Category: Film Review

The trials of adolescence are taken for a surreal joyride in “Girl Asleep.” An Australian production, the picture already has a healthy sense of humor, but Matthew Whittet’s screenplay yearns for something more when dealing with the anxiety of a 14-year-old girl taking a grand birthday leap to a new year of development and socialization. The film is frequently hilarious, boasting a sense of humor that’s a blend of Jared Hess and Wes Anderson, but there’s a dramatic aspect to the effort that’s presented in a theatrical manner, taking viewers into a fantasy world that pinpoints the battle of personal growth in a more literal manner. “Girl Asleep” is highly creative work from Rosemary Myers (making her directorial debut), and while she hasn’t mastered tonal changes, she’s beginning a promising career with this endearingly oddball movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2008, director Courtney Hunt collected critical acclaim for her debut feature, “Frozen River.” She excelled with the intimate character study, establishing nuance and vividness of location, promising a bright career to come. Momentum stopped, or at least slowed with work on television, but Hunt finally returns to screens with “The Whole Truth,” losing her indie spirit in the intervening years. Reviving the legal drama, once so popular in the 1970s and ‘80s, Hunt and screenwriter Rafael Jackson hope to recapture the thrill of sketchy testimony shared by shady witnesses, while touching on the iffy moral core of a lawyer in charge of shaping a version of reality to benefit his case. “The Whole Truth” is compelling, supported by an unusual cast, but Hunt doesn’t bring grit to this mainstream event, which gradually evolves into Grisham-esque nonsense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“American Pastoral” is a good reminder that not every book needs a cinematic adaptation. The film is based on a 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, which intricately stitched together emotional wreckage and culture shock, using the passage of time to detail political and social cancers coming after the post-WWII generation. First time director Ewan McGregor mostly does away with Roth’s details, reimagining the story as a soap opera featuring a dysfunctional family hit with extraordinary changes during the 1960s and ‘70s. “American Pastoral” is ambitious but it’s also a mess, a colossal one at times, spotlighting McGregor’s tone-deaf way with drama and the feature’s inability to find order in Roth’s plotting, jumping from scene to scene without cohesion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Good Kids” was included on the 2011 Black List, an annual Hollywood guide to the “most liked” screenplays. It’s a strange bit of trivia for the film, as it features a scene where the lead character tries to speed up the healing process of a yeast infection by submerging his penis in a cup of yogurt. I wouldn’t trust the Black List. The ghost of “American Pie” haunts “Good Kids,” which aims to provide a bawdy time at the movies, tracking a coming-of-age summer for a group of overachievers, who experience all the sex, drugs, and stupidity they can handle. While a comedy, the picture offers few laughs, generally avoiding any basis in reality to become a cartoon with the occasional blip of sensitivity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s brave of writer/director Angad Aulakh to make a movie like “Autumn Lights,” which defies modern editorial requirements by playing out as slowly as possible, even making a few full stops during its run time. Calling this film slow-burn doesn’t even describe the picture’s movement — it’s defiantly glacial, almost to a point of parody. Aulakh (making his feature-length helming debut) is paying tribute to the gods of European cinema with his tale of disturbance and seduction, trying his luck with an old-fashioned Bergman effort in 2016. “Autumn Lights” benefits from impressive digital cinematography and glorious Icelandic locations, but it’s such a specific viewing experience, demanding those sitting down with it to completely relax expectations and possibly hope as well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Mattel Entertainment would like to be a major player in the Hollywood franchise game. Rival Hasbro has the “Transformers” series, and the world is already in love with superhero cinema, so it makes sense that the company would try to join the profit marathon with “Max Steel,” which is inspired by a toy line from 2000. Already reworked for a few animated shows and DVD releases, “Max Steel” finally receives a medium-budget big screen adventure. However, instead of playing to the fanbase, the production wants to restart the machine, cooking up an origin story that takes the entirety of the feature to work through. That’s right, there’s barely any Max Steel in his titular extravaganza, which instead sets out to establish the character and his multiple working parts, showing more interest in exposition than action, which makes one wonder why Mattel is even bothering with the effort if they have no desire to exploit the brand name in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last time Christopher Guest directed a feature, it was 2006’s “For Your Consideration.” After riding high with faux documentaries such as “Best in Show,” “Waiting for Guffman,” and “A Mighty Wind,” Guest seemed tired of the comedic routine, using “For Your Consideration” to test some tonal challenges, which gradually soiled the jokes. After a decade-long break from movies, Guest returns with “Mascots,” but his fatigue hasn’t abated, putting in half-hearted effort with a surefire concept. The film isn’t without laughs, but there’s substantial distance between chuckles, making the bulk of the viewing experience a waiting game for Guest to spring to life and deliver the crushing gags and eccentric personalities that once came so easily to him. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps on a quest to establish his own series of actioners, Ben Affleck settles into a version of “The Bourne Identity” with “The Accountant,” matching colleague Matt Damon in icy stares and blunt hand-to-hand combat. While the feature doesn’t quite have the same globetrotting expanse as the Damon franchise, it shares a similar interest in character, taking on an almost obsessive need to get to the bottom of everyone on screen, even if the picture doesn’t need the explanations. “The Accountant” is a slow-burn thriller with plenty of detail, but it’s not a creation that stirs up the senses, with director Gavin O’Connor crafting only a passably interesting puzzle aided considerably by the cast. It’s a bruiser, no doubt, but not always as engrossing as it could be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

For fans of Adult Swim and finer examples of “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” craziness, “The Greasy Strangler” is probably going to seem familiar. It’s the latest offering of anti-comedy, where the jokes don’t necessarily come from punchlines or situations, but the silences between absurdities, which are cranked up to 11. Co-writer/director Jim Hosking aims to weird out the world with this offering, which ladles on grossness and embraces awkwardness, working to find laughs in the middle of ugliness. And it works with certain expectations and permissiveness. The world of “The Greasy Strangler” is hilarious for stretches of screentime, but the film is also determined to frustrate viewers, succeeding more often than not. It’s a bizarre movie, and not one to be watched casually, targeting a special demographic used to repulsive imagery and grotesque characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Picking a provocative release date, “Desierto” is unleashed on American audiences right before the Presidential election season comes to a close. It’s a tale of illegal Mexican immigration, but executed as a thriller, playing a cat-and-mouse game with broadly defined characters and extended chase sequences. Appreciation for its construction should be universal, as director Jonas Cuaron (son of producer Alfonso Cuaron) keeps the central chase taut and characterization economical. It’s the feature’s politics that will likely polarize viewers, with Cuaron (co-scripting with Mateo Garcia) going full black hat/white hat with the picture, underlining toxic patriotism and pure intentions to make sure the back row understands the conflict. “Desierto” is an effective nail-biter, which ends up saving the movie as it tries to turn a straightforward survival game into “Fox News vs. the World.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actors are typically hired to portray aging rock stars, offered a chance to show off range playing characters usually facing some type of generational exposure or domestic catastrophe. “Ordinary World” tries to separate itself from the pack by hiring an actual musician in the lead role, and one who’s still in demand today. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong stars in the feature, graduating from periodic supporting parts and cameos to carrying an entire picture, giving “Ordinary World” a touch of authenticity behind the microphone. It’s the suburban dad routine that’s less credible when it comes to Armstrong, who tries to keep a stiff script by director Lee Kirk relaxed with a casual turn as a once snarling dude turned into a family man. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a special person to be a documentary cinematographer. The job requires a balance of creative thinking and physical stamina, while the emotional toll is often horrendous, putting oneself in the line of fire with hot button issues, war zones, and volatile interviewees. Kristen Johnson has built an impressive resume in the field, working on “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” “Darfur Now,” and “The Invisible War,” and “Cameraperson” is her way of summing up achievements and making something out of discarded footage, permitting viewers a chance to see the process of filmmaking from the perspective of the woman who shot it all. Those already tuned into this world and its style are sure to enjoy the odds and ends of “Cameraperson,” and even those unaware of Johnson’s work are gifted an unusual break from the documentary norm, exposed to slices of life that reinforce the fragility and the oddity of the human experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps looking to snatch a little of the money the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series has collected (another sequel is on the way), the producers of “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life” return to the plight of a young adolescent facing numerous challenges to his head, heart, and hallway reputation. An adaptation of the YA novel, co-authored by James Patterson, “Middle School” offers a familiar smorgasbord of teen rebellion and parental cluelessness, only the tonality of the movie is problematic at best. Director Steve Carr (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Daddy Day Care”) enjoys his mischief, with pranks staged by kids against their educational overlords dominating sections of the film. However, the rest of the effort is unexpectedly solemn, requiring more attention to psychological damage than Carr is comfortable offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

