Category: Film Review

“James White” is an endurance test for any filmgoer, tasked with watching irrational characters slowly but completely lose control while experiencing medical and caretaking ordeals. It’s a not a picture that encourages a recommendation, but it’s not devoid of artistry and dramatic firepower. However, to find an observational position with the feature requires exceptional patience with writer/director Josh Mond, who embraces a peeled-skin atmosphere of despair and antagonism, making any appreciation of the effort’s accomplishments difficult. “James White” provides a viewing experience that’s unlike many movies, and it’s reserved only for those choosing to be submerged in darkness alongside the titular character. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it was released in the summer of 1991, “Point Break” was only a modest hit for 20th Century Fox, failing to catch fire during a crowded moviegoing season. Its reputation developed on home video, where appreciation grew for Kathryn Bigelow’s spirited directorial approach and expert management of the promised “100% pure adrenaline.” These days, some people (like me) consider the feature to be one of the best actioners of the 1990s, with stars Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze turning in amazingly vibrant work in a picture that celebrates the impossible with a special Southern California glow. And now there’s a remake, trying to cash in on a title that’s more of a secret code for film nerds and “Hot Fuzz” fans. Predictably, it falls short of the original’s magic, but what’s most disconcerting about the new “Point Break” is how little it understands what made the first pass work so well. Character names are the same and the mission is familiar, but the lights are off in this do-over, glumly trying to capture the same electricity with roughly 90% less adrenaline. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Todd Haynes has an affinity for period pieces. He’s been consistently remarkable building cinematic time machines, but “Carol” is his most convincing depiction of the past, overseeing an exceptional production team that turns every moment into cinematic poetry, with touchable textures and screen artistry that makes the feature hypnotic. But there’s more to “Carol” than exquisite craftsmanship, finding a crushing tale of longing and repression rippling underneath guarded exteriors, with Haynes reviving Cate Blanchett’s thespian authority, while guiding Rooney Mara to the best performance of her career. Juggling tone and drama with outstanding precision, Haynes emerges with his best work since 1998’s “Velvet Goldmine.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One year ago, writer/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu emerged from a bout with career repetition to debut “Birdman.” The one-take drama went on to capture art-house imaginations and grab Oscar gold, winning the Best Picture prize last winter. Instead of soaking up enormous success, the helmer plunges back into a nightmarish professional challenge with “The Revenant,” taking on the enormity of the man vs. nature conflict by making nature, and all its fury, the star of the effort. Blistering, raging, and ideally mind-boggling, this is a feature that wears its production hardship like a badge of honor, sending Leonardo DiCaprio through the spanking machine of the great outdoors to portray a man shredded by the elements and inhabitants. Unlike many productions that gift themselves importance, “The Revenant” simply becomes a viewing event. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Continuing his obsession with westerns and ways to pervert their traditions, writer/director Quentin Tarantino goes from the expanse of “Django Unchained” to the stasis of “The Hateful Eight,” his latest offering of cinematic indulgence. While tarted up with a grandiose presentation that celebrates theatrical releases of old, the feature doesn’t exactly live up to its technical hype, finding Tarantino breathlessly inflating “The Hateful Eight” instead of massaging its simmering hostilities, basically turning the movie into a novel that, at certain points, doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to end. And yet, it’s impossible to walk away disappointed by Tarantino’s 8th film, which is lovingly crafted and brilliantly acted by a large portion of the ensemble, who give their all to this strange, bloody mystery that carries on for three long hours. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In recent years, it’s been tough to be a Will Ferrell fan. Undeniably talented, Ferrell has shown weird taste in movie projects, with “The Campaign,” “Casa de Mi Padre,” “Anchorman 2,” and last spring’s “Get Hard” delivering inconsistent levels of Ferrell-ocity, with the actor content to be random, caring more about concepts than quality screenwriting. “Daddy’s Home” is another disappointment, though one that hopes to hedge its bets by reuniting Ferrell with his “The Other Guys” co-star, Mark Wahlberg. The pairing has promise, but air is almost completely out of the production’s tires, with director Sean Anders showing little energy and no imagination as the picture lumbers from one scene to the next. