Category: Film Review

Jay Baruchel is best known as a voice of Hiccup in the “How to Train Your Dragon” film and television series, doing an amazing job bringing the character to life over the last decade, adding to the franchise’s sense of emotion and grandeur. However, it doesn’t seem like he wants to be known as a family friendly performer, making his directorial debut with the coarse hockey sequel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers,” and he goes even darker with “Random Acts of Violence,” which is an adaptation of a 2010 comic book by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. Examining the influence of grim genre art and entertainment, Baruchel (who co-scripts with Jesse Chabot) presents a savage picture that has a few provocative ideas to share, but not a whole lot of story to deliver. There’s a tremendous short movie in here, with “Random Acts of Violent” making salient points on the glorification of brutality. There’s just not enough to fill a feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Thor Freudenthal built his career with family films, taking command of “Hotel for Dogs,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.” He graduates to teenage concerns with “Words on Bathroom Walls,” an adaptation of 2017 book by Julia Walton. Previously dealing with broad comedy and high fantasy, Freudenthal now takes on the challenge of visualizing the experience of having schizophrenia, following one character’s battle to understand and manage his mental illness. “Words on Bathroom Walls” isn’t a gritty viewing experience, softened somewhat to reach the intended adolescent audience, but that the helmer is capable of communicating such confusion and frustration in a clear manner is a major creative breakthrough, resulting in a flawed but fascinating picture that takes special care of a sensitive subject. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, “The Current War” finally made its way into theaters after a lengthy release delay. It explored the story of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla and their battle to control the future of electricity. It was a flashy feature that didn’t generate much interest from the public, but less than a year later, there’s “Tesla,” which also details power plays between two men devoted to the energy cause, but for entirely different reasons. While “The Current War” tried to get up and running with broad screen style, “Tesla” is more of a filmed play, with director Michael Almereyda inspecting the inner life of the titular character, using a theatrical presentation and anachronistic touches to provide creative fingerprints on a story that largely exists in legend. Almereyda remains true to his vision with the endeavor, which has its imaginative moments, but largely broods itself to a full stop on a few occasions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Unlike many documentaries about filmmakers, “Love Express: The Disappearance of Walerian Borowczyk” offers extraordinarily little biographical information about the subject. Director Kuba Mikurda has limited interest in the life and times of the Polish director (who passed away in 2006), preferring to provide more of a grasp on his artistic interests, featuring interviews with collaborators and admirers. “Love Express” remains elusive, but that’s the idea, with Mikurda turning his movie into a Borowczyk production in many ways, delivering an idiosyncratic look at an avant-garde mind, supplying a general understanding of the man’s professional demands and his textured appreciation of screen eroticism, especially when offered an opportunity to take his vision wherever it needed to go. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are multiple movies “The Pale Door” is reminiscent of, but there’s something about its blend of character building and horror freak-outs that recalls 1996’s “From Dusk till Dawn.” For Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, there was a budget to spread around and filmmaking confidence to braid a story that utilized stillness and absolute chaos, giving “From Duck till Dawn” its kicks. Director Aaron B. Koontz can’t offer the same balance of extremes with “The Pale Door,” unable to craft something that’s just as compelling dealing with feelings as it is ripping out intestines. It’s a violent effort, but only for a few short bursts of time, leaving the rest of this witch attack western too dull to compete with what does work in the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a rough road to release for “Magic Camp.” The feature was actually shot three years ago, stuck in limbo ever since, bopping around release dates and corporate plans before finally being sent to Disney+ to help beef up content requirements for our quarantine times. It’s a smart play by the company, though it’s easy to see what they originally envisioned for the picture, which attempts to be a new variation on the world of Harry Potter, only without a sense of wonder, dramatic stakes, or, well, magic. It’s a connect-the-dots Disney endeavor that’s perfectly harmless and aimed directly at pre-teens, but there’s little enthusiasm from director Mark Waters (“Bad Santa 2,” “Vampire Academy”), who puts in a minimal effort when exploring the shenanigans and competitive escalation of life at a sleepaway camp for magically inclined children. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With the “X-Men” universe on a break after the poor box office performance of 2019’s “Dark Phoenix,” and the spin-off “New Mutants” playing a game of tag with release dates, it’s up to “Project Power” to meet any demand for superhuman action. There are no mutants in the movie, which details the spread of a special drug capable of turning the average user into a superhero or a supervillain for five minutes. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (“Nerve”) are typically drawn to such an adrenalized event, laboring to make “Project Power” stylish, violent, and aware of some social and political issues of the day. There’s plenty to enjoy about the endeavor, and while it’s deeply flawed, the helmers do put on quite a show at times, bringing out the fury of the central premise in a way that would make Professor X proud. