Category: Film Review

A former child actor (“About a Boy”) struggling to find roles that reflect his development into adulthood, Nicholas Hoult attempts to guide his career into a sinister direction with “Kill Your Friends.” Co-producing and starring in the picture, Hoult provides a secure performance in a lackluster film, and one that strives to be stylish, ruthless, and darkly comic. We’ve been down this road before, with “Kill Your Friends” basically taking what it wants from “American Psycho,” working through murder and madness without inspired wickedness to encourage audience investment. At least Hoult is trying to do something different, but his effort can’t prop up the feature, which slowly loses focus and timing, ending up an uninspired mess. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Every talent in Hollywood deserves a chance to try different genres, to spread their creative wings. For John Schneider, best known for his work on “The Dukes of Hazzard” and “Smallville,” “Smothered” represents an opportunity to shake up his directorial career, overseeing a cheeky comedy that pokes fun at horror icons and the celebrity convention grind, and offers a killer who uses her enormous breasts to suffocate her victims. Not bad for a guy who recently starred in “What Would Jesus Do?: The Story Continues.” “Smothered” isn’t entirely successful with comedy and thrills, but it does offer a chance for the men behind horror’s most famous masks a chance to expand their thespian horizons, with Schneider wisely leaning on their natural charisma to help the feature through some rough patches. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was the sleeper hit of 2002, emerging from out of nowhere to become the fifth highest grossing feature of the year (sandwiched between “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Signs”). Expectations for a sequel were immediate, but writer/star Nia Vardalos chased a television dream with 2003’s “My Big Fat Greek Life,” which effectively killed the brand name. 14 years later, Vardalos returns with “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” attempting to recapture the vibrant cultural energy that fueled the original effort. While the story takes a leap in time, the jokes do not, finding much of the follow-up struggling to land punchlines and massage character quirk. While amiable, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” is dull and overscripted, watching Vardalos spin too many plates as she strives to give everyone something to do. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Compelling ideas on the entitled nature of millennials and the instability of long-term employment are explored in “Get a Job,” competing for screen time with scenes that feature a urine sample gone wrong and a character forced to drink a glass of deer semen in front of his co-workers. Iffy helmer Dylan Kidd (“Roger Dodger,” “P.S.”) tries to cushion hard truths about life with gross-out and marijuana humor, working diligently to dumb the picture down as far as it can go. It’s a shame, but perhaps “Get a Job” was never destined for greatness, with the picture finally seeing the light of day after completing production four years ago. After a viewing, it’s obvious why the producers lost interest in releasing it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While the potential for mockery is ripe, “Marguerite” would rather understand its blissfully unaware lead character, working to achieve a larger portrait of charity when confronted with an absence of talent. Writer/director Xavier Giannoli (“Superstar,” “In the Beginning”) generates a mildly comic tone to some of the picture, but he remains largely respectful of emotions and awareness, trying to shave down the absurdity that drives the plot of “Marguerite” with welcome sensitivity and three-dimensional personalities. A little consideration helps the movie achieve its dramatic goals, allowing the audience to grasp all the necessary displays of humiliation that pepper the feature and still come away with a sense of warmth and askew devotion. It’s an impressive juggling act from Giannoli. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Considering his pop culture dominance, it’s strange to consider that the character Pee-wee Herman has only starred in two pictures, with the last, 1988’s “Big Top Pee-wee,” a tremendous financial and creative disappointment. Looking to restore a little mojo after decades away from the screen, actor Paul Reubens slips back into his old extra-small suit and refreshes his geeky mannerisms to revive Pee-wee for a new generation. “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” is certainly a pleasant production, giving the fanbase what they want through numerous set pieces highlighting Reubens’s special way with slapstick. Those expecting another “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” are sure to be disappointed with this effort, as Reubens and co-writer Paul Rust dial down idiosyncrasy, keeping “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” friendly, but rarely surprising. