Category: Film Review

Although “Testament of Youth” is based on Vera Brittain’s best-selling memoir about her time in World War I, it still feels utterly surprising. History and romance collide in this sensational drama, which manages to capture the wonders of attraction and the brutality of war without giving in to overt manipulation. Screenwriter Juliette Towhidi wisely shows restraint when necessary, but she also explores passions in an epic manner, confidently managing tragedy and fantasy as she depicts the maturation of a special young woman. Director James Kent also displays certainty, avoiding a PBS glaze of wartime events to cut straight to the needs of the heart and the expansion of the mind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The title “Balls Out” is a turn-off, promising a crude and crummy sports comedy that’s in a dispiriting pun-happy mood. It takes some work to get past it (there’s a wretched Seann William Scott tennis comedy from 2009 with the same title), but it’s worth the effort, as this “Balls Out” is a smarter, sharper take on self-aware sports cinema, finding a healthy balance between razzing the genre and celebrating its pleasures. It’s also a periodically hilarious picture with an amiable sense of humor, eased along by an enthusiastic cast who’ve come to play, giving the feature a special spin of silliness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Big Game” is a throwback to a time in the world film market when studios would happily put pictures featuring heroic kids into production. Examples remain today, but it’s not as pervasive a plot as it once was, with animated antics taking over for live-action offerings aimed at pre-teens. From the writer/director of the sneaky evil Santa Claus effort, “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale,” “Big Game” is a refreshingly short but enormously entertaining actioner that toys with cliché, but primarily gets by on explosive antics, trying to generate a Joel Silver mood in the middle of Finland. It’s far from original, but helmer Jalmari Helander successfully simulates the spirit of high-octane adventure for the PG-13 crowd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2015 appears to be the year for killer bear releases. A few months ago, “Backcountry” stomped into theaters, bringing with it a ferocious appetite for terror and tension, making something exceptional out of basic forest location, limited casting, and no budget. “Into the Grizzly Maze” is after a slightly grander cinematic experience, though director David Hackl isn’t about to leave his exploitation interests behind, with the helmer of “Saw V” masterminding a graphically violent take on bear hunting that’s big on bloodshed and characters in peril. It’s a shame “Into the Grizzly Maze” isn’t more invested in straight-up horror, as its take on a family drama is wholly uninspired, despite the appearance of a varied cast trying to make something out of nothing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The pain exposed in “Aloft” comes dangerously close to parody. The independent film drills into paralyzing emotional ache that details a fractured relationship between a mother and her son, and the feature is set in the wilds of Canada, with freezing temperatures providing metaphorical chill. “Aloft” is not the most subtle effort, and it’s not the liveliest either, as writer/director Claudia Llosa makes sure to slow down and absorb as much misery as possible. Through the darkness, there are elements of the unknown that work well, giving the picture a reasonable mystery to solve, but it takes special moviegoing endurance to make it through the story, which seems determined to shut down as much outside interest as it can. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagine if Jared Hess directed “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” and that’s something of a description of “The Strongest Man.” Helmer Kenny Riches invests entirely in deadpan humor and a quasi-spiritual journey of personal maturation, combining the ways of mind, body, and soul with a story that concerns a stolen BMX bike. “The Strongest Man” is silly, but it never admits to it, finding Riches doing whatever he can to throttle the impish spirit of the piece, slowing the film down when it’s most comfortable with comedic speed. In fact, the feature is so comatose at times, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring a mirror with you to the theater, just to make sure the movie is still breathing at the midway point. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Martin Owen is on a mission to shred the pop culture poison of reality television with “L.A. Slasher,” which takes on the qualities of a horror film, but never finds its footing. It’s a subject that could always use exploration, but Owen is primarily interested in staging a sound and light show with the movie, which elects style over substance when dealing with a satire of disposable stardom. “L.A. Slasher” is a good-looking effort but offers no threat, positioning itself as dangerous, chic, and wise when it’s mostly muddled and poorly edited. These days, reality T.V. is mostly about lampooning itself, leaving Owen a little late to the condemnation party, rendering the feature dull and passé. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Joe Dante has forged a career on a love for genre pictures. The helmer of “The Howling,” “Gremlins,” and “Matinee,” Dante has demonstrated a devotion to Hollywood and all its ghoulish highlights. “Burying the Ex” is more of an easy lay-up for the moviemaker, but it plays to his strengths of dark comedy and horror, successfully molesting romantic comedy formula to fit the askew needs of undead cinema. “Burying the Ex” is hilarious, icky, and smartly made, reinforcing Dante’s gifts as a storyteller and his endearing appreciation for shock value and uncomfortable laughs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After a steady run of regular releases, Pixar Animation Studios took a brief vacation after the release of 2013’s “Monsters University.” Possibly in need of a breather after an intense foray into sequelization, the company comes roaring back with “Inside Out,” a superbly sophisticated yet endearingly madcap romp around the complex realm of emotions. Directed by Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen, “Inside Out” returns to the adventurous side of Pixar filmmaking, taking great risks with content and execution while softening the blow with a tremendous sense of humor expected from the studio. It’s challenging work, but refreshingly so, taking the audience on an original ride through the human experience, stopping periodically to tend to elastic animated business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Dope” emerges as a film of many perspectives, but none of them are particularly captivating. It’s the latest from director Rick Famuyiwa, helmer of tepid comedies such as “Our Family Wedding” and “The Wood,” while showing a more appealing side with 2002’s “Brown Sugar.” “Dope” is meant to sharp, satirical, and silly, but it’s often confused when it comes to tone, with a callousness that doesn’t mine any significant laughs. It’s not messy, but unfocused and non-confrontational when it comes to truly testing its characters and their supposed intelligence. It has style and caustic, primitive screenwriting, but its soullessness seems at odds with its cheery ambition, delivering a whole mess of unappealing behavior in a movie about an underdog. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Gustave Flaubert’s 1857 novel “Madame Bovary” has been adapted for the stage and screen numerous times, with its tale of temptation and tragedy making a easy fit for dramatic interpretation, often gifting the lead actress a meaty role in an unusually itchy period piece. Director Sophie Barthes (“Cold Souls”) has plenty of insecurity to explore in her feature, but surprisingly little emotion sticks to the screen as intended. Instead, “Madame Bovary” is sumptuously crafted, highly detailed and lived-in, making it a visual event instead a poignant inspection of a lost soul. It’s incredible to look at, but once it steps away from pure cinematic storytelling, the latest round of tightly-corseted depressive desperation dissolves on impact. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Gabriel” is a dark odyssey into mental instability and obsessive behavior that also acts as something of a celebration for actor Rory Culkin. Typically stone-faced and mumbly, Culkin is tasked with creating a full-blooded character with deep-seated, cleverly masked issues, requiring thespian subtlety, not indie film mummification. He pulls off the role in spectacular fashion, delivering substantial work that aids writer/director Lou Howe in his quest to generate an unsettling atmosphere of determination, only the end game for the lead character and the movie is left a compelling mystery that’s worth a closer look. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2010, the documentary “Catfish” debuted under criticism that some of the feature, if not all of it, was faked. In a world where fiction is frequently passed off as “reality,” it’s easy to see why “Catfish” was targeted for suspicion, especially when so much of the movie was poorly performed and, dramatically, a little too neatly designed. “The Wolfpack” conjures the same itchy vibes of manipulation, as audiences are asked to believe in the story of seven siblings locked away in a New York City apartment for most of their lives, despite evidence contained in the picture that suggests the opposite. Inconsistencies, mysteries, and exaggeration weigh heavy on “The Wolfpack.” If the events depicted here are true, it’s a horrifying record of abuse that should trigger an investigation, not observation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Cutesiness plays a major role in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.” Even the title of the movie is trying to be playful. Its joviality would be a blessing if the picture wasn’t actually about the slow drain of cancer, creating quite a problem for the production as it works to maintain light and dark without establishing a comfortable middle ground. It’s difficult to gauge the effort’s sincerity when it’s frequently working to show off its knowledge of film and home video history, but “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” does connect in a few areas of empathy. Unfortunately, it takes some work to claw away the preciousness of the project to get to its heart. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To pull off a crime movie these days, a production needs imagination or a decidedly thrilling show of force. The limply titled “American Heist” doesn’t have any personality or presence, electing to work on a to-do list of clichés instead of trying to rework known elements for optimal surprise. It’s dreary work, cynical and unfinished, using familiar beats of reluctant criminality and brotherly bonding to work through material we’ve all seen before. Not even performances can wake this sleeping film, which is primarily interested in camera placement, not searing storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When considering the wide range of locations for a horror production, the basement of tattoo parlor doesn’t immediately present itself as a nightmarish playground of the damned. Attempting to redefine everyday artistry as a potential disaster area, “Anarchy Parlor” succeeds in being strange, but falters with just about everything else. A hackneyed, pitifully acted picture that’s roughly a decade behind genre trends, “Anarchy Parlor” is only truly interested in providing a grim arrangement of gore, nudity, and cursing. Expectations for anything more interesting or inventive are going to be left unfulfilled, as directors Devon Downs and Kenny Gage have zero patience for anything that doesn’t bleed, jiggle, or scream. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Phantom Halo” endeavors to simulate the Great American Novel. Co-writer/director Antonia Bogdanovich aims to create a drama that touches on insecurity, financial ruin, fantasy, sex, and crime, using the saga of an emotionally stymied family as a foundation for the picture’s multiple narrative directions. Ambition is big with this feature, which tries to take the viewer on a ride of suspense and heartbreak, stuffing the dead spots with Shakespearean flourish. Sadly, what Bogdanovich puts into the feature is more interesting than what ultimately comes out. Confused and tedious, “Phantom Halo” is a mess of a movie that struggles to keep itself together for 90 minutes, gradually disintegrating until all that’s left are good intentions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Independent productions, the backyard kind, need something to attract audience attention. Gone are the days when the basics in emotion and conflict provide enough oomph to entice ticketbuyers, urging filmmakers to create a commotion in place of consideration. The distractingly titled “Charlie, Trevor and a Girl Savannah” is a picture that’s out to slam bang its way into being noticed, with writer/director/star Ty Hodges investing in a collection of editorial tricks to keep the feature alert. “Charlie, Trevor and a Girl Savannah” is blasted with style, but the story doesn’t support the viewing experience as sturdily as it should, coming across almost as an afterthought as Hodges orders up all types of edits and transitions to give the effort a sufficient spin. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The prison revenge thriller has a formula, and “Vendetta” sticks to it closely. It’s the latest picture from directors Jen and Sylvia Soska, who impressed with their debut, “American Mary,” following up an original vision with 2014’s “See No Evil 2.” Maintaining their relationship with WWE Films, the Soskas return to the fray with “Vendetta,” a connect-the-dots bruiser that actually packs quite a punch, boasting a surprisingly meaty lead performance from Dean Cain. It’s a rough effort that displays encouraging speed and imagination with fight sequences, making it easy to forgive the relative nothingness of the plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2001’s “Jurassic Park III” was a wildly entertaining romp through dinosaur highlights first introduced by director Steven Spielberg in his 1993 classic, the last of the old-world blockbusters, “Jurassic Park.” Back then, it was clear the franchise didn’t have much room to grow, recycling horror beats to give a new group of visitors to the dino realm something to scurry away from, mostly consumed with adding fresh creatures to give the Universal Studios merchandise team something to sell. The series was retired, Spielberg grew up, and if you wanted to catch some dinosaurs on the big screen, you had to make do with inferior features. Resurrecting the brand name for one last thrill ride (or possibly reviving it for a new round of sequels), “Jurassic World” takes a slightly different approach to monster moviemaking. Instead of trying to top the first three efforts, it looks to celebrate the universe Spielberg created with author Michael Crichton. It’s a deafening, menacing, immersive tour of dino hunting/human survival, wearing its fandom like a badge of honor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com