Category: Film Review

Screenwriter Seth Reiss (“The Menu”) asks a lot of the audience with “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.” It’s a study of fantasy, heartache, and love, using the ways of magical realism to provide an odyssey for viewers, with hopes to sweep them up in a strange adventure. Director Kogonada is also committed to the cause, striving to supply a sense of the bizarre and the painfully real, overseeing a mission of reawakening as two strangers experience a return to their heaviest days to help inspire a brighter tomorrow. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” intends to provide a warm viewing event highlighting two characters who learn to need each other over the course of the run time. Such sensitivity is difficult to buy in the picture, which is too twee to really sink into the system, and stars Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie aren’t a particularly well-matched pair, straining for chemistry in a feature that assumes it has a great deal more appeal than it actually provides. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a horror classic, and a feature that’s never been forgotten. The picture returns to pop culture power every year, most notably around the Halloween season, retaining generational fandom as the brand name is examined in sequels, remakes, video games, toys, and other media and products. It’s hard to recall any time when the movie wasn’t in film appreciation conversation, and now director Alexandre O. Philippe hopes to have his way with the movie in “Chain Reactions,” which is part documentary, part visual essay, putting the “Memory: The Origins of Alien” and “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill” helmer to work placing Tobe Hooper’s creation up for analysis with help from five interviewees who share the same reverence for the iconic offering. “Chain Reactions” isn’t out to understand behind-the-scenes accomplishments, more interested in the wonders of memory and the adventure of interpretation, looking at the world of Leatherface from personal places as each participant articulates their love for the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Waltzing with Brando” is “based on a true story,” which was documented in Bernard Judge’s 2011 book, “Waltzing with Brando: Planning a Paradise in Tahiti.” Judge (who passed away in 2021) led a colorful life, and experienced a relationship with the reclusive movie star, befriending Marlon Brando during a special time in his life, catching the actor as he worked to remove himself from Hollywood interests. Writer/director Bill Fishman (“Tapeheads,” 1994’s “Car 54, Where Are You?”) has a bizarre tale to share about an unlikely connection, and he has the natural wonders of Tahiti to use as a location, working to create a type of seduction meant to tempt the characters into submission, along with viewers. Such environmental splendor certainly has its appeal, and there’s Billy Zane, who does an impressive job inhabiting Brando, managing to elevate the feature with his graceful commitment. “Waltzing with Brando” has its issues with some casting choices and a general dramatic slackness, but pieces of this behavioral puzzle snap together easily enough, making for an acceptable viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Neil Marshall keeps making movies, but few of them have worked, especially in recent years. He’s committed to collaborations with his girlfriend, actress Charlotte Kirk, and the pair return to screens with “Compulsion,” which once again endeavors to celebrate Kirk’s thespian abilities and physical fitness. This time, Marshall trades the action-minded ways of “The Reckoning,” “The Lair,” and “Duchess” for an erotic thriller of some type, using his love of giallo entertainment to inspire another descent into masked killers, lusty characters, and poor police work. “Compulsion” hopes to generate heat and chills as the production piles on nudity and graphic violence, but there’s a limit to all the bad acting and screenwriting one can take, and that point is reached early in the effort. Marshall is trying to go all De Palma with the offering, but he’s mostly Wiseau in this clunky, exceedingly lifeless film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Social Network” was released 15 years ago, but the picture’s influence remains. “Swiped” explores the rise and fall of another famous online experience, this time examining the days of Whitney Wolfe Herd and her experience as the co-founder of Tinder, which helped to revolutionize the dating experience by targeting a millennial audience with a gamified take on instant attraction through the power of swiping. Screenwriters Kim Caramele, Bill Parker, and Rachel Lee Goldenberg (who also directs) don’t have a particularly deep subject in Herd, but her tale (listed here as “inspired by actual events”) is loaded with ambition, treachery, and paranoia, which is a bit easier to bring to the screen than basic app development. “Swiped” is simplified and a bit cartoonish at times, but if one accepts the endeavor as an empowerment tale, there are elements of the production to appreciate, especially when it focuses on the toxicity of tech bro employment environments and Herd’s drive to make things better for female users, using her own experience with humiliation and hostility to inspire change. