Category: Film Review

In the realm of B-movies and bottom shelf entertainment, director Jesse V. Johnson is one of the better filmmakers out there today. That’s not to suggest his pictures are magic, but a few of them are passable, which puts him way ahead of the competition, showing some interest in providing livelier action and harder hits of character aggression, giving his offerings some bite. “Thieves Highway” is the latest endeavor from the prolific helmer, and he has an interesting idea to work with, as screenwriter Travis Mills (another person who cranks out projects) examines the world of cattle theft in Oklahoma, where livelihoods are destroyed by careless criminal types. It’s not exactly a topic that’s been covered in recent years, giving the feature a fingerprint, watching Johnson and Mills attempt to pull off a no-budget western featuring a determined lawman and the armed troublemakers he’s looking to capture. “Thieves Highway” isn’t sharp or stunningly crafted, but it delivers some mildly compelling screen activity as the characters go after one another during the short run time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Atropia” is the feature-length debut for writer/director Hailey Gates, who adapts her 2019 short, “Shako Mako.” Gates doesn’t go the easy route, taking on the business of war with a satiric edge in the film, which hopes to provide some laughs as it explores the happenings at an “urban war simulation” populated with actors and people looking to make a little extra cash. The setting is ripe for a madcap take on the strangeness of U.S. government preparation practices, especially during the George W. Bush presidential years, but Gates is hunting for something offbeat with “Atropia.” There’s a relationship story at the heart of the picture, and a decent one too, putting the helmer to work balancing the main character’s employment experiences and the needs of her heart. The feature is funny and odd, and while it doesn’t come together in a more dynamic manner, Gates offers confident moviemaking at times, generating a memorable effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Bryan Fuller has enjoyed a lengthy career in television. He’s helped to steer shows like “Heroes,” “Pushing Daisies,” “American Gods,” and “Hannibal,” and now he’s ready for the big screen, concocting “Dust Bunny” which plays like a mix of comic books and Luc Besson’s 1994 picture, “Leon: The Professional,” examining the relationship between a young girl and an aging assassin who lives next door to her. Of course, there’s also the possibility of a monster involved in the situation, taking the story into areas of fantasy horror, and Fuller enjoys the exaggeration, submitting a fully stylized endeavor that lives for odd imagery. “Dust Bunny” remains intriguing in spurts, nicely supported by a game cast, but Fuller doesn’t provide the most commanding story around for this directorial exercise, losing some appeal as the writing circles around, searching for emotional connections and relationship tension that never quite materializes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“One More Shot” (written by Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein) is a time-travel movie, and one that involves a thirtysomething woman using a special bottle of Mexican tequila to help rewind the clock, giving her an opportunity to change certain things during a New Year’s Eve party in 1999. It’s a ridiculous concept, but certainly one that could be used for high-flying entertainment, tracking strategic use of drinking to help shape a brighter tomorrow. It comes as something of a shock to find the material isn’t interested in generating laughs, or even fun. Instead, the feature is more dramatic, tracking hard lessons of repetition as a depressed character can’t quite read the room, choosing to be self-destructive instead. Director Nicholas Clifford seems as baffled by the writing as the audience, unable to steer the material into a cohesive, thoughtful understanding of regret. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the troubled year of 2020, writer/director Chloe Zhao managed a career breakthrough with “Nomadland,” offering a sobering exploration of American economic and social survival woes in a feature that found an audience and was rewarded with Oscar gold, including Best Picture and Best Director. Zhao was teed up to do whatever she wanted, but she went the Marvel way, taking command of 2021’s “Eternals,” endeavoring to bring her spare style and interest in soulful investigation to the picture. The expensive movie didn’t work, and it crashed at the box office, and now four years later, Zhou returns with “Hamnet,” which plays like a reconnection to the filmmaker’s indie roots, going quiet and pained once again with a story about grief and the restorative power of art involving William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes. While the dramatic impact of “Hamnet” is up for debate, Zhou certainly tries to make an emotional effort, returning to her love of screen intimacy and the showy ways of acting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1995, “The Brothers McMullen” made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a tiny, self-financed movie from writer/director Edward Burns, who pieced together a story about brothers, lovers, and all the messiness of relationships. The feature wasn’t edgy or dramatically charged, and it managed to charm audiences and attract a big studio release, giving Burns the biggest hit of his career. He’s been steadily working on modest endeavors ever since, but the lure of a sequel has finally captured his attention, offering “The Family McMullen” three decades later. However, nothing much has changed in this world, as characters still wrestle with personal connections, family history, and Catholicism, and Burns has no interest in radically rethinking the story. “The Family McMullen” hopes to remain easy on the senses and simple in design, returning fans to the difficulties of dealing with the McMullen men and, now, women. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film franchise made a transition from live-action efforts to animated pictures in 2021, which has certainly helped to make the world of author Jeff Kinney more palatable. