Category: Film Review

It’s rare to encounter such an intentionally odious picture like “Arsenal.” It serves no purpose, showcasing inept filmmaking skills that keep it miles away from its thriller intentions, while its celebration of violence is cranked all the way to 11, enjoying the spilling of blood and the snapping of bones. Director Steve C. Miller has no real idea what’s he doing with the feature, but coming from a helmer with such nondescript B-movie projects like “Marauders,” “Submerged,” and “Extraction” on his resume, it’s easy to understand why “Arsenal” doesn’t inspire anything but an immediate need to do something else with your precious time. Even with the wonders of thespian paydays in play, the effort is disastrously executed bore, slogging through the burnt ends of society to celebrate the ways of crime and punishment in the most moronic manner possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Unnecessary sequels aren’t anything new. We ended up with three “Toxic Avenger” follow-ups, three “Wild Things,” and a second “Road House,” so the appearance of “Bad Kids of Crestview Academy” isn’t completely surprising. It’s a continuation of “Bad Kids Go to Hell,” a 2012 chiller that I’m not sure anyone actually watched, but apparently some degree of success was reached, spawning a new adventure in the world’s least secured school with a fresh group of obnoxious characters. The material is based on a graphic novel, giving it a shot at irreverent fun, playing with slasher film conventions and teen sarcasm, but the finish product is strangely sedate, unable or unwilling to snowball into a macabre take on mischief and murder. It’s restrained work from director Ben Browder, who strives to treat the screenplay carefully, respecting the source material, only to end up with a lethargic second round of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Martin Scorsese is a globally renowned director with a diverse filmography, but he’s always had a soft spot for the challenges of faith. Some explorations have been subtle, while others, including 1997’s “Kundun,” are more outward in their heavenly search. “Silence” is an adaptation of a 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo, but it plays like a follow-up to Scorsese’s 1988 masterpiece, “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Again asking questions of belief and showcasing nightmarish physical endurance, the helmer strives to understand the power of religion, especially when it meets a determined opponent. “Silence” is easily Scorsese’s most grueling picture, using a nearly three-hour run time to explore absolute suffering and a gradual swelling of confusion. It’s accomplished work, as to be expected, but it’s also a moviegoing test of patience only reserved for Scorsese’s most devout fans. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What “Hidden Figures” offers is a depiction of empowerment, showcasing the perseverance of three women who were constantly rejected by a government system that barely tolerated their skin color and gender. It’s not a groundbreaking movie, but it provides an examination of prejudice without slipping into hysterics, which is a rare event. Directed by Theodore Melfi (“St. Vincent”), “Hidden Figures” is a perfectly serviceable tale of individuals challenging oppression, hitting all the expected audience-baiting moments of hate and victory. However, underneath convention is an inspection of tremendous intelligence finding its place in the world, with the production valuing education and problem solving, which doesn’t come across the screen nearly enough. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Underworld” franchise has never provided consistent entertainment, but the last installment, 2012’s “Underworld: Awakening,” was genuinely fun. It turned the somber war between Lycans and Vampires into a proper monster movie, adding big action to break up the ongoing streak of exposition required to keep this horror mythology afloat. The party’s over in “Underworld: Blood Wars,” which returns to steely stares and breathless paragraphs of explanation, finding the core battle between sworn enemies almost an afterthought as the production uses this chapter to refresh possibilities for future sequels, working to keep star Kate Beckinsale interested with new character dimensions. Action is replaced with world-building, keeping the fourth sequel to the 2003 original more about course-correction than promised combat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Deepwater Horizon” was released only a few months ago, with director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg teaming up to dramatize a real-world horror, emphasizing blue-collar heroism and sacrifice in the face of unimaginable danger. Quickly returning to screens, Berg and Wahlberg pick another harrowing topic for “Patriots Day,” which deconstructs the investigation following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. While “Deepwater Horizon” was surprisingly focused work from a scattergun filmmaker like Berg, “Patriots Day” is a giant offering of maturation from the helmer, using what he learned from the previous picture to inform his latest work. Vividly crafted, suspenseful, and respectful to those involved in violence and law enforcement, the feature is easily Berg’s best work, showing unusual passion and control with a thorny tale of investigation and pursuit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nostalgia is a major component of horror movies these days. Young filmmakers typically look to the best to inspire their own work, but homage is a tricky game to play, with reverence often slipping into recreation. While “Beyond the Gates” has a slight Italian shocker tilt, drenched in synth and strange colors, the feature wisely digs deep into home video obscurity to stimulate its vision for terror, exploring the strange world of VHS board games to give essentially routine drama a fascinating strangeness. Co-writer/director Jackson Stewart doesn’t have much in the way of a budget, but he has plenty of imagination and a solid cast. Doing something with video store memories, “Beyond the Gates” has the right ideas when it comes to shadowy evil and VHS ephemera, creating a very entertaining and mildly spooky B-movie version of “Jumanji.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sadness is an unavoidable response to “A Monster Calls.” Director J.A. Bayona (“The Orphanage,” “The Impossible”) is tasked with brightening up somber material, using heavy swings of fantasy to alleviate a tale that touches on terminal illness, bullying, and absentee parenting. While never jaunty, “A Monster Calls” does reach a compelling level of mystery to keep it on the move, working to wrap its arms around the saga of a teenage boy facing the grim reality of death for the first time in his life, turning to his imagination to help deal with a flurry of feelings. Behaviors ring true and performances are aces here, helping Bayona find the life in all the darkness, hitting proper tearjerker beats without corrupting a fascinating study of adolescent denial.