Category: Film Review

There aren’t many comedies made about cannibalism. It takes a special filmmaking touch to blend unimaginable horror with jokes, and director Patrick Brice (“The Overnight,” “Creep”) gets most of the way there with “Corporate Animals.” While there are a few macabre events in the movie, the screenplay by Sam Bain is more of a workplace comedy, tapping into office irritations and resentments as a team-building exercise turns into a lengthy challenge of survival. “Corporate Animals” might be relatable for some, but it really wants to be silly business for all, and while Bain can’t dream up interesting setbacks for the cast of characters, he scores more often than not, while Brice manages to transform a static setting into a war of quirks, personal histories, and hunger pains. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Seann William Scott’s professional output has been limited in recent years, hired to reignite dwindling interest in Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” television show, while making a few movies here and there, including the wonderful “Goon” and its less interesting sequel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers.” A newly focused actor returns with “Bloodline,” which offers Scott a rare genre outing, challenged to play a serial killer with a conscience, targeting abusers, using his education in the ways of evil to deliver his own sense of justice. Scott is a good fit for co-writer/director Henry Jacobson’s vision, playing an emotionless void with enjoyable precision, while the production itself is teeming with ugliness, but it never feels exploitative. “Bloodline” slips into a coma in its final act, but Jacobson’s opening hour is engrossing, locating neat ways to disturb the audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The war on drugs receives a B-movie audit with “Running with the Devil,” which takes a look at the supply chain for cocaine as poison is born in Columbia and slowly but surely makes its way into America and Canada. Writer/director Jason Cabell isn’t invested in the deep, dark psychological spaces of the battle, but he’s pretty good with procedure, keeping things most interesting when the feature steps away from characterization, exploring the effort required to make a fortune in the drug business. “Running with the Devil” doesn’t keep a poker face for the whole picture, as Cabell has actors that need something to do, and he tries to concoct a screenplay that delivers passable motivation for all. The helmer is less successful with dramatics (after all, Cabell is competing with television shows covering the same subject matter), but the film has enough cross-country concentration to pass, highlighting levels of profits and paranoia. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2013’s “Her” tackled the issue of intimacy involving the presence of artificial intelligence, capturing how loneliness is tempted by emotional connection, even with a computer program. “Auggie” basically tells the same story, but in a much more realistic way, eschewing futurism to explore the average seduction of technology as it faces a newly retired man struggling to retain his identity while everything he holds dear is pulled away from him. “Auggie” isn’t profound, but it does offer a wonderful lead performance from Richard Kind, and co-writer/director Matt Kane has a few observations on marriage and companionship that support the material through times when it becomes slightly confused with tone and its ultimate assignment of guilt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While many movies go through release delays, picking up a little dust while the distributor tries to find a workable launch date, “Zeroville” has had a devil of a time seeing the light of day. Shot five years ago, the feature has struggled to lure in a company to release it, and after watching the film, it’s easy to understand why. It’s not a disaster, but this adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel doesn’t make it easy on the audience, with director James Franco trying to capture the elusive oddity of the original work by reveling in his cinematic indulgences, laboring to remain stylish and enigmatic, which tuckers out the picture in a hurry. Boasting a cast of known actors, “Zeroville” declines most opportunities to become something interesting, more concerned with satisfying Franco’s ego than examining a riveting story set during a critical time in the evolution of Hollywood. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Taking a break from being a rock star, Rob Zombie transitioned to filmmaking with 2003’s “House of 1000 Corpses.” It wasn’t exactly a stunning directorial debut, but it had plenty of style and even more Zombie-approved exploitation cinema chaos. He revisited the world of the Firefly Family in 2005’s “The Devil’s Rejects,” finding his helming groove with a spectacular ode to drive-in movies while packing in even more Zombie-fied madness, marrying real intensity to his customary dosage of R-rated, southern-fried horseplay. 14 years later, Zombie is back in Firefly country with “3 from Hell,” and the divide in time between installments shows throughout the endeavor, which doesn’t quite have the macabre highlights of “1000 Corpses” or the confidence of “Rejects.” The production has intermittent hellraising to share, but Zombie seems more fatigued for this go-around, often unable to overcome his severely limited budget and best the previous efforts with his game cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Downton Abbey” premiered in 2010, with creator Julian Fellowes attempting to return some old-fashioned class conflict to television, reviving the “Upstairs, Downstairs” formula to explore the world of the elite and those hired to serve them. The ITV series was a smash, inspiring a passionate fanbase and renewing the urgency of PBS programming in America, where the show managed to become a phenomenon. For 52 episodes, Fellowes guided viewers through the ups and down of life on a grand English estate, creating memorable characters and tastefully manipulative drama, relying heavily on refined production values and the sheer charms of the ensemble, who never failed the program. Four years after the series concluded, “Downton Abbey” is back, only now the saga of the Crawley Family has turned to the big screen for a suitable return, challenging Fellowes to pack in a season’s worth of mischief, manners, and longing into 120 minutes. He’s up for the task, and while “Downton Abbey” isn’t a revelation, it remains reliable entertainment, careful to deliver what the faithful expect from the brand name. