Category: Film Review

For a film titled “Step,” highlighting the struggles and successes of a high school dance squad, there’s surprisingly little choreographed movement contained within. It’s a documentary about young black women in America who use dance to escape from their daily lives and questionable future, but the feature isn’t strictly about rhythm. Director Amanda Lipitz is far more interested in the educational goals of her subjects, which is an amazing break from expectations, putting full attention on the battle to attend college and the war of passing grades. “Step” eventually gets around to dance and its substantial rehearsal time, but Lipitz has a stronger picture when exposing concerns about potential and showcasing intelligence celebrated and sabotaged. As empowerment cinema goes, it works, but not for the obvious reason.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After helming “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” director David Lowery elected to disturb his rise to indie film glory by taking on the considerable demands of a Disney production. Lowery was an unusual choice to take command of 2016’s “Pete’s Dragon,” but he managed to create something remarkable out of a remake, gifting the effort a sense of magic and sincerity that’s rarely encountered in family entertainment. It was one of the best pictures of the year. Getting something mainstream out of his system, Lowery returns to the low-wattage needs of no-budget cinema, going the esoteric route with “A Ghost Story,” which is as opposite a viewing experience from “Pete’s Dragon” as can be. Challenging the mind and the rear end, the endeavor is pure Lowery, who puts everything into a tiny feature about time, the afterlife, and relationships, crafting an art-house Rorschach test that demands a specific type of moviegoer in a precise mood for cosmic puzzling.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Every now and then, a Scott Adkins actioner will come up for review. The next generation Jean-Claude Van Damme (starring in the recent “Hard Target 2” isn’t going to help quiet this comparison), Adkins likes to work, maintaining a steady stream of DTV titles that emphasize his martial arts training and cinematic stance, keeping up an action hero tradition that’s largely ignored these days for grungier, morally dubious tales of criminality. Looking to stretch a bit, moving away from contemporary headbangers, Adkins takes the title role in “Savage Dog,” which is actually a period piece, though one that’s not exactly interested in manners and political upheaval. It’s another bruiser from Adkins, who does what he can with a movie that’s not particularly attentive to detail or drama.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The plight of the overworked mother is revived for “Fun Mom Dinner,” which once again pits harried females against the world of parental responsibility and spousal support, hoping to appeal to an exclusive audience with displays of raunchy sisterhood and heartfelt confession. We’ve done this a few times before, most recently with 2014’s “Moms’ Night Out,” which took a more religiously minded route to hellraising, never achieving a fever pitch. Mercifully, “Fun Mom Dinner” doesn’t soften easily, with writer Julie Rudd and director Alethea Jones putting in a commendable effort to give the feature a comedic personality before it loses its nerve, having fun with the messes of parenthood and the struggles of marriage while engaging in stretches of mischief.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2008, Kathryn Bigelow helmed “The Hurt Locker,” a searing, restless Iraq War drama that restored her career, bringing her Oscar gold and industry respect, also kicking off a union with screenwriter Mark Boal, who also collected an Academy Award for his work on the feature. In 2012, Bigelow and Boal returned to the depths of Middle East hell with “Zero Dark Thirty,” delivering another pulse-pounding ride of heated conflicts, moral ambiguity, and military procedure, sustaining their box office success and maintaining a brand for tense, agitated storytelling. The pair turns their attention to America for “Detroit,” a dramatization of the “Algiers Motel Incident” from the turbulent summer of 1967 — a harrowing display of murder and racism that reverberates to this day. In many ways, “Detroit” is an easy lay-up for Bigelow and Boal, offering an oversimplified take on dangerous cops and scarred civilians, but it’s impossible to deny the urgency of their filmmaking, using a docudrama approach to capture moments of unrest and horror, bringing viewers into the insanity of the moment.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’m not entirely sure “Chronically Metropolitan” is a finished film. It feels incomplete, like it was either rushed through production or neutered in the editing room, with major pieces of the puzzle barely registering during the surprisingly short run time (80 minutes before end credits). Or perhaps screenwriter Nicholas Schutt and director Xavier Manrique simply had a short story in mind when they decided to commit the tale to the screen, setting small dramatic goals for themselves to resemble a brief visit to another world. “Chronically Metropolitan” isn’t too problematic, but it doesn’t get under the skin either, going through the motions with troubled characters and easily avoidable problems while the rest of the feature carries itself with an appealing NYC mood and a few capable performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The premise of “Brave New Jersey” imagines the hysteria of a small town in 1938 that’s come into contact with the Orson Welles radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’s book, “The War of the Worlds.” Such a plot immediately brings to mind the potential for 90 minutes of comedic anarchy, watching everyday souls deal with a Martian invasion that never was. Weirdly, co-writer/director Jody Lambert doesn’t slam his foot on the gas when it comes to the vivid imaginations of those who believe Welles’s work to be a news report of mass destruction. Instead, Lambert makes a dramedy, putting more attention on the needy citizens of Lullaby, New Jersey, interested in their desires, dreams, and curiosity, with actual humor barely present during the viewing experience. It’s an odd choice, leaving “Brave New Jersey” underinflated and anti-climatic, though Lambert has select ideas that connect as intended.