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” is the fourth movie in this new creative path, and Kinney handles screenplay duties once again, adapting his 2009 book, which is actually the third release in the literary series, though narrative consistency isn’t really a goal for the production. What the filmmakers want is animated tomfoolery involving long suffering lead character Greg and his thwarted plans for relaxation, sending him through another series of misadventures. However, there are difficulties between the son and his father, helping to tighten focus on only a few personalities this time around, making for a slightly different “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” experience, and it’s one that has defined limitations when it comes to delivering cartoon fun. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2023, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was a major box office success. The movie, an adaptation of the Scott Cawthon video game series, tempted fans with a feature-film understanding of a world involving killer pizza restaurant animatronics and ghostly happenings, coming along at just the right time. For those less enchanted by the premise, the offering was simply dull, unable to really do something menacing with its gaming history, becoming a picture about characters describing things instead of doing things. Cawthon (who takes a sole screenwriting credit) and director Emma Tammi return to duty for “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” which is definitely interested in bringing many violent robots into action, and even a poltergeist, but storytelling hustle remains elusive yet again. The sequel is more mindful of its central appeal, but the production still can’t land genuine excitement with another low-budget, sluggish endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s a big year for the spoof movie. Last summer, police tomfoolery returned in “The Naked Gun,” with the producers looking to revive a known brand with a cinematic sense of humor that’s fallen out of fashion these days. “Fackham Hall” is a British production that’s hoping to have a little fun with the world of “Downton Abbey” (which came to a close last September), putting writers Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr, Andrew Dawson, Steve Dawson, and Tim Inman to work cooking up plenty of jokes and mischief centered around the prim and proper ways of an aristocratic family desperate to maintain their privileged future. “Fackham Hall” has the right spirit, mostly game to try anything for a laugh, and some inspired moments are found along the way. Unfortunately, the screenplay runs out of gas after an hour, losing a level of engagement as a bad idea for the third act nearly torpedoes the whole viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani are French filmmakers who specialize in highly visual moviegoing experiences that have extraordinarily little interest in traditional storytelling structure. They made a splash with 2013’s “The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears,” and developed their approach for 2017’s “Let the Corpses Tan.” The duo make specialized viewing events, focusing on the specifics of textures and the amorphous ways of memory, and they aren’t giving up their creative obsessions in “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” returning to screen mystery and menace with renewed vigor. It’s a secret agent tale in some ways, but the picture isn’t concerned with solving dramatic puzzles. It’s another immersion into fetishized moviemaking for the duo, keeping Cattet and Forzani dedicated to manufacturing another surreal presentation of madness and murder, literally taking the feature one frame at a time for many sections of the offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Safdie Brothers are on a break. Or maybe they broke up, no longer interested in working together as a directorial duo. Benny Safdie struck out on his own in last October’s “The Smashing Machine,” attempting to tell a sensitive story about an MMA fighter and his major life problems. Josh delivers “Marty Supreme,” and judging by the general presence of the movie, it seems he was the one truly responsible for Safdie style and love of onscreen chaos. The picture is about a table tennis player trying to make something of himself in the 1950s, using his natural gifts and practiced ways of selfishness to make his dreams come true. In Josh’s hands, the offering becomes a carnival ride of violence, deceit, ping pong, and an anachronistic soundtrack. “Marty Supreme” contains fantastic screen energy, in the same vein as the Safdie’s “Uncut Gems,” but it’s also a feature that asks a lot of its audience without giving too much in return. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Oh. What. Fun.” was originally published in 2021. It was a short story from author Chandler Baker about motherly neglect during the holiday season, and the writer is joined by Michael Showalter (who also directs) to help turn 59 pages of ideas and characters into a feature-length movie. The screenplay attempts to manufacture a madcap understanding of family concerns and Christmas excess, pursuing various subplots and slapstick encounters, also paying “tribute” to numerous holiday movies along the way. What “Oh. What. Fun.” is missing is a great deal of charm and humor, basically playing like an extended television pilot for a series about a mother managing life’s indignities. Showalter leans into the plasticized vibe of the picture, trying to crank up yuletide feels and wackiness, and when the endeavor isn’t underwhelming, it’s surprisingly unappealing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The theatrical release poster for “Rosemead” depicts the main characters in happy times, enjoying a day at the beach with smiles on their faces. The image doesn’t reflect the tone of the picture, but one can’t blame the releasing studio for trying anything to sell some tickets for what’s actually a very bleak story about a mother’s concerns for her deteriorating son. Writer Marilyn Fu develops a Frank Shyong newspaper article, attempting to create an intense study of shame and confusion with a strong Chinese cultural presence, while director Eric Lin is tasked with generating a developing sense of unrest as routine dissolves for two people struggling with different health realities. “Rosemead” is tough, but also involving, presenting Lucy Liu with a substantial role to really explore her range, and she offers career-best work in the feature, giving it a rich sense of concern as the story tracks a tragic decline in familial peace. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Action fans craving a hit of sustained suspense might be thoroughly underwhelmed by “Hunting Season.” There are a few hits of violence along the way, but screenwriter Adam Hampton isn’t fully interested in going the one-man-army route with this story of a father trying to protect his teen daughter from the evils of the world around them. Instead of consistent carnage, Hampton tries to manufacture a study of parental love and isolation, getting somewhere with the fatherly elements of the tale. “Hunting Season” is an odd one, as a portion of it works on a dramatic scale, and there’s a surprising amount of viciousness in the picture, giving it some snap. But there’s hideous overacting as well, and director Raja Collins (“Crescent City”) doesn’t have command of pacing, leaving the offering uneven, but with promising moments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2020’s “Money Plane” wasn’t a hit film, but it managed to attract plenty of attention as an offering of B-movie ridiculousness. The feature examined the world of a plane-based casino where betting on violent acts was offered, leading to a few close-quarter combat scenarios involving angry characters. Now there’s “Speed Train,” which has no connection to “Money Plane,” but it shares similar production interest in delivering absurd low-budget action entertainment involving just a few sets and an odd cast. Co-writer/director Ryan Francis (a longtime actor, dating back to appearances in “Hook” and “Ghostbusters II”) doesn’t have much here, but there is an idea following the intensity of a runaway train and the mayhem of AI-controlled human weapons that could produce a decent enough ride. Unfortunately, “Speed Train” doesn’t reach its potential, stuck with repetition and limited resources as it attempts to provide some junky escapism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“100 Nights of Hero” is an adaptation of a 2016 graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg, who blends the storytelling angle of “One Thousand and One Nights” to help invent a female-centric study of oppression and passion in a fantasy world of patriarchal control. It’s a tricky concept to the bring to the screen, putting writer/director Julia Jackman (“Bonus Track”) to work on world-building with a small budget and limited actors. The vision for the production is impressive, as Jackman hopes to delve into forbidden love and torturous experiences involving male oppressors. The execution of the feature is another story, and Jackman attempts to cast a spell over the viewer, luring them in with specialized production design details and acts of longing, but the slow-burn ways of the picture offer little dramatic reward. “100 Nights of Hero” ends up ambitious, but it’s also quite glacial. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Yes, of course there’s another “Troll 2.” However, this “Troll 2” has nothing to do with the notoriously bad 1990 release. The new film is a sequel to 2022’s “Troll,” where director Roar Uthaug received a chance to play with a Norwegian version of kaiju cinema, exploring the massive presence of fantasy creatures trying to understand their place in the world, often by destroying whatever happens to be within smashing distance. It was an entertaining picture, filling in the gap between major Hollywood-backed Kong and Godzilla productions, with Uthaug achieving a satisfying sense of scale and destruction. The trolls are back in business for the continuation, which has defined influences and formula to follow. The story feels a little more labored this time around, but there’s still a fun factor to embrace, and, when the movie gets around to it, troll interactions save the feature, delivering welcome action. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The holiday season. For some, it’s a time of magic and human connection. It’s a chance to spend time with thoughts and feelings, reflecting on the year and its challenges. It’s also a period of great celebration for many, as revelers look to kick off the blues and devour all the treasures that arrive. For the “Five Families of Christmas,” November and December represents a period when they can make a small fortune selling Christmas trees to the people of New York City. “The Merchants of Joy” is based on two magazine articles written by Owen Long, with director Celia Aniskovich (“Call Me Miss Cleo,” “Fruitcake Fraud”) setting out to follow the yearly rituals and power plays of the people involved in this niche business. As a study of organization and commerce, “The Merchants of Joy” is an intermittently fascinating examination of unexpected anxieties and competition. As an offering of seasonal warmth and inspiration, Aniskovich fumbles the good vibes of the documentary, offering too much time with abrasive personalities. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The holiday season is full of feel-good entertainment, with movies often celebrating the magic of love during times of family crisis. “Jingle Bell Heist” tries on crime for size, with writer Abby McDonald looking to add some excitement as she creates two characters out to find their fortune while the world around them gets into the Christmas spirit. Director Michael Fimognari (“To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” “To All the Boys: Always and Forever”) is tasked with selling the tingles of the holidays and the urgency of criminal plans, coming up with a slightly muted endeavor that only succeeds when personality manages to break through. The picture isn’t an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style romp, but something more restrained when it comes to thrills, while McDonald is ordered to find a little heat in the middle of all the thievery, desperate to add bits of burgeoning romance when the film is much better watching two partners figure out how to pull off an impossible task. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The afterlife offers incredible potential for storytelling. It’s a setting of mystery and extraordinary fantasy, permitting filmmakers to play with the details of the unknown, finding ways to explore the complicated mess of living as it comes to something of an end. Albert Brooks scored a major creative success with 1991’s “Defending Your Life,” offering a romantic and comedic take on the process of passing on to the next phase of existence. Now co-writers Patrick Cunnane and David Freyne (who also directs) riff on the same idea with “Eternity,” zeroing in on the pressure involved when the recently deceased are tasked with choosing their forever home. “Eternity” means to be light, but the premise can’t deny certain troubling realities, and the writers offer a mostly balanced appreciation of the central crisis, making an intermittently funny and emotional study of an impossible choice set in a strange wonderland of options. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com