Category: Film Review

To some, he was just a daredevil. To others, Evel Knievel was a hero, with his fearless attempts to conquer danger providing a unique source of inspiration. “Being Evel” is actually the second Knievel documentary released in the past year, and instead of simply checking off accomplishments and biographical highlights, the production submits a tone of recollection, gathering friends, family, and admirers to reflect on Knievel’s career, with emphasis on his volatile personality. “Being Evel” isn’t a complex deconstruction of the stunt icon’s history. It’s more of a campfire remembrance, asking those closest to the star to share anecdotes and provide perspective when needed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s tough to be a Pierce Brosnan admirer these days. The talented actor has been caught in a career rut as of late, participating in dreary actioners (“Survivor,” “The November Man”) that merely require him to grimace and shoot blanks at stunt professionals. Truthfully, he’s been the highlight of most movies he makes, but even his tight-faced charm is buried in “Some Kind of Beautiful,” a bewilderingly titled romantic comedy that’s about as warm and humorous as a TSA waiting line. While Brosnan and co-stars Salma Hayek and Jessica Alba try to wind up the effort with a healthy dose of manic energy, “Some Kind of Beautiful” limps along with dud scenes and a weird appreciation for happily ever after. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Any appreciation of “She’s Funny That Way” requires digestion of star Imogen Poots’s comically large Brooklyn accent. The British actress attempts to squawk her way through the latest effort from Peter Bogdanovich, who hasn’t helmed a big screen feature since 2001’s “The Cat’s Meow,” attempting to tap into the picture’s broad style and classic Hollywood exaggeration, only to emerge with a performance that’s shrill and unconvincing. The rest of “She’s Funny That Way” follows suit, struggling to retain a certain madcap snap, only the screenplay doesn’t offer much in the way of punchlines and the actors gathered aren’t especially known for their crisp timing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After watching Rosamund Pike portray a scheming, murderous psychopath in last year’s “Gone Girl,” it’s a little strange to see the actress attempt a variation on the role in “Return to Sender.” As exploitation goes, the picture doesn’t add up to much, delaying the inevitable for so long, it doesn’t really matter much to the movie when violence finally arrives. Rocking back and forth between sensitivity and cheap thrills, “Return to Sender” is kept alive by Pike’s performance, which strives to make the character arc meaningful while director Fouad Mikati (responsible for the cringe-worthy misfire, “Operation: Endgame”) fumbles the essentials in suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After smashing through box office expectations with two highly successful “Sherlock Holmes” movies, director Guy Ritchie tries to keep the same intrigue and action alive, but in a slightly more modern setting. “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” takes special care to revive the 1960s, with Ritchie trying to celebrate the era of the original television show the movie takes its inspiration from, reviving big style and paranoia for a retro romp through Cold War tensions. “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” is stacked with stunning visuals and Ritchie’s dry wit, but it struggles to snap out of its too-cool-for-school slumber, while leads Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer do a terrific impression of male mannequins, robbing the picture of needed charm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

On the album cover of the 1988 N.W.A. album, “Straight Outta Compton,” there are six men displayed. The N.W.A. bio-pic, “Straight Outta Compton,” only focuses on three members of the group. For some, emphasis on rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E is a no-brainer, with the artists forming the identity and sound of the band. However, for dramatic purposes, the highlighting of only half the group immediately rings false. In fact, much of “Straight Outta Compton” comes across as fiction, with screenwriters Andrea Berloff and Jonathan Herman trying to create a superhero origin story that keeps the brand names happy, making Dre and Cube the stars of the show, preserving their reputations as they cloud the true creative nucleus of the group. The picture isn’t really a biography, it’s an application for sainthood. