Category: Film Review

After the global success of the “Sex and the City” movies, it’s bizarre that Hollywood hasn’t made the effort to turn every reasonably successful show into a big screen event. “Entourage” certainly seems like a good fit, with the HBO series (which premiered in 2004) offering salacious content, industry satire, and a warm climate to film in. It comes with some surprise to find “Entourage” failing to do much of anything as a feature, with creator/director/screenwriter Doug Ellin satisfied with turning the picture into an extended episode of the show, complete with dismal performances and the most anticlimactic ending of the year. Granted, the series wasn’t known for its quality, but Ellin is on autopilot here, content to hit the basics and pray for a sequel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When most moviegoers hear the title “The French Connection,” memories of Gene Hackman slinging riddles, barking at baddies, and steamrolling through New York City in a runaway car immediately spring to mind. It’s a tough act to top, with the 1971 William Freidkin picture considered a classic. “The Connection” isn’t out to top the Academy Award-winning film, instead taking a different approach to a story of cops and criminals making trouble for each other over the heroin trade. A French production that’s clearly influenced by American cinema, “The Connection” has the directorial muscle to connect the dots on routine material, finding a steady thriller beat and strong performances to support another foray into the drug smuggling underworld. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A few years ago, writer/director Andrew Bujalski crafted “Computer Chess.” A quirky comedy with a distinct visual approach, the film was a free range creation, chasing every whim while showing comfort with stillness. It was an idiosyncratic journey into semi-tedium that felt like a novelty, but with “Results,” Bujalski’s follow-up feature, it’s clear that long displays of pure behavior might be his only interest. “Results” is amusing and uniquely performed, and the screenplay’s dedication to uncomfortable situations is laudable. Its shapelessness is a challenge, even with defined mischief, leaving the effort periodically struggling for oxygen, lost in permissiveness as the story begins skipping beats to simulate momentum. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Survivor” wants to be accepted as a serious study of global terrorism and the everyday heroes who fight the bad guys through investigative measures. It’s a fine idea for a movie, but the script from Philip Shelby would rather play with broad chase sequences and laborious exposition than dig into the authenticity of office-bound defenders. Director James McTeigue (“V for Vendetta,” “The Raven”) does surprisingly little with “Survivor,” staging mundane action and guiding blank performances as the picture quickly grows into a basic DTV thriller, only missing a supporting appearance from Steven Seagal. Aiming to be pulse-pounding entertainment, the feature is barely able to keep itself awake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Cameron Crowe used to make wonderful movies. They were pictures filled with humanity, warmth, and humor, dissecting the challenges of everyday life with tonal precision. While many single out 2005’s “Elizabethtown” as the first misstep in Crowe’s career, 2011’s “We Bought a Zoo” is a more defined fault line for the creative quake to come, with the feature resembling a parody of a Crowe film, not the real thing. “Aloha” is his latest big screen effort and likely his last for quite some time. A staggering mess of characters and plot, “Aloha” runs on autopilot, finding Crowe completely mystified by his own work, returning to tried-and-true scenes of cutesy idiosyncrasy and dewy romanticism without a basic understanding of what he’s doing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The disaster movie genre isn’t quite the powerhouse it once was. Think 2009’s profoundly goofy “2012,” which attempted to destroy the world one tuneless scene at a time. And now there’s cheap parody entertainment flooding pop culture, with the likes of 2013’s “Sharknado” and its lunch money budget defining screen catastrophe these days. “San Andreas” isn’t going to win any awards for originality, but its solemnity is a gift, returning a little horror and pain to mass destruction, delivering an end-of-the-world tone with a firm handle on panic. It’s hokey at times, definitely too long for such a thin premise, but “San Andreas” is never jokey, displaying an endearing determination to take catastrophe with the passable seriousness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Gemma Bovery” gives the impression that it’s going to be an exhaustively intellectual experience, demanding audiences come to the picture with knowledge of author Gustave Flaubert and his greatest success, the 1856 story, “Madame Bovary.” Thankfully, “Gemma Bovery” isn’t a rigid foray into literary analysis, but a slightly cheekier examination