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Legend of Ben Hall” is an apt title, as the saga of the famous Australian “bushranger” tends to mythologize his unsavory life, working to turn crime into a greater purpose from a decent man. It’s curious creative choice from writer/director Matthew Holmes, who’s poured his blood, sweat, and tears into the effort, trying to make it look and feel as authentic as possible on a limited budget. He’s made a cinematic picture, and one carried nicely Jack Martin, who delivers depth as the titular outlaw. Take “The Legend of Ben Hall” at face value, and it’s engaging with a modest sense of sweep and tormented characterizations. But as a celebration of a life lived on its own terms, it’s a bit unappetizing, trying to make a hero out of a man who spent the majority of his life making trouble for others.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Children’s entertainment is a tightrope walk for most parents. For every thoughtfully scripted, masterfully produced offering of animation, there are ten no-budget, quickie productions simply there to take advantage of guardians in need of a visual babysitter for 90 minutes of downtime. “The Emoji Movie” isn’t sloppy, spending a few bucks to bring its cartoon realm to life, but it’s as creatively bankrupt a picture as can be, merely created to make jokes about poop and sell impressionable kids on the magical wonders of smartphone ownership. Crammed with product placement and dramatically constructed with parts from other, better films, “The Emoji Movie” is a soulless endeavor and a painful viewing experience. Your kids deserve better. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2014’s “John Wick” was a dream come true for action movie fans who wanted something more than edits to define big screen mayhem. It was helmed by two people, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and they did an incredible job turning what should’ve been a forgettable bottom shelf title into a powerhouse of bodily harm and chilly temperaments, sold with color, style, and sound. Stahelski remained with the brand name for last February’s “John Wick: Chapter 2,” making an equally enthralling sequel that managed to do something interesting with the raw materials delivered in the first feature. Leitch veers off into a slightly different direction with “Atomic Blonde,” which is cut from the same cloth as “John Wick,” using furious brutality and stunning visuals to bring another genre battle royal to life, this time concentrating on Cold War paranoia, German locations, and star Charlize Theron, who’s committed in full to the controlled chaos Leitch masterminds with palpable glee. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2015, writer/director James C. Strouse made a wonderful impression with “People Places Things,” a sweet and smartly observed dramedy that superbly utilized star Jemaine Clement and brought Jessica Williams to greater awareness with the general public. Sensing something about the young actress and former “Daily Show” contributor, Strouse ups his dosage of Williams, gifting her a starring vehicle in “The Incredible Jessica James,” which makes full use of her many thespian talents. They’re a fine pair, with Strouse understanding what Williams can bring to the screen, while the actress offers her own vibrant personality, permitting the director to locate many emotional subtleties otherwise unachievable with another performer. “The Incredible Jessica James” is small in scale but big in spirit and laughs, and it would be a shame if Strouse and Williams stopped their wildly effective collaboration here.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Landline” isn’t the first film to feed on memories of the 1990s, but it’s one of the best, capturing a time and place with subtle reminders of the way things were before technology took over. It’s the latest release from co-writer/director Gillian Robespierre, who made a sizable impression a few years ago with “Obvious Child,” and she continues her exploration of arrested development here, expanding her vision with the addition of a family saga and her choice of setting, taking viewers back to New York City in 1995, which permits settled dramatic entanglements that avoid modern connectivity, and it offers Robespierre a chance to work in a few autobiographical touches, strengthening a viewing experience that often feels most comfortable in wander mode, vacuuming up odd behaviors and heartfelt ache while tending to darkly comedic and dramatic encounters.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If there has to be a movie about the experiences of humanitarian workers, it should come from Sean Penn. The actor, activist, and aid organizer returns to direction after nearly a decade away (last helming 2007’s “Into the Wild”) with “The Last Face,” working with writer Erin Dignam to explore the struggles of those who choose to help in areas of the world the rest of humanity works very hard to ignore. It’s debatable to suggest there’s some type of audience for the feature, with the tanking of 2003’s “Beyond Borders” identifying audience indifference to tales of sacrifice and unspeakable violence. Weirdly, while the picture is horrific at times, Penn remains in a romantic mood, trying to make “The Last Face” about two people in love, with the bloody disarray of Western Africa background decoration to the saga of doctors who are so moved by the call of philanthropy, they spend more time on their doomed relationship than they do on the ills of the region.