Category: Film Review

No matter what type of business “Hearts Beat Loud” does at the box office, the film is guaranteed to find its audience one way or another. It’s a sensitive endeavor about the communicative aspects of musicianship and songwriting, and it’s similar to smaller movies like “Once” and “Sing Street,” which also mixed troubled souls with the power of performance. The bonus here is that while constructed out of familiar working parts, “Hearts Beat Loud” is a lovely picture unafraid to touch on real emotions, using music to explore the fears of people on the precipice of enormous life changes. Co-writer/director Brett Haley has a terrific cast to help him achieve such tricky vulnerabilities, and for those who crave the musical arts, the feature delivers a rich sense of craftsmanship and passion behind the creation of songs.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It doesn’t take much to remake a Blaxploitation classic, but there should be something involved the mix that demands a resurrection of a brand name that’s been dormant for decades. “Superfly” is a new version of 1972’s “Super Fly,” which, at the time, contributed to the expanding exploitation market and gave actor Ron O’Neal a career, portraying a conflicted but authoritative drug dealer at a crossroads with his underworld interests. It wasn’t gold, but it had attitude and a steely sense of conflict. The remake smooths down rough material to give audiences a more stylish ride with bad dudes, with the movie marking the feature-length helming debut for a man billed simply as Director X, who’s enjoyed longtime service as a music video maker. His practice with short bursts of style and floss certainly influence his take on “Superfly,” which is a lengthy rap video made up of shorter rap videos, offering little excitement as it stumbles through predictable criminal events.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The big draw for “China Salesman” is the pairing of stars Mike Tyson and Steven Seagal, who do battle with each other and the very art of acting in the Chinese production. Their names will bring attention to the movie, which saves a fight sequence for the duo, giving the effort its lone moment of excitement, and even that’s open for debate. The rest of “China Salesman” covers the experience of the titular character, who’s not a gladiator ready to pound opponents alongside Seagal and Tyson, but a meet telecom lackey trying to bring a 3G wireless network to the far reaches of Africa. While the material is apparently based on a true story, vague authenticity is no excuse for this hilariously miscalculated slog, with co-writer/director Tan Bing gifted a chance to put on a series of physical challenges, but is more interested in the particulars of business bids and long travel to remote cell towers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Stages of the Iraq War and ensuing conflicts have been covered extensively in American cinema. Filmmakers tend to follow a template when isolating areas of domestic disruption and combat shock, but the more interesting movies figure out ways to attack common issues from a more personal perspective, waving away melodrama. Unfortunately, “The Yellow Birds” doesn’t think outside the box when it comes to the depiction of trauma, as director Alexandre Moors (“Blue Caprice”) plays it all very bluntly, trying to remain respectful to the military experience while still tending to the painful realities of service. “The Yellow Birds” aims to be poetic and insular, but it’s not a particularly compelling feature, slogging through the same old sights and sounds without inspiration to be anything more than disappointingly predictable.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When “The Incredibles” debuted in 2004, it was released during the infancy of the superhero movie movement that we know so well today. Writer/director Brad Bird was paying homage to the comic book stories of his youth, using blockbuster aspiration and fluid animation to fully realize his vision for big screen heroics, also examining the stresses of family life when up against nefarious supervillains and their persistent desire to take over the world. It was also a time in Pixar Animation Studios history when the company was dragged into sequels, with Bird perfectly content to leave the Parr Family alone after a single installment, much to the frustration of fans everywhere. Time has changed minds, and 14 years later, there’s “Incredibles 2,” which welcomes release during a glut of superhero offerings, hoping that the passing years haven’t diluted the appeal of the premise and Bird’s special touch with animated spectacle. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Jodie Foster doesn’t do much acting anymore, with her last screen appearance in 2013’s “Elysium.” She made some questionable (and reconsidered) accent choices in a film that quickly spiraled out of control, but her thespian authority was never in doubt. She faces a similar challenge in “Hotel Artemis,” which also presents a chewy role for the actress, only here she’s backed up by a flavorful ensemble set loose in a pulpy crime thriller that’s tight on surroundings but crammed with hostilities. Foster is excellent in the genre role, shaping something out of next to nothing, and writer/director Drew Pearce (making his helming debut) is lucky to have her around, as “Hotel Artemis” is supported in full by its performers, not plotting, helping to make the effort a breezy sit with a fair amount of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

