Category: Film Review

“Paper Tiger” could be viewed as a companion piece to writer/director James Gray’s 2022 film, “Armageddon Time.” Both pictures explore life in Queens, New York in the 1980s, and the share an interest in the inner workings of family life as outside challenges to health and heart arise. Gray is a gifted storyteller, and he could stay in this setting for the rest of his career, proving himself skilled at creating elements of danger and lived-in domestic dynamics. “Paper Tiger” is another success for Gray, who delivers a dramatically textured look at a business opportunity gone south, exploring the fallout of bad choices while adding layers of psychological pressure to the offering as supporting characters also face trouble in their lives. It’s a well-rounded endeavor, and an engrossing sit, keeping Gray focused on the gritty business of crime and punishment he always examines with skill. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Heartland” examines a darker side of the country music scene, following the main character as she returns to Nashville on a mission to find her missing niece. Writer/director Shana Feste has been here before, in 2010’s “Country Strong,” returning to her interest in the bleak side of fame, examining a reality for performers who seek attention and fortune, only to run right into the predators and problems of achieving such media prominence. However, “Country Strong” was a melodrama, while “Heartland” is more of a mystery thriller, with the material in detective mode as the central case is explored. Feste looks to fill the movie with plenty of shady people and red herrings, and she also provides character business to study, keeping star Jessica Chastain busy. The picture offers an acceptable premise and early roughness, but the offering quickly turns into a television-style viewing experience, with Feste attempting to pack a full season’s worth of personalities into a single film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s come as a great surprise to see a resurgence in interest in 1992’s “The Muppet Christmas Carol” these past few years, which has always been beloved by fans, but is now enjoying newfound exposure in corporate marketing and merchandising. The feature was one of many adaptations of Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, and, like other stabs at the source material, it offered a slightly sunnier take on the original story. Now director Ti West (who was recently buried in his “X” trilogy that attracted limited attention from audiences) hopes to restore the darkness to “A Christmas Carol” with “Ebenezer,” which aims to provide a more authentic understanding of the horror involved in Scrooge’s long Christmas night. West tries to replicate the Hammer Films experience for the movie, and he delivers ghostly intensity and period dinginess. However, he also makes an unfortunately dull picture that doesn’t offer much emotional pull, unable to shake the coldness of the storytelling approach. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/co-director Daley Pearson is perhaps best known for his work developing the original story for the 2022 hit horror film, “Talk to Me,” and he’s credited as a producer on the smash television show “Bluey.” He aims to channel elements of family entertainment and slight genre intensity for “Allen,” joining co-helmer Jeffrey Walker for this homage to Steven Spielberg’s 1982 masterpiece, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” blended with just a touch of aggressive mischief found in 1984’s “Gremlins.” Pearson hoses the whole thing down in ‘90s nostalgia, but he has an idea concerning a special friendship between a 10-year-old boy and an alien visitor that takes a few interesting directions during the run time. And there’s a slight escalation into comedic anarchy, but “Allen” isn’t out to upset anyone, with the offering attempting to be as approachable as possible, which spoils the potential for madcap comedy, but delivers a lightly entertaining story of emotional distress. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Written by Mark Bianculli, “How to Rob a Bank” hopes to tap into class divide rage, using issues with financial inequality and the predatory worlds of health care and banking to fuel a tale of revenge. The timing of the production is pretty good, but the post-Luigi material has been handed to director David Leitch, who’s primarily interested in amplified action entertainment, previously helming “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Bullet Train,” and 2024’s “The Fall Guy.” Leitch isn’t one to oversee nuanced storytelling, which is exactly what this endeavor needs to successfully sell its ideas on frustration and violence in the name of vengeance. “How to Rob a Bank” is cranked up with content creator visuals and physical activity from the helmer, pulling the feature away from a sharp understanding of pain, moving into something ridiculous instead, missing a true sense of danger as an uninspired filmmaker takes on an antiestablishment tale. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For his fourth movie of 2026, writer/director Tyler Perry is out to find Jesus. Well, the sellable aspects of Christianity anyway, hoping to resurrect the power of prayer in “The Gospel of Christmas,” which, oddly, is a film that has nothing to do with Christmas. Instead, Perry creates an obstacle course of moral quandaries and temptations with the tale, exploring the challenges facing a former R&B singer as he takes on the responsibility of bringing a dying New York City church back to life. Perry hopes to lift spirits with the endeavor, which is something of a musical, but certainly not a highly polished one. “The Gospel of Christmas” remains very Perry-like in execution and consideration, becoming a grab bag of singing, sorrow, and easily defeated evil. It’s a crudely created feature, but there’s likely enough life in vocal performances to give the target demographic what they need. Perry certainly isn’t going to give them anything more than the bare essentials in inspirational cinema. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2023, actor Jim Caviezel scored a huge box office hit with “Sound of Freedom,” portraying a tough individual going after obvious evil. The picture became something of a phenomenon, but Caviezel didn’t take advantage of the sudden career momentum, waiting three years to return to screens with “Ghost Soldier,” where he plays a tough individual going after an obvious evil. Instead of pursuing child traffickers and sex criminals, the star now turns his squint and growl to the threat of data centers, coming after a shady corporation buying up land rights to take control of a Wyoming river. Screenwriter Chris Papasadero and director William Eubank (“Land of Bad,” “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin,” “Underwater”) have a timely enemy to help power rage in “Ghost Soldier,” but they aren’t coming armed with sharp filmmaking, going the B-movie route with a real-world issue. They also have to deal with a leading man who doesn’t exactly radiate an intimidation factor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writers Eric Durham and Derek Sulek really like 1996’s “Scream.” The Wes Craven picture (and its many sequels) is a mighty influence over “Dead of Night,” which is essentially a “Scream” remake, attempting to make a mess in a California town with multiple characters, various motives, and a masked killer in a robe hellbent on slaughtering a good chunk of the local population. The film doesn’t have much imagination for the macabre, and its mystery elements are lukewarm at best, leaving audiences with a feature that’s derivative and silly, as so much of the movie desperately wants to reheat whatever appeal Craven brought to his endeavor. “Dead of Night” is a tough sit, but perhaps for those who live, eat, and breathe slasher cinema, there’s something here to embrace, as Durham and Sulek (who also directs) clearly want to celebrate the subgenre with a new round of community terror and kill sequences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While riding on the pop culture dominance of the “Godzilla” brand name, 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One” was still something of a surprise when it debuted in theaters. Writer/director Takashi Yamazaki managed to find freshness in the saga, returning it to its roots as a tale of postwar Japan terror, reinstating the main kaiju as a fearsome beast of destruction, born from human folly. The feature became an unexpected hit, and Yamazaki showed he could do so much with a limited budget. Three years later, “Godzilla Minus Zero” arrives to plenty of expectations, and the helmer seems to understand the position he’s in. Yamazaki looks to sustain the momentum of the initial picture, carefully escalating the conflict in the sequel, which merges the gritty fear factor of “Minus One” with more of a giant monster direction, supported by elements of agony and melodrama as Godzilla returns to screens. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For a few years just under a decade ago, there was a rush on movies that explored the rascally and healing ways of dog companionship. In 2017, there was “A Dog’s Purpose” and 2019 saw the release of “A Dog’s Way Home” and “A Dog’s Journey,” which tried to work with dogsploitation moviemaking to provide candy coated entertainment for canine devotees. The films were based on books by W. Bruce Cameron, who amassed a fortune writing about pets and their special relationships with humans. While box office returns dropped significantly from “A Dog’s Purpose” to “A Dog’s Journey,” Cameron isn’t ready to give up, turning to a streaming audience for “A Dog’s Perfect Christmas,” which isn’t a sequel, but remains in the author’s universe, once again creating a tale of strife, shenanigans, and familial connection while making sure a pooch is always around to comment on the action. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One of the most popular books created by author Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, 1957’s “The Cat in the Hat” has managed to charm generations of readers with its playful mischief, detailing the shenanigans of the eponymous feline and his desire to bring chaotic fun to those in need of it. The source material has been adapted for television on a few occasions, and Hollywood tried to go the blockbuster route with a 2003 live-action film that few enjoyed. “The Cat in the Hat” returns with a new animated offering from co-writer/directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni (“Kung Fu Panda 3”), trying to turn the book into the beginning of a universe for the character, working overtime to pack as many subplots and busy business into the feature as possible. The endeavor is not without a few charms, but it’s mostly overwritten and labored, weirdly scraping out the Dr. Suess-ness of it all to give viewers as formulaic a viewing experience as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Gyorgy Palfi has an animal tale in mind with “Hen.” However, he’s not going the Disney route with the endeavor, keeping his distance from cuteness and animation. Instead, the helmer favors slightly harder edges to his offering, which follows the experiences of a chicken who’s managed to escape factory farm life, ending up on an adventure into the wilds of Greece, experiencing multiple encounters with those looking to help the creature, and those out to cause it harm. There’s a sense of humor to the picture, but also reminders of reality, and Palfi mostly sticks with a spare narrative as he follows the feathered star around. “Hen” is actually quite remarkable in how compelling it is, tracking the chicken’s view of the world as it handles survival situations and the ways of birth, with Palfi making an involving study of existence in the midst of all the bird behaviors. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Last Temptation of Becky” is the second sequel to 2020’s “Becky,” which delivered solid B-movie goods concerning a 13-year-old girl out to defend her home against an invasion of white supremacists. The picture contained some hard hits and wild behavior, unexpectedly launching a franchise. The main character returned in 2023’s “The Wrath of Becky,” which wasn’t as successful with its smashmouth entertainment, showing a few signs of struggle from the production as it attempted to keep an idea created for a single film warm enough for a second outing. And now Becky rises again, with screenwriters Matt Angel and Jenn Wexler (who also directs) heading to campiness to power another chapter, keeping the character in beast mode as she takes on another wave of neo-Nazis, handed a slight James Bond-like spin as the production tries to make a bigger, badder “Becky.