Category: Film Review

Bringing the music of The Beatles to the big screen isn’t a new idea. The band did it themselves on multiple occasions, and in 1978, there was “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which celebrated the amazing career of The Beatles by having George Burns and Steve Martin sing a few songs, while an entire sequence was devoted to the Bee Gees fist-fighting Aerosmith. Perhaps realizing such a sight is impossible to top, helmer Danny Boyle and screenwriter Richard Curtis head in a much softer direction with “Yesterday,” manufacturing a silly fantasy that’s eventually consumed by romantic comedy intentions. There’s plenty of Beatles in the feature, and some mild wackiness as well, but Boyle and Curtis aren’t in this to make audiences laugh. They want hearts, and the pair get awfully grabby when it comes to the plight of near-miss lovers and their extraordinary test of companionship, which frequently interrupts the potential for a promising farce. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

The biggest challenge facing the producers of “Escape Plan: The Extractors” is trying to get viewers to recall anything that happened in 2018’s “Escape Plan 2: Hades.” After finding some box office success in China, 2013’s “Escape Plan” was granted a pair of sequels, shot back-to-back. However, budgets were reduced or perhaps all the money was spent on getting Sylvester Stallone to return to the franchise, with his participation in the first sequel limited, keeping his work days short. Stallone has a larger role in the latest chapter, and there’s a new director in John Herzfeld (who previously worked with the actor in “Reach Me”), taking over for DTV machine, Steven C. Miller. While visual limitations remain, Herzfeld does more with the material than his predecessor, giving “Escape Plan: The Extractors” a pleasingly mean energy, stuffing the effort with violence and anger, even managing to pull off something that’s eluded the series up to this point: genuine surprise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Horror loves the anthology movie. The format offers the genre a rare shot to be explored in short film form, giving writers and directors a chance to shave down superfluous additions meant to beef up run times, creating an opportunity to approach scary stories with the leanest edits and wildest imagination possible. Co-producer Mick Garris has been here before, overseeing the “Masters of Horror” television show from just over ten years ago, and he’s back with “Nightmare Cinema,” which brings together tales of finality from helmers who don’t normally receive a chance to cut loose with big screen frights. There are five chapters of dark comedy and blurred reality, and while every omnibus endeavor has its creative highs and lows, “Nightmare Cinema” is often stuck in neutral, prizing oddity to a point where the effort loses all momentum and mischief. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, writer/director Ari Aster impressed horror fans with “Hereditary,” delivering an eerie meditation on loss mixed with demonic cult theatrics. I wasn’t as thrilled with the feature, finding its insistence on shock value more numbing than chilling, but Aster did manage to pull something special out of star Toni Collette, who delivered the best performance of her career. Aster returns a year later with “Midsommar,” and while he doesn’t have Collette by his side again, he does recycle many of his old tricks, heading once again into the deep end of atmosphere and ultraviolence, transferring the relative intimacy of “Hereditary” to the open land of Sweden with this “Wicker Man” riff that’s extremely long and terribly light with crucial psychological details. The gruesomeness returns, but in a more predictable manner, as Aster chooses to repeat himself to secure a burgeoning helming career. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What “Euphoria” provides is a new reason to pay attention to the acting talents of Alicia Vikander and Eva Green. While there’s nothing wrong with paychecks roles and interest in the Hollywood star-making machine, it’s been disappointing to watch the pair fight to survive dismal mass entertainment offerings such as “Tomb Raider” and “Dumbo,” with both pictures offering Vikander and Green more of a physical challenge than a dramatic one. “Euphoria” tries to realign some thespian chakras, giving the performers a thorough acting obstacle course as it takes on the messiness of sisterhood and the finality of euthanasia. It’s not the most enticing endeavor in the marketplace, but there’s profound feeling to discover, as writer/director Lisa Langseth doesn’t pull any punches with the material, retaining rawness and confusion as emotional breakthroughs are squeezed out of the characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