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A talented actor and comedian, Jemaine Clement has never truly found his footing as movie performer. He’s always the bright spot in anything he appears in, but Clement certainly deserves a more significant challenge to bring out his charisma and depth. After scoring major laughs in the delightfully silly “What We Do in the Shadows,” Clement finds a proper sweet and sour balance in “People Places Things,” which truly brings him to life as a leading man. While hilarious, “People Places Things” is also smart about the confusion of divorce and the fatigue of parenthood, launching a dramedy that’s knowledgeable about the human heart while still tending to moments of humor that Clement sells with customary dryness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Jon Watts recently won himself the opportunity to helm the next big screen version of Spider-Man, with his name a surprising addition to the big screen superhero journey. There isn’t anything contained in his newest film, “Cop Car,” to suggest time in the Marvel Universe is a natural extension to his career, unless the next crime-fighting odyssey for the web-slinger involves long passages of stillness, near-silent performances, and a cold-blooded look at the true price of mischief. “Cop Car” is deliberate, which might drive some viewers to give up on it long before it reaches a conclusion, but patience is rewarded with intense performances, darkly comic highlights, and finale that pays off all the waiting with a wallop of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While trying to sustain a career in Hollywood, recently appearing in pictures such as “Homefront” and “Straw Dogs,” Kate Bosworth has been balancing the money gigs with indie features that ask a little more of the actress. Movies like “Black Rock,” “And While We Were Here,” and “Still Alice” provide richer dramatic possibilities, yet “Amnesiac” is situated somewhere in the middle of creative risk-taking, with director Michael Polish (Bosworth’s real-life husband) attempting to merge exploitation interests with deliberate art-house filmmaking. While packed with scenes of malicious conduct, “Amnesiac” isn’t an effort that’s looking for cheap scares, taking its sweet time to find tension, putting its faith in Bosworth and co-star Wes Bentley. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Juan Jose Campanella is best known for his work on the adult dramas “The Secret in Their Eyes” and “Son of the Bride,” along with his extensive time on television, helming shows like “House M.D.” and “Halt and Catch Fire.” “Underdogs” is his first foray into animation, and to give his production a distinct personality, he’s elected to make a foosball comedy. The Argentine production, “Underdogs” backs up a fascinating premise with a decent amount of laughs, making a soccer comedy on a tiny scale, using cartoon exaggeration to play with visuals and find a fresh way to attack the routine of a sports picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Big Sky” is a story of survival mixed with crime film clichés. The psychological aspects of the screenplay are enticing, taking a long look at agoraphobia, and how such anxiety is managed while trapped in frantic flare-up of self-preservation. Director Jorge Michel Grau (“The ABCs of Death”) struggles with a basics of suspense, and screenwriter Evan M. Wiener (“Monogamy”) looks to create a community aspect of panic, which inches the feature away from an intimate understanding of the lead character and her long road to safety. “Big Sky” is engaging, with select moments locating an intriguing tone of doubt, finding its more conventional ideas and stand-offs intrusive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As televised intellectual pursuits go, few showdowns have managed to rival the series of debates that took place in 1968 featuring William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal. Two titans of the political and literary realm, the men were paired in an effort to boost ratings, only to walk away from the experience with a newfound hatred of each other. “Best of Enemies” is a documentary devoted to the debates and their aftermath, tracking an impressive display of ego handed a prime time slot to the delight of Americans everywhere, also helping to shape shrieking punditry as we know it today. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Air” offers an intriguing premise, but there’s little evidence provided here that supports the decision to take what’s clearly only enough plot for a short film and stretch it out to feature-length standards. It’s a two-hander acting opportunity for stars Djimon Hounsou and Norman Reedus, who obviously relish the chance to be the main attraction, guiding this concrete-bound post-apocalyptic tale of survival. Co-writer/director Christian Cantamessa guides a sharp, evocative effort, but there just isn’t anything here that demands attention, with much of “Air” handed over to exploratory sequences that feel like padding, trying desperately to make something major out of something minor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although there have been plenty of movies made about the struggle of mountain climbing, with its impossible tests of physical and psychological limitations (the big-budget “Everest” opens in the fall), “Meru” has a different approach to the assembly of breathless participants and frightening heights. Taking an emotional look at the spirit of climbing and the process of taking on one of the most difficult mountains in the world, “Meru” imparts lessons on the value of determination and shares imposing images of the center trek — a quest that threatens the safety of three men in the midst of life-altering challenges. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Final Girl” is a directorial debut for photographer Tyler Shields, who takes the opportunity to show off his visual prowess with a minor riff on slasher film formula. Storytelling isn’t his strong suit, as the movie lacks almost any level of suspense or characterization, existing only to show off dramatic lightning. A dismal, uneventful, and pointless picture, “Final Girl” never really knows what it wants to do with its screen time, fumbling psychological examination to play with silly violence, while personalities and motivations are missing from the final cut. It’s a resume effort from Shields, who seems better suited for beer commercials than big screen dramatics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As the title suggests, “Do I Sound Gay?” is a story about the quest for a voice, and for writer/director/star David Thorpe, one that’s masculine is preferable. Using his own mission to fix speech patterns and deepen his voice, Thorpe opens a can of worms with his documentary, touching on a subject that isn’t covered very often in pop culture beyond unfair punchlines. “Do I Sound Gay?” isn’t profound, but Thorpe’s investigation into self-esteem and public personas touches on a few universal truths about identity, while delivering interesting theories about the origin of specific speech challenges and the power of influence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Jenny’s Wedding” tackles the hot-button issue of same-sex marriage, but wisely avoids political leanings to deal with solely with characterization. It’s written and directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue, who scripted “Beaches” and “Veronica Guerin,” but hasn’t helmed a feature since 1991’s “Paradise.” Making a tentative step back into the industry war zone, Donoghue finds a tone of sensitivity with “Jenny’s Wedding,” inching it past the domestic intolerance routine to find genuine human moments of communication and concern. There are plasticized scenes to endure, but the movie commits to a larger arc of personal awakening, which helps to digest the clichés Donoghue clings to. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s a relatively new trend in Hollywood to restart franchises quickly after they’ve stalled. The character of Spider-Man is a prime example, with the web-slinger about to embark on his third big screen introduction in 15 years, watching producers churn out comic book adventures until one resonates enough to support a longstanding franchise. A decade ago, there was a “Fantastic Four,” which delivered an origin story and a visual effects bonanza, but very little entertainment, with the feature, and its lackluster 2007 sequel, failing to lure blockbuster-worthy audiences into theaters. For obvious financial and secretively legal reasons, the “Fantastic Four” have returned, this time shedding colorful antics for a darker, angrier film approach to global heroism, trying to find a fresh concept for understandably suspicious viewers hesitant to shell out lunch money to see the same old superhero stuff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Identifying a fantastic performance from Meryl Streep has become old news, watching the legendary actress tear through varied roles with professional brilliance, routinely refreshing awareness of her screen dominance. Somehow, consistency hasn’t stifled her creativity, coming to every project with a specific identity. For “Ricki and the Flash,” Streep transforms into an aging rocker, perhaps her biggest stretch yet, and she pulls it off with alarming success, more credible as a stage queen than most actual musicians. And yet, Streep’s sublime turn is only a small part of the pleasures offered in “Ricki and the Flash,” which takes a giant step over absentee mama formula to achieve a full sense of humanity and humor. The music doesn’t hurt either. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Shaun the Sheep Movie” is the latest release from Aardman Animations, the beloved company behind “Wallace & Gromit,” “Chicken Run,” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.” Celebrated for their special cartoon wit and elastic stop-motion animation style, Aardman attempts to bring “Shaun the Sheep” to the big screen after the television series carried on for 130 episodes. Perhaps unfamiliar to American audiences, the farmland characters generate a special style of mayhem in “Shaun the Sheep Movie,” which doesn’t require intimate knowledge of the brand name to enjoy. The Muppet-style slapstick and visual invention works on its own, delivering big laughs and eye candy for a family audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com