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jim Jarmusch crafts very specific films, though often in the most vague manner imaginable. He’s a one-of-a-kind craftsman, and “Paterson” is a remarkably low-key creative success for a guy who adores screen stasis. After examining the malaise of vampiredom in 2013’s “Only Lovers Left Alive,” Jarmusch returns to real-world wonder with “Paterson,” which samples introspective behavior from all sides, working to identify the power of art in a world of routine. It’s intelligent work from the helmer, who plays everything with his customary dryness, still managing to shape a compelling look at a shy soul teasing a grand awakening through the power of self-expression. It’s a distinct Jarmuschian effort, but I doubt few would want his work any other way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Julieta” is Pedro Almodovar at medium speed, but even at a deliberate pace, his work is better than most filmmakers working today. After releasing some serious wiggles with 2013’s “I’m So Excited,” Almodovar returns to melodramatic interests with this tale of grief and memory, utilizing his sumptuous style and gift with actors to make seemingly innocuous moments burst with life. “Julieta” isn’t thunderous drama, but it finds engrossing elements of behavior and tragedy to explore, with the helmer creating a propulsive journey of doubt with the troubled titular character. It’s typically gorgeous work from the helmer, but for those switched on by his return to beyond broad comedy in the last effort, his latest takes a decidedly more introspective route. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Patricia Highsmith built her career on the art of suspense, writing tales of murder and betrayal, feeling around deep psychological grooves to build the players in her games. Filmmakers have enjoyed a longstanding fascination with the author, with adaptations issued periodically over the last 55 years. The most famous work is perhaps 1999’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which struck gold with its combination of atmosphere and illness. “A Kind of Murder” probably won’t be remembered in the long run, as its take on Highsmith’s plotting is on the lackluster side, unable to find the strangeness of possible coincidence, while casting is uninspired, ending up a costume party with the occasional act of violence. “A Kind of Murder” has a handful of production achievements worth noting, but the rest is frustratingly forgettable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Hollow Point” has the right idea. It brings big guns and bigger attitudes to a western-flavored revenge story, and one with just the right amount of extremity to add tremendous chaos to the proceedings, giving everything a special boost of nastiness. Sadly, director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego doesn’t follow through on initial promise, though with a troubling filmography that includes “Apollo 18” and “Open Grave,” the picture’s failure to connect isn’t surprising. “The Hollow Point” is violent but not consistent, trying to make a mess out of a border conflict, only to come up short when it comes to intimidation and storytelling. Lopez-Gallego spends more time polishing his weapons than he does strengthening editing and building characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a dramatic subject, Jackie Kennedy has been exhaustively featured in film and television productions, but she’s often regulated to the background, existing as a figure of support in stories about the life and times of John F. Kennedy and his colorful, powerful family. “Jackie” seeks to change the routine by focusing exclusively on the woman, but only picking a small slice of time to inspect behavioral nuance and psychological wreckage. This is no bio-pic, with screenwriter Noah Oppenheim (“The Maze Runner,” “Allegiant”) zeroing in on specific moments in Jackie’s life that identified her past and solidified her future, grasping the essence of the First Lady without painstakingly inching through her years. Instead of satisfying in a grandly educational manner, “Jackie” offers laser-like focus on the details of a human going through seismic political and personal changes in her life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s always a wonder why film producers pursue video game properties. Sure, there’s brand recognition, squeezing money out of the faithful, but these screen-to-screen adaptations rarely work out, especially with open world games that don’t pursue a direct narrative path. And yet, in 2016, there was “Warcraft,” which managed to achieve a sense of scale and fantasy life, finding ways to crack source material that’s famous for its lack of boundaries. And now there’s “Assassin’s Creed,” which, much like “Warcraft,” is incredibly flawed, but there’s something to the confident execution of the feature that gives it a cinematic presence and passable respect for console origins. It rumbles and leaps, and is just bonkers enough to cover for the multitude of head-scratching ideas it introduces, especially to newcomers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a movie like “Passengers” to act as a reminder that not all romantic stories are created equal. Some soar due to heartfelt content or smartly designed adversity, and there’s the latest from “The Imitation Game” director Morten Tyldum, which is completely bereft of heart, mind, and even soul. It’s often astonishing to grasp what “Passengers” believes to be warm, cuddly entertainment, marching forward with plot so fundamentally screwy, there’s no star power in the world capable of selling it in any appealing way. Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt commit for the most part, but even they lose faith in the final act, finally giving up a picture that bizarrely tries to transform absolute horror and cold-blooded murder into the date night event of 2016. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s nothing particularly daring about “Why Him?” It’s a comedy that’s only making a pit stop at multiplexes before a long, prosperous life on basic cable, charming viewers through the power of channel omnipresence, where dead jokes are rendered palatable on a lonely Saturday night. It’s the latest from director John Hamburg, who weirdly hasn’t directed a feature since 2009’s “I Love You, Man,” taking his sweet time to dream up a fresh idea, though one where the most sophisticated joke involves star Bryan Cranston’s character losing a battle with a special, high-tech Japanese toilet during a bowel movement. Perhaps Hamburg wasn’t missed after all, with “Why Him?” trying so hard to be doofy and profane, it forgets to be funny. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Fences” isn’t your average film adaptation of a stage play. This is monumental work from playwright August Wilson, who collected a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for the 1987 effort, which spawned several powerhouse performances over the last three decades, including turns from Denzel Washington and Viola Davis on Broadway in 2010. The pair returns to the source of one of their greatest career achievements, teaming up to bring Wilson’s troubling work to the screen. Washington directs, taking special care of the material and its thematic potency, trying to master a cinematic stance for a story that’s always been served on stage, delivered with distance. Intimacy is a challenge for “Fences,” but the acting is expectedly dynamic, with raw nerve work from the leads carrying the feature through a few rough patches of storytelling, supplying a richly defined sense of character as their seasoned ways in front of a camera finally combine with Wilson’s achievement.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com