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The massive success of 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” certainly spawned plenty of copycats, putting producers to work dreaming up stories involving alien visitors and the young humans who love them. Traces of the Spielberg smash can still be found in cinema today, with “Xeno” clearly inspired by the classic film, providing a tale of discovery and bonding with a monstrous creature who’s drawn to the benevolent ways of a teen girl. However, there’s very little that’s cuddly in the feature, as writer/director Matthew Loren Oates aims to push his PG-13 rating with the material, which has its sweet moments, but also a violent side. A little extra intimidation factor helps “Xeno” achieve a different type of atmosphere, which is welcome, and there’s some wonderful technical surprises, as Oates dials down CGI achievements in the movie, turning to the Henson Company to create the eponymous visitor, giving the endeavor a sense of the real as it deals with fantasy conflicts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Raunchy comedies aren’t in the best shape these days. Many of these offerings are either too muddied with loose improvisation games or locked in a quest to outdo the Farrelly Brothers when it comes to shock value. Being outrageous just isn’t very fun to watch in recent years, and “Doin’ It” is certainly trying to deliver crude laughs when exploring a story about a woman’s quest to teach sexuality to teenagers while also experimenting with her own virginal ways at the same time. It’s a decent premise from screenwriters Neel Patel, Lilly Singh, and Sara Zandieh (who also directs), creating moments of broad antics and more sensitive soul-searching. There’s a decent picture here when Zandieh dials down the grossouts, doing much better with human moments of absurdity than routine coarseness, giving star Singh some moments to shine with a lively performance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Brandon Christensen remains committed to horror entertainment. The helmer of “Superhost” and “The Puppetman” returns to fright features with “Night of the Reaper,” which hopes to be a little more complicated than the average slasher offering. There’s a lot to like about the picture, as Christensen is attentive to suspense and style, trying to play up threats on a limited budget as multiple characters get involved with dangerous developments in a small town. “Night of the Reaper” loses a lot of steam as it tries to form climatic relationships and events, hurting the overall viewing experience, but it opens with enthusiasm for genre events, giving it a nice push into danger, which the helmer manages to sustain for a good hour before explanations come to throttle any fear factor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Marc Clebanoff and director Louis Mandylor are attempting to make a steely film in “Prisoner of War.” It’s a World War II tale, exploring the brutality of the Battle of Battan while also striving to appeal to action movie fans with fight choreography, which is less expensive than trying to replicate a global conflict. The picture stars Scott Adkins (who also claims a story credit), who’s become a dependable screen presence over the last decade, playing up his physical presence in features that often have him working with stunts, not always dramatics. One can sense Adkins is trying to do something a little more challenging with his part in “Prisoner of War,” and he’s certainly good here, portraying a caged man looking to make sense of his enemy. The endeavor initially captures attention with its B-movie ways and cast interplay, and there are highlights, but Mandylor moves slowly with the offering, believing he’s making something thoughtful, killing pace in a quest to elevate the effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer Robert Eisele knows a thing or two about underdog cinema, previously credited on 2007’s “The Great Debaters” and 2009’s “Hurricane Season.” “The Senior” is his first screenplay in quite some time, and he’s not straying far from his wheelhouse, returning with the true story of Mike Flynt, who, at 59 years of age, elected to return to college and try out for his old football team, attempting to right many wrongs in the process. The fine details of the experience have been rubbed off, with Eisele and director Rod Lurie (last seen with 2019’s “The Outpost”) electing to keep the endeavor loaded with big feels and motivational content, offering a simplistic understanding of Flynt’s reunion with his favorite game. “The Senior” (which was shot three years ago) doesn’t overpower with dramatic might, but there’s star Michael Chiklis, who provides a committed, physical