Category: Film Review

I suppose the idea of “The Con is On” is to resemble retro entertainment, recalling a time, around the late 1960s, when filmmakers were chasing every whim, slapping controlled chaos on the screen to create a perfect cocktail hour mood for intended shenanigans. It’s meant to be a criminal caper of sorts, but the clockwork nature of organized theft is suffocated under layers of terrible screenwriting, unleashed performances, and a weird vision from director James Oakley, who seems to think audiences will want to endure double-crosses and near-misses performed by a set of characters in various stages of addiction. “The Con is On” (which was shot three years ago) means to be edgy and cheeky, yet it’s always struggling for oxygen, with Oakley stuck trying to create something appealing when every person onscreen deserves to be pushed into the nearest river.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Timothy McNeil makes a love story with “Anything,” but not necessarily a tender one. Dewy feelings and meet cutes are in short supply here, with the material angling for a different understanding of personal connection, with broken people, not cartoony ones, discovering something special during their time together. McNeil labors to keep the endeavor away from predictability, and his overall control of tone occasionally fails him, but he does manage to locate warmth in the midst of minor upheavals. “Anything” eventually reaches tenderness, but the climb there is more interesting, examining characters figuring out who they are and what they want while experiencing difficult challenges to their mental health while living in the middle of a place many consider to be an absolute hellhole: Hollywood.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Michael R. Roskam made an art-house impression with the Belgian drama “Bullhead,” and quickly graduated to Hollywood employment with 2014’s “The Drop,” put in charge of a crime saga that featured actor Matthias Schoenaerts, his good luck charm. With studio work out of his system, Roskam returns to Belgium with “Racer and the Jailbird,” an unusual film that teases criminal interests and action before it takes a leap into the deep end of melodrama, with the production aiming to break a few bones before it jerks a few tears. Roskam is after something specific with his latest work, but he doesn’t have a viable map to get there, leaving the picture intermittently alluring, with two fine lead performances from Schoenaerts and Adele Exarchopoulos carrying the effort through some bewildering plotting and sudden emotional manipulation.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Harris Goldberg may be trying to subvert the romantic comedy norm with “Alex & The List,” presenting a slightly repellent premise and a collection of unlikable characters. There should be kindness, but it’s lacking throughout the picture, which might’ve had a shot at a more refined psychological inspection with another filmmaker, but Goldberg wants a sitcom. “Alex & The List” doesn’t have laughs, it inspires confusion instead, collecting a community of abrasive personalities to help color what turns out to be moronic empowerment tale where the lead character is dumbed down to such a degree, it’s almost difficult to believe he’s capable of standing upright without falling over. Warm fuzzies and heartening acts of independence are not found in this frustrating comedy.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actor Eric Stoltz made a transition to directing some time ago, cutting his teeth on television productions while gradually phasing out his career in front of the camera, only taking a few jobs in recent years. “Class Rank” is a rare theatrical venture for Stoltz, and he can’t quite shake his small screen training, keeping the picture mild and unadventurous as it takes a closer look at people and their comfort zones, with high-strung characters facing seismic shake-ups to their routines. Screenwriter Benjamin August (“Remember”) goes the cutesy route with the comedy, which doesn’t take anything it presents seriously, trying to pass itself off as a confection even while it deals with rather severe behavioral issues, forcing Stoltz to figure out a way to keep matters appropriately fluffed and still manufacture something that resembles the human experience.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1987’s “Overboard” isn’t a beloved picture, but it has a following, with fans building support for the Garry Marshall film though basic cable omnipresence, which created comfort food out of the comedy. The only redeeming factors about the feature were star turns from Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, who used their natural chemistry and beaming personalities to make something out of virtually nothing, giving the production some charm Marshall couldn’t produce on his own. And now there’s a remake, with Hawn and Russell replaced by Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez, and the director is Rob Greenberg, who’s built his career on television work. That’s what the paying audience is promised with the new “Overboard,” and that’s exactly the type of entertainment they receive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

The last collaboration between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody was 2011’s “Young Adult,” which was a masterful take on arrested development and habitual behavior, emerging as one of the best films of that year, also giving star Charlize Theron a chance to shine dramatically in previously unthinkable ways. The pair reunites for “Tully,” which also brings back Theron for this study of motherhood as its most suffocating, exposing the brutal realities of parenthood as an all-consuming, all-distorting job. “Tully” plays a specific game of misdirection, but it’s another remarkably observed picture from Reitman and especially Cody, who saves her spot as one of the most perceptive writers working today, crafting a funny, frightening look at grind of parenting, cohabitation, and postpartum depression, managing to remain as real as it gets when it comes to the details of frustration and fatigue. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

