Category: Film Review

The idea of “Lila & Eve” is often more interesting than the film itself. A look at abyssal depths of grief and a rather unorthodox method of therapy, the picture is a strange brew of screaming emotions and exploitation interests, with director Charles Stone III never exactly sure what type of feature he’s making. A strong lead performance from Viola Davis is enough to secure some realism to the effort, but the production tends to give in to B-movie hysterics, losing sight of real-world misery that informs the picture’s finest scenes. Sometimes it’s looking for tears, sometimes it’s hoping for cheers, leaving “Lila & Eve” uneven and, at times, frustratingly simplistic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Self/less” is the latest feature from director Tarsem Singh, an artful filmmaker behind “The Cell” and “The Fall,” but also someone looking to preserve industry longevity, masterminding the studios efforts “Immortals” and “Mirror Mirror.” Trying to straddle the line between spectacle and emotionality, Singh has never proven his worth with storytelling. He can shoot the stuffing out of a sunset, but give the man drama, and he’s always baffled. “Self/less” suffers the same fate as his other pictures, though it shows immense promise in its opening act, setting a fantasy mood as mad science morphs into a thriller of sorts, holding together longer than most of Singh’s work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Introduced in “Despicable Me,” the Minions were tiny, yellow, Spanglish-speaking henchmen intended to be periodic comic relief for a movie about lovable supervillain Gru and his adopted family. In “Despicable Me 2,” it became clear that the Minions were becoming a major draw for the blockbuster franchise, gifted a larger presence in the story along with substantial screen time. Now there’s “Minions,” which takes the prequel route to deliver a tale that’s concentrated entirely on cartoon mischief. Unexpectedly, Gru isn’t missed, finding Brian Lynch’s screenplay teeming with knowing jokes and sharp high jinks, keeping the spirit of the Minions alive while delivering an adventure that supports their newfound starring role. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

According the picture’s opening crawl, “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” is a film from the 1980s that was banned and destroyed by President Reagan due to its monumentally violent content. The only copy of the feature that managed to survive was a VHS tape of an early morning public access showing in Minneapolis, allowing the legend of “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” to live on once again, complete with awkwardly edited commercial breaks. At last, the public is gifted a chance to witness one of the most grotesque B-movies in cinema history, with its unrelenting terror, gore, and fraternity neuroses, stuffed into a slasher extravaganza that finally brings to the screen what the horror genre has been missing: a Larry King cameo. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In July, 2011, at the age of 27, Amy Winehouse died in her London home. A combination of a weak heart and alcoholism ultimately took her life, with frailty brought on by substance abuse, fame, and mental disorders, paving the way to the end. Her life wasn’t a mystery, encouraging attention from cameras before she was imprisoned by them, leaving director Asif Kapadia (“Senna”) with plenty of footage to work through when assembling “Amy,” his ode to her turbulent life. For fans, the documentary supplies an open-eyed look at a star who took over the world in the mid-2000s. For newcomers, it’s an introduction to a gifted singer who too easily submitted to others, with Kapadia stitching together a snapshot of her creativity and her recklessness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The summer moviegoing season of 2015 is a little light on horror films. Needing a mid-year chiller to plug a hole in the schedule, Warner Brothers picked up “The Gallows,” which was in production nearly three years ago. Hoping to make a little extra money from younger audiences on prowl for a communal scream, the studio isn’t coloring outside the lines with this endeavor, which is a straight-up, seen-it-all-before found footage terror feature starring a bunch of untested actors, directed by two men who have no interest in disrupting audience expectations. “The Gallows” is tedious and painfully conventional, with its unwillingness to try anything new more frightening than anything this achingly dull picture dreams up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The family road trip comedy takes on unusual gravity in “What We Did on Our Holiday,” which combines a sense of domestic chaos with the very real experience of death. While it traffics in combative behavior in strained relationships, there’s warmth to the film, watching directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (who also script) labor to maintain an inviting tone that doesn’t sour as the tale works through uncomfortable discoveries. “What We Did on Our