“Hamlet” is a 400-year-old play that’s been interpreted in many ways, with some taking great liberties with the source material, working to reconsider writer William Shakespeare’s original text and find ways to reach a different audience. That’s the thinking behind “Ophelia,” which revisits the events of “Hamlet,” only here a key supporting part into turned into the lead role, with Ophelia’s perspective intended to refocus concern on the female characters. It’s not exactly a daring undertaking, but the screenplay by Semi Chellas is trying to do something very specific, keeping things involving by altering Shakespeare’s plotting and sense of power in Elsinore Castle. “Ophelia” isn’t the most dynamic feature to be made with the concept, but director Claire McCarthy isn’t in this for the pace. She wants to make a beautiful picture about a misunderstood young woman, and with those goals in mind, the effort is satisfactory. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Framing John DeLorean” emphasizes early on that Hollywood has spent decades trying to figure out a way to bring the titular icon’s story to the screen. And yet, with all these competing projects and various completed screenplays, nothing has come of it. Directors Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce (“Batman & Bill”) step up to the plate with “Framing John DeLorean,” but the duo isn’t interested in a straightforward bio-pic of the automobile designer, electing to mix things up a bit by turning the production into a semi-documentary, blending informational stretches with dramatic recreations and behind-the-scenes activity during the shoot. It’s a bizarre cocktail of perspectives and realities, but not an unappealing endeavor, with the helmers using such unconventional storytelling to showcase an unconventional man, finding a fresh way to chart the rise and fall of John DeLorean. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2019 represents the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Whitbread Around the World Race, a yachting competition that was known for attracting the titans of the sport and the inclusion of the Maiden, the first all-female team to join the event. Being such a unique offering in the line-up, the Maiden attracted plenty of attention at the time, and now there’s “Maiden,” a documentary examining the development of the boat team and the determination of its troubled skipper, Tracy Edwards. Director Alex Holmes (“Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story”) reunites the squad for an examination of the Maiden experience, presenting an overview of physical hardships and psychological weariness, but also plenty of uppercase sexism, with the male-dominated sport not exactly willing to give Edwards the respect she deserved. It’s a story of empowerment and achievement, but Holmes also tries to keep sporting suspense alive in “Maiden,” making the race and its punishing legs a major element of the feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Making her feature-length directorial debut, Ash Mayfair (who also scripts) takes audiences to a time long ago and a place far away, exploring female issues and anxiety that carry on to this day. “The Third Wife” is a period piece, taking place in 19th century Vietnam, and while Mayfair doesn’t have an enormous budget to bring her vision to life, she picks and chooses her moments with striking precision. However, as beautiful as the picture is, “The Third Wife” deals with harrowing acts of submission and futility, examining the role of the woman in an arranged marriage, where feelings and desires have no place, forced into a life of service. It’s a powerful film from Mayfair, who doesn’t turn to dialogue or heightened dramatics to make her points, trusting in the performers and their ability to convey the deadening of a soul with subtle reactions to mounting despair. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As The “Conjuring” Universe expands, 2019 welcomes another release in the series. “Annabelle Comes Home” follows last spring’s “The Curse of La Llorona,” which attempted to get by on the thinnest of connections to the James Wan-curated world, coughing up a quick “Annabelle” reference to keep fans interested in a largely uneventful chiller. Now the original screenwriter of 2014’s “Annabelle” and 2017’s “Annabelle: Creation,” Gary Dauberman, is promoted to the director’s chair for “Annabelle Comes Home,” and he’s making an effort to restore the sequel/prequel atmosphere for the latest franchise offering. Dauberman is also well aware of the target demographic for the movie, delivering a relatively light picture that’s limited in scope but eager to frighten a younger audience, with the R-rating awarded to the film more of a decoration than a warning. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Perhaps it’s not a classic, but 1988’s “Child’s Play” was a special picture at the time, bravely joining the decade’s slasher movement with the murderous antics of a possessed doll, giving the subgenre a much needed boost of the bizarre. It offered competent filmmaking with a wacky premise, while the talents of Brad Dourif as the voice of plastic punisher Chucky elevated the material, giving the effort a genuine level of menace. The producers (and creator Don Mancini) made sure to beat the idea into the ground with multiple sequels, with the homicidal interests of Chucky now relegated to the DTV pile, essentially inviting others to double check contracts and attempt a remake. 31 years later, it’s “Child’s Play” all over again, with this round updating the tech, losing the voodoo, and amplifying the gore to see if there’s a new generation of young moviegoers interested in Chucky’s pint-sized rage. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Writer/director Stephen Elliott made an industry splash with 1994’s “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” It was an ABBA-fueled romp that wasn’t afraid of a little madness to inspire shock and hilarity, pushing successfully with some degree of visual anarchy. His follow-ups tried to replicate some portion of the “Priscilla” magic, but he often came up short (with efforts such as “Welcome to Woop Woop” and “Eye of the Beholder”). Elliott finally reclaims his lost mojo with “Swinging Safari,” which drips with mad Aussie energy, taking viewers back to the lawless age of the 1970s, where safety, fashion, and personal boundaries where all ignored in the name of fun. It’s a berserk snapshot of life lived on the edge by a collection of families in various states of distress, with Elliott developing ideal insanity to capture his memories of Australian freedoms and fears during a particularly freewheeling decade. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