With a title like “Gehenna: Where Death Lives,” the production knows it has some explaining to do. The title refers to a place of extreme suffering, welcoming those who may deserve a cruel fate. Opening text provides a definition for the title and the rest of the feature struggles to create a nightmare worthy of such an introduction. Co-writer/director Hiroshi Katagiri is a longtime special effects artist (“Jurassic Park III,” “War of the Worlds,” and “Escape from L.A.”), and he makes his directorial debut with “Gehenna,” a film that’s not big on varied locations but does an adequate job creating scary business, at least the no-budget kind. Katagiri has some inspired ideas for his big break, and select scenes manage to achieve their intended genre pop. It’s the rest of the movie that could use a little bolt tightening and fresh air, with the smallness of the picture far too repetitive for comfort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a long time since Adam Sandler really scored with a comedy. He’s lost a lot of his goofball charm over the years with movies that either tried too hard to be heartwarming family entertainment or never had the proper slapstick vision to begin with. “The Week Of” marks the directorial debut for Robert Smigel, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and the creator of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, and while he’s been on the Happy Madison payroll since the beginning, this is his first real shot a creative authority. The promotion is most welcome, with Smigel (who co-scripts with Sandler) creating a charmingly manic farce with “The Week Of,” playing with wedding build-up clichés and absurdity with remarkable fluidity and appreciation for non-sequitur humor. It’s a very funny film when it wants to be, and mercifully, such desire makes up most of the run time, refreshing Sandler’s screen appeal for a good two hours of decent laughs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

“Kodachrome” is based on a New York Times article, expanding the essentials of reporting to create a warm viewing experience about emotionally mummified men. Director Mark Raso wins points for sincerity, and he’s lucky to have an actor like Ed Harris in the role of an icy artist in need of a psychological thaw, helping the production reach a few of its lofty dramatic goals. “Kodachrome” is a road trip and a domestic disturbance tale, with Raso trying to add as much honeyed glaze as possible without suffocating the viewing experience. It’s a fine film, but it frustratingly refuses to be a great one. There are fascinating avenues of toxic behavior to explore, but Raso and screenwriter Jonathan Tropper sand down the rough edges of the saga, working to extract tears, not build riveting drama.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For their 19th film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is looking to shake things up in a significant way. Marvel Studios has adhered to formula before, building a brand name with superhero feats of strength and crisis-solving, spinning an intricate web of characters and motivations. With “Avengers: Infinity War,” the company is looking to add a more pronounced element of surprise, uniting all the big names and fringe players for battle against a powerful foe, and one who’s capable of wiping out the universe with the snap of his fingers. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo try to make the specialty of the community effort unique, generating a sprawling epic that crosses galaxies and takes lives, ordering up towering action sequences and primal emotions, delivering the most psychologically complex MCU event yet. “Infinity War” isn’t concerned with endings, but as set-ups go, it’s a humdinger, going apocalyptic while still retaining familiar beats of humor, heart, and body-smashing confrontations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

I’ll admit, it has been easy to accept Adam Pally as a major player in the world of comedy. There isn’t much about him that can’t be found elsewhere, and his brand of improvisation has never thrilled or delighted. However, with “Most Likely to Murder,” Pally finds a perfect match of delivery to material, putting his slacker self to proper use in this comedy, which plays around with murder mystery conventions, but mostly concerns itself with silly business. It’s wonderfully hilarious at times, with co-writer/director Dan Gregor happy to keep the feature in a state of stupidity for as long as he can get away with, wielding Pally and co-stars Rachel Bloom and Vincent Kartheiser effectively, giving “Most Likely to Murder” a nicely defined sense of humor and horror before it returns to the particulars of a whodunit.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

