Category: Film Review

A long time ago on a place called Earth, there used to be an extended waiting period between “Star Wars” sequels, forcing fans to feast on scraps of information for years as the blockbusters marched through stages of production, find their releases practically declared national holidays. Those days are over. Now that the Walt Disney Corporation owns the brand, “Star Wars” is currently a yearly event, with “Rogue One” a spin-off of sorts, tiding over the faithful after last year’s “The Force Awakens” rocked expectations and box office records, and “Episode VIII” is prepped for a holiday 2017 debut. While it isn’t the first franchise departure (the Ewoks did have a pair of television movies in the mid-1980s), it’s certainly the largest, with “Rogue One” enjoying an immense creative push to help connect its story to the events of 1977’s “A New Hope.” It’s an experiment that mostly works, but there are moments when it’s clear that the task of finding new areas of “Star Wars” to play with is a bit too much for director Gareth Edwards to handle. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Now is the time for a tremendous, bawdy, take-no-prisoners seasonal comedy, hitting all the sweet spots during a particularly heavy year of bad news. “Bad Santa 2” stumbled right out of the gate, leaving “Office Christmas Party” a wide open shot to be the bellylaugh generator of the holidays. It almost reaches an inspired level of insanity too, but there’s not enough oddball behavior in the picture to make it truly memorable. Directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon have their hearts in the right place, but here’s the rare movie that’s hurt by characterization, finding “Office Christmas Party” so concerned with telling a coherent, emotionally resonate story, it often forgets to have fun with itself, eventually losing focus on chaos to adhere to convention, just to provide a comfort zone for its audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After years spent trying to figure out how to make the internet scary (“Feardotcom” anyone?), Hollywood finally found something to work with 2015’s “Unfriended,” which inventively utilized online technology and social media connection to inspire a successful chiller. It was no great achievement in cinema, but a movie that was capable of surprise in a genre that often goes out of its way to avoid it. “Friend Request” isn’t as gonzo a picture, playing more traditional with its blend of witchcraft and Facebook, but it isn’t terrible, which is as close to praise as I’m willing to get. Co-writer/director Simon Verhoeven doesn’t go to the dark web to inspire the feature, but he does successfully land a degree of eeriness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sometimes, a movie simply doesn’t work due to a lack of seasoned professionals involved in the production. The screenplay (by Abe Pogos) for “Sugar Mountain” actually holds promise, looking to merge a “Fargo”-lite crime story about bad ideas gone wrong with a domestic disturbance tale, hoping to come out the other side with an emotionally profound, nail-biting feature that manages to do something with a limited budget. Director Richard Gray has a few credits to his name, but his command of “Sugar Mountain” is tenuous at best, struggling to fashion a suspenseful picture about family and betrayal, only to offer an amateurish drama that bites off more than it can chew. Early promise for a ripe inspection of brotherly unrest is quickly dismissed by limited actors and a helmer who never seems to know what he’s doing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Michael Shannon is an intense actor, and he’s maintained a career interest in playing intimidating or fried men, using his natural way with darkness to create often memorable characters that have complete contempt for humanity in common. Perhaps one day Shannon will stun the world with his portrayal of the Easter Bunny, or perhaps he’ll star in a music bio-pic about Raffi, but for now, he’s trying to corner the market on hard men, and he’s doing a wonderful job. “Frank & Lola” isn’t a professional detour for Shannon, but it does manage to harness his gift for threatening behavior, with writer/director Matthew Ross (making his helming debut) capturing raw nerve work from the actor, allowing him to define the unsettling tone of this burning, disquieting drama.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are few actors like Isabelle Huppert. She’s a veteran of the industry, performing on film and television for 45 years, yet, unlike most of her contemporaries, she keeps trying to challenge herself, taking unconventional roles and working with sophisticated directors. She remains a fresh screen presence, and her experience is the engine that drives “Things to Come,” a seemingly mild story of domestic implosion that’s turned into something special by Huppert, who delivers an emotionally complex performance while maintaining her character’s tight command of social exposure. Writer/director Mia Hansen-Love isn’t big on sharp turns of plot, but she has Huppert and her drive to keep a potential cartoon summation of life’s cruelties as human and subtle as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When Darren Lynn Bousman makes a movie, it’s usually sold as a feature from “The director of ‘Saw II, III, and IV’.” While it’s an accurate claim, Bousman hasn’t enjoyed the most inspired career, also helming duds such as “11-11-11,” “Mother’s Day,” and “The Barrens.” “Abattoir” is the latest misfire from Bousman, who seems consumed with becoming a top horror conductor, only his orchestra is perpetually out of tune. Blame for the ridiculousness of “Abattoir” is shared with screenwriter Christopher Monfette, but Bousman doesn’t plan to cover the story’s strangeness with a big enough budget, keeping events on the cheap, which makes it impossible to get lost in this noir-ish take on murder, menace, and the gate to Hell. