Category: Film Review

Summit Entertainment went hunting for a Young Adult franchise while their raging success with the “Twilight” movies was winding down. They found “Divergent,” the first book in a literary trilogy from author Veronica Roth. Released in 2014 with an omnipresent marketing campaign, working its similarities to “The Hunger Games” in full, “Divergent” went on to become one of those strange films that, while financially successful, didn’t inspire a feverish reaction with the public. Trying to extend beginner’s luck, the producers have gone ahead with the sequel, “Insurgent,” hoping that now, with introductions out of the way, Roth’s dystopian world can achieve a sense of hostility and blistering action that was sorely lacking from the previous chapter. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The title “Zombeavers” promises a specific viewing experience the production couldn’t possibly provide. A riff on monster movies, “Jaws,” and trendy zombie efforts, the picture isn’t exactly a barnstorming blend of chills and laughs, but it’s also not unpleasant, emerging as a film that’s primarily interested in meeting viewers halfway, content to provide the titular demons and an excitable cast. This isn’t fine art, folks, yet “Zombeavers” manages to deliver the goods in a perfectly digestible manner, with co-writer/director Jordan Rubin providing a reasonable sense of mayhem with his tiny, undead stars, only missing a true daredevil instinct when it comes to assembling a jokey nightmare. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A documentary almost 20 years in the making, “The Wrecking Crew” sets out to put a face to a song. It’s the story of a group of studio musicians in the 1960s who took this newfangled rock and roll thing and turned it into a series of blissful symphonies, backing up the biggest and most enduring hits of the era, often without credit for their impressive work. Director Denny Tedesco positions himself as the guardian of the gang, using screen time to refresh memories and assign recognition, with his own father, legendary guitarist Tommy Tedesco, the point of entry into this celebratory, exhaustively illuminating tale of musical achievement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Pierre Morel is the man behind “Taken,” a massive international success and one of the best action films of the last decade. With that in mind, there’s a tremendous amount of curiosity surrounding his latest, “The Gunman,” with Morel once again orchestrating a bruising thriller with an older, refreshingly creased star. Sadly, the formula doesn’t produce a kissing cousin to “Taken,” finding “The Gunman” more dour, confused, and sluggish than the Liam Neeson smash. Perhaps direct comparisons are unfair, but established formula is clearly being exploited for another round of bullets and Euro-based brawn, with Sean Penn suitably physical in appearance but mentally checked out as he slogs through a prolonged misfire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The story of the delicatessen emerges as a surprise, simply because who knew there was a tale to tell? “Deli Man” is a documentary on the history of delicatessen culture and generational responsibility, with director Erik Anjou taking cameras into the most famous establishments remaining in America today, exploring kitchens and customers, out to understand how this tradition, rooted in an old-world sensibility, remains alive today. Obviously, there is a mouth-watering component to keep “Deli Man” in step with recent hits such as “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” yet Anjou cuts a little deeper, striving to achieve an understanding of longevity and culinary skill that gives certain delis their personality and popularity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There comes a time in every successful actor’s life when they want to break free from the norm, to stretch in some significant way, hoping to attract different attention with a movie of integrity. For Kat Dennings, “To Write Love on Her Arm” is that attempt, pushing away from her sitcom dominance on “2 Broke Girls,” and overly snarky turns in films such as “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and “Thor.” Dennings isn’t a stranger to drama, but “To Write Love on Her Arms” has all the ingredients of a career-widening role, committing to the fried life of a psychologically smashed junkie trying to piece her mind back together. Mercifully, she’s a nice fit for the part. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Taylor Lautner received worldwide fame with his role as Jacob the shirtless werewolf in the “Twilight” series. Hollywood tried to capitalize on his pop culture ubiquity with 2011’s “Abduction,” a John Singleton actioner that wiped out at the box office, slamming the brakes on Lautner’s dreams of industry domination. The actor makes a return to starring roles with “Tracers,” a fleet-footed crime movie set in the world of parkour. Making use of his natural physicality, director Daniel Benmayor is wise to let Lautner loose to flip, jump, and sprint around the frame. However, “Tracers” also endeavors to tell a story, working with a to-do list of clichés to dream up a yarn strong enough to support extensive stunt work, only to end up with a limp, tiresome film interrupted periodically by exciting footwork. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Michael Almereyda has been here before. In 2000, the helmer modernized William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” transforming the play into a scrappy indie film production, turning broad strokes of obsession and death into a commentary on corporate and consumerist culture. “Cymbeline” returns Almereyda to the Bard’s playground of tragedy, once again updating ancient drama to fit a contemporary look, bringing along “Hamlet” star Ethan Hawke for good luck. Although ambitious, “Cymbeline” doesn’t display any type of storytelling fluidity, lurching from scene to scene, barely making character connections as the production fights to preserve the iconic language while letting the rest of the effort slip into a coma. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movies focusing on the ins and outs of ballet companies and dancer ambition have become a subgenre in recent years, with “Black Swan” and the documentary “First Position” capturing audience attention, allowing the performance art to make a comeback in pop culture. Filmmakers have embraced fictional depictions of behind the scenes turmoil, but the documentary “Ballet 422” doesn’t bother with overt manipulation. Director Jody Lee Lipes simply takes his camera into the heart of the New York City Ballet to study the creative process, allowing the professionals to tell their own story through concentration and reaction, delivering a simple but effective study of these incredible shows. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The third effort in Disney’s business plan to mine their animated empire with live-action reworkings, “Cinderella” rockets to the top of the list, easily outdoing last year’s “Maleficent,” and the blockbuster that ignited this company mandate, 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Leading with heart, charm, and exquisite production achievements, “Cinderella” is the first of this new breed of upgrades to find a balance between spectacle and intimacy, while retaining its fairy tale accouterments to give the picture some much needed magic. Credit director Kenneth Branagh, who’s seasoned enough to comprehend when the movie needs the presence of anthropomorphized mice, fairy godmothers, and broad villainy, and when it simply requires time with genuine feeling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In their third collaboration, “Run All Night” reunites star Liam Neeson and director Jaume Collet-Serra after their work on last year’s “Non-Stop” and 2011’s “Unknown.” Keeping the streak of mediocrity alive, “Run All Night” is yet another disappointing thriller from the duo, which supplies a screenplay (by Brad Ingelsby) bursting with emotion, yet the film itself insists on frivolity, putting slick visuals ahead of gritty characterization. Again playing up the unstoppable nature of big screen Neeson, the feature fails to ignite, with the actor and the movie revealing more of a limp than a full gallop, while Collet-Serra goes cross-eyed trying to keep his action sequences in a straight line. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Hopefully, there will come a day when writer/director Thomas McCarthy dares to sit down and explain what exactly he was intending with “The Cobbler.” Likely 2015’s strangest film, McCarthy’s script attempts to braid together ideas on gentrification, abandonment, depression, envy, and the restorative power of pickles. Also, it’s a superhero origin story, just to keep audiences guessing. Whatever ambition has been funneled into the picture, the end result is a mess — a complete whiff from McCarthy, who clearly has a vision for “The Cobbler,” but no secure idea how to communicate it without resorting to syrupy sentimentality or mean-spirited violence. Star Adam Sandler will certainly receive the brunt of the blame for the mangled effort, but he doesn’t deserve the heat. This is all McCarthy’s doing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Frank Whaley has always been an interesting actor, with compelling supporting roles in “The Doors,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” and “Hoffa,” while earning center stage in such films as “Swimming with Sharks” and, a guilty pleasure of mine, “Career Opportunities.” As a director, Whaley has been hit and miss, finding a confident dramatic rhythm with his debut, “Joe the King,” while subsequent efforts, “The Jimmy Show” and “New York City Serenade” weren’t quite as finely tuned as hoped for. Thankfully, Whaley’s sharpened his vision for “Like Sunday, Like Rain,” a sensitive, exploratory character study that retains a remarkably peaceful presence despite checking in on turbulent lives. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Walter” is a strange movie with big ideas it doesn’t confront in full. It’s a fantasy rooted in severe trauma, boasting a comedic opening and a crushing closer, trying to find a comfortable place where the story’s sincerity can be felt in full. The moment never arrives, but director Anna Mastro and screenwriter Paul Shoulberg offer interesting moments of psychological clarity as they attempt to address the ways people avoid the grieving process, slowly poisoning their own lives. It’s uneven work, but not without elements that come together quite well, including a game supporting cast skilled at bringing personality to picture, while lead Andrew J. West commits in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When one considers the career of writer/director Roland Joffe, substantial pictures such as “The Killing Fields” and “The Mission” come immediately to mind. However, Joffe’s overall filmography isn’t without a few misfires, with recent fare such as “There Be Dragons” failing to connect with audiences. There’s also the 2011’s effort “You and I,” which was meant to launch the group t.A.T.u. to big screen heights. And, of course, there’s 2007’s “Captivity,” a mangled “Saw” clone that was reportedly taken away from the helmer to beef up scenes of torture and gore. I hope somebody writes a book about that production one day. It’s been a rough journey for Joffe lately, and “The Lovers” isn’t about to reverse his fortunes. Commanding a confused, overblown romantic adventure, Joffe loses concentration quickly, allowing the movie to shatter into pieces of stunted emotion and visual design, never registering as the complete, complex journey the helmer imagines. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A decent heist movie has to share a sense of discovery, camaraderie, and contained panic, allowing the audience to feel the pressurized atmosphere of crime and the nervous energy of its participants. “Kidnapping Mr. Heineken” doesn’t have much in the way of excitement or grit, stuck in a cycle of repetition with crooks that come across as interchangeable, while the crime at hand turns into more of a waiting game than a battle of tempers. A nondescript cast, featuring a coasting Anthony Hopkins performance, doesn’t help the cause, finding “Kidnapping Mr. Heineken” chasing a pulse-pounding pace without success, missing critical tension as bad men plan out a wicked crime. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The journey began with 2012’s “Bad Ass,” where writer/director Craig Moss endeavored to turn the Epic Beard Man viral video into an action film, using elements of parody to beef up a movie based on a three minute YouTube upload. Lines of profit being sketchy in low-budget cinema, a sequel was ordered up, recruiting Danny Glover to co-star with Danny Trejo for “Bad Asses,” resulting in an equally uninspired blend of comedy and shootouts. What started as a lark for Moss has now turned into a franchise, with “Bad Asses on the Bayou” extending the adventures of Frank Vega for another chapter, this time moving the shenanigans from Los Angeles to Louisiana, but the script remains the same. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The sci-fi interests of writer/director Neill Blomkamp were introduced with “District 9,” which creatively used allegory to amplify genre appetites, elevating the work away from typical mindlessness. His second effort was “Elysium,” another politically-charge actioner following the same intellectual template, only its message was buried under a thick layer of noise, with Blomkamp slipping into overkill to preserve his cinematic punctuation. “Chappie” is his third “big idea” blockbuster and another career misstep that tenders the idea that perhaps Blomkamp is a one-trick pony. More headache-inducing than “Elysium” and unclear in its thinking, “Chappie” is only valuable as a visual effects display, with any attempt at dramatics frighteningly inept, while acting by select cast members is sure to be remembered as the worst of the year. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2007, Adam Carolla co-scripted and starred in “The Hammer,” a breezy boxing comedy that attempted to translate the comedian’s sense of humor for the big screen. It was feisty and fresh, making Carolla appealing as he worked through his rehearsed bits. “Road Hard” doesn’t share that same spunky attitude as it once again mines Carolla’s point of view for cinematic misadventures. Instead of massaging old jokes into the script, “Road Hard” nail guns tired material to a clichéd plot of professional and familial humiliation and burgeoning love, becoming the type of saccharine, predictable movie Carolla has spent his entire career making fun of. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Vince Vaughn needs to take a break from making comedies. It doesn’t have to be a permanent one, but it has to be long enough so the actor can shed his bad habits when it comes to creating screen hilarity. His once Ginsu-sharp instincts for funny business have dulled to a frightening degree, with his latest, “Unfinished Business,” another feeble attempt to stage boisterous mischief with a heart, trying to extract a few tears between bellylaughs. The picture is a drag, playing up Vaughn’s uninspired formula for a surefire hit film. “Unfinished Business” certainly has the potential to tear through madcap Euro-based misadventures, but it would rather stick to sobering reminders of real-world behavior, draining most of the fun out of a feature that aims to please. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com