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2013’s “Man of Steel” was the warning shot. Director Zack Snyder takes citywide destruction and wonky superhero world-building to the next level with “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” manufacturing a DC Comics answer to the ongoing work Marvel is doing to construct their seemingly bulletproof cinematic universe. Snyder isn’t aware that nuance is an option, looking to create the biggest, baddest event film possible while pouring the foundation for assorted superhuman characters to come. Even with a 150 minute run time, “Batman v. Superman” feels claustrophobic and needy, with the helmer digging into his shallow bag of tricks to bring two iconic characters to life. Instead of servicing patient storytelling, Snyder gets lost in his own limited ambition, frequently relying on his love for noise and numbing violence to make sense of a poorly written, acted, and edited effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last ten years have been a strange creative period for director Atom Egoyan. Once the darling of independent cinema, Egoyan has spent the last decade gasping for oxygen, stumbling through unfortunate efforts such as “Devil’s Knot” and “Where the Truth Lies,” effectively erasing his brand name with cineastes. “Remember” isn’t a return to form for Egoyan, but it’s a step in the right direction, taking on a provocative story of memory and murder that plays with thriller elements effectively. Mistakes in tone and scripting eventually work to trip the feature up, but “Remember” has its share of riveting moments, buttressing an atmosphere of unease that’s alien to Egoyan’s recent work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When depicting the wreckage of substance abuse, a majority of movies tend to go the melodramatic route, flailing wildly to project a level of chaos normally associated with self-harm and chemical disorientation. “Krisha” is the rare feature to understand the insidious nature of addiction, playing it relatively calm and collected while gradually introducing an unsettling level of darkness, earning climatic explosions of accusatory behavior. A no-budget production that’s skillfully controlled by writer/director Trey Edward Shults, “Krisha” is harrowing work, diving into the abyss of dysfunction with stunning intimacy and creative confidence from the first-time helmer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Two years ago, “Divergent” entered the YA novel adaptation sweepstakes with hopes to tap into post-apocalyptic vibe of “The Hunger Games” to fuel its own box office success. Instead of dominating the competition, the series was merely accepted by a fanbase loyal to original author Veronica Roth, failing to reach pop culture ubiquity. The 2015 sequel, “Insurgent,” achieved the same level of mediocrity, with the production generally ignoring hindsight to mix up the same batch of blah filmmaking. With “Allegiant,” “The Divergent Series” finally threatens closure, but it’s not going without a fight. The first half of a two-part finale, “Allegiant” tries to razzle-dazzle with an increase in visual effects and supporting characters, but a distinct lack of suspense remains, paralyzing a chapter essentially designed to explain working parts while the next feature (2017’s “Ascendant”) is supposed to be the big payoff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When 2014’s “Heaven is for Real” struck gold at the box office, it was only a matter of time before similar faith-based productions would follow. “Miracles from Heaven” utilizes the same questioning of a higher power formula to tell a story that concerns the elasticity of belief as it’s tested through unresponsiveness and the sheer weight of tragedy. Director Patricia Riggen (“The 33”) treats the iffy material with professional polish, making sure every scene of heartbreak extracts tears, while Godly mysteries are cared for through determined performances. But the actual dissection of miracles on Earth? It’s a bit of a gray area for “Miracles from Heaven,” which would rather stroll around the unknowable instead of actively pursuing careful examination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2014, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong participated in the making of “The Armstrong Lie.” A documentary about his life, love for the sport, and his addiction to performance-enhancing drugs to help secure cycling glory, “The Armstrong Lie” managed to crack open the famously defensive subject, exposing his lies and bitterness, with Armstrong’s interview a fascinating window into the mind of a diseased man. “The Program” is a dramatization of the same story, with director Stephen Frears using a brief summary of temptation and ego to capture Armstrong’s eventful career arc, keeping star Ben Foster front and center as the stained athlete. “The Program” is not without its heated confrontations, but it feels unnecessary, working to depict the downfall of a man who’s beaten them to the punch in terms of addressing his own self-destructive tendencies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Little Prince” is no stranger to film and television adaptations. A beloved 1943 novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the material is frequently returned to for generational reinforcement, with productions striving to capture the lyrical fantasy of the original text, hoping to inspire the imagination of audiences young and old. For this incarnation, director Mark Osborne (“Kung Fu Panda”) turns to animation to help fill out his vision, mixing styles and complicated emotionality to bring the original work to life. While “The Little Prince” periodically threatens to become another assembly line CGI-animated endeavor, artistry and sensitivity win out in the end, while an all-star voice cast gives the feature a big boost in personality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Bob Nelson enjoyed critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for his work on 2013’s “Nebraska,” attracting attention for his rich characterizations and understanding