Category: Film Review

“War Dogs” is being marketed as a comedy, using the trusted name of co-writer/director Todd Phillips to help conjure memories of “The Hangover” trilogy (okay, maybe not the second film) instead of confronting what the new movie actually is: a drama. It’s a typical shell game from the Hollywood publicity machine, selling one experience to lasso ticket-buyers, but the relief here is that “War Dogs,” while rickety as it searches for an ending, is actually intriguing, taking a long look at arms dealing as it pertains to the gold rush dreams of two greedy Americans. It’s not perfect, but it’s Phillip’s best effort in nearly a decade, summoning a crucial sense of threat when the helmer would normally go for the goof. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Laika Entertainment has developed a strong reputation for quality work, keeping up the tradition of stop-motion animation with movies like “Coraline,” “ParaNorman,” and “The Boxtrolls.” They’re a studio that respects artistry and welcomes sophistication, trying to distance itself from the competition with more advanced family films that often take on mature themes and vivid style. “Kubo and the Two Strings” is Laika’s most challenging effort to date, mixing Japanese culture and folktales with a heaping helping of magic, entering realms of life and death to feed an unusual adventure. It’s a bewildering feature at times, but impressively constructed, always managing to secure awe with subtle character animation when the larger quest at hand fails to hold attention. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Ben-Hur” isn’t untouchable material, with Lew Wallace’s 1880 book inspiring numerous media adaptations. Most recently, the novel was reworked as a U.K. miniseries co-starring Joseph Morgan and Hugh Bonneville, and, most famously, the 1959 epic with Charlton Heston remains a classic in the eyes of many, defining the widescreen majesty of the era (a 1925 silent production is also treasured). Reviving the tale for another cinematic inspection is Timur Bekmambetov, helmer of “Wanted” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” Bekmambetov’s primary language is overkill, and he brings his excesses to the picture, softening the book’s religious direction to underline melodrama and action, basically making the movie to construct his own chariot race. He’s not an especially gifted storyteller, barely committing to the community of characters and winding plot of “Ben-Hur.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although “Joshy” has a credited screenwriter in Jeff Baena (who also directs), it barely adheres to any type of structure. It’s an improvisational Olympics starring a who’s who of independent cinema, with the actors committed to conjuring mood over story, tasked with playing off one another as Baena tries to shape all the camaraderie and personality into a vague narrative. Mercifully, instead of feeling slack, “Joshy” preserves a sense of humor and timing, with the helmer delivering encouraging management of talent, allowing the feature to reach its share of sensitivities and big laughs. It’s not a tight effort, but we’ve seen this permissive style of movie before, and it rarely turns out this well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Sian Heder has made a name for herself as a creative force on the hit Netflix show, “Orange is the New Black.” Pouring her experience on the gritty program into her helming debut, Heder issues “Tallulah,” a troublesome tale of purpose discovered and grief gradually confronted. Although it welcomes viewers with moments of quirk and comforting catharsis, the feature is actually quite disturbing, challenging Heder to locate a way to embrace difficult characterization and still keep the audience interested in the unfolding drama. Heder gets it mostly right, with “Tallulah” largely engrossing and impeccably acted, watching stars Ellen Page, Allison Janney, and Tammy Blanchard create living, breathing people who aren’t easy to watch, yet it’s hard to ignore their fascinating surges of pain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I can’t imagine a man more curious about the planet and the details of its inhabitants than Werner Herzog. The celebrated filmmaker of “Fitzcarraldo” and “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” Herzog has showcased a longstanding fascination with nature and the influence of humanity, which often leads to breakthroughs and destruction that touches on the very meaning of life. Herzog has also developed an impressive but low-key career as a documentarian, recently releasing “Into the Abyss” and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” while hitting a box office high with 2006’s “Grizzly Man.” The famously philosophical helmer returns to non-fiction exploration with “Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World,” taking on the enormity of the internet, which proves to be as elusive and intimidating as any of Herzog’s previous subjects. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“My King” is directed by Maiwenn, an actress who’s appeared in several European films, but perhaps is best known globally as Diva Plavalaguna, the blue opera singer from Luc Besson’s gloriously bonkers sci-fi extravaganza, “The Fifth Element.” She’s also chiseled out a directorial career in recent years, with “My King” arguably her most personal offering. Plumbing the depths of her own toxic relationships, Maiwenn creates a troubling ode to submission with “My King,” which, as honest as a may be, is also a deeply disturbing portrait of a woman who only achieves clarity through calamity. It’s raw, exhaustive, and completely dismissible, but there’s something about Maiwenn’s study of human fallibility that keeps the effort passably interesting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The concept of “Killer Party” is enticing, studying an end of the world scenario played out at a baby shower, offering the material plenty of opportunities to poke at celebration clichés and genre traditions. Writer/director Alex Drummond has the right idea, but no real budget or filmmaking finesse to bring it to life. A backyard production, “Killer Party” attempts to deliver laughs and gore normally associated with horror comedies, looking to “Shaun of the Dead” for inspiration. However, the picture doesn’t work, often caught in static situations instead of kinetic fun, laboring through relationship woes as the occasional burst of violence breaks through, acting as smelling salts for the rest of the feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I applaud Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for their continued celebration of juvenile humor, with the producing/writing partners trying to keep up with demand through recent releases like “Neighbors” and its sequel, “”The Night Before,” and “The Interview.” “Sausage Party” is perhaps their most direct offering of raunchy mischief, only now their game’s been elevated to the CGI-animated realm, delivering a sweeping adventure (on a low budget) that’s packed with cursing, sexual situations, and gore, all involving supermarket foods. It takes a special mind to dream up such a fantasia of fluids and puns, and “Sausage Party” is surprisingly ambitious when it comes to thematic reach. However, a little of this berserk creation goes a long way, especially when it feels like the production is running out of ideas to fill 80 minutes of screen time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The original “Pete’s Dragon” is no classic, but the 1977 Walt Disney production isn’t without charm. In an effort to replicate the live-action/animation formula that turned “Mary Poppins” into a smash, the movie goes broad with musical numbers and character design, trying to make every frame lovable. While remake cinema is rarely a positive creative direction, the feature is ripe for a do-over, bringing a tale of a magic and friendship to a new audience. The 2016 “Pete’s Dragon” does away with songs and mugging, focusing on more dramatic pursuits while still celebrating the protective instincts of a green dragon. It’s a wonderful film, an unexpectedly triumphant reworking of the earlier picture, assembled by a talented and patient production team committed to launching a new “Pete’s Dragon” that’s all heart. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, actor Taylor Sheridan made the leap to screenwriting with “Sicario,” which attracted plenty of positive attention, awards, and decent box office, launching his writing career in the best way possible. He was rewarded for his strong characterizations and ability to construct suspense in surprising ways, also managing to twist clichés into something approaching originality, delivering meaty material. His follow-up is “Hell or High Water,” and it’s an even tighter, more stunning meditation on criminality, moving the action from the bowels of Mexico to the punishing flatness of Texas. It’s a knockout feature from Sheridan and director David Mackenzie, who bring touchable textures to the big screen, creating a smooth mixture of menace and humor, investing in human nuance over cinematic stylistics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We’ve already been here in 2016 with the release of the French production “Marguerite,” which used elements from the life and career of Florence Foster Jenkins to inspire its own tale of askew musical performance and heartfelt delusion. It was a fine picture, but more of a restrained take on the subject than what director Stephen Frears provides with “Florence Foster Jenkins,” which emphasizes the fluttery bewilderment of a woman who loved to sing, but simply couldn’t carry a tune. Frears plays his version of the story to the back row, but it’s not an unappealing approach, especially when there’s a legend like Meryl Street in the titular role, and a charming turn from Hugh Grant that effectively erases most of the nonsense he’s been involved with over the last decade. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it’s a flawed movie, “Edge of Winter” offers one of the most unique takes on paternal custody issues I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s dressed up as a survival picture set in the deep snow, but the feature emerges with a different goal at the halfway mark, switching tone and dramatic goals in a surprisingly severe manner. “Edge of Winter” doesn’t always know what kind of story it wants to tell, and its narrative thinness tends to hurt it in the end, but there are elements here that work, from performance to locations, keeping the film engrossing as it figures out where exactly it wants to go. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are few individuals who’ve guided the direction of popular entertainment in the same manner as Norman Lear. The writer/producer is responsible for seismic shifts in television tastes, massaging shows like “All in the Family” and “Maude” into the national conversation, challenging viewers with difficult subject matters while winning them over with bellylaughs. His extraordinary accomplishments have been noted and rewarded time and again, but “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” hopes to be a little more than just an average victory lap. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady endeavor to cut through a few layers of rehearsed behavior, trying to expose a man who worked hard to achieve his dreams, managing early adversity and industry trials to emerge as one of Hollywood’s most important contributors. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it details a striking section of World War II history, “Anthropoid” uses a strange mixture of stillness and aggression to explore the dramatic potential of the story. Co-writer/director Sean Ellis appears to have an appreciation for factual events depicted here, making an effort to understand the true cost of rebellion, especially when faced with an impossible task, but the feature forgoes a lean, tightly edited summary of spirit. Instead, “Anthropoid” is frustratingly motionless, only sparking to life when it observes graphic violence. The tale has been told before (in multiple movies, and there’s a competing project due for release next year), but Ellis can’t conquer familiarity, with the work redundant and clichéd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Barry Sonnenfeld hasn’t enjoyed the most consistent directorial career, but there’s always been a level of dignity even with his unbearable duds. Somehow, the he manages out out-stink his 1999 disaster “Wild Wild West” with “Nine Lives,” which not only represents a career low point for the helmer, but for everyone involved. Brought to screens by Luc Besson’s action factory Europa Corp., “Nine Lives” is a misguided attempt to pad the financial year with a family comedy about a human trapped inside a cat’s body. Those expecting cat video-style antics and syrupy domestic worries are going to be disappointed, as the production is more interested in attempted murder schemes and feline urination, putting in the least amount of effort imaginable. Perhaps Sonnenfeld is in serious trouble with the underworld, or maybe he’s been kidnapped by Frenchmen, forced to manage one of the worst movies of 2016. Guys, I’m starting to worry. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s hard not to feel a little depressed about the state of the R-rated comedy. Instead of using the restrictive rating to engage in adult situations with a sharper sense of humor, most filmmakers would rather take the easy route, going for gross-outs and dim, profanity-laden improvisation to secure laughs. “Amateur Night” is the latest example of silliness soured by bad ideas, finding writer/directors Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse (who previously scripted the moronic “Parental Guidance”) working to generate a madcap tone of disasters and near-misses for their feature, only to depend on cheap jokes to snap the viewer out of slumber. “Amateur Night” isn’t wild or funny. It would rather spray its characters with vaginal fluid than dream up a killer punchline. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Establishing the DC Cinematic Universe with last spring’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the company appeared ready to build on the expansive introduction, utilizing the myriad of characters that populated the Zack Snyder extravaganza. Instead of sequels and spin-offs (those come next year), the DCU takes a brief detour with “Suicide Squad,” looking to have a little fun with its rogues gallery before the brand gets down to business. Writer/director David Ayer (“Sabotage,” “Fury”) cherry picks obscure and cult villains to fill out this askew men-on-a-mission feature, but darkly comic delights and superhero cinema thrills are in short supply, as much of the movie is far too leaden and devoid of personality to leave a lasting mark. “Suicide Squad” is being sold as a wild romp, but the actual picture is quite tame and glacial, watching Ayer get lost quickly as he sorts out motivations, histories, and priorities with his half-realized gang of painted and tangled misfits. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When Hollywood attempts to bring author Philip Roth to the screen, much is usually missing in the translation. Recent years have delivered “The Human Stain” and “Elegy,” but it’s “Indignation” that truly balances the nuances of literature with the intimacy of film. It’s directed by James Schamus, who’s making his helming debut after decades of producing and studio leadership accomplishments, including guardianship of “Brokeback Mountain,” while his writing credits include “The Ice Storm” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” It’s amazing that it has taken this long for Schamus to move behind the camera, but the reward is “Indignation,” which handles with exquisite patience and craftsmanship, locating all the Roth-ian ills of the world without sacrificing pure storytelling and a mesmerizing concentration on blistering confrontation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For his second directorial endeavor, comedian Mike Birbiglia returns the world of funny business he explored in 2012’s “Sleepwalk with Me,” this time shining a spotlight on the realm of improvisation and the neuroses involved with such a taxing performance art. Stepping away from autobiographical touches, Birbiglia (who also scripts) sets out to create a dramedy about intimacy and competition, but the plot sometimes gets in the way of pure behavior, which “Don’t Think Twice” captures with outstanding realism. The scratchy rub between acting and feeling is inspected to satisfaction in the picture, which highlights Birbiglia’s comfort with actors and his knowledge of denial. While his vision is blurred at times, “Don’t Think Twice” is accomplished work, clearly identifying the helmer’s creative growth. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com