After taking a break from cinematic study for quite some time, submarine movies seem to be back in vogue. The underwater war machines offer potential for a more regal sort of national confrontation, allowing filmmakers to detail efforts of strategy and patience instead of serving up fiery conflict, preserving the promise of high drama at stunning depths. Last year there was “Hunter Killer,” a popcorn take on naval tensions, with “The Command” (a.k.a. “Kursk”) endeavoring to dramatize a true story of unimaginable survival. Director Thomas Vinterberg and screenwriter Robert Rodat (“Saving Private Ryan”) step away from pyrotechnics and near-misses to grasp the sheer horror of a 2000 Russian disaster, concentrating on the panic of the moment and concern brewing on land, searching for a way to grasp rising tensions from multiple points of view. “The Command” isn’t showy, trying to remain human and procedural as it details a desperate situation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director David Hackl clearly has a fondness for outdoor adventures. A few years ago, he crafted “Into the Grizzly Maze,” trying to participate in the brief resurgence of killer bear movies, and now he’s made “Daughter of the Wolf,” which takes viewers to the Canadian wilderness to track the efforts of one mother determined to rescue her son from a gang of kidnappers. There’s a survival element to the feature that’s worth developing, and star Gina Carano is always more interesting being physical than dramatic, but “Daughter of the Wolf” isn’t particularly inventive with its forest showdown. Screenwriter Nika Agiashvili attempts a deeper motivation for criminal activity, but there’s not enough fury to inspire excitement, while passes at a primal connection between humans and the beasts of the wild is fairly ridiculous. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The worst thing Pixar could’ve done with “Toy Story 4” is to try and top what they accomplished with 2010’s “Toy Story 3,” which found a way to elegantly and emotionally close the chapter on Woody and Buzz’s years as Andy’s playthings. The picture dealt with aging and friendship, even going as a far as to include a moment where the plastic pals feared for their own deaths, giving fans an exhausting ride of slapstick and mortality. “Toy Story 4” doesn’t carry the same weight, which is a wonderful revelation, with director Josh Cooley returning to the spirit of the 1995 original to inspire a new round of comedy and adventure, delivering a movie that’s immense fun, with vivid animation and distinct characters contributing to a third sequel that probably didn’t need to be, but most viewers will be thrilled to spend time with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Adam Sandler stepped out of his comfort zone over the last few years, finding creative success with Noah Baumbach’s “The Meyerowitz Stories” and the charmingly silly “The Week Of.” The actor is back in vacation mode with “Murder Mystery,” which returns Sandler to the comforts of glorious locations and minimal screenwriting, reteaming him with his “Just Go with It” co-star, Jennifer Aniston, for what should be recycling of “Clue” on a yacht. However, writer James Vanderbilt (“The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” “Independence Day: Resurgence”) wants a little more than a simple situation of close-quarters murder, taking the whodunit to Monaco, which permits the cast to romp around in luxury settings, trying to make the funny happen. “Murder Mystery” doesn’t have many laughs, but there’s energy that carries the viewing experience, giving Sandler and Aniston enough panicky situations to work over with their charisma. It’s not the slam-dunk project it initially appears to be, but it’s intermittently entertaining. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If there’s anything truly eye-catching about “Clinton Road,” it’s the co-director credit. Actor Richard Grieco makes his helming debut with the picture, and he goes where many untested talents head when dealing with a moviemaking challenge: horror. Joined by Steve Stanulis, Grieco presents a vision for New Jersey terror, depicting the Bermuda Triangle-style dead zone of a 10-mile stretch of road in the state, which is home to many disappearances and hauntings. This is simple stuff, with the production aiming to pull off a few chills here and there on an extremely low budget, calling in as many favors as possible. “Clinton Road” shows some effort, but there’s a lot of padding to work through to get anywhere in the feature, which throttles pace and limits frights. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

“Shaft” is a sequel to “Shaft,” which was a remake of “Shaft.” Can you dig it? If it all seems a little confusing at this point, don’t worry, the producers of the latest “Shaft” adventure have little regard for the rest of the film series, electing to go the cartoon route with the brand name, which was never afraid of a little broadness here and there, but the 2019 version includes a Clapper joke. That’s the level of screenwriting involved here. It began in 1971 with a Blaxploitation classic that defined cinematic attitude for the rest of the decade. It continued in 2000 with a wheezy reimagining. And now it’s a CBS sitcom from director Tim Story, who found great success with 2014’s “Ride Along,” and now believes every action movie deserves the slapstick treatment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

While a valiant attempt to give the fanbase something significant for a trilogy closer, it was clear that 2012’s “Men in Black 3” was running out of ideas when it came to the pairing of stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, while the alien attack aspects of the premise where diluted by the story’s concentration on time travel to inject some wow into a second sequel. It got the job done, but it was clear whatever magic was there in the 1997 original was long gone. Hollywood, never one to let a brand name die, attempts to revive the intergalactic cops with “Men in Black: International,” which trades Smith and Jones for Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who already enjoyed passable chemistry in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Also missing is director Barry Sonnenfeld, whose quirky way with the series is gone, with the reins handed to F. Gary Gray, the helmer of “The Fate of the Furious” and “Be Cool.” Creative changes are periodic, but Gray mostly tries to recapture what was lost, hoping to reboot the “Men in Black” with actors not known for their comedic chops, while the screenplay by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway isn’t terribly sharp with mystery, unable to power a surprisingly plodding film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been many films made about the mysteries of artificial intelligence and robot order, but few understand the core crisis of trust the way “I Am Mother” does. Making his feature-length directorial debut is Grant Sputore, and he’s managed to find a way to respect low-budget realities while still creating a picture with big ideas, offering a strong visual presence while exploring a story with only a handful of characters. “I Am Mother” is dystopian sci-fi, but never oppressively so, managing to grasp larger questions of ethics and safety while remaining a suspenseful thriller with a few mysteries to solve, playing into genre expectations without softening the whole endeavor in the name of entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com