Category: Film Review

“1945” is a WWII film that examines a different type of combat, inspecting a range of guilt and paranoia as it imagines a community coming apart as the global conflict comes to a close. It’s silent warfare, and quite effective too, with co-writer/director Ferenc Torok taking a look at a unique time in history, when the fighting has largely ended and decisions made in the heat of the moment finally begin to show consequences, highlighting the near-casual cruelty that emerges once morality is muted by opportunity. “1945” is a dark picture, but its bleakness is necessary, with Szanto inching away from evil-that-men-do clichés to find something profoundly psychological that touches on anti-Semitism, mob rule, and the gut-rot of shame that comes with exposure to past sins. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Marrowbone” is an odd cocktail of genres and cultural influences. Half the film reflects its country of origin, with the Spanish production pursing chills and ghostly encounters the local industry is known for. The rest of the picture plays like an English melodrama, with icy characters wrestling with unspoken desires, making dignity-decimating discoveries along the way. One could consider “Marrowbone” an ambitious effort in the manner it wants to sample softness and horror, but writer/director Sergio G. Sanchez (making his helming debut) doesn’t have the training to marry distinct moods, rendering the movie ineffective in both terror and heart, muting whatever eeriness is meant to emerge from this misfire.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2013, Lynne Ramsay was set to direct “Jane Got a Gun,” only to pull out of the production at the very last minute. There was much hullaballoo about her sudden abandonment of the project, with some speculating that Ramsay would never be permitted to make another movie. Proving her critics wrong, Ramsay returns to screens with “You Were Never Really Here,” an askew revenge story that feels like a personal purging of aggression from the helmer, who orchestrates many scenes of the main character bludgeoning men of power with a hammer. Rage flows throughout “You Were Never Really Here,” which provides a visceral viewing experience, but it’s not vital work from Ramsay, who returns to her screen interests and habits, covering artful ways with blood and noise.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2010, Barry Levinson and Al Pacino teamed up for “You Don’t Know Jack,” which explored the saga of Dr. Jack Kevorkian and his controversial “death machines.” The picture was not only a riveting drama about a taboo subject, but it managed to make Pacino an interesting actor again, briefly snapping the screen legend out of his paycheck haze. Eight years later, they’ve reteamed for “Paterno,” once again detailing an unsavory topic with confidence, this time dramatizing the whirlwind around Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and his ties to retired coach Jerry Sandusky, a pedophile who viciously abused his trust with children. “Paterno” is already commencing a tightrope walk with this subject matter, but Levinson manages to dissect the case with care, exploring the murky waters that separate willful ignorance and permission. And Pacino does wonders again with a true crime part, generating a sense of downward momentum to a man who once stood with the football gods, only to see everything he worked for disappear over a hellacious weekend.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it attempts to be a nail-chewing thriller, “10×10” doesn’t have much of a hook to reel the audience in. The screenplay by Noel Clarke (“Storage 24”) has the idea of a small-scale confrontation between two angry people, and he toys with perceptions of guilt and wild accusations, but it takes a very long time to get anywhere interesting. It’s a short film (80 minutes), so screen time is precious, but Clarke offers a lot of filler, which drags the viewing experience to a halt. Suspense is rarely summoned in “10×10,” but when it actually gets around to staging something more than silent reflection and everyday routine, it becomes the movie it’s ultimately endeavoring to be. But the payoff is not worth the time invested. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Wim Wenders is an artist, and he’s made some incredibly powerful films over the years, retaining his singular appreciation for longing across great physical and psychological divides. But when the director goes wrong, he really wipes out. Straining to retain some level of cinematic grace, Wenders flounders mightily with “Submergence,” unable to fully decode what appears to be a romantic tragedy of sorts, but really comes off as a study of insanity in various forms, crossed with touches of social and political commentary. Since Wenders doesn’t have the time or access to sit with each ticket-buyer and explain exactly what he’s going for here, much of “Submergence” remains frustratingly inert and vague, as though the helmer never wanted to commit to a single idea, instead offering several half-baked concepts with hopes something might stick.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“An Ordinary Man” is the latest picture from Brad Silberling, who once enjoyed a major Hollywood career, helming titles such as “Casper,” “Moonlight Mile,” “City of Angels,” and “Land of the Lost.” Perhaps trying to shake off the mainstream movie blues, Silberling focuses on “An Ordinary Man,” which isn’t anything more than a filmed play, essentially handing star Ben Kingsley 80 minutes of screen time to chew scenery with extended monologues. There’s sophistication in the study of guilt and emotional isolation, but the feature is alarmingly simple and repetitive, with Silberling laboring to fill his effort with anything that could inflate the material into something substantial. Unfortunately, his instincts only conjure tedium, and while Kingsley rages until he’s red in the face, the rest of the endeavor struggles for oxygen. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since the last release from writer/director Wes Anderson, but the extended time between productions has returned the helmer to the world of stop-motion animation. Anderson has been here before, with 2009’s exquisite “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” but he’s not content to churn out a precise duplicate, going deeper into culture and oddity with “Isle of Dogs,” a highly bizarre achievement that showcases Anderson’s visual interests and methodical design work, darkened some by a semi-grim subject matter and fondness for pregnant pauses. “Isle of Dogs” seems directly made for true Anderson-Heads, but those in the mood for something completely different that offers extraordinary creativity and a sly sense of humor, this is a complex and deeply impressive moviemaking achievement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

While forging his directorial career, actor John Krasinski has stayed with odd dramas that focused on complicated behaviors and family issues. He’s remained down to earth with efforts like “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” and “The Hollars,” hoping to create challenging work in the realm of the real. For “A Quiet Place,” Krasinski turns to horror to make an impact, helming a chiller that’s executed largely without dialogue, relying entirely on sound design and silent cinema-style performances to summon an unusual viewing experience — at least in a day and age when excess and loquacious characters are common in the genre. “A Quiet Place” is easily the best film Krasinski has made, and it features the finest performance he’s ever given, constructing a classy B-movie that explores the foundation of familial relationships, but also delivers sizable chills from total silence, showcasing a previously unseen ability to induce panic with minimal directorial flourishes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

There’s a lot to fear about “Blockers.” It’s yet another improvisation-based comedy that traffics in vulgarity to come off edgy, joining a seemingly unending list of productions that view the screenplay as merely a starting point for random make-em-ups. And it marks the directorial debut of Kay Cannon, who wrote not one, but three “Pitch Perfect” movies. That “Blockers” is actually amusing, downright hilarious at times, is a multiplex miracle, finding Cannon better commanding a set than dreaming up punchlines. It’s a madcap endeavor with a few dismal detours into gross-out situations, but Cannon is backed by a charismatic cast and some universal truths on the state of teen maturation and parental control, overseeing appealing chaos as she joins the R-rated comedy gold rush.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jared Stern doesn’t have a fresh idea with “Happy Anniversary,” becoming the latest in a long line of helmers trying to communicate the ups and down of a relationship with a brew of comedy and neuroses. There’s limited originality to the feature, but it does have personality, mining the perils of a longtime union with a fine sense of humor and steady level of concern. “Happy Anniversary” isn’t a Bergman film, but it does take bruising of the heart seriously, even while it’s making light of the situation, navigating hidden truths and stunted communication to find some fragment of authenticity in the midst of formula. Stern isn’t bringing out the big guns for his directorial debut, but he does achieve a lived-in sense of coupledom, which adds a little weight to the general lightness of the material.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Titan” aspires to be thought-provoking sci-fi entertainment, but it has some difficulty generating the right amount of seriousness to support any messages it hopes to impart. Director Lennart Ruff and screenwriter Max Hurwitz try to stay on course with this tale of genetic evolution, but it’s not an easy task, finding the project missing a certain level of inspiration that raises it above a “Twilight Zone” knock-off. The first half of “The Titan” handles with confidence and mystery, but Ruff and Hurwitz don’t push hard enough to secure a satisfying conclusion. As monster movies go, this feature isn’t frightening or corrupt enough, but it does have a premise capable of producing remarkable weird science, making the viewing experience more frustrating than haunting.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I think it’s safe to suggest that Dave Franco hasn’t been challenged much as an actor. He’s done work as the dim-wit in many comedies, but the first inkling that there may be something more to Franco than stunned, slack-jawed reactions was found in last year’s “The Disaster Artist,” and now, with “6 Balloons,” there’s hope for a capable dramatic career to come. He’s joined by co-star Abbi Jacobson and writer/director Marja-Lewis Ryan, with the trio creating a film with immense emotional weight and surprising intimacy, achieving an artful and eventful tale of obligation as it transforms into something more profound between siblings reaching their darkest hour. “6 Balloons” is wrenching stuff, but it offers points of behavioral illumination to enhance the viewing experience, and there’s Franco doing his best work to date. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The truth, or at least the perception of it, drives most of “Spinning Man.” It’s something of a whodunit and not much of a thriller, instead sticking with intellectual debates on the nature of language while psychological unrest bubbles underneath the surface. It’s an adaptation of a book by author George Harrar, giving the feature a literary pace and attention to character, but director Simon Kaijser manages to bring some cinematic qualities to the talky picture, developing a mild amount of suspense with police procedural activity and domestic suspicion. “Spinning Man” isn’t a pulse-pounder, but it remains an intriguing study of denial, offering atypical attention to the concept of guilt, making a game out of questioning and memories, which provides a satisfying sit.