Category: Film Review

Mark Steven Johnson has a very problematic filmography. He’s the director of “Ghost Rider” and “Daredevil,” with his last effort the little-seen “Killing Season,” starring John Travolta and Robert De Niro. He’s not someone that’s proven his skill behind the camera, struggling with dramas, comedies, and actioners, but “Finding Steve McQueen” seems to be his attempt to trying something softer for a change, helming an “Inspired by a true story” tale concerning the United California Bank Robbery, where a group of greedy men tried to steal 30 million dollars in Nixon re-election campaign contributions, hoping to use thievery to stop a thief. Johnson, along with screenwriters Ken Hixson and Keith Sharon, toys with the heist aspects of the tale, but the production is also attempting to make something sweet, taking the sting out of criminal behavior as love flows throughout the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director J.C. Chandor was last found mining for Oscar gold with 2014’s “A Most Violent Year.” He made a fine film, but it didn’t reach the creative heights of the production that preceded it, 2013’s “All Is Lost,” a masterful exploration of classic dramatic conflicts with a powerful cinematic presence. Chandor’s been away for quite some time, but he returns with “Triple Frontier,” which reunites him with primal battles for survival in the middle of nowhere, but this time there’s a lot more male energy. Teaming up with “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Hurt Locker” writer Mark Boal, Chandor approaches “Triple Frontier” with full command of his helming potential, crafting a twisty nail-biter that only really stops to assess troubling situations of sanity, with the rest of the endeavor concentrating on a blistering pace and meaty displays of pained masculinity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

For the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the company tries to reposition the brand name for future big screen heroism with “Captain Marvel.” While the Avengers are off dealing with an apocalyptic situation of loss, the suits need a way to keep things going now that the major MCU stars have fulfilled their contractual obligations or, in some cases, have aged out of their roles. Enter Carol Danvers, an air force pilot experiencing an intergalactic journey with unimaginable powers, submitted as a fresh leader for careworn superheroes. “Captain Marvel” is meant to be a new vision for the 11-year-old MCU big screen journey, imagined as a mighty force for justice and leadership. Under the care of directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the movie only gets halfway to authority, with much of the endeavor playing too flat and careful in comparison with other Marvel powerhouses, finding the indie helmers out of their league when it comes to conjuring big-budget comic book wonderment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

He’s battled robots, M. Bison, Dolph Lundgren (multiple times), and he almost, in the mid-90s, went head-to-head with the abominable snowman. And now Jean-Claude Van Damme is going after the MS-13 gang. It’s a sobering change of pace for the action star, as “We Die Young” intends to be a grittier endeavor, with a streetwise sense of horror from writer/director Lior Geller. Van Damme isn’t the traditional hero here, but a broken man barely clinging to life, inspired to stand between the street gangs that control America’s capital and the young lives threatened by violence. “We Die Young” isn’t going to blow minds with its offering of chases and intimidation, but Lior sustains credible peril while examining an urban fight for survival. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It hasn’t been the best professional time for John Travolta. The actor has never been known for his taste in projects, but recent turns in “Gotti” and “Speed Kills” have failed to attract accolades and audiences, keeping Travolta busy with bad movies that he can’t magically save with his charms. “Trading Paint” has the distinction of being the best film he’s made in a few years, but that’s damning the feature with faint praise. Travolta tries to inject some emotional life into a story about car racing and family, but cliches and rough editing eventually win out in the end. “Trading Paint” is short and makes a pass at being heartfelt, but it’s rarely permitted time to breathe, cycling through formula and races with increasing repetition, making any noticeable level of audience engagement difficult to find. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Ondi Timoner has a great fascination with artists and rebels, with most of her career devoted to the chronicling of those who seek to disrupt the norm, putting personality and vision before controlled behavior (“Brand: A Second Coming,” “Dig!”). She’s found an ideal subject for “Mapplethorpe,” taking on the enormity of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s career, tracking its development and controversies during the 1970s and ‘80s. It’s a storytelling challenge in many ways, but the most pressing concern for Timoner how to find a way to make an unpleasant person interesting for 90 minutes, going beyond noted achievements in art to capture the essence of a man who seemingly lived to hurt others. Mapplethorpe was no prince, and this bio-pic doesn’t probe deep enough into the subject’s point of view, ending up a meandering study of photographic ability with occasional inspections of obsessions and ego. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Tyler Perry has declared “A Madea Family Funeral” to be the titular character’s last movie. Perry isn’t threatening retirement, but it seems age is catching up to the mogul, who’s ready to hang up the wig, muumuu, and swinging breasts that initially made him a fortune. There’s no way Perry is going to follow through with this promise, but let’s pretend for a minute that “A Madea Family Funeral” is truly the last cinematic at-bat for the wild personality, capping a big screen journey that’s been going on since 2005, spread out over ten features (and one DTV animated picture). Because if this is truly the last time Madea is going to raise hell on-screen, Perry has crafted an absolute airless dud to see her off, putting in as little effort as humanly possible as he switches to autopilot, letting the Perry brand of volume and nonsense carry the endeavor. It’s not that Madea deserves a royal sendoff, but surely an actual film would’ve been nice. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Neil Jordan hasn’t enjoyed the most stable career, but he’s always been interesting. He was last seen on screens in 2013’s “Byzantium,” working very hard to make a modern vampire tale that thrived on weird, provocative imagery. The feature connected to a certain extent, but his latest, “Greta,” is a more straightforward endeavor, at least as mainstream as Jordan gets. He’s made some suitable thrillers years, but Jordan is not Hitchcock, and such finely tuned chiller instincts are missing from the picture, which peaks too soon and offers roughly five different endings, with the helmer making a play to toy with audience expectations, but timing, logic (even for this type of entertainment), and performances are deeply flawed, leaving “Greta” struggling to find traction as a nightmare machine, despite its well-worn stalker premise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Saint Judy” certainly has impressive timing. While it was in production, the conversation concerning illegal immigration exploded in the news, becoming a hot topic for those who genuinely care about the issue and those who live to exploit the situation for political gain. And now here comes the story of Judy Wood, an immigration lawyer who personally set out to challenge the system, helping those in unique situations of homeland pressure try for asylum, using her passion for the battle and courtroom practice to make a name for herself in Los Angeles and beyond. “Saint Judy” doesn’t come at the audience with balled-up fists, electing to be a bit more sensitive about those facing deportation, trying to submit the concept that actual lives are involved in such matters, with Judy working to clarify intent and infraction before final judgments are made. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The central joke of “Boy Band” is one that’s been made before. The story details the efforts of a singing group trying to come up with new music long after their prime, dealing with changes in trends, personalities, and body shape as they attempt to recapture what was lost over a decade ago. Writers Stephen J. Levinson and Joel Levinson (who also directs) are walking in established footprints with this material, inspiring them to add as much absurdity as a possible in the no-budget endeavor, which primarily takes place inside a single recording studio. At its best, “Boy Band” reaches a few Lonely Island-style patches of wonderful weirdness, unearthing a certain level of craziness when dealing with fried egos and the literal undead. However, the movie struggles to maintain energy, lacking consistent madness and fresh air to truly come alive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