How difficult is it to make fun of a comic book convention? “The Simpsons” did it brilliantly. “Ted 2” did it recently. And yet, “Supercon,” a film whose sole purpose is to pants geek culture and convention business, doesn’t contain a laugh, a satiric idea, or a single functional scene. Co-writer/director Zak Knutson is flailing from the first frame, in charge of material that has no sense of timing or structure, and its concept of humor is downright deadly. “Supercon” should be an easy lay-up in terms of plot and characters, but the writing destroys whatever potential invention was there to begin with, hammering the audience with a level of crudeness that transforms a wannabe romp into a punishing viewing experience.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Chris Le has a strong idea for “Cartel 2045.” It takes place in a futureworld where technology has advanced criminal interests, giving the unsavory and the violent access to unimaginable power and precision, making it impossible for law enforcement to do their job. Unfortunately, Le doesn’t have the “Chappie”-style money or the sheer helming power to pull off such an ambitious concept, which requires a lot more than good intentions and a crackerjack concept. There are a host of problems keeping “Cartel 2045” grounded for most of its run time, watching Le struggle to make the gritty actioner he wants to, often facing the constraints of bad dialogue (or none at all), budget CGI, and editorial slackness. There’s something here that has potential, but it’s never realized to satisfaction.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Little Pink House” is based on the true story of “Kelo vs. City of New London.” It’s a David and Goliath tale of a woman forced to fight for her own home when corporate interests and local government threaten to take it away through the use of eminent domain. Writer/director Courtney Balaker has passion for the battle, which explores basic American rights and human need, also detailing morally corrupt practices and abuse of laws that were never meant to be bent in so many directions. There’s a television movie feel to “Little Pink House,” but messages on spirit and community remain vividly detailed by Balaker, who seeks to create a war cry for injustice with the feature, reminding viewers how easy it is for one percent interests to steamroll over hardworking citizens when stacks of money are at risk.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Grace Jones has been a recording artist and general pop culture figure for over 40 years, but those who’ve stood outside her fame would probably find it difficult to identify what makes the icon tick. “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” isn’t a career overview or a very in-depth biographical investigation, but director Sophie Fiennes makes it a priority to deliver a seldom seen side of the artist as she approaches the age of 70, following her as she records a new album, dominates the stage, does the promotional rounds, and pays a visit to her family in Jamaica. “Bloodlight and Bami” offers outstanding concert sequences to refresh appreciation for Jones’s talents and blazing sense of style, but it’s also an intimate study of temperament and trauma, with the subject unafraid to showcase her impatience with world as she quests to realize her art.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a particular speed of teenage angst that charges “The House of Tomorrow,” but it’s difficult to catch the vibe writer/director Peter Livolsi is shooting for with his muddled adaptation of a Peter Bognanni novel. The material strives to understand the rhythms of rebellion facing three adolescent characters, and Livolsi definitely achieves a level of frustration common with kids, especially during exploratory years. But there should be more to “The House of Tomorrow” than juvenile behavior, offering writing that cares for all the characters, not just the ones who haven’t turned 18 yet. While some ideas and design elements break through to make a decent impression, the rest of the feature doesn’t share the same distinction, ultimately presenting a limited representation of musical and domestic liberation.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Human trafficking is a major issue in the world today, with organization and corruption transforming kidnapping into big business, often occurring right out in the open. “Traffik” is interested in addressing the idea of human trafficking, but it has no real game plan when it comes to a thoughtful, harrowing study of crime. Writer/director Deon Taylor would rather make a B-movie than something that addresses real issues, and he’s not especially skilled at summoning suspense. “Traffik” is trashy and, most painfully, quite dull, with Taylor struggling to establish some type of POV when it comes to ugly business. A little portion of the feature wants to show concern for the real world plight of human trafficking, and the rest is content to offer DTV-style thrills and performances, quickly draining the life out of the picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” is a documentary on the life and times of Fred Rogers, but it also acts as a form of therapy for the dark times we live in today. It’s one thing to understand what Fred was pursuing during his lifetime in children’s television, but director Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom”) reaches for a grander comprehension of the PBS icon’s work, where a seemingly simple man decided one day to give kids the confidence and communication they need to interact with the big world outside. It’s not a picture that can possibly avoid heart-tugging offerings of memory and adulation, with Neville managing to shape a complex portrait of an atypical human being. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” isn’t a valentine, but a necessary inspection of creative control, selflessness, and gushing concern for the welfare of children. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

With “I Feel Pretty,” star Amy Schumer wants to make an empowerment anthem for those who suffer from low self-esteem. It’s a fringe demographic, roughly 99% of the Earth’s population, and Schumer hopes to define the anxiety of body acceptance in today’s world of extreme glamour and continuous judgment from others. She also wants to make a date night movie. And a wish-fulfillment comedy. And a friendship melodrama. There’s a lot going on in “I Feel Pretty,” but the picture remains weirdly simplistic, following a strict formula for laughs and pathos as it attempts to relate to every last ticket-buyer. Schumer is a spirited performer, but this is her worst starring role to date, watching her struggle with a dismal screenplay that’s too broad and predictable to drive home intended messages on self-worth.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com