Category: Film Review

There have been books, documentaries, and television productions about the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, but nothing can touch “Everest” in terms of sheer you-are-there intensity. While the fates of those involved in the event have been known for almost two decades now, director Baltasar Kormakur finds a way to refresh the suspense of the moment, building a large-scale disaster movie that’s impressively executed, generating all the nail-biting sequences an endeavor like this requires. This isn’t a particularly uplifting tale of a doomed climb, but “Everest” captures the physical effort of mountaineering, the bustle of mountain life, and the futility of rescue, skillfully creating intimacy in the midst of complete chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Gangster cinema pumps the brakes with “Black Mass,” a periodically effective offering of criminal activity and tough guy encounters. It tells the story of James “Whitey” Bulger, a South Boston crime lord who joined forces with the F.B.I. for informational purposes, building an empire with almost no outside interference. “Black Mass” is based on a true story (an adaptation of a 2001 book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill), but it plays almost too softly, with director Scott Cooper striving to construct a sprawling saga of corruption, only to end up with a few terrific scenes and a lot of dead air. The movie initially promises something more kinetic than it ultimately delivers, often caught up in the community of thugs and feds that surrounded Bulger on a daily basis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A few years ago, Leslye Headland made her directorial debut with “Bachelorette,” a raucous comedy that attempted to secure a female perspective on crude antics typically found in male-driven endeavors. It was a lousy picture, but there was hope that Headland could evolve from dim-wit humor, locating genuine (possibly even likable) characters and sharpening her slack timing. “Sleeping with Other People” is more of a lateral move for the helmer, who trades broad antics for breathless improvisation, turning what appears to be a sweet reworking of “When Harry Met Sally” into a borderline insufferable session of joke skeet shooting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“War Pigs” is an attempt to revive a classic, meat-on-the-bones approach to a World War II story, focusing on crusty, cynical men as they do battle with Nazis and their own secret reservoirs of combat shock. It’s a broad picture from director Ryan Little (“Forever Strong”), with nearly enough B-movie ambition to power its vision for a war film, working to generate enough leathery performances and entertaining training montages to help fog the reality that the production is spending next to nothing on anything besides costumes and digital effects. “War Pigs” is a cheap effort, but not without a few charms. It just takes a little too much work to locate the positives as Little stages action in what appears to be his backyard. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We now live in a time when stories of harmony and support are needed, providing reassurance that when the moment arrives, human beings are capable of more than just rampantly selfish and destructive behavior. “Rosenwald” is the latest documentary from filmmaker Aviva Kempner, who continues her exploration of the Jewish experience in America after scoring successes with “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg” and “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg.” For her latest work, Kempner examines a tale of philanthropy and compassion, bringing the saga of Julius Rosenwald and his personal mission of support to the screen with an affectionate and exhaustive feature that’s greatly informative about the man and his life of habitual service. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last decade has been rough on filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. After making a mess out of big-budget endeavors (“After Earth,” “The Last Airbender”) and personal projects (“Lady in the Water”), Shyamalan elects to return to his roots with “The Visit,” a found footage production that doesn’t require stars or cinematic razzle-dazzle, demanding only a jittery frame and random frights. “The Visit” isn’t a return to form for the helmer, but it retains a modest punch, with Shyamalan trying to blend devastating psychological issues with cheap scares, emerging with an intermittently clear vision for trauma that’s almost completely undone by desperate third act developments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Exploitation needs a certain level of disease to come alive. It’s difficult to pull off sleaze with a PG-13 rating, especially with a story that involves heavy amounts of sex and violence. “The Perfect Guy” has a host of problems preventing it from achieving desired levels of excitement, but its primary misstep is blandness, watching what should be a swirl of bedroom heat and aggressive acts of intimidation diluted by a production that wants to open its doors to all audiences. “The Perfect Guy” has a few capable performances and an enormous amount of potential, but this reworking of the “Fatal Attraction”/“Play Misty for Me” formula doesn’t have the energy to put up a decent fight. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Alex Ross Perry doesn’t make easy films. His last effort, “Listen Up Philip,” submitted one of the most unpleasant lead characters in recent memory. His latest, “Queen of Earth,” explores the abyss of mental illness. He’s not the cheery type, but Perry has a way of making these dramatic explorations worthwhile, with periodic blips of profundity. Carried by a wonderfully ragged lead performance from Elisabeth Moss, “Queen of Earth” steps away from a clinical understanding of depression to go semi-Polanski, treating the fractured experience of a complete unraveling with a full immersion into paranoia and hopelessness, emerging with a secure study of friendship and phobia that feels organically communicated yet sharply cinematic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Chinese director Zhang Yimou has enjoyed quite a varied career, but his most famous cinematic achievements remain in the realm of action spectacles, with “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers,” and “Curse of the Golden Flower” reaching a wider international audience. However, the helmer’s finest work is often found in his intimate dramas, with efforts such as “Raise the Red Lantern,” “Ju Dou,” and “The Road Home” delivering on atmosphere and emotion in a primal manner, while big screen style remains. “Coming Home” is a melodrama, but it’s an accomplished one, reflecting a time and place with minimal moves, yet sustaining a feel of heartache that’s engaging, even when it offers decidedly bittersweet moments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Any production that attempts to dramatize autism is faced with a challenge of tone and respect. “A Brilliant Young Mind” tells the story of an autistic boy who’s getting used to the world around him, grasping adolescent and romantic situations for the first time after being thrown into the deep end of socialization. Scripted by James Graham and directed by Morgan Matthews, “A Brilliant Young Mind” is smart and perceptive, and it’s also stunningly sensitive to human needs. While it tells a tale of academic accomplishment and examination, the feature is riveting as a study of frustration and longing, capturing the range of experiences that come with autism, not just focusing on a single degree of understanding. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Second Mother” looks at the emotional impact of housemaid and nanny work, exploring one woman’s experience as her professional and private lives meet for the first time, causing all sorts of chaos. It’s a Brazilian picture with enormous personality and a deep understanding of the employer/employee relationship. It’s light when it chooses to be, but “The Second Mother” is crafty with a few comedic asides, generating a pleasant sense of misdirection, allowing the rest of this finely crafted, patient, and exceptionally performed movie to emerge from unexpected places, identifying the cost of personal sacrifice with outstanding precision. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although there have been a few attempts to alter his filmmaking identity over the years, writer/director Neil LaBute is primarily known for his provocative ways with sexuality, gender, and race. He enjoys poking at taboo topics, armed with acidic, slyly humorous dialogue that periodically cuts to the heart of social woes and emotional instability. While his cinematic career has been lacking lately (his last effort, “Some Velvet Morning” was barely distributed), LaBute revives his impish qualities with “Dirty Weekend,” which teases surprises and extends discomfort. The movie has its moments, but “Dirty Weekend” comes up short when time arrives to truly unnerve the audience, finding LaBute unable to dream up a story that contains a suitable payoff. Instead, he shows more comfort with vague outlines of anxiety, which isn’t as amusing as the production imagines. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Oren Moverman made a critical and industry splash with 2009’s “The Messenger.” He didn’t build on that first impression, with his follow-up, 2011’s “Rampart,” showing early signs of creative fatigue and repetition, resulting in a messy, easily dismissible picture. “Time Out of Mind” is an even more experimental offering from Moverman, who endeavors to put viewers into the mindset of a homeless man as he experiences life on the streets and shelters, and makes a vague attempt to rebuild his ruined life. It’s compassionate work with all the good intentions in the world, but Moverman refuses brevity, transforming what should be an unforgettable education into an indulgent slog. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There were three previous “Transporter” movies, and two of them were immensely fun to watch. The series helped star Jason Statham hit a level of respectability as an action hero, making smart use of his bruiser film presence and mumbly way. The efforts were stunt spectacles, outrageous ones at that, allowing co-producer/co-writer Luc Besson to dream up chases and showdowns for Statham to manage in his own special way. After a failed television series, the driver is back to work in “The Transporter Refueled,” a franchise reheat that ditches Statham and the charmingly loopy vibe that informed the first two efforts. Painfully absurd and dismally acted, “The Transporter Refueled” is a new low for the series, failing to do anything in an even remotely competent manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