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Lorene Scafaria previously scored creative successes with 2012’s “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” and 2015’s “The Meddler.” She handled extraordinary circumstances and intimate relationships well, getting the features past cliché to truly understand human behavior during stressful times. Scafaria has difficulty finding the same sensitivity with “Hustlers,” which is something of a true crime tale, aiming to be a “Goodfellas” for the 2008 financial collapse. It’s “inspired by a true story,” but Scafaria isn’t entirely invested in delivering real-world concerns, making this strippers-seek-revenge saga more about surface psychology and cinematic style. It’s not without a few elements that dazzle, but the production fails to rise above simplicity, struggling to define these characters as more than one-dimensional empowerment figures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s no shortage of media dedicated to the making of the 1979 masterpiece, “Alien.” Books, T.V. shows, website articles, podcasts, and DVD/Blu-ray documentaries have all ventured into the analysis realm, finding all possible corners covered when it comes to the creation of the picture and its lasting hold on audiences over the last 40 years. Saturation is real, but that doesn’t stop Alexandre O. Philippe (“The People vs. George Lucas”), who ventures back into the blood and guts of filmmaking with “Memory: The Origin of Alien,” on a mission to not simply chart the day-by-day progress of the shoot, but grasp the endeavor’s deeper meanings, symbols, and motives, going cerebral as a way to maintain distance from the glut of BTS information out there. His quest is noble, and “Memory” is informative with certain aspects of cinematic appreciation, but this isn’t a satisfying overview of the creative process, as Philippe doesn’t have the run time or level of known interviewees to truly sink his teeth into the layers of interpretation “Alien” has to offer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Not every book needs to be a movie. I’ve written that before and I’m repeating myself when it comes to “The Goldfinch,” which is an adaptation of a 2013 novel by Donna Tartt. It was lauded work, and it makes sense that Hollywood wanted in on it, as it explores the saga of a broken young man who grows into a corrupted adult, interacting with other lost souls as he tries to maintain stability through the comfort of lies and the use of drugs. It’s Oscar-bait right there, but in the hands of director John Crowley (“Brooklyn”) and screenwriter Peter Straughan (“The Snowman”), “The Goldfinch” falls asleep fairly quickly, not exactly working up the energy to transform Tartt’s work into a high drama. Tech credits shine, but there’s no urgency to the storytelling, which doesn’t communicate what seems to be an emotional viewing experience, rendered flat by ponderous subplots and messy editing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Edie” has the appearance of a softer picture for an older audience. Indeed, it does have its soaring moments, hoping to extend some sense of joy and accomplishment to ticket-buyers, but simple triumphs aren’t the only thing the screenplay (credited to Elizabeth O’Halloran) is hoping to offer. There’s a deeper emotional current running just under the surface of the feature, with the writer touching on difficult concepts of regret and denial, instantly making the endeavor a bit more enlightened than many of its ilk. “Edie” has a firm grasp on kindness and delivers the occasional corny turn of character, but there are a few raw nerves worth paying attention to, giving lead actress Shelia Hancock something substantial to play as she works to the keep the effort from becoming a forgettable senior empowerment movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alexandra Daddario hasn’t experienced a box office breakthrough, but her 2019 resume has been reasonably interesting, contributing fine work in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” and she was frequently the highlight of the muddled thriller, “Night Hunter.” But she’s chasing a hit, returning to the realm of the romantic comedy with “Can You Keep a Secret,” which is an adaptation of a 2003 Sophie Kinsella novel. Daddario doesn’t sleep through the picture, endeavoring to be as animated as possible to support the material, and while her performance is likeable enough, “Can You Keep a Secret” struggles to come together as something sweet and silly, with director Elise Duran too dependent on improvisation and contrived screenwriting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The screenwriters of “A Quiet Place,” Scott Beck and Bryan Woods hope to preserve their directorial careers with “Haunt,” which continues their fascination with scary business, this time using the rise of the “extreme haunt” business to create their own Halloween offering. It’s a tempting setting, providing an atmosphere of aggression and confusion, but Beck and Woods don’t pull out all the stops with their fright film, throttling “Haunt” with crude attempts at characterization and motivation, trying to fashion a substantial lead character when the picture really needs more madness. The feature deals mainly with formula, but the helmers don’t choose to combat predictability, delivering a “Saw”-like jaunt into the business of evil, serving up six young things for the slaughter. Your patience is required. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Larry Clarke is a longtime character actor, working his way around the industry for the last two decades, appearing in such shows as “The Shield,” “Bones,” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” Perhaps searching for a little more control in his career, Clarke makes his debut as a writer/director with “3 Days with Dad,” which takes a look at the whirlwind of family issues that arises when a tolerated patriarch is about to die. Clarke doesn’t arrive empty handed, calling in favors to make his first feature something special, and he’s quick to offer the spotlight to other thespians who don’t normally receive opportunities to shine in major roles. Chaos mostly drives “3 Days with Dad,” but Clarke achieves a lived-in feel to the dramedy, doing well with his talented cast and observations of household antagonisms. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