Holiday” is an amusing picture with a few laugh-out-loud moments, but it’s more interesting as storytelling tightrope walk, studying the feature as it navigates troubling turns of plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you must seen one film about 17th century gardening in Versailles this year, “A Little Chaos” is the right choice. Iconic actor Alan Rickman returns to directorial duties (also co-scripting) after an 18-year-long break with this period piece, which takes a look at royal interactions and the majesty of landscaping during a time of national pride. Dramatically, “A Little Chaos” isn’t out to overwhelm, sticking close to formula when dealing with romantic interests and bottomless pain, but Rickman knows how to spin predictability in a satisfying manner, guiding a compelling journey into companionship and construction that’s boosted considerably by a gifted cast who make the mundane meaningful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Colin Jost is best known as the co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” where he also serves as head writer for the show. “Staten Island Summer” is his first produced screenplay, and there’s one thing is clear about his work: he loves “Caddyshack.” A valentine to his favorite New York City borough and a classic sports comedy, Jost fills his writing up with nostalgia and reverence, trying to maintain a decent hit ratio when it comes to laughs. He’s mostly successful, as “Staten Island Summer” is a genial viewing experience boosted by a lively cast, who manage to connect when the movie occasionally gets a little too casual for its own good. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Strangerland” looks to establish a specific mood of frustration, set during the melt of an unbearable Australian summer. Director Kim Farrant successfully squeezes the setting for everything it’s worth, delivering a feeling of lethargy and illness to a particularly piercing story of personal loss. It’s a shame there isn’t much more to “Strangerland” beyond an evocative helming job, as its tale of closeted deception and confession isn’t robust enough to carry the feature, which is frequently caught spinning its wheels instead of fully examining its conflicts. Farrant attempts to turn something primal into an actor showcase, and her permissiveness slows the movie to a crawl. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1982’s “Turkey Shoot” (aka “Escape 2000”) isn’t a widely known Australian production, but in cult circles, it’s received its share of accolades. The Brian Trenchard-Smith picture is a violent reworking of “The Most Dangerous Game,” with heavy exploitation influences to stretch its modest budget. “Elimination Game” (aka “Turkey Shoot”) is the inevitable remake, yet co-writer/director Jon Hewitt doesn’t offer complete replication, instead pulling most of his ideas from “The Running Man.” What should be a rollicking bullet train of big screen excess is instead an amateurish, borderline incoherent actioner starring Dominic Purcell, whose dead eyes and stiff physicality is perhaps the most telling aspect of this bumbling reheat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Terminator Genisys” is the cinematic equivalent of untangling Christmas lights. Facing the need to restart the franchise after the last chapter, 2009’s “Terminator Salvation,” was deservedly met with low box office returns and audience derision, the new picture sets out to clear a different path for the moneymaking brand name. Returning Arnold Schwarzenegger to the series after a one film break, “Terminator Genisys” hopes to march forward by dealing with the past, returning to old big screen stomping grounds to give viewers a sense of familiarity before launching a fresh round of sequels with a slightly differently mission. It’s baffling work, but the “Terminator” sequels were never great about storytelling clarity. Instead, the production braids exhaustive amounts of exposition with slam-bang action sequences, trusting the sound and light show will soften brains looking to make sense of this cat’s cradle of timelines. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Released in the summer of 2012, “Magic Mike” became a phenomenon. A movie about male strippers caught up in emotional turmoil and stunted creative expression, the picture was instead largely accepted as a celebration of beefcake, with director Steven Soderbergh’s indie film mope and melodrama mostly ignored by the feature’s target demographic. “Magic Mike XXL” is the sequel, arriving with full awareness of what audiences didn’t care for the first time around. Hindsight is strong with this one, losing unwelcome actors and, well, a story, to fashion a playground for the fit stars of the show. Fans of stripping routines and shirtlessness will surely feel sated by “Magic Mike XXL.” Those in the mood for substance and measured dialogue should hunt for more interesting exploitation elsewhere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Overnight” is executive produced by the Duplass Brothers, which is a concise way to describe the comedic