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Considering the pop culture-dominating success of “The Walking Dead,” it’s amazing that any filmmaker out there would choose to make a zombie movie these days. The market is saturated, requiring a production with a little more smarts and invention than the average horror experience. Enter co-writer/director Colin Minihan (“Extraterrestrial”), who attempts a classic merging of genres, slowly but surely creating a relationship drama about a lonely woman and her undead partner. “It Stains the Sands Red” is a little bit funny, a teensy bit scary, but it’s primarily introspective, with the production searching for ways to maintain interests outside of flesh-munching zombie antics. He’s mostly successful, following a bizarre plot that’s more of a relationship drama than an end of the world nightmare come to life.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Lady Macbeth” has no connection to the possibly cursed William Shakespeare play, but it does carry a special Shakespearean energy of its own. It’s actually an adaptation of a 1865 novella from Russian author Nikolai Leskov, taking a periodically harrowing look at one woman’s experience with isolation, domination, and, eventually, revenge. Director William Oldroyd is on familiar ground with this period piece, but “Lady Macbeth” bares its teeth early and often, rising above the tea-and-dismissal scene to showcase pure illness from its characters, who seemingly enjoy destroying one another. It’s a grim picture with a deliberate pace, but attention to behavioral detail is extraordinary, led by a thunderous performance from Florence Pugh, who makes a mighty leap to industry visibility with her brave, dark, and thrillingly commanding work.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Even if there was nothing of interest in “The Midwife,” the picture provides a chance to spend time with actresses Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot, paring two legends of French cinema in a drama that shows particular patience with layers of characterization and offers space for extended dialogue exchanges. Thankfully, there’s plenty of story to feast on in the feature, which takes a closer look at the power (and obsolescence) of personal support, the never-ending process of grief, and soulful revitalization that comes with intimacy, especially the unexpected kind. Writer/director Martin Provost takes special care of his dramatic mission, using Deneuve and Frot in full, relying on their highly seasoned ways to bring life and depth to the screenplay, which offers a sensitive understanding of human behavior, especially the chain-tugging sensation of addiction and the need to connect with another human just to make it through the day. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When legendary documentarian Errol Morris isn’t taking on grander topics of history (“Standard Operating Procedure”), true crime (“The Thin Blue Line”), and the cosmos (“A Brief History of Time”), he makes time for little slices of humanity, showcasing odd corners of life and art that identify character and passion in unexpected ways. “The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography” isn’t the first film to tackle the detail of photography, but it offers focus on what’s become a lost art for a seasoned artist in Massachusetts, visiting the Elsa Dorfman archives to grasp her achievements with large-format photography using a Polaroid camera. Perhaps the subject isn’t for every taste, but Morris appears to understand inherent exclusivity, keeping “The B-Side” biographical but also visual, allowing time for the audience to grasp the specificity and serenity of Dorfman’s work.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a rough couple of years for actor Gerard Butler. Perhaps even longer. His filmography has been erratic at best, picking projects that end up becoming absolutely ridiculous (“Gods of Egypt”) or positively toxic (“London Has Fallen,” “Olympus Has Fallen”), leaving him stuck in typecasting purgatory, forever playing brutes with wretched American accents. “A Family Man” is a rare shot at change for Butler, who sets brawn on the shelf to play a desperate father, albeit a workaholic one that makes use of his alpha male persona. The accent remains and “A Family Man” isn’t very good, but the effort is appreciated, providing a slightly different side to Butler he’s not allowed to share very often. That’s not to suggest he’s ideally cast, but he’s trying.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The summer of 2017 already endured one female-centric party-gone-wrong movie in June’s “Rough Night,” which offered plenty of riffing and nightmarish scenarios, but brought very little funny, eventually taking itself far too seriously. The festivities continue with “Girls Trip,” which also features R-rated shenanigans in a party city and a cast of exceedingly eager actresses looking to feast on the potential for naughty behavior. The difference here is that “Girls Trip” is actually very funny, and its eventual slide into dramatic sobriety is far less painful. Director Malcolm D. Lee doesn’t have the strongest filmography (helming “The Best Man,” but also “Scary Movie 5”), but he catches the vibe here, taking advantage of the restrictive rating to mastermind some effective crude humor, sisterly love, and mild conflict. And it’s hard to dislike a picture about four zany women that includes a reference to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s strange to consider that after two decades of making feature films, “Dunkirk” the first production from writer/director Christopher Nolan where he’s the marketable star of the picture. His latest employs famous faces, but no single stratospherically famous person to create buzz and fill seats. It’s all about him, and this is exactly what he’s been looking to achieve throughout the years. “Dunkirk” is a war story but it’s also a disaster film, putting everything it has into a bruising audio and visual experience that’s meant to represent pure cinema from a helmer who’s addicted to the stuff, shooting up with 65mm equipment and guzzling 12-track theater sound. It’s not a movie that requests a passive viewing experience, putting the audience into the thick of combat, taking to land, sea, and air to fully inhale an historical event goosed considerably by Nolan’s love of spectacle. He’s made an intimidating endeavor, but those hoping for an exhaustively emotional event should seek their wartime blues elsewhere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com