of obsession with an interesting handle on tragedy. Adapted from a 1999 graphic novel by Posy Simmonds and directed by Anne Fontaine (“Adore,” “Coco Before Chanel”), the feature manages to tackle grim events with a certain lightness, while paying tribute to Flaubert’s work in a most unusual manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Barely Lethal” doesn’t know what type of film it wants to be. Opening as a satire of spy movies and teen cinema, the picture eventually gives in to cliché, becoming the very thing it was previously looking to lampoon. Director Kyle Newman gets caught up in the frivolity, concentrating on surface details and visual gags to such a degree, he forgets there’s a story to tend to. While it promises a clever pantsing, “Barely Lethal” ends up sleepover material, losing its bite and focus as it slowly becomes a tiresome Disney Channel-style production. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

BASE jumping (Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth) is difficult to understand. Not the actual mechanics of the sport, but the mindset required to leap from impossibly high urban and rural areas without clearance from local authorities and often without warning. “Sunshine Superman” is a documentary about Carl Boenish, the man who essentially originated the pastime, tracking his development into a “freefall cinematographer” and focal point for the BASE movement. Director Marah Strauch has a lot of respect for Boenish, and this passion glows throughout “Sunshine Superman.” However, as an inspection of daredevil antics colliding with quasi-religious release, there are surprisingly few details about the man that contribute to a meaningful profile. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are knock-offs of “Mamma Mia,” and then there’s “Walking on Sunshine,” a British jukebox musical that sets out to replicate the sun-and-song formula to fuel another blockbuster success. Directors Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini aren’t fooling around here, actively looking to reheat “Mamma Mia” for a slightly younger audience, eschewing ABBA hits to mine the depths of pop music from the 1980s, creating a mix tape-style experience that merges singing, dancing, and easily digestible conflicts, while the whole thing is drenched in sun and colored with tanned skin. The laziness of the effort is remarkable to watch at times, even when its cast works diligently to put on a big show, making “Walking on Sunshine” amiable but frequently insufferable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When writer/director Tom Six unleashed “The Human Centipede” on the world in 2009, I doubt he had any expectations beyond cult notice. His vision for horror was graphic and cruel, yet somehow the picture became a punchline in film nerd circles, while newcomers treated the feature as the ultimate dare. With extremity comes notoriety and profits soon follow, and now audiences are faced with “The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence),” which turns what was once intended to be a shocking and soul-crushing saga into a particularly violent “Funny or Die” sketch, leaving Six grasping to find a way to keep his cash cow sufficiently nourished for another installment of surgery and madness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1982’s “Poltergeist” was a rare event in horror filmmaking. Unleashed during an especially virile year for movie releases, the picture was a diamond in a particularly frustrating genre, with producer/co-writer (some say he directed as well) Steven Spielberg conjuring an epic haunted house tale, complete with ghoulish visions of death and decomposition, backed by substantial special effects wizardry. It was weird, darkly humorous, and terrifying. Although Hollywood took its time, the “Poltergeist” remake is finally here, but instead of creating a new generation of suburban fears, the reheat simply mimics the original in a stunningly lifeless manner. That the 2015 version isn’t as riveting as the 1982 feature isn’t really a problem. But the new “Poltergeist” doesn’t even best 1988’s “Poltergeist III.” That’s cause for concern. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“In the Name of My Daughter” is deceptive in the way it concocts an intimate family drama concerning power plays and psychological unraveling, only to gradually emerge as a true crime saga. It’s the latest work from writer/director Andre Techine (“Wild Reeds,” “The Girl on the Train,” and “Thieves”), who provides a taste of disorder to help backdrop what eventually becomes a case of possible murder, paying close attention to moments of betrayal and discomfort that gradually funnel into accusation. Although it’s disjointed, “In the Name of My Daughter” is gripping, with enough troubling turns of plot to help forgive its awkward conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a call to arms concerning the future of the planet buried within the surprisingly leaden “Tomorrowland.” Director Brad Bird has his heart in the right place with