French director Gaspar Noe broke through to the big time with 2002’s “Irreversible.” It was a horrifying movie, a suffocating immersion into the wilds of human violence and the blind savagery of revenge, but it was an undeniable shock to the system. Noe was a major player in the nihilism movement of French cinema in the early 2000s, and it turns out, he’s not one to reach beyond his grasp. Stumbling through equally charged affairs such as “Love” and “Enter the Void,” Noe returns to Hell with “Climax,” which delivers a similar viewing experience as “Irreversible,” only without the artfulness, thespian power, and freshness. At this point, Noe has become his own worst enemy, going soft with predictable aggression for “Climax.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Even art history majors need a movie night too, right? A Hungarian production from co-writer/director Milorad Krstic, “Ruben Brandt, Collector” merges the world of art and cinema for a high-flying ride of visual references, with the helmer heading to the elasticity of animation to reach impossible filmmaking dreams with this ambitious offering. It’s a dazzling feature, bursting with energy and intelligence, with Krstic spinning plates like a madman as he manages a noir-ish ride into museum thievery while also digging into strange psychological spaces as the endeavor wiggles around hallucinatory freak-outs. “Ruben Brandt, Collector” is a special picture, but there’s a limit to how effective such specialized storytelling can last, and Krstic finds it quickly, crafting a masterful short that unfortunately has to figure out how to fill 90 minutes of screen time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

1980’s “Flash Gordon” has endured a strange ride of recognition over the last 39 years. The picture was hoping to be the big ticket of the Christmas moviegoing season, giving ticket-buyers a large-scale fantasy adventure in the vein of “Star Wars,” only with a more European approach thanks to producer Dino De Laurentiis. While the feature did business, it was far from a blockbuster, sending the endeavor to the wilds of home video consumption, where it developed a cult following. Fandom was born, passionately so, but for the people who were involved in the making of “Flash Gordon,” such delayed response contributed to unsteady careers, especially for its star, Sam J. Jones. Director Lisa Downs tracks down the actor and many more behind-the-scenes personnel for “Life After Flash,” with the documentary splitting its time discussing the creation of the newly understood film and the reaction of those who created it, with Jones the primary focus of professional and personal confusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

