revival of a burned out franchise in 2021’s “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.” For “Primate,” Roberts (who co-scripts with Ernest Riera) gets back to business with a simply structured tale of animal horror, going lean and mean with this riff on Stephen King’s “Cujo.” “Primate” won’t win hearts and minds, but as a B-movie, the endeavor is compellingly violent, giving viewers a chance to be frightened by this exploration of a chimp gone mad. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Chevy Chase. He’s not a man with a golden reputation, making any effort to create a documentary about his life and times a delicate operation. Director Marina Zenovich (“Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind,” “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic”) makes a valiant attempt to understand the whole machine of mockery that drives the comedic performer, with “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” hoping to pry open the subject and understand how he works. Chase’s appearance in the picture pretty much kills such a plan, even telling Zenovich she’s not intelligent enough to comprehend his thinking, commencing a tour of unlikability that’s blended with an examination of career and personal issues. “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” doesn’t quite pull off the documentary approach, with present-day Chase (now an 82-year-old man) factoring into too much of the endeavor, breaking up more interesting and informative stretches of behavioral analysis and professional exploration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Viewers are used to seeing actor Michael Jai White in action film roles. He’s been in the business for quite some time, frequently gravitating to parts that emphasize his martial art skills and his obvious desire to develop an intimidating screen presence. “Oscar Shaw” is White’s latest effort, and, surprisingly, there really isn’t much brutality in the feature, offering the star a shot at displaying more range than what’s usually asked of him. The screenplay (by Don Roff) has something different in mind when it comes to the ways of criminal life in the big city, periodically focusing on the devastating effects of violence and crime, endeavoring to add bits of social commentary to the usual in cops vs. bad guys. “Oscar Shaw” is concerned about the way of the world, but sincerity is stuck in a largely inert mystery, limiting the potency of its messages as dramatic momentum never takes command of the picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Gus Van Sant has only made three movies over the last decade. 2015’s “The Sea of Trees” was arguably one of his worst pictures, and 2018’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” was one of his best, but Van Sant has been away from screens for quite some time, now returning with “Dead Man’s Wire,” which is based on the true story of Tony Kiritsis and his violent effort to expose corruption occurring with a mortgage company. The saga was previously covered in a 2018 documentary (“Dead Man’s Line”), and now screenwriter Austin Kolodney looks to dramatize the hostage event, trying to find the tension, frustration, and even humor in the central situation, also giving star Bill Skarsgard a juicy role as Tony, a hotheaded man of questionable sanity. Perhaps there’s not enough in “Dead Man’s Wire” to carry an entire feature, but Van Sant works well with editorial ideas and anti-capitalist themes to keep the offering involving. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Brandon Auman tries to turn his 2024 short film into a feature-length horror endeavor in “Sleepwalker,” hoping to expand on an original idea that only ran seven minutes. The picture concerns a different type of haunting, with Auman looking to creep into the deep recesses of motherly guilt and fear to inspire a terror show highlighting a woman’s efforts to battle the trickery of her brain and the destruction of her family. The writing has something to follow in the processing of extraordinary pain, but “Sleepwalker” is more of a “Twilight Zone” episode with increasingly tedious jump scares and acting that can’t quite sell the frightmare developing over the run time. The helmer struggles to keep the movie scary and meaningful, and the stretchmarks of a laborious adaptation challenge show throughout the viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As an actress, Kristen Stewart has never been consistent. However, she’s definitely experimental, often taking on unusual roles in strange movies to keep herself challenged and perhaps entertained. Stewart has been around for decades, but now she’s trying something new, making her debut as a writer/director with “The Chronology of Water,” daring to create an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir, which offered readers an intense ride of memory and description as she confronted many demons in her life. Stewart puts in the work to respect such intimacy, keeping the offering to hushed thoughts and editorial jumps, placing viewers into Lidia’s POV, which is a place of torment and extremity. Creative ideas are executed well by the helmer, but she comes up short when securing a reason why this book needed to become a film, as “The Chronology of Water” isn’t a commanding viewing experience, missing an emotional grip as the screenplay burns through Lidia’s life events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nearly ten years