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Sputnik” is an unsettling picture. It’s a Russian production that’s out to challenge expectations for an alien invasion story, providing a more sinister ride of paranoia and panic without expanding to epic size. It also marks the return of actress Oksana Akinshina to American screens, having made her breakthrough in 2002’s “Lilya 4-Ever,” a shattering feature about human trafficking that promised great things from the young talent. While she made an appearance in “The Bourne Supremacy,” Akinshina has largely remained in Russian films, returning to western view in “Sputnik,” where she delivers a commanding performance as a medical mind put into contact with an extraterrestrial experience that overwhelms her before it begins to threaten her. Akinshina’s part of a strong cast who give director Egor Abramenko a firm dramatic foundation while the tale explores close encounters and government control with sharp cinematic highlights. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A former music video director, Scott Speer has been on a professional tear recently, helming four movies over the last two years. He brings the features in for a low price, and the efforts are generally aimed at social media-savvy pre-teens looking for entertainment that fits their needs. Joining the likes of “Midnight Sun,” “Status Update,” and “I Still See You” is “Endless,” which moves Speer to the realm of Netflix filmmaking, in charge of a strange reworking of 1990’s “Ghost,” only without the charm, heart, or Swayze. Speer doesn’t have much style to share with the minor offering, and screenwriters Andre Case and Oneil Sharma head in the wrong direction with their work, sweating to bend the story into a tearjerker about the afterlife when it’s much more intriguing as a study of guilt. “Endless” is more of a promise than a title after the opening act, taking on some substantial feelings of loss with all the dramatic weight of a television pilot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While “An American Pickle” is the latest comedy from Seth Rogan, gifting himself a dual role of a man out of time and his distant relative, the picture also represents the first solo directorial outing for Brandon Trost, a gifted cinematographer (dislike Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” all you want, but that movie looks amazing) who’s put in command of a film that’s semi-serious about religion, but semi-farcical about everything else. As expected, Trost has some definite visual ideas for the feature, which looks interesting and does well with twin Rogens. He’s a little bit shakier when it comes to balancing tone, as “An American Pickle” has some difficulty moving from dramatic interests to broadly comedic sequences. It’s definitely funny in spots, working with a nutty idea from writer Simon Rich (who adapts his own short story). Consistency isn’t dazzling, but Trost gets the material most of the way there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

David Ayer likes to make one kind of movie, and he keeps doing so repeatedly. He’s a fan of gangland violence, establishing his career with L.A. tales of masculinity run amok (“Harsh Times,” “Street Kings”), and recently exploring fantasy worlds (“Suicide Squad,” “Bright”) that promise to take his vision into a fresh direction, but he ends up with the same hard poses and acts of intimidation. Ayer tries to marry the two tones for “The Tax Collector,” which initially appears to be an assessment of organized crime in California before it goes off the deep end, trying to transform a botched cautionary tale into a franchise. In an extremely underwhelming filmography, “The Tax Collector” distinguishes itself as the worst picture Ayer has ever made, repeating himself with an obnoxious offering of underworld bravado and lame stylistics, once again asking audiences to invest in odious characters involved in cliched criminal entanglements. It’s 90 minutes you’ll never get back. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Waiting for the Barbarians” is an adaptation of a 1980 novel by J.M. Coetzee, which has already inspired a stage play and an opera by Philip Glass. Coetzee handles screenplay duties for the material’s cinematic debut, largely protecting a core story of colonialism that made the book highly regarded in literary circles, carefully bringing a tale of governmental madness and corruption to audiences inundated with the stuff on a daily (hourly?) basis. Pacing is very deliberate here, but Coetzee doesn’t lose control of the tale, doing a commendable job building a sense of horror with the period picture, offering a spare but compelling study of demoralization. “Waiting for the Barbarians” is chilling at times and never strays far from its thematic points, while the cast assembled to portray all manner of evil, shame, and fear contribute excellent performances, always keeping the feature fascinating. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The trials of a single, childless woman pushing forty is not particularly fresh ground to cover, but screenwriter Jennifer Deyell tries to bring something different to what’s become a subgenre for basic cable channels. With “Spinster,” Deyell sets up a typical situation of romantic hopelessness and social paranoia facing a character who’s trying to avoid defining herself by certain standards, tackling cliché with a refreshingly honest understanding of personal perspective, delivering an appreciation of bruised dignity and individualism. “Spinster” is smart and real, and often quite funny, giving star Chelsea Peretti a starring role that fits her deadpan delivery while pushing her as a dramatic talent. She’s sharp in a feature that attempts to be wise about wants and needs, with director Andrea Dorfman crafting a memorable picture about an often uncomfortable topic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s been an influx of actors turning to