of Middle American personalities. For his directorial debut, Nelson tries to sustain the same atmosphere of bruised nobility with “The Confirmation,” which almost, if one squints hard enough, resembles an Americanized version of a Dardenne Brothers drama, exploring the plight of the working class during a specific journey of redemption or, at the very least, acceptance. Although “The Confirmation” strives to create warmth through personal discoveries, it’s not the most reassuring feature, successfully depicting abyssal dives into poverty to go along with its tale of askew parenting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Creative Control” brings the audience into a futureworld that’s similar to today, amplifying a tomorrow of omnipresent connectivity and confusion to motivate a standard tale of isolation, desire, and betrayal. Co-writer/director/star Benjamin Dickinson has a vision of loneliness colliding with technological ubiquity, but he doesn’t have an appealing sense of humor, preferring icy emotions experienced by unpleasant characters to something more alert and satiric. Swallowing an entire bottle of Kubrick pills to inspire this black and white voyage into psychological hell, Dickinson doesn’t have anything profound to share in “Creative Control,” which is handsomely made, but lacks grit and knowledge, recycling tired relationship woes and chemical excess other, more inventive features have explored to greater success. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2008, “Cloverfield” rocked the box office, doing so with an air of secrecy and marketing restraint unheard of in an industry that frequently favors complete awareness as a key to success. In the care of producer J.J. Abrams, the feature provided an experience of cinematic exploration, aided by alternate reality games and buzzy trailers to work the audience into a lather before the picture was ready for mass consumption. Eight years later, Abrams and Company have finally worked up the nerve to try again, returning to the famous brand name with “10 Cloverfield Lane,” which isn’t a sequel to the earlier film, but merely shares the same straw when sucking down cryptic revelations and low-budget tension. As with its predecessor, what one brings to the viewing experience is likely going to be the lasting appeal of the effort, which feels uncomfortably twisted into a franchise experience, better off in its own corner of paranoia and discoveries. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sacha Baron Cohen has built a career on his ability to transform into multiple characters. These colorful personalities are often lethal comic weapons, deployed by Cohen to shred pop culture, social disease, and political buffoonery. Think Borat, Ali G, and Bruno. Perhaps he's never been one to pursue classy material, but Cohen's skewering of world ills has been pretty consistent in the laugh department. This level of invention makes an abrupt stop in “The Brothers Grimsby,” which is by far the worst film Cohen has ever been involved with. That he also produces, scripts, and stars in the feature showcases a newfound lack of judgment from the actor I fear he'll take as a personal challenge to top. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As Studio Ghibli ends operations, one of their earliest efforts finally makes it to American theaters. Better late than never. 1991’s “Only Yesterday” is the company’s fifth feature and, for an animation house known for creating faraway lands and fantastical creatures, it’s also one of their most human, turning to memory and regret to inspire an emotional journey of a woman who yearns to reclaim and reassess an earlier, simpler time in her life. Gorgeously animated in the distinct Ghibli style, director Isao Takahata manages to understand the erratic flow of childhood impulses and curiosity, while pinpointing the moment when nostalgia transforms into personal need. “Only Yesterday” is 25 years old, but it remains surprisingly relevant, warmly conceived and executed from beginning to end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Making his feature-length directorial debut, actor Robert Carlyle takes on a story that’s as grim as anything he’s been previously involved with. A tale of serial killing, accidental and otherwise, “Barney Thomson” is a darkly comic take on post-murder panic and criminal investigation, with Carlyle trying to juggle locations and psychology with sillier forays into panic and family ties. It’s not entirely successful, but “Barney Thomson” enjoys a great deal of oddity, with the helmer successfully communicating character discomfort as a simple act of manslaughter spins into exposed secrets and a sizable body count. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The War in Afghanistan has been fodder for countless movies, most recently serving as the setting for the Tina Fey dramedy, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” “Hyena Road” seems to be aware that the subject matter is nearing exhaustion, striving to offer audiences already numbed by military conflict something with authenticity and a unique cultural viewpoint. It’s the Canadian military versus radical Islamic forces in “Hyena Road,” which works to deliver nail-biting conflict, maintaining the stranger-in-a-strange-land atmosphere with complete commitment to procedural authenticity. While hardly escapism, writer/director Paul Gross manages to craft a feature that’s horrifying and strangely inviting at the same time, delivering solid characterization to go with all the chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com