performance worth sticking with, especially when the writing veers into formula one too many times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2022, director Allan Ungar and actor Josh Duhamel collaborated on “Bandit,” making a decently paced crime story about a highly bizarre real life situation. Ungar and Duhamel reteam for “London Calling,” which is another underworld tale, this time examining the fictional exploits of an assassin tasked with bringing an 18-year-old kid with him during his latest assignment. High jinks ensue, but never inventive ones as Ungar (who co-scripts with Quinn Wolfe and Omer Levin Menekse) hopes to make a slapstick comedy out of the dark premise. Wackiness definitely has its expiration date in “London Calling,” which tries extremely hard to be silly and still remain violent, creating a tedious viewing experience as viewers are left with slack direction and editing, which transforms a simple idea into 110 minutes of criminal entanglements and strained humor. The highlights of “Bandit” are missing here, with Ungar clearly struggling to find a fun factor in the offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Stalker cinema is a difficult subgenre to pull off. There should be a balance of intensity and intimacy as both sides of the conflict comprehend a break from normalcy, generating a level of helplessness as matters deteriorate, especially for those being targeted by evil. “Just Breathe” is the directorial debut for Paul Pompa, and he doesn’t have a lot of money to sell an unfolding nightmare for the characters. He also handles the screenplay, which lacks an inventive attempt to create a sinister viewing experience capable of riling up viewers. “Just Breathe” feels more like a T.V. movie, and while it contains R-rated material, the endeavor doesn’t seem especially dangerous, following flat antagonisms and formulaic writing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Few people actually saw “This Is Spinal Tap” when it was originally released in 1984. The feature came and went, attracting some positive reviews and cult appreciation, leaving the real exposure of the film to home video and cable airings, where a fanbase developed, while the intimacy of domestic viewings certainly helped to process director Rob Reiner’s clever approach to faux documentary moviemaking. 41 years later, and the picture is a bona fide classic, one of the greatest comedies of all time, and stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer have certainly kept the brand name alive, releasing albums, making TV specials, and even touring as Spinal Tap, doing an incredibly impressive job extending the illusion with tremendous wit and good-natured fun. And now there’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” which is an official sequel, bringing Reiner and the guys back to the big screen for a fresh round of heavy metal tomfoolery, assembling a valentine to the aging band while putting them through the wringer of comedic misfortune again in this slight but very funny follow-up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Box office fortunes took a bit of a dip for 2022’s “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” finding the sequel battling pandemic moviegoing habits while trying to offer fans of the television show and a popular 2019 film some cinematic comfort food during a troubling time. Thankfully, such marketplace challenges didn’t stop creator Julian Fellowes, who returns to his franchise once again with “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” which is meant to be the last chapter of the series, which began 15 years ago. At least, that’s the general idea for the picture, as it seeks to address a changing of the guard within the Crawley Family, inspiring Fellowes to craft a proper “Downton Abbey” story and big screen event that deals with closure and new beginnings. “The Grand Finale” restores dramatic vitality to the saga, delivering a generally well-balanced understanding of community interests and character fears, while still retaining all the melodrama and manners Fellowes is known for. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Whatever master plan writers Jess Fuerst and Pablo Fenjves and director Brad Furman (“The Lincoln Lawyer,” “The Infiltrator,” “Runner Runner”) originally had in mind for “Tin Soldier” hasn’t made it to the final edit. Actually, I’m not sure one could even consider this feature as “edited,” as it carries no shape or filmmaking rhythm. Heck, it barely makes any sense. Intent isn’t easy to decode, but it appears Furman wanted to take a big swing in the realm of thriller cinema, striving to create an epic tale of doomsday cult activity, veteran affairs, and rescue action, trying on a little world-building for size. “Tin Soldier” (which was shot three years ago) might’ve been something wild in its original form, but it no longer resembles a functional picture, showing signs of severe reediting and rethinking, emerging as more of a salvage job than a completed endeavor, and someone, somewhere