World cinema focus turns to Mexico City for “This is Not Berlin,” which tracks the development of two teenagers trying to grow up too fast, too soon. To help soften the blow of technology, co-writer/director Hari Sama dials the clock back 35 years, returning to a time when innocence was attacked by specific forms of influence. It’s a coming-of-age drama with a keen sense of the city, delivering a specific place and time that’s periodically more interesting than the characters. Sama can’t push the material over troubling road blocks of melodrama, but “This is Not Berlin” is evocative and intermittently emotive, locating the heart of adolescent pain and the difficulties of finding one’s way in a predatory world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it deals with feelings of isolation and disillusionment, “The Harvesters” is immediately striking due to its setting, bringing viewers to the world of Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, where cultural pressure and changing times are making it difficult for families in a troubled part of the world. Writer/director Etienne Kallos isn’t making a political picture, but he doesn’t exactly ignore the cultural strain, which helps the film to tighten its grip as it explores the difficulties facing a young man caught in a troubling position of guardianship while working through his own issues. “The Harvesters” is an unsettling feature at times, but also intensely atmospheric, as Kallos often shows more interest in the cinematic qualities of his endeavor than he does characterization, which grows choppier as the movie unfolds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many filmmakers have attempted to adapt the essentials of the 1818 novel, “Frankenstein,” trying to remain respectful of author Mary Shelley’s original work while embarking on narrative detours to best fit their movie’s mood or setting. The basics are nothing new, but writer/director Larry Fessenden attempts to achieve a modern understanding of Shelley’s nightmare, going the low-budget route with “Depraved,” looking to pull together a gothic chiller with limited resources. The effort is commendable, and Fessenden has something to say about the human experience as it exists today in a cruel world, but he certainly takes his time to say it, working very deliberately with a picture that could use a few boosts of urgency, giving the central crisis a real cinematic grip. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2017’s “It” (now known as “It: Chapter One”) surprised a lot of people by becoming such a smash success, ruling the box office, dominating pop culture, and transforming September into a viable release month for blockbusters. The movie had plenty of momentum, arriving as an adaptation of a 1986 Stephen King novel, which already inspired a television mini-series from 1990, but director Andy Muschetti worked very hard to make his “It” something special, giving “Chapter One” expected lashes of horror, but also high adventure, coated in the warm glaze of childhood heroism. The picture was wonderful, but left itself open for a continuation, and now “It: Chapter Two” is here to finish off the tale, reuniting with the Losers’ Club as the now-fortysomethings make their last stand against evil. Muschetti returns as well, cooking up another high-energy, heavy-heart funhouse tour of clown-based terror and troubled minds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1982’s “The Dark Crystal” is a masterpiece. It’s fantasy filmmaking on a whole different level, with co-director Jim Henson (sharing duties with Frank Oz) digging deep into his bag of tricks to test the art of puppetry, creating a world out of strange creatures and hostile encounters without a single human character to be found. It was a tremendous achievement at the time, but only a middling box office performer, taking years to develop a loyal audience who’ve remained at the ready for a sequel, feeling disappointment when The Jim Henson Company couldn’t get a production off the ground after multiple attempts. Enter Netflix and their deep pockets, spending a small fortune to revive the brand name with “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” which is actually a prequel to the original movie, embarking on a ten-episode mission to widen the world of Thra, replacing Henson’s sorely missed creative bravery and heavenly sense of screen artistry with Louis Leterrier, the man who gave the world “Clash of the Titans,” “Now You See Me,” and “Grimsby.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Vita & Virginia” strives to bring a directness to the mental health issues that swarmed around writer Virginia Woolf. While it’s not a bio-pic, the feature is enlightening when it comes to an understanding of what drove the literary titan during her most creatively fertile period, tracking the inspiration and development of her 1928 novel, “Orlando,” which, according to the screenplay by Eileen Atkins and Chanya Button (who also directs), was born from an ill-fated love affair that, while profound, never quite took flight in the way Woolf wanted. An adaptation of a 1992 play by Atkins, “Vita & Virginia” tries to get to the core of obsession and motivation, arranging a reasonably fascinating understanding of Woolf’s compulsions and how they disrupted her life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com