atmosphere of the movie. Playing with a casual, hand-held, semi-improvised approach, the picture attacks a central question of marital bliss from odd angles. What could be a gauzy drag featuring busy performances is instead absolutely hilarious, winningly acted, and surprisingly wise about the needs of marital partners when locked in a long term relationship. Playing discomfort with grace, “The Overnight” is a sneaky but uproarious odyssey into neuroses and sexual gamesmanship, retaining a human perspective as it samples wily comedic situations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although the picture is credited to Maya Forbes, co-screenwriter of lackluster fare like “The Rocker” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” “Infinitely Polar Bear” proves to be a creative success for the debuting director. Drawing from her own experiences with a bipolar parent, Forbes finds a sense of authenticity to the work that does wonders to even out its sense of bruised whimsy. “Infinitely Polar Bear” is more of an understanding of mental health issues than a true dissection of unwieldy behavior, but Forbes keeps the feature together with a sense of humor, interest in darkness, and an understanding of adolescent emotion, packaging a light but sincere story of maturity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While director Ken Loach is a respected filmmaker with decades of cinematic achievements, his efforts typically favor stories of the downtrodden facing extinction, maintaining a career that’s primarily focused on those without means gradually consumed by their lowly position. “Jimmy’s Hall” joins the cluster of pain without protest, though it remains a more heartfelt examination of adversity than Loach typically offers. An Irish tale of religious oppression and romantic longing, “Jimmy’s Hall” is an unexpectedly illuminated feature from Loach, who isolates a range of emotions and impulses that deepen characterization, making the battle of freedom presented here all the more meaningful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The healing power of music receives a revival in “Jackie & Ryan.” A low-key romance with deep-seated anxiety issues, the feature comes from writer/director Ami Canaan Mann, who made a splash a few years ago with the lauded but little seen “Texas Killing Fields.” Inching away from murder and paranoia to play softly with the troubles of average folk, Mann fashions a tender, understanding picture that attempts to evade formula through unexpected acts of kindness. “Jackie & Ryan” isn’t profound work, but it carries real heart and private moments of panic, emerging as a character study with a folk music core, matching the bond of stage performance with emotional unions found in everyday life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Asghar Farhadi received global recognition for his 2011 feature, “A Separation.” Following it up with 2013’s “The Past,” Farhadi solidified a reputation for searing character dramas infused with shocking turns of fate. While the world waits for his next effort, American distributor The Cinema Guild has elected to find work from his past to share with hungry audiences. “About Elly” was first released in 2009, but its themes of deception and desperation remain relevant today, submitting a story of secrets and lies that builds with harrowing tension, detailing Farhadi’s expert eye with casting and his ability to snowball harmless intentions into life-destroying events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Max” arrives with noble intentions, out to publicize the efforts of military working dogs, who sacrifice and suffer alongside their human handlers. There’s a riveting picture to be made about this subject, digging into canine psychology as it’s hit with the development of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Frustratingly, the screenplay for “Max” doesn’t go anywhere near such compassion, instead ordering up a glorified “Scooby-Doo” episode that takes violent turns and it shuffles away from its original intent. This is not a good film, with weak acting and worse direction, but what makes the feature a true spirit-crusher is how badly it botches an original perspective, trading valuable veteran insight for cliché. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Ted” emerged from out of nowhere to become one of the top grossing pictures of 2012. Little was expected of a talking bear comedy co-starring Mark Wahlberg, but co-writer/director Seth MacFarlane delivered a brew of smut and sweetness that was big on laughs. “Ted 2” isn’t a radical change of direction for the new franchise, but the production seems intent on preserving a plot for the sequel, trying to give the feature dramatic heft as it also stages gags involving marijuana, tipped cups of semen, and a ceramic penis bong. MacFarlane hasn’t grown up, but “Ted 2” delivers on its limited ambition, finding something for the bear and his bro to do while the helmer adds more of his fetishes and obsessions to the overstuffed follow-up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com