simply gave up on it in the end. Even for bad movie lovers, this one is a pretty dire viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Author Walter Mosley, normally lauded for his command of mysteries, takes a turn into the darkness of the human soul in “The Man in My Basement,” which is an adaptation of his 2004 novel. Mosley handles screenwriting duties, tasked with transforming a largely internalized journey of guilt into something cinematic, joined by Nadia Latif, who makes her directorial debut with the effort. “The Man in My Basement” is challenging work, and also more of a theatrical experience as two characters spend time discussing the horrors of their lives. Pacing isn’t always present in the endeavor, but strong performances and periodic hits of emotionality support the odyssey into madness. The film isn’t for all audiences, remaining specialized work for those with an interest in a dissection of human misery, and the movie finds plenty of psychological poison to highlight as a seemingly simple rental agreement between two men becomes a battle for sanity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The director of “I Am Legend” and four chapters in “The Hunger Games” saga, Francis Lawrence certainly loves his stories of dystopian desperation with a little bit of gamesmanship blended into the despair. He’s fully practiced on the subject, and returns to the way of agony in “The Long Walk,” an adaptation of a 1979 Stephen King book, which followed the painful ways of a walking contest involving young men and a totalitarian government using violence and glory to maintain control over the masses. It’s a bleak study of endurance with a defined King curveball, slipping into the macabre on occasion as characterization takes center stage. “The Long Walk” has its issues, but Lawrence certainly isn’t taking the assignment lightly, creating a brutal, pitiless viewing experience that occasionally hits extremely hard with its visuals and performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Twinless” is the second film from writer/director/actor James Sweeney, who previously helmed 2019’s “Straight Up.” It’s a sophomore effort that plays with remarkable confidence at times, putting Sweeney to a difficult tonality test as he mounts a dark comedy about wounded people and their messy emotional survival skills. It’s the story of two men finding each other in a world of pain, making an unlikely connection that’s challenged by unusual outside forces as the central bond strengthens. Sweeney maintains attention to character and mood with “Twinless,” taking a few risks with unlikability to explore a particularly troubling story and the personalities that populate it. It’s a surprising endeavor, and one that’s well-written and crafted, but also superbly performed, as Sweeney is joined by Dylan O’Brien in the feature, and he’s never been better, portraying two defined people inadvertently dealing with issues involving the same man, generating a fascinating inspection of trust and obsession in an excellent picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Most boxing movies follow a distinct formula. It’s the “Rocky” way, following fighters as they experience challenges and troubles on the road to Fight Night, which is usually offered as a major climatic event, paying off all the psychological study and training insanity. “The Cut” is a boxing picture that has very little interest in the sport itself, with screenwriter Justin Bull drawn to a highly specific element of verification, the weigh-in, to inspire a descent into madness as an aging pugilist does everything possible to make sure he qualifies for an important match. It’s a unique look at desperation and manipulation, with Bull using the ugly side of training and business dealings to inspire a tough look at suffering. Director Sean Ellis (“Anthropoid,” “The Cursed”) is tasked to make an offering about pain, but “The Cut” is attentive to character history and relationships, helping to pull the feature away from simple sports film intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Threesome” doesn’t have it easy when it comes to tonality. Screenwriter Ethan Ogilby (a “Simpsons” vet) intends to send viewers on a turbulent ride of emotions and life complications in the picture, tracking the increasing pressure facing a young man who’s managed to father two babies after a night of sexual adventuring, finding himself in a strange place as he tries to support everyone in his life. The premise is ripe for a farcical approach, but the writer doesn’t commit to a film filled with zaniness. Ogilby attempts to be a bit more sincere with the endeavor, and director Chad Hartigan (“Little Fish,” “Morris from America”) supports the vision with a sensitive understanding of the central crisis. “The Threesome” maintains its indie cinema textures, but there’s also a crowd-pleasing element to the offering that’s handled well, creating an inviting viewing experience while exploring a troubling situation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com