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Concussion” has the opportunity to be a provocative, stinging indictment of the National Football League, challenging the very essence of contact sports. There are moments in the film where it feels like the material is living up to its potential, inspecting the dangers of the titular brain event. The rest of “Concussion” plays it disappointingly safe, offering more defined focus on the lead character’s private life than his battle with professional football. There’s a better movie to be made about the subject, and while writer/director Peter Landesman (“Parkland”) handles a few disturbing encounters just right, the rest of the feature is much too conventional, hesitant to confront a venerable institution. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Adam McKay teased frustration with the American banking system in 2010’s “The Other Guys,” but now he’s fully outraged. Adapting a book by Michael Lewis, McKay (who co-scripts with Charles Randolph) attempts to provide a broad education on corruption with “The Big Short,” which intricately details the events leading up to the 2008 Financial Crisis. Calling up an army of star power and attacking the sobering material with a fleeting sense of humor, McKay aims for the impossible, taking on the most “eat your veggies” story of the film year. He almost pulls it off too, as “The Big Short” has a funny way of being completely illuminating between suffocating stretches of exposition and overacting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

On a hot streak of pictures that celebrate damaged lives with underdog stories, writer/director David O. Russell cools his manic approach with “Joy.” Dramatizing the true story of Joy Mangano, the inventor of the Miracle Mop, Russell appears baffled by the task at hand, unsure if he’s making a bio-pic or an inspirational story, leaving the feature confused at times, with an unsatisfying amount of detail trickling in. But this is why Jennifer Lawrence is around, delivering a mature and deeply felt performance as Joy, helping Russell achieve a grander sense of life in motion the rest of the movie surprisingly lacks. Missing the punch of “The Fighter,” the sugar rush of “Silver Linings Playbook,” and the strut of “American Hustle,” “Joy” comes across undercooked and unfocused, exposing a fatigued Russell. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Mustang” is a movie that’s designed to be uncomfortable. It’s not an easy sit, but it’s a remarkably realized picture from co-writer/director Deniz Gamze Erguven, who delivers a fully emotional experience with a story that reaches for a grader condemnation of Turkish culture. Mixing domestic horrors with pained reflection, “Mustang” does a terrific job getting inside character headspace, finding an exhausting but informative psychological viewpoint that develops throughout the story, amplified by exceptional performances from the largely untested cast. It may seem like medicine, but the feature has important ideas to share about the ways of the world, winding its way through surprises and heartbreak with fresh energy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Bruce Willis was once one of the biggest movies stars in the world, and now he’s playing second banana to Kellan Lutz. “Extraction” is the latest in a growing number of paycheck roles for Willis, who simply doesn’t care about his professional reputation anymore, content to sleepwalk through VOD actioners. Thankfully, Lutz is a little more animated in the picture, which is as routine as they come, watching secret agents battle through nondescript locations, with director Steven C. Miller more interested in the fight sequences than building any type of story. “Extraction” is an exhaustively paint-by-numbers affair, and nobody is more bored with it than Willis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a decade since the release of the last “Star Wars” film (2005’s “Revenge of the Sith”), but the “The Force Awakens” isn’t very interested in the George Lucas prequels. Instead, the new picture is a continuation of the Original Trilogy, attempting to pick up where 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” left off, hoping to rekindle a bit of the old big screen magic with familiar characters and dramatic situations. Co-writer/director J.J. Abrams embarks on a daunting challenge of nostalgia and world-building with the feature, and he’s wildly successful with his revival efforts, triumphantly jump-starting the franchise for a fresh round of sequels and spin-offs that hope to play to all ages and degrees of fandom. As a series starter pistol, “The Force Awakens” packs substantial firepower. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s the pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler that’s immensely appealing about “Sisters.” There doesn’t even really need to be a movie to support the co-stars, as the very idea of shenanigans hosted by two of the top comedians working today is enough to satisfy. However, there is a feature to go along with the billing, and “Sisters” is a modestly successful one, dedicated to showcasing various levels of silliness from Fey and Poehler, who were last seen together in 2007’s “Baby Mama.” While it ends up overstaying its welcome, perhaps mirroring the house party crisis at the center of the story, the film is entertaining, often content to sit back and let the actresses weave their special brand of absurdity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you think it’s crazy that we’re up to four “Alvin and the