direction in recent years. Just last month, Romola Garai found a spot helming the horror film “Amulet.” And now there’s James D’Arcy, who enjoyed roles in “Cloud Atlas,” “Dunkirk,” and Madonna’s “W.E.” The thespian makes his directorial debut with “Made in Italy,” a dramedy about a father and son and their life-changing trip to Tuscany to deal with family business. D’Arcy claims a screenwriting credit as well, putting his heart and soul into the effort, and his commitment to the sincerity of the picture is commendable, dealing with deep-seated emotions and assorted matters of life and love. It’s not a movie with dramatic sweep, but as something easy on the senses, “Made in Italy” is approachable, with some genuine humor and concern for its characters as they confront old business with fresh eyes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Kris Rey (formerly Kris Swanberg) had something to say about the motherhood experience in 2015’s “Unexpected,” coming up with lived-in dramedy that successfully avoided cliché. She has a little more trouble getting out of the way of predictability with “I Used to Go Here,” which tackles the quicksand feeling of failure and aging, with more emphasis on funny business. There’s a lot of charm floating around the picture, which features a fine cast skilled at making little moments matter, but the overall push of profundity is missing from the endeavor. There are laughs and some relatable moments of disappointment and heartbreak, by Rey isn’t as focused for her latest helming adventure, which has enough personality to pass, but not much else. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When one thinks of the quintessential rock magazine, Rolling Stone immediately comes to mind, with its enduring popularity and cultural reach lasting for decades. Director Scott Crawford (“Salad Days”) wants to challenge such a notion with the documentary “Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine,” which offers the tale of the Detroit-based music publication and its efforts to upend the industry with bluntly written coverage and semi-satirical takes on the players in the game. Crawford assembles a wide range of personalities to share their thoughts and feelings about Creem, including writers from the magazine, who provide an inside look at the madness of the monthly, with its stable of ornery journalists and desire to celebrate the rock universe while pantsing it at the same time. It’s not an especially deep dive into the working parts of a dream, but “Creem” is a fun ride to the bottom. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I believe the idea behind “Paydirt” is to replicate the Guy Ritchie experience. The plot involves a hidden fortune, with the collection of morally dubious types searching for a large payday. The loquacious players also have cutesy nicknames, joined in a web of criminal activity that offers some double-crosses and violent outbreaks. Writer/director Christian Sesma doesn’t have the budget to generate a proper reworking of Ritchie-branded mischief, ending up with a pale imitation instead, and one that could use a few more rewrites and some critical recasting. For this type of impish entertainment, “Paydirt” is surprisingly lethargic, coming up short with surprises and amusing antics among underworld figures, while its central mission isn’t compelling enough to power the caper. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Secret Garden” was originally published in 1911, with author Frances Hodgson Burnett gifting readers a tender tale of a household awakening. Little did the writer know just how influential the story would become, inspiring many adaptations over the years, including a stage musical, an opera, and plenty of film and television takes on the source material. Arguably the most successful of these endeavors was a 1993 feature from director Agnieszka Holland and producer Francis Ford Coppola, who gracefully found a way to bring out the heart of Burnett’s writing while conjuring special big screen magic. 2020’s “The Secret Garden” doesn’t share the same sense of discovery, with director Marc Munden offering a colder version of the tale, delivering a respectful handling of the book’s themes and characters, but ultimately values a visual presentation over a moving viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Amy Seimetz has enjoyed a career involving smaller, personal projects, taking a rare step into the mainstream with a part in last year’s unwelcome “Pet Sematary” do-over. She returns to challenging work with “She Dies Tomorrow,” reportedly using her “Pet Sematary” salary to fund a low-budget study of mental illness and its contagious effects. Seimetz takes control of “She Dies Tomorrow,” assuming writing and directing duties for this brain-bleeder, which tries to be very artful and visually poetic about the ways of depression. There’s no real story and characterization is hard to come by, but Seimetz commits to the strange atmosphere of the endeavor, which tries to summon a certain level of unease as it examines a dismantling of reality facing a handful of characters as they come into contact with hopelessness and perceived finality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Secret: Dare to Dream” gathers the teachings found in Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 self-help book, “The Secret,” and brings them over to a Nicholas Sparks-style movie, mixing lessons on healing with ideas on love. It’s a painfully obvious film, but that appears to be the point of it, with director Andy Tennant trying to make comfy sweater cinema while keeping Byrne’s brand alive and well as the characters attack monumental problems with the power of positive thought. Byrne’s message has reached an enormous amount of readers, helped along by celebrity endorsements, but the basics of her central idea make for an awkward fit here, as Tennant spends some of the feature maintaining the author’s concepts and the rest managing a droopy romantic drama that feels more at home on Hallmark Channel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com