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The opening scene of “Being Heumann” follows the eponymous character as she navigates her wheelchair around New York City streets. The year is 1972, and the world as we know it today wasn’t the world back then, leaving the physically disabled with no options when it came to sidewalk accessibility, keeping Judith Heumann in competition with vehicle traffic as she attempts to arrive at her destination without getting run over. It’s an eye-opening understanding of challenges and determination, with co-writer/director Sian Heder (who broke through with her last endeavor, 2021’s “CODA”) capturing a moment without much dialogue, relying on visual communication to understand the struggle. It’s the best part of “Being Heumann,” which is as well-intentioned as a movie can get, but doesn’t return to the same level of cinematic language, preferring to use speeches and showy performances instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a lot of life and hurt wrapped up inside “La bola negra,” which is overseen by directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. The duo (who also co-write the picture with Alberto Conejero) launch what’s been referred to as a “queer epic,” following multiple timelines and connected characters on the hunt for relief they can’t possibly receive from a world of judgment and horror. The feature is a juggling act, and an extremely artful one at that, moving around people and dates as history merges with intimacy, giving viewers a real journey to process at times. “La bola negra” carries a substantial run time (about 160 minutes), which isn’t always earned, but passion from the production is hard to deny, as the helmers pour their soul into the endeavor’s command of longing and tragedy, making an offering that’s profoundly felt and richly constructed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it comes to the history of the television show “SCTV,” a documentarian is going to need a lot more than 90 minutes to take it all in. Director Jason Hehir (“Andre the Giant”) doesn’t do himself any favors by making such a short movie, trying to pack in basically nine years of life into a single flow of information and interviews. “SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of” is a decent reminder of the sly comedic splendor the original series produced during its years of production, hitting viewers with intelligent writing and full commitment from the brilliant cast. Many of these actors reunite for parts of the feature, offering recollections and analysis of the program and its delightfully strange ways. Hehir catches the spirit here and there with “The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of,” but the endeavor is not made for die-hard fans of “SCTV,” with lots of information missing or untouched, but there’s joy to be found when the documentary highlights incredible talent finding their way through a very special show. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Martin McDonagh doesn’t make films very often, but he’s been on a roll over the last decade, with 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” following up his award-winning work on “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” With “Wild Horse Nine,” the writer/director remains committed to creating particularly itchy characters going through major life changes in a mostly private manner, this time inspecting a partnership between two CIA officers that’s challenged by professional demands and the loss of mental faculties. It’s a character study that occasionally heads into greater confrontations and suspicions, but McDonagh is primarily invested in the twisty ways of temperament and memory, and he has a heck of a setting in Easter Island, giving the feature a rich visual presence. “Wild Horse Nine” goes deliberately with its storytelling, putting the helmer in control of an unfolding drama that surprises and periodically intimidates, carried along by excellent performances and, at times, genuine mystery. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At this point in his career, Liam Neeson isn’t turning anything down. There has been a lot of B-movies starring the actor, and “The Mongoose” is another one for the pile, putting Neeson behind the wheel of a fast car as his character spends 90 minutes trying to evade law enforcement for a crime, of course, his character didn’t commit. Director Mark Vanselow is making his helming debut with the picture, and he knows Neeson well, working as his stunt double, dating back to 2008’s “Taken.” Vanselow is attempting to generate lively entertainment, overseeing a film filled with speeding vehicles, swooping helicopters, and physical entanglements. “The Mongoose” has spirit when it comes to screen activity, but it’s also an incredibly dopey offering of action cinema, with screenwriter Thompson Evans painting conflict with primary colors as the whole endeavor attempts to become a new “Smokey and the Bandit” for older audiences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Ali G was Sacha Baron Cohen’s first breakout character, introduced in the late 1990s as a goofy take on British “chav” culture, taking youthful idiocy and unearned confidence to the extreme. The bit had its moment, generating a path to fame for Cohen, who co-created “Da Ali G Show,” which placed the character in the role of moronic interviewer, working to infuriate guests and expose absurdities. There was even a film in 2002’s “Ali G Indahouse,” which dropped the mockumentary angle to deliver scripted entertainment starring a determined boob. Cohen returns to the character 24 years later, hoping to use “Ali G: Who Iz I?” to reconnect with his old brand of mischief, but it’s hard to deny that the time for such shenanigans has passed. The feature feels tired and out of date, with “Ali G: Who Iz I?” out to make fun of political correctness through pranks and satire that doesn’t exactly play in today’s angrier, divided world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The screenplay for “Christmas at the Kringles” is credited to Zack Imbrogno, but it’s difficult to understand what exactly he’s written. Perhaps he doesn’t even know. There’s the vague outline of a plot concerning a father and husband trying to make sense of his holiday-obsessed neighbors, watching as his wife and child submit to their jolly ways, forced to deal with the situation when everything escalates to a new level of threat. Director Kevin Lewis (“Willy’s Wonderland,” “Misdirection”) doesn’t really care about storytelling in the endeavor, putting most of his faith in the cast and their ways with improvisation to find the humor and horror of the tale. The actors certainly work up a sweat to remain alert in the picture, but “Christmas at the Kringles” doesn’t score laughs, and its weirdness is just as strained, emerging as a bland, tedious take on holiday hellraising in dire need of actual scripted lines for its characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com