this sci-fi adventure, hoping to stimulate minds with a story that celebrates imagination, intelligence, and effort, working to build an appropriately exciting blockbuster to ease concentration on all the homework. “Tomorrowland” is a curious creation with a bold visual design that’s erected with care. However, as pure drama, it’s inert, struggling to shift smoothly between wonder and enlightenment, offering manic performances that fail to inspire screen velocity. It’s certainly an interesting picture when it wants to be. Unfortunately, Bird doesn’t always want it to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Slow West” isn’t a traditional western. Sure, outlaws appear, six-guns are brandished, and the long crawl of horse-based travel is felt. Writer/director John Maclean embraces important elements of the genre, but he’s after a more intimate space of dark comedy and conflicted men. “Slow West” is a special film, eschewing a more grandstanding show of force to cherry pick strange and sincere moments, carrying an idiosyncratic vibe that Maclean’s manages well, even when he can’t fill up an already brief movie. It’s not a hard-charging effort, but something softly strange, which is quite an achievement in this day and age of cinematic sameness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After making his directorial debut with 1997’s “Gattaca,” Andrew Niccol embarked on a troubling career of interesting failures (“Lord of War”) and outright disasters (“In Time,” “The Host,” “Simone”). Each film attempted to articulate the human experience, with attention paid to the manipulation of body and soul, but, more often than not, Niccol was caught delivering speeches when suspense was needed. “Good Kill” is an unexpected return to form for the helmer, who finds a sophisticated subject in drone warfare, with its troubling moral questions and military demands. Guided by a strong performance from Ethan Hawke, “Good Kill” manages to find a balance between demonstration and debate, allowing Niccol to indulge his beloved sermonizing while providing substantive characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As an actor, Paul Newman tried to lead a normal life, finding the big spotlight of fame uncomfortable when it couldn’t be used to his advantage. Building an iconic career in film and television, Newman had difficulty finding balance to his life, with soulful clarity found in a most unlikely place: car racing. “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” is a highly informative and loving tribute to the star’s “secret” life, striving to indentify a thirst for competition and speed that drove him to seek pleasure on the race track, where his marquee name couldn’t provide an advantage when strapped in behind a wheel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Pound of Flesh” has an encouraging premise, essentially pitting Jean-Claude Van Damme against an underground network of organ thieves. The very thought of the famous action star setting out to retrieve his kidney on the streets of Manila is enticing. Unfortunately, viewer imagination is far more compelling than anything “Pound of Flesh” has to offer. Dreary, underlit, and straining for meaning with a stilted script by Joshua James, the feature goes through the motions in terms of Van Damme and action, but director Ernie Barbarash doesn’t bother with momentum, often stopping the film entirely to tend to worthless dramatics and tedious performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Documentarian Amy L. Berg makes fiction filmmaking debut with “Every Secret Thing.” After taking on the Catholic Church in “Deliver Us From Evil,” the West Memphis Three in “West of Memphis,” and Hollywood’s history of sexual abuse in “An Open Secret,” it should come as no surprise to find Berg drawn to the themes of “Every Secret Thing,” which touches on criminal activity and psychological erosion, exploring the lives of broken people. Adapted from the 2004 novel by Laura Lippman, the picture retains powerful examinations of denial, but it seldom pieces together smoothly, often resembling four features running at the same time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After experiencing distribution rejection around Hollywood, 2007’s “Paranormal Activity” finally found a home with Paramount Pictures. Electing to experiment with a word-of-mouth publicity campaign, the studio carefully expanded the feature into theaters during the 2009 Halloween season, creating a low-budget, slow-burn blockbuster out of next to nothing, transforming director Oren Peli into the next big thing. “Area 51” is his long-awaited follow-up to “Paranormal Activity,” though its road to the big screen has been bumpy. Shot in 2009, the film is finally seeing the light of day, finally offering fans a chance to catch what Peli has been up to for the last six years. Turns out, he’s been fine-tuning a clunker, with “Area 51” a shameless rehash of the found-footage formula that gifted him a helming career. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com