Chipmunk” movies, imagine being Jason Lee, who probably signed on for the original 2007 picture as a lark, doing one for the kids while collecting an easy paycheck. Eight years later, and he’s still scolding CGI critters. “The Road Chip” returns the famous singing rodents to the screen after a four year break, and the act hasn’t changed since 2011’s “Chipwrecked,” with the latest adventure covering all the family film basics, including heartwarming brotherly bonding, mild thrills, and bathroom humor. “The Road Chip” is a drag, just like the rest of the franchise, but director Walt Becker at least attempts to liven up the PG-rated banality with oddity, looking to entertain all ages with this unnecessary sequel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A seasonal mood attempts to survive “Christmas Eve,” a strange multi-character dramedy that’s interested in dissecting the meaning of faith while also providing fart jokes. Writer/director Mitch Davis (who adapts a screenplay by Tyler McKeller) has his heart in the right place with the effort, which strives to put personalities first, enjoying the combustibility of strangers forced into a pressurized situation. If only “Christmas Eve” were funnier, faster, and more profound, with the results playing like an anemic television movie that’s more concerned with filling the time period than extracting the ideal amount of tension. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The life and times of Dalton Trumbo is a sufficient start for any cinematic exploration, but “Trumbo” focuses on the writer’s professional fight during the 1950s, where the proud Communist and successful screenwriter watched as his life was shredded by politics and betrayal, robbing him of his identity during his prime creative years. “Trumbo” isn’t interested is anything beyond the wreckage, while director Jay Roach slips into melodramatic mode once too often. The feature is professionally acted and compelling in bite-sized portions, but the overall arc of suffering is treated like a cartoon in Roach’s hands. He isn’t making a picture about a period, he’s making a period picture, diluting key moments of emotional devastation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Taking his act to the small screen, Adam Sandler attempts to revive career momentum on Netflix, with “The Ridiculous Six” the first of a batch of Happy Madison productions due to be released on the streaming service over the next few years. It’s a smart move for the mogul, and with the burden of box office performance removed, perhaps there’s a chance the old Sandler will reemerge to restore his once mighty reputation as a master of meat-headery. Unfortunately, hope will have to wait for the next effort, as “The Ridiculous Six” offers the same lazy humor that’s plagued Sandler’s career as of late, though the jesting is supported by a handsome, star-studded western extravaganza, but one that never plays as inventively as it could. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After suffering the professional humiliation of having his last movie, 2009’s “Gentlemen Broncos,” endure a canceled national release due to low box office, writer/director Jared Hess finally returns to theaters with “Don Verdean.” Reconnecting to his vast reservoir of quirk, Hess (who scripts with Jerusha Hess) takes on religious charlatans with his latest release, reuniting with “Broncos” star Sam Rockwell to pants the world of make-believe miracles, mixing satire with his established interests in goofball behavior. “Don Verdean” has originality and an appreciation for snowballing incident, and while the effort is entertaining, it’s strange that the film isn’t funnier, unable to carry a more muscular sense of humor befitting a premise that explores fanaticism and fraud. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are different ways to interpret “In the Heart of the Sea,” which comes across as an attempt by director Ron Howard to dissect the will of man in the face of towering adversity, darkened by misguided behavior towards nature. It’s also a disaster movie, with flaming ships, survival challenges, and a roving whale determined to defend its territory. Perhaps there’s more to “In the Heart of the Sea,” but Howard tends to linger on misery, delivering two hours of anguish and contempt, splashed with gore and death. That’s the feature is downbeat and periodically meandering isn’t really a problem. The real confusion is why Howard felt the need to tell this story in the first place, as it never quite settles on a single idea to leave with a sufficiently battered audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” has seen its fair share of big screen adaptations, most notably with Orson Welles’s 1948 effort, Akira Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood” (from 1957), and Roman Polanski’s 1971 production. The latest take on “The Scottish Play” finds a particularly heavy mood to examine, leading the charge with a profound appreciation for violence and madness, transforming the Bard’s puzzle into a raging monster of a movie. Director Justin Kurzel explores his cinematic space in full, grasping the confusion and impulse the drives the saga, while his casting is tremendous, providing an ensemble that bends the steel-like rigidness of the text with burning emotion, finding fresh life in well-worn material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com