An adaptation of a 1998 book by Bill Bryson, “A Walk in the Woods” is a travelogue that’s wide open for a two leading men to take command of the material and infuse the feature with considerable personality. Up for the challenge are Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, who team up to portray two older men crossing America on foot, learning about each other and themselves along the way. Teasing gooey sentimentality and metaphor, “A Walk in the Woods” is surprisingly impish, keeping encouraging distance from maudlin activities to transform into an R-rated romp through the wilderness, subverting expectations for a somber reflection on the fragility of life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In a post-Elliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner world, it’s fitting to find “Zipper” taking on the subject of political ambition colliding with sexual addiction. It’s a topic that’s ripe for exploration, and co-writer/director Mora Stephens is certainly enthusiastic about the details that make up such a fall from grace. It’s the ultimate dramatic goals of “Zipper” that remain frustrating, as Stephens isn’t sure if she wants to craft a dark ode to animal urges or a taut paranoia thriller featuring a range of scowling, judgmental characters. The feature does tap into the agitated mind of a man who’s reaching utter powerlessness when faced with carnal temptations, but, overall, the movie takes its unscrupulousness with overwhelming seriousness, opening the effort up to unintended laughs and an iffy handle on taste. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Struggling with a career that’s enjoyed blockbuster highs (becoming a Marvel Studios legend as Captain America) and creative lows (including the recent “Playing It Cool”), actor Chris Evans elects to take control of his professional future with “Before We Go,” making his directorial debut. Putting his heart into a tale of lost souls searching for emotional clarity during one particularly long evening, Evans battles to preserve behavioral authenticity to the picture, holding tight on performances and extended scenes of bonding. However, “Before We Go” contracts a case of the cutes one too many times, hunting for a way to be likeable and romantic when the material demands restraint, trusting in the nature of basic human decency. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movies about tennis are few and far between, but comedies about tennis are practically nonexistent. This gives “Break Point” something of an advantage, as it’s a perfectly pleasant and frequently funny tennis comedy with a passable handle on character. Far from profound, with a rudimentary examination of familial hostilities and arcs of redemption, “Break Point” does retain a personality thanks to its stars, who work hard, perhaps too hard, to give the effort levels of conflict and tomfoolery, diluting the picture’s programmed feel. Fans of tennis should enjoy the feature’s perspective, but the production manages to create an accessible sports comedy as well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s not every day that a Chinese war epic starring Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody, and John Cusack is produced, making “Dragon Blade” a significant curiosity. The picture also claims to be based on a true story, but it remains unclear what part of the tale is supposed to represent history. Perhaps taking such an endeavor seriously is a mistake, but it’s refreshing to see writer/director Daniel Lee commit to large scale action and even bigger emotion as China battles Rome in “Dragon Blade.” While the feature isn’t built for an academic response, it does have its fair share of distractions and a significant sweep, and there’s the sight of the three leads trying to make sense of their casting, keeping the effort adequately unpredictable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps “Chloe and Theo” was created with the best of intentions, but what’s ended up in the movie is such a random assembly of guilt, comedy, and tragedy, it’s impossible to detect what the actual message of the picture is. For the most part, “Chloe and Theo” endeavors to teach the audience about climate change and its far-reaching threat to those outside of America. Viewed through the eyes of an Inuit traveler, the story is meant to treat the subject matter with a degree of innocence, coating in the end of the world in cutesy behavior. It’s an admirable shot by writer/director Ezna Sands to preach about environmental damage, but the film is extraordinarily confused and miscast, killing any hope for lasting impact. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com