This year’s applicant to be the Fall Thriller of the Year is “The Girl on the Train,” an adaptation of author Paula Hawkins’s best-seller, which enjoyed a run as the It Book of 2015. The story presents the usual sex and violence, requiring an inventive helmer able to pay specific attention to escalation, generating a charged viewing experience with a thick atmosphere of disease and paranoia. The producers hand the effort over to Tate Taylor, last seen on screens with “Get on Up,” but most famous for his work on “The Help.” He’s not the first director that comes to mind when considering talents suited to launch the semi-exploitational event to come, and Taylor showcases his indifference to chills throughout “The Girl on the Train,” which fumbles most of its cheap thrills and devious motivations. Tate keeps the movie small and uneventful, trying perhaps too hard to make Hawkins’s broad work fit the needs of a feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The release of “The Birth of a Nation” is ideally timed, tapping into the zeitgeist with its depiction of race-based violence, deliberately erecting a bridge between woes of the past and fears for the future. It’s a provocative picture, intending to stimulate discomfort and inspire horror, but co-writer/director/star Nate Parker doesn’t have much more than shock value with this latest attempt to inspect the savagery of American slavery. “The Birth of a Nation” has some sensational visual ideas and a few strong performances, but it’s also a tired “Braveheart” retread with nothing new to say about the Black Experience, often recycling brutality found in better features. Instead of inspiring a cultural awakening, Parker has a made an exploitation movie, and not a terribly effective one at that. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s difficult to watch “Blue Jay” and not think of Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise.” The pictures are different in many ways, but they share a common interest in conversation, studying two characters as they spend a considerable amount of time together, sharing pleasantries and humor before deeper feelings come into view. There’s no direct comparison to make, but it’s interesting to see another feature added to the walk-and-talk-and-talk-and-talk subgenre, and it’s a pleasure to report how well “Blue Jay” works thanks to patient direction by Alex Lehman and exceptional lead performances from Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass. There’s no heavy feel of artificiality to break the mood, just an opportunity to watch natural chemistry take shape over the course of a particularly eventful day. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

They don’t make movies like “The Great Gilly Hopkins” anymore, making the picture’s creation something to be valued, even with its problems. It’s a story about behavioral issues and abandonment, and it retains a slight edge to keep it away from Disney territory, bravely confronting ugliness the titular character wields to get a reaction out of people. It’s an adaptation of a lauded 1978 book by Katherine Paterson, the author of “Bridge to Terabithia,” and director Stephen Herek respects its literary perspective, working to get inside the mind of a young girl suffering through tremendous challenges and changes, most threatening to harden her at a tender age. Not everything comes together as profoundly as it could, but “The Great Gilly Hopkins” satisfies with characterization and deeply felt performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movies have been made about The Beatles. They’ve been made about John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman. But rare is the film that actually recreates the shock of Lennon’s death, treating his passing with the mournfulness it deserves and the journalistic eagerness it inspired. “The Lennon Report” doesn’t bother with mimicry or philosophy, it strives to recapture the hours where Lennon was just another patient at Roosevelt Hospital, where his global celebrity was at first denied, quickly inspiring a game of secrecy between staff and reporters. The production doesn’t have the budget to fully recreate the era, but “The Lennon Report” comes through with an original vision for a dire subject matter, creating an interesting but flawed take on a ticking clock situation, with urgency tied to the dwindling heartbeat of a dying icon. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After decades of supporting parts in a wide range of pictures (including “The Whole Nine Yards,” “The Usual Suspects,” and “She’s All That”), actor Kevin Pollak decides to take more control of his career with a move behind the camera. After helming the documentary “Misery Loves Company,” Pollak graduates to narrative features with “The Late Bloomer,” a comedy about prolactinoma, a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, which restricts the maturation of males, blocking expected adolescence. It’s an unusual subject to dissect for the screen, and it’s a shame “The Late Bloomer” isn’t interested in examining such oddity. Pollak goes the familiar route with the material, merging broad antics with teary sensitivities, unwilling to give his effort some much needed bite. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Fear of nuclear annihilation isn’t quite the hot button issue it once was, seizing a sizable portion of the last century with nightmarish imagery and political threats as hostile nations back up their severity with the ability to kill everyone on the planet, practically at once. “Command and Control” recognizes the gradual relaxation around apocalyptic visions, with more critical surges in national security issues taking top importance as the world now plays a different style of fear-based gamesmanship. Director Robert Kenner (“Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”) seeks to restore utter horror when considering the reach of nuclear proliferation, isolating such tensions with a tale of homeland horror, examining the 1980 Damascus Titan Missile Explosion. “Command and Control” may not be overwhelming work, but as a critical reminder of the fallibility of men around doomsday devices, it’s terrifying. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com