ago, director Marcie Hume went on an adventure. Hired to capture the world of actor Corey Feldman, Hume was offered access to the subject’s life at a moment when his quest to become a music sensation was challenged by nationwide exposure to his actual gifts. In 2016, Feldman performed on the “Today” show with his band, Corey’s Angels, and it didn’t go well, but in his mind, all the publicity surrounding the appearance was a divine sign to keep going, to maintain the hunt for media supremacy, and doing so while surrounded by half-naked women playing their instruments. Hume was handed intimate access to the ensuing tour, and “Corey Feldman vs. the World” offers a look into an ego-heavy existence that almost defies description. Part cry for help, part “This is Spinal Tap,” the documentary is a wild ride of experiences and interviews with a wholly narcissistic man and his personal mission to maintain focus on himself while juggling a lot of self-imposed problems during his quest to stun the world with his message of positivity and sexploitation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2023, writer/director Michel Franco created one of the best films of the year in “Memory.” It was a haunting look at relationships and secrets, with the helmer creating tension and unusual tenderness in a strange central relationship, gifting stars Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard room to explore their characters and find interesting behaviors along the way. Chastain reunites with Franco for “Dreams,” which is also a study of human interaction and shadowed pasts, returning the actress and the filmmaker to a central crisis of odd devotion. “Dreams” isn’t nearly as engrossing as “Memory,” with Franco heading into Michael Haneke territory with the material, going slow-burn with this picture, which intends to be a disturbing study of power plays in a relationship between a Mexican dancer and his American lover. It’s not an extreme viewing experience, and not much of a dramatic one either, finding the material bordering on ridiculousness at times as the production searches for potency. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Embattled director Luc Besson attempted to revive some of his youthful filmmaking instincts with last year’s “June and John,” going micro-indie with a shot-on-phone production that was meant to be freewheeling, but was mostly insufferable. He returns to big-budget endeavors with “Dracula,” which, once again, offers the oft-told tale of a man who became a monster, hunting for love and facing those who wish to end his reign of terror. Besson (who also scripts) reunites with his “Dogman” star Caleb Landry Jones for this take on the world of author Bram Stoker, and the helmer also seems slightly obsessed with Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 version of the tale (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”), working with influences to fashion his own vision for creature appetites and monster hunting. There’s a love story as well, but, as with much of the picture, there’s little substance to enjoy as Besson attempts to go big and European with the offering, only to end up with a wearisome viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sony Pictures has certainly tried to keep the “Anaconda” franchise going over the last 28 years, greatly inspired by the surprising profitability of the original 1997 offering of monster horror and its semi-campy delivery. The film was a hit when nobody expected it to become one, creating opportunities for sequels, though only one (2004’s “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”) was made for movie theaters. The corporation tries once again to get audiences excited about watching killer snake action, putting co-writer/director Tom Gormican (“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”) in charge of a “spiritual sequel” that plays with self-referential goofiness while also trying to work in some presentations of jungle adventure. The new “Anaconda” is meant to be silly, and it absolutely is, but it could definitely be a bit funnier as it goes about its winky business, often resembling a picture that was made up on the spot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“We Bury the Dead” has been often described as a zombie movie, and marketing efforts have certainly supported such a genre approach. There’s a form of the undead in the feature, but writer/director Zak Hilditch is after something a little more different with the picture, which primarily deals with unresolved business between people during a time of extraordinary crisis. “We Bury the Dead” isn’t going to scratch any zombie film itches, but if one relaxes expectations for unrelenting violence and gory events, there’s plenty here that’s interesting, especially when examining the characters and how they manage sudden trauma. Hilditch keeps the story relatively simple, and he has a capable cast to bring out a few potent scenes of introspection, with lead Daisy Ridley providing a fine turn as a person dealing with multiple layers of concern as she faces a dwindling sense of hope. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Hal Hartley returns to screens with “Where to Land,” which is his first picture since 2014’s “Ned Rifle.” While Hartley’s oeuvre has endured a bumpy ride at times, he was missed, with his specialized approach to indie filmmaking giving audiences a unique reminder of his creative voice and take on the world. “Where to Land” represents the helmer’s quest for self-inspection, following the tale of a tired director making contact with his past, present, and future as he attempts to assemble a last will and testament. “Where to Land” is classic Hartley, collecting a small community of characters to deal with an invented crisis, sold with snappy dialogue and terrific acting. It’s a return to form for Hartley, who manages concerns and mild comedy with confidence, making the endeavor a treat for those who’ve been following his career since it began. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nicholas Hytner hasn’t made a film in a decade, last seen on screens with “The Lady in the Van.” He’s not a director who works very often, and received some acclaim in the past, guiding such pictures as “The Madness of King George” and 2006’s “The History Boys.” “The Choral” is scripted by Alan Bennett, a longtime Hytner collaborator, and the duo concoct an extremely British endeavor about the grip of anxiety during World War I, and the soulful release of art during a troubling time. There are no surprises found in the offering, which plays like a mid-‘90s art-house release, providing a sense of comfort, musical performance, and wartime conflicts to best reach its target audience. Despite a general lack of electricity, “The Choral” is well-made and compellingly acted, periodically dipping into interesting areas of longing and loss while it tries to deliver reliable storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Julia Ducournau has built a career on provocative pictures, and while she doesn’t work often, she’s managed to capture attention with her first two features. 2016’s “Raw” stirred up film festival hype with its gruesome imagery, and 2021’s “Titane” turned Ducournau into a force of nature, delivering a wild examination of murder and sex that also burned brightly in pre-release circles. “Alpha” is her latest endeavor, and one can sense Ducournau struggling to produce something to compete with her previous work, looking to meet expectations with a surreal story of relationships and viral fears, returning to her love of body horror. “Raw” and “Titane” were bizarre offerings, but they remained interesting due to Ducournau’s strange ways and general storytelling fearlessness. “Alpha” doesn’t offer such a thrill, remaining limited in its emotional reach and characterization, making for a cold, sluggish viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2014, author Helen Macdonald released her memoir, “H is for Hawk,” which explored an emotionally turbulent year for the woman, who handled the loss of her beloved father through the strange ways of falconry, giving her a unique distraction as she dealt with so much. Screenwriters Emma Donoghue and Philippa Lowthorpe (who also directs) elect to bring such an experience to the screen, dramatizing the roughness of Helen’s state of mind and her special relationship with a Eurasian goshawk. It’s the stuff of a television movie, but “H is for Hawk” tries to be a tad more sensitive about the character’s state of mind, giving actress Claire Foy room to feel around a rattled headspace while the writing explores relationships and acts of isolation. The feature offers an unusual partnership between a woman and her bird of prey, and emotional moments are mostly earned in the endeavor, which makes sense of the central crisis, frequently going deeper into memory to help strengthen its view of personal loss. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Just last year, partners Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold collaborated on “The Brutalist,” attempting a tough sell as they created a nearly four-hour-long study of emotional ruin and suffering. They managed to pull off a minor hit with the picture (which Corbet directed), trying their luck again with “The Testament of Ann Lee,” which details the life and spiritual liberation of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers religious community. Fastvold takes the reins on this project, attempting to ease the imposing nature of the story but turning the film into a musical of some shape, also displaying plenty of dance to communicate the ways of faith and its direct connection to God. “The Testament of Ann Lee” isn’t particularly ambitious, and it’s not strongly paced, as Fastvold gets too caught up in the Broadway-style approach of the feature, out to make something theatrical, not insightful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Housemaid” is an adaptation of a 2022 book by Frieda McFadden, who’s been cranking out novels and stories for roughly the last decade. She found major success with the title, and Hollywood came running, as tales of horrible people doing horrible things is big business, especially when it deals with toxic relationships (“Fifty Shades of Grey,” “It Ends with Us”) and questionable messages of empowerment. Paul Feig directs the endeavor, having already guided a similar project to box office success (2018’s “A Simple Favor”), and he’s tasked with delivering a twisty thriller highlighting unstable characters and strange decision-making skills. “The Housemaid” is a beach read that’s found its way to the big screen, offering viewers a questionable study of survival that’s weighed down by uneven acting and a lack of sharp editing, making for a long sit as concepts that probably made sense on the page seem quite ludicrous on film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com