“The Hole in the Ground” offers the killer kid routine. It’s a staple of the horror genre, with many variations on “The Bad Seed” produced, as recently as this very month with the release of “The Prodigy.” The features tend to abuse the same trick, toying with the image of innocence to best shred nerves, with violence often erupting from the very essence of goodness. It’s usually exploitative, skirting the line of good taste, but co-writer/director Lee Cronin has something slightly different in mind for his fright film, eschewing pre-teen devilry for more of an “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” atmosphere for “The Hole in the Ground,” which generates a proper mood of unease as the lead character explores the weirdness that’s consumed her once beloved son. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Dwayne Johnson is a busy man these days, making sure he’s represented on the big screen at least a couple times every year. He’s an action star now, but he never lost touch with his career as a professional wrestler, and he’s returning to the squared circle with “Fighting with My Family,” flexing his producing muscles to bring the story of WWE superstar Paige to the screen. Movies and pro-wrestling rarely mix, but this bio-pic isn’t interested in the sheer silliness of “No Holds Barred” or the odiousness of “Ready to Rumble,” instead going the inspirational route with an underdog tale. Writer/director Stephen Merchant tries to redefine “Rocky” with “Fighting with My Family,” using Paige’s rise to WWE glory as a way to craft an audience-pleasing sports dramedy, and Johnson is along for the ride to secure authenticity, at least with wrestling atmosphere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

American audiences are used to a little more extremity from their YA fantasy entertainment, often served the ways of love and danger with a larger sense of scale and apocalyptic stakes. “The Changeover” is a New Zealand production, and doesn’t quite reach for visual fireworks to tell its tale of a teenager experiencing her entrance into the ways of witchcraft. Instead, the production often goes insular, playing the evolution in dreamscape settings, trying to do justice to a 1984 novel by Margaret Mahy. Screenwriter Stuart McKenzie (who co-directs with Miranda Harcourt) has a difficult task of adaptation, working to make the novel’s exploration of magic fit a low budget, and the helmers get most of the way there with “The Changeover,” making a movie that’s more disturbing than fantastical, wisely putting their faith into the cast to sell the mysteries of the story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While they’ve both been working in film and television for decades, “The Breaker Upperers” is terrific chance to become fully aware of the talents possessed by stars Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek. They’re manufacturing their own opportunity with the picture, also accepting screenwriting and directorial duties, working to craft a farce that pokes fun at the fear of ending commitment, taking a business of break-ups to farcical highs. A production from New Zealand, “The Breaker Upperers” is extremely funny and surprisingly tight, with Sami and van Beek keeping their endeavor rolling along with some wackiness and dry humor, creating their own vehicle to display their stuff, which is often fantastic stuff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Now six years into his retirement, Steven Soderbergh continues to work on his iPhone moviemaking revolution with “High Flying Bird,” which is debuting a year after his smartphone-shot thriller, “Unsane,” failed to catch much heat at the box office. Turning to Netflix for his distribution needs, Soderbergh sheds production risks and takes a chance on unusual material for his latest endeavor, which takes a brief look at the world of NBA ownership and leadership, and how the game is actually played with billions of dollars on the line. Staying true to his artistic interests, Soderbergh goes minimal, returning to the iPhone for cinematographic needs and working with a screenplay by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who takes more than a few jabs at the state of the basketball union with his sharp screenplay, inspiring the helmer to doing something a little differently than his traditional offering of passivity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Tim Sutton wants to bring the pain with “Donnybrook.” With previous credits including “Memphis” and “Dark Night,” Sutton is no stranger to the unpredictability of human behavior, putting some thought into the construction of his screenplay, which not only examines vicious interactions between unstable characters, but takes a good long look at the current state of America, focusing on an impoverished community of addicts and killers. There’s no joy to be found in “Donnybrook,” but there’s not a lot of engrossing anger either. Sutton is making his western here, only everyone is a black hat and they spend the movie cycling through the same reaction to utter despair. It’s a glacial feature, with the helmer mistaking length for profundity, unable to connect with his overall effort to dissect violence as it’s experienced by those who can’t, or won’t, escape abuse. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Just 15 months ago, there was “Happy Death Day.” The Blumhouse production wasn’t aiming very high with its mixture of comedy and horror, offering younger audiences their own “Groundhog Day,” fitting a slasher movie set-up for a time loop gimmick. The PG-13 frightener clicked with audiences in the mood for a wacky distraction, giving Halloween 2017 a slight boost at the box office. Terrified of losing such momentum, writer/director Christopher Landon went right back into production, churning out a quickie sequel in “Happy Death Day 2U,” hoping to retain the limited attention span of certain viewers these days. There’s lots of room for improvement, but Landon merely hints at creative escalation with the follow-up, which chases a tale about a killer in a baby mask with another tale about a killer in a baby mask. There’s a heavy “Back to the Future” influence this time around, for everything except sequel quality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com