The “Ocean’s” film series was last seen in 2007 with the release of the wildly entertaining “Ocean’s Thirteen.” It was the culmination of director Steven Soderbergh’s interest in the ways of smooth criminals, sending the franchise out on a high note after stumbling with 2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve.” “Ocean’s Eight” isn’t reboot of the brand name, but a semi-sequel to the Soderbergh pictures, with director Gary Ross picking up the thrill of illegal dealings with a new cast but the same surname, handing thievery over to Danny Ocean’s younger sister, Debbie. Ross attempts to mimic parts of Soderbergh’s staccato style and dry wit, which gives “Ocean’s Eight” a nice consistency with the previous chapters, continuing the screen celebration of shifty individuals coming together for a grand con. It’s slight, on the long side, but Ross gets the machine up and running again, using a talented ensemble to launch the felonious joyride. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Over the past two years, studio A24 has built something of a reputation for releasing challenging horror pictures, trying to capture an audience perhaps a little woozy from blockbuster consumption, in need of something slow-burn and slightly radical to help realign moviegoing chakras. There was “The Witch” and last summer’s “It Comes at Night,” with both efforts working to unsettle viewers instead of simply scaring them. A24’s latest addition to this ongoing experiment is “Hereditary,” which also samples from the slow-burn chiller playbook, along with several other films. Writer/director Ari Aster creates a mix tape of genre events for this deliberate endeavor, obsessing over mood and frenzied moments as he constructs something that’s difficult to decode in one sitting, but isn’t powerful or concise enough to demand a second. “Hereditary” is haunting in stretches, but Aster doesn’t know when to quit, threatening to ruin a good thing with needless overkill.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

As the world awaits the release of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” there’s some time beforehand for a B-movie to sneak in and attempt to steal a little of its thunder. “The Jurassic Games” isn’t going to wow viewers with cinematic craftsmanship or sharp screenwriting, but as a slippery actioner with a limited budget, the picture provides some entertainment value, especially for those who enjoy the occasional insanity VOD releases provide. More “Running Man” than Spielberg, “The Jurassic Games” tries to give viewers an exciting ride with aggressive types and CGI predators, and with lowered expectations, it comes together intermittently, especially when co-writer/director Ryan Bellgardt leans into the potential of the premise, delivering violent game show challenges and roaring assassins from the titular age.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

For his fourth film release of 2018, Nicolas Cage plays a cop caught in the middle of a particularly violent bank heist, forced to use his law enforcement experience to survive the event. And Cage has to summon his acting experience to make anything out of “211,” which is a bland actioner, stranded somewhere between procedural concentration and network television heroics. Cage isn’t exactly straining himself to command this feeble effort from writer/director York Alec Shackleton, but he’s offering something to a production that needs all the help it can get. “211” has moments of ferocity, but it’s not a convincing thriller, with clichés too pronounced and severity watered down to make much of a lasting impression.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Writer/director Bart Layton made an industry splash with 2012’s “The Imposter,” saucing up documentary formula by adding some sense of theatricality to the work, blurring the line between information and performance. He’s back with “American Animals,” which is a similar endeavor, only here the emphasis is on drama, putting actors partially in charge of recreating a true crime event that occurred nearly 15 years ago in Kentucky. While Layton’s already made other film and TV projects, he seems intent on proving his cinematic chops this time around, keeping “American Animals” steeped in style and attitude, but there’s little else that sticks after a viewing, finding the material too manipulative and the story too familiar to successfully keep the effort from resembling anything but a showy director’s reel.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

“The Gospel According to Andre” feels like a Marvel Studios-style payoff for subject Andre Leon Talley. Finally, the focus is on the Vogue editor after years of bit parts in other documentaries such as “The September Issue,” “Unzipped,” and “The First Monday in May.” Of course, Talley is a superhero in a way, and it’s about time someone recognized that, with director Kate Novack focusing exclusively on the larger-than-life personality, delivering biographical details and fly-on-the-wall footage, making sure that at all times, Talley is the star of the show. “The Gospel According to Andre” isn’t always stuffed with dynamic interactions, but it does manage to isolate Talley’s vitality and expertise, working through his history in the fashion industry and his childhood in North Carolina to paint a portrait of an unusual man who’s lived an extraordinary life.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