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s tough out there for action heroes these days. The titans of the industry have aged out of the quest for cinematic dominance, and the next generation doesn’t have the benefit of a VHS revolution, earning their reputation through basic cable repetition and games of lonely Saturday night VOD roulette. We once had Schwarzenegger, and now we have Scott Adkins. Trying to bring his own special sauce to the party is Tom Hopper, who beefs and strips down for “Kill Ratio,” delivering his take on a standard survival actioner. Hopper certainly has the physicality for the part, showcasing his muscular hairlessness throughout the feature, but there’s a more challenging war to be waged with the production, as director Paul Tanter struggles to make something out of nothing with “Kill Ratio,” which doesn’t have the budget to become the explosive bruiser he imagines. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s certainly understandable why Katie Holmes has decided to take more control of her career. Just over a decade ago, she was the focus of the marketing push for “First Daughter” and co-starred in “Batman Begins.” Five years ago, she was playing second banana to Adam Sandler in drag in “Jack and Jill.” Industry opportunities weren’t trending upward. Holmes makes her directorial debut with “All We Had,” an adaptation of an Annie Weatherwax novel and material that unsurprisingly permits the star to achieve the greatest performance of her career. It’s an episodic picture, and perhaps a premise seen one too many times, but Holmes finds a way to soften cliché and make the feature feel lived-in and emotionally true. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Filling in an empty slot during a release weekend that’s generally regarded at the worst of the film year, it’s up to “Incarnate” to thrill audiences with its take on demonic possession and the spiritual heroes sent in to challenge evil. Shot three years ago, it’s little surprise that the movie is a dud, but it’s not an aggressive disaster, just a poorly assembled effort that looks like it was re-edited dozens of times, with the final cut less about being functional genre entertainment and more about being done. A low-budget chiller that doesn’t really have any detectable scares, “Incarnate” is a Thanksgiving turkey put out for display a week late, trying to suck up as much single-weekend cash as it can before word spreads that it’s completely forgettable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Eyes of My Mother” is the debut feature for writer/director Nicolas Pesce, and it’s quite the introduction. It’s a spare chiller that treats perversion and murder almost casually, managing to unnerve through distance, showcasing the young filmmaker’s interest in slow-burn storytelling and mystery, with the feature taking its sweet time to play out in full. Visually, it’s stunning, using black and white cinematography to unsettle as it depicts grotesque body horrors and the daily routine of demented individuals, with Pesce attentive to scenes where the unthinkable becomes mundane to the characters. “The Eyes of My Mother” is gruesome and macabre, but it’s also powerful work, following through on a vision for psychosis with welcome brevity and a weirdly compelling, periodically loathsome fondness for the unpleasant. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Ever since he completed work on the “Twilight” franchise, actor Taylor Lautner has encountered difficulty finding a career direction that allows him to break away from his enduring legacy as a lonesome werewolf. He’s tried comedy (“Grown Ups 2,” “The Ridiculous Six”) and actioners (“Tracers,” “Abduction”), but nothing has stuck. With “Run the Tide,” Lautner elects to go inward, toplining a domestic disturbance drama that allows him plenty of room to emote, taking an opportunity to showcase other sides of his screen presence. Perhaps a leading man career is not meant to be for Lautner, but “Run the Tide” is easily the best work he’s done to date, handling himself adequately as screenwriter Rajiv Shah checks off every cliché in the book, making it nearly impossible for the movie to find a place of authentic ache. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A decade ago, writer/director Dito Montiel arrived on the scene with “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” a personal indie creation that managed to attract enough attention to gift the filmmaker a career. His subsequent endeavors have attempted to replicate his first feature’s raw energy, with most failing to be engrossing or enlightening, often tripped up by poor helming decisions and Montiel’s addiction to melodrama. He hasn’t been the most inspiring architect of blood-on-the-lens dramas, with his work generally more about passion than quality. “Man Down” joins Montiel’s growing list of disappointments, taking a cheap, borderline reckless look at the state of PTSD in military veterans, using such pained alienation and madness to inspire an aimless story of self-sacrifice, with Montiel hoping to educate and horrify. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Nerdland” doesn’t add anything new to the study of Hollywood as an empty shell of humanity, where aspiring entertainment business professionals race to the bottom, believing that degradation might invite the bright light of fame into their lives. However, the production does have a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, who two decades ago stunned the world with “Seven,” and now boasts a sporadic enough filmography to suggest he knows a thing or two about industry disappointment. It’s an animated feature from director Chris Prynoski, who doesn’t have much of a budget, but he offers a bizarre visual design for “Nerdland,” working to support Walker’s tale of desperation with cartoon magnification, trying to turn a universal idea on the hunger to be noticed into a funhouse journey of strange characters and macabre events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “V/H/S” franchise wore out its welcome after the first film, but “Siren” (stylized “SiREN” for some reason) is determined to keep it going. It’s a feature-length adaptation of “Amateur Night,” a segment from the original “V/H/S,” though writer/director David Bruckner doesn’t return, with helming duties passed over to Gregg Bishop, the “Dance of the Dead” moviemaker who also contributed a short to “V/H/S: Viral.” It’s a small world with horror directors, but as transitions of power go, Bishop does an adequate job with “Siren,” joining screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski to expand a thin concept of monstrous seduction, keeping levels of sex and violence high enough to forgive stretches of padding needed to beef up material that originated as a 15 minute blast of shaky cam and screaming.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2003’s “Bad Santa” had better timing than creative instincts, released during a period when moviegoers were hungry from something off-beat and decidedly R-rated, going after the sacred holiday of Christmas with nothing but simple characterization and pure vulgarity. It managed to make some money, while its video release secured a cult following. However, a sequel wasn’t necessary, and the producers certainly took their time to create one, battling legal issues and screenwriting blues to bang out another criminal adventure for Willie Soke and his pronounced misanthropy. “Bad Santa 2” isn’t the follow-up fans have earned, but it’s one they probably deserve, watching the production misjudge what made the first picture so popular, putting all emphasis on crude dialogue and antics, almost forgetting there should be an actual film underneath its scummy top layer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In a year where Walt Disney Animation already launched one of its top grossing movies of all time (last spring’s “Zootopia”), “Moana” is the icing on the corporate cake. Settling back into a musical groove that hasn’t been explored since 2013’s “Frozen,” the company tries to restore a little of their old big screen magic with this tale of high adventure in the South Pacific. There are so many treats to unwrap in “Moana,” it feels like a packed effort, with “Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” helmers Ron Clements and John Musker creating a wonderful bigness to the picture, while also tending to its heart. Traditional dramatic arcs remain to secure audience comfort, but it feels like a fresh, alive film, giving the studio another lasting creative success. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Warren Beatty was never one to consistently work, compelled to grindout pictures to feed his fame and please the studios. However, it’s been 15 years since he was last seen onscreen, trying to make the best of a bad situation in 2001’s “Town & Country.” Finally ready to return to his professional life, Beatty takes command of “Rules Don’t Apply,” which takes a fictionalized look at the instability of Howard Hughes through the perspective of two young characters trying to make sense of life and love. Writing and directing the feature, Beatty goes all-in with this oddball endeavor, which does a successful job summarizing the star’s screen interests in controlled chaos and dark humor. “Rules Don’t Apply” is messy work, but it’s also distinctive, carrying the unmistakable Beatty energy that once beguiled audiences everywhere.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After taking cinema to literal heights with last year’s 3D experience, “The Walk,” director Robert Zemeckis returns to Earth with “Allied,” an unexpectedly moderate espionage thriller from a helmer known for his love of big screen mischief. Technical wizardry remains in the picture, but Zemeckis is respectful of Steven Knight’s screenplay, which takes a chilling look at the vows of marriage and the mercilessness of war. “Allied” has its thrills and spills, and its command of WWII visuals is superb, keeping period mood a supporting character. It’s not the most thrilling feature, going slow-burn to maintain as many secrets as it can. The reward for such patience is an effective mystery with a very strong sense of sexuality and romance, working to redefine wartime warmth with a hearty dose of paranoia. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jeff Nichols is enjoying an amazing creative streak, crafting thought-provoking, atmospheric features that highlight outstanding performances and intimate emotions, exploring soft-spoken types experiencing tremendous psychological turmoil. There’s been “Mud” and “Take Shelter,” and Nichols even sampled sci-fi with last spring’s “Midnight Special,” a fascinating movie that few people saw, as major studios tend not to know what to do with sophisticated, unusual deviations from the norm. “Loving” is perhaps his most human picture, inspecting real-world turmoil born from a legal fight for civil rights, but the helmer’s tempo and attention to detail remain, treating the corners of this tale as importantly as everything else. “Loving” has its missteps, but it’s a typically strong effort from an increasingly reliable filmmaker. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com