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For his third film release of 2018, Nicolas Cage takes a trip to dystopia in “The Humanity Bureau.” Screenwriter Dave Schultz seems ready to give the actor a sizable role of dramatic expression and action physicality, but in the hands of director Rob W. King, Cage is often left to carry entire scenes with his highly rehearsed, paycheck-stroking enthusiasm. “The Humanity Bureau” has ideas it wants to share on the state of the planet and its futureworld slide into government-controlled barbarity, believing itself to be a commentary on modern woes. However, the movie has trouble selling the misery visually, finding severe budgetary issues pinning the effort to the ground, making it difficult to invest in whatever suspense manages to materialize during the run time.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Where is Kyra?” is not a film for everyone. Of course, such a warning could be applied to every feature, but this endeavor is truly something that’s not meant for a casual viewing. It’s the new work from Andrew Dosunmu, director of “Mother of George,” who teams with screenwriter Darci Picoult to inspect the desperation of poverty, tracking one woman’s terrible luck as she’s forced to go to extremes to protect herself from being swallowed entirely by debt. “Where is Kyra?” is a fantastically grim picture, but it has to be with this subject matter, as easy answers aren’t available for such a test of survival. But Dosunmu doesn’t take it easy on the audience, bathing the effort in shadows, distances, and long takes, hoping to find art in misery, coming up with a movie that’s meant to be challenging, but teeters on the edge of becoming unendurable.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been reported that Tyler Perry makes the bulk of his fortune with lucrative television deals, cooking up hit shows like “If Loving You Is Wrong,” delivering his take on soap operas for an underserved audience. Making features for the big screen appears to be his obsession, stopping creative tinkering to reside in MadeaLand for the last four years, masterminding an animated movie and a pair of Halloween-themed adventures for his most popular character. “Acrimony” represents Perry’s return to melodramatic filmmaking, but the results aren’t far removed from his small screen impulses, once again scripting rash characters involved in bad relationships, working out their issues through violence. There’s a glimmer of hope spotted during “Acrimony” that Perry might offer something subversive for a change and really shake up audience expectations, but such ambition doesn’t last long enough, with the troublesome helmer returning to the comfort of absurdity right when the picture seems headed somewhere interesting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In recent years, Steven Spielberg has made some very accomplished pictures that detail the importance of being important, but it’s been a long time since he’s been fun. “Ready Player One” is a story about the comfort of nostalgia and elaborate treasure hunting, playing like an homage to the Spielberg of old, making the match of material (an adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 book) to maestro initially difficult to believe. After all, Spielberg hasn’t intentionally made a freewheeling feature in a decade, but something sparks within the helmer, who delivers a high-flying fantasy dotted with an obscene amount of pop culture references, inside jokes, and blockbuster iconography. “Ready Player One” is extraordinarily entertaining for the most part, with its numerous charms only capable of shining brightest while in the hands of the man who inspired Cline’s imagination to begin with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

A few years ago, writer/director Adam MacDonald made his helming debut with “Backcountry.” There have been many killer bear pictures, but MacDonald’s endeavor was one of the best, mixing the brutality of nature and the terror of survival, managing to do something thrilling with familiar genre elements. With “Pyewacket,” an odd title for sure, MacDonald turns his attention to the pains of adolescence, with the main character dealing with social concerns, motherly influence, and good old fashioned dark magic. A slow-burn chiller with an excellent sense of creepiness, “Pyewacket” handles evil and angst with tremendous skill. MacDonald doesn’t have much money to bring the nightmare to life, but he’s an inventive moviemaker with a refreshing concentration on behavior, not overt shocks, giving the feature a dramatic foundation before it all goes to Hell.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been many movies made about parenting, but few dare to explore the near powerlessness of the lifelong endeavor. “Birthmarked” takes a scientific view of nature vs. nurture behavior, but co-writer/director Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais is quick to expose the fantastic physical and emotional drain of raising children, using such fatigue to generate a darkly funny and passably warmish exploration of guardianship as it begins with clinical study and ends in an emotional mess. “Birthmarked” is rather insightful when it comes to the struggles of parental control and funny about the emergence of personality, funneled into mildly quirky, appealingly strange tale that feels a little dramatically wobbly as the story unfolds, but sustains its unusual perspective on a bizarre domestic battle.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com