At this point, there probably won’t be another “Jackass” sequel. The guys are getting up there in age, and wear and tear on the body isn’t a party in your forties. Johnny Knoxville seems to understand the shelf life of his stunt days, working to build a bridge between self-harm and acting with “Action Point,” which isn’t a sequel to 2013’s “Bad Grandpa,” but shares a similar interest in pranks and stunts, mixed in with some relaxed Knoxville mischief. “Bad Grandpa” was a surprise, offering good-natured nonsense and decent direction for its type of entertainment. “Action Point” is the opposite, handling a surefire concept with low energy and a limited appreciation for the finer points of slapstick. It’s not fun, which is a bewildering response to a movie that sets Knoxville and a cast of goons loose inside an amusement park where safety is of no concern. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s not easy to make a surprising film about a true story that was covered extensively in magazine articles and news reports, and inspired a popular book. However, the makers of “Adrift” are willing to give it a try, working a little movie magic to turn known quantities into renewed suspense, recounting the story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft, who entered a hurricane while sailing across the Pacific Ocean, only to come out the other side with a severely damaged boat, while her fiancé, Richard, was washed overboard. It’s a harrowing tale of survival, but in the hands of director Baltasar Kormakur, “Adrift” isn’t always about the details of self-preservation, maintaining a tight grip on the romantic aspects of Tami’s tale as a way to remain marketable to a wider audience. Suspense is there intermittently, but the screenplay doesn’t trust inherent dangers and tests of endurance, downplaying real-world horrors to coast along on Hollywood conventions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The market is saturated when it comes to raunchy, R-rated comedies that primarily use the scattergun art of improvisation to secure jokes, with recent efforts such as “Game Night” and “Blockers” trying to push make-em-up silly business on fatigued audiences. “Ibiza” doesn’t have a radical approach to funny stuff, remaining in line with similar productions, but it does possess a wonderful velocity for its madcap events. It’s a terrifically high-energy movie that’s certainly light on plot, only submitting basic romantic conflicts and travel challenges, but it has timing, with director Alex Richanbach working to keep “Ibiza” flowing along as fast as possible, creating an appealing screen party with game actresses and a throbbing EDM soundtrack, also providing a steady run of laughs to support all the goofiness.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director John Cameron Mitchell enjoys eccentricity and celebratory chaos, solidifying his creative interests with his first two endeavors, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Shortbus.” Mitchell’s last feature was 2010’s “Rabbit Hole,” a sensitive drama that widened his cinematic world view, showcasing his gifts with actors and ability to mute his wild side when necessary. “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” is Mitchell’s return to insanity, or at least his version of it, reuniting with his performance art habits for this adaptation of a Neil Gaiman short story, which requires quite a bit of on-screen hustle to transform into a proper movie. “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” isn’t complete, but that’s the way Mitchell wants it, going loose and free with this valentine to punk music and the mysteries of the universe.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Blumhouse Productions receives a lot of credit from the media for their success stories, employing a simple low-budget approach to horror endeavors to achieve their monetary goals. They’ve had their triumphs, but for every “Get Out” there’s a “Delirium,” which joins pictures like “Visions,” “Curve,” and “Stephanie” as another paint-by-numbers genre exercise for Blumhouse, whose see-what-sticks approach to film production coughs up a new instantly forgettable story of murder and insanity. Perhaps the original screenplay by Adam Alleca was once a beaming example of chiller craftsmanship and psychological layers, but in the hands of director Dennis Iliadis, the end result is a dull take on encroaching madness and single location hellraising, rendered incomplete by choppy storytelling and an overall drowsiness that makes it difficult to maintain patience with 90 minutes of routine frights.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Late last year, James Franco collected numerous accolades and awards for “The Disaster Artist,” a surprisingly sincere dramatization about the making of “The Room.” However, while it was a successful directorial outing for the actor, it was hardly his only helming gig of the year, also responsible for two other movies (“In Dubious Battle” and “The Institute”) in 2017, with an additional six over the last five years. It’s the type of work output that puts Tyler Perry to shame, but while Franco’s fast, he’s also not very attentive to screen details, churning out experimental projects as a way to expand his thespian horizons, not necessarily refine his filmmaking chops. “Future World” is his latest grab-bag of tone and performances, this time trying on the world of “Mad Max” for size, seeing what he can do (with co-director Bruce Thierry Cheung) with a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The short answer: not much.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Social Animals” plays it safe with its subject matter, taking a long look at the wandering hearts and minds of unhappy people trying to conquer their confusion and chart a different course in life. There’s a bit of arrested development going on, and a lot of domestic disturbance issues. Pieces of millennial anxiety are present as well. Writer/director Theresa Bennett isn’t going for originality with her dramedy, but she does have a valuable perspective on character, managing to form living, breathing people in the midst of clichés, taking at least some of their personal issues as seriously as the effort’s tone allows. “Social Animals” makes a few ill-advised turns during the run time, but it offers a satisfying peek at the difficulties of being an adult, especially when facing relationship woes and professional failure.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The story of “A Kid Like Jake” details careful steps of observation as two parents of a four-year-old child try to assess his place in the world once they pick up on her transgender future. It’s not an easy tale to tell, with screenwriter Daniel Pearle adapting his own play, laboring to take something very intimate and give it a bigger sense of life and stakes for the screen. He’s mostly successful, as “A Kid Like Jake” does very well putting forth a state of normality that’s corrupted by anxiety, keeping focus on the parents, who wrestle with various issues, trying to care deeply for their child as she goes from the bubble of home life to the social challenges of kindergarten. There’s no sensationalism here, just honest feelings and relatable concern, with Pearle making sure to keep challenges realistic, doing whatever he can to shoo away the artificiality of a television movie.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com