Category: Film Review

Calling in favors from all over Hollywood, writer/director John Herzfeld (“15 Minutes,” “2 Days in the Valley”) gathers a promising cast for “Reach Me,” an Altman-esque collection of characters and neuroses, sold in clusters of conflicts. Probing the anxieties of interconnected residents of the southwest, Herzfeld has the potential to create a colorful and sincere atmosphere of introspection, especially with a plot that details the highs and lows of the self-help headspace. The picture is sincere but always on the wrong side of melodrama, failing to come together as a revelatory whole. Herzfeld is determined to make these puzzle pieces fit, yet there isn’t much to solve with “Reach Me,” which gradually limps to a cop-out close. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Theory of Everything” is an interesting title for a bio-pic that only provides a surface appreciation for Stephen Hawking and his now ex-wife, Jane. The “Everything” part is most certainly avoided here, replaced with an average study of a brilliant man and his dutiful wife, with their ups and downs carefully tended to by the screenplay, which ultimately has most interest in the couple’s strange dynamic. “The Theory of Everything” is given a substantial boost by its stars, who deliver exceptionally nuanced performances. They’re often the glue holding the picture together, finding director James Marsh trying to find the romantic poetry of this union instead of tending to the textures of such an unusual relationship. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After two successful films, a choice has been made to turn the last chapter of “The Hunger Games” saga into a pair of movies. While an argument could be made that creative breathing room is the reason behind the sudden expansion of sequels, it’s most likely colossal financial possibility that’s driving the decision. Much like “Twilight” and “Harry Potter,” the studio wants to keep the cash machine powered for as long as possible, even willing to torpedo the fantastic momentum that was left after the conclusion of 2013’s “Catching Fire.” “Mockingjay – Part 1” returns viewers to the world of Panem and its power struggle between President Snow and Katniss Everdeen, but instead of providing economical storytelling and a nail-biting pace, the movie slows down the series to a dead stop, now subjected to the repetition and stasis the previous efforts largely avoided in their quest to shave Suzanne Collins’s books down to a manageable single-feature size. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Extraterrestrial” arrives after a long drought of alien invasion pictures. Not the world-decimating kind, but the sneakier offerings that play with images of big-eyed, gray meanies from another world, here on Earth to cause nothing but trouble. And probe. Lots of probing. Director Colin Minihan gives the genre a go with “Extraterrestrial,” but he doesn’t arrive with a game plan. Trying to marry laughs with aggressive violence, the helmer does a poor job of tonal juggling, botching an effort to restore some fright to an alien visitation. Derivative and cynical, the feature squeezes out a few effective moments, but the rest is poorly managed and rarely terrifying. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Mule” is the rare movie to actually contain a motivation to include fecal matter in its story. A dark semi-comedy with crime film overtones, the picture largely concerns the durability of a man’s digestive system, watching the character endure a week of forced constipation to protect a potentially life-ruining secret. While missing bellylaughs, “The Mule” does have pace and sharp performances, and the script is mindful of twists and turns, also good with gross-out incidents, making the ick factor a substantial part of the viewing experience. To make a feature where evidence of diarrhea is a critical part of the plot? That’s a real creative accomplishment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The great thing about 2013’s “V/H/S/2” was how it greatly improved on its mediocre predecessor, developing a confidence that drove the sequel to dizzying heights of horror and found-footage mayhem. “V/H/S: Viral” returns the unlikely franchise back to square one, issuing a handful of terror shorts that mostly underwhelm, while the wraparound tale is a complete mess, balling up and tossing away the very premise of the series. After the last movie managed to get almost everything right, it’s a disappointment to watch “V/H/S: Viral” flounder, unable to locate a spirited rhythm of ghoulishness and devious editing to help lackluster chapters come to life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Miss Meadows” isn’t a terribly convincing movie, but it does feature a refreshingly twisted turn from star Katie Holmes. The actress, often gravitating to mediocrity, takes a chance with this oddball vigilante saga, clearly having a ball playing a derange woman buffering herself from the outside world through good manners and happy thoughts. A dark, violent tale with periodic blips of comedy, “Miss Meadows” could do with a great deal more oddity, moving carefully into madness with a lead character who openly commits crimes, trying to manage the aggression as heroism. In a rare display of confidence, Holmes nails the unease surrounding the woman, along with her enticing fixation on fantasy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Apparently, if one works with Terrence Malick, one becomes Terrence Malick. “The Better Angels” is directed by A.J. Edwards, a frequent collaborator with the famously media-shy filmmaker, looking to strike out on his own with a feature that closely resembles a Malick picture. Replicating swirly, nature-intensive cinematography, wandering performances, and maintaining a goal to capture life in motion, not drama, “The Better Angels” is familiar work but not a parody, with Edwards taking the whole production with the utmost seriousness, determined to mime Malick while figuring out his own helming interests. The effort is also the Abraham Lincoln origin story, but that intriguing detail is flushed out of the movie early on, leaving viewers with artful intent, not storytelling determination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At this point, I’d say they peaked with 2000’s “Me, Myself, and Irene.” Even since the release of their last major hit, Peter and Bobby Farrelly have endured a creative tailspin where they’ve lost their directorial mojo, gradually exploring a mental fatigue that’s prevented efforts such as “Hall Pass,” “The Three Stooges,” and “Stuck on You” from achieving comedy bliss. They’ve become reliant on their formula of shock value and excessive heart, and now they’ve arrived at their first sequel. It’s been two decades since the release of “Dumb and Dumber,” with fans hungry for a new adventure featuring lovable idiots Lloyd and Harry. Sadly, “Dumb and Dumber To” isn’t much of a reward for such patience, finding the Farrellys once again muzzling their instincts to play it safe, essentially remaking the now-classic 1994 feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Trying to create a film as severe as he is, Tommy Lee Jones saddles up quite a grim picture with “The Homesman,” his fourth directorial effort and first western since 2005’s “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.” A casual viewing of “The Homesman” is not advised, as Jones is determined to communicate the harsh conditions and mental drain of prairie life. The feature requires a special mindset that’s open to exceptionally managed filmmaking and an evocative sense of location, because when the movie gets dark, and boy does it ever, it also retains a strange beauty about it that’s a testament to Jones’s talents behind the camera and his way with casting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a special touch to make this type of entertainment work. Audiences have seen romantic melodramas time and again, with most barely putting in the effort to engage on an emotional level, merely content to display love, not feel it. “Beyond the Lights” has considerable flaws, but it manages to find intimacy in a way that feels natural, with such warmth smoothly communicated by leads Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker. Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood indulges hysterics on occasion, but her mission to bring an organic chemistry to the screen is successful, while also targeting the toxicity of current pop queen standards, aiming to spank the music industry while caressing her characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Rarely does a film about a misanthrope achieve any level of laughter. “Listen Up Philip” concerns the daily adventures of a narcissist, a complete monster of a man, yet, in the care of writer/director Alex Ross Perry, the titular character is handled as a full-blooded human being, with his toxic ways played for horror and hilarity. This fine blend of reactions keeps “Listen Up Philip” in motion, allowing the viewer to enjoy the shock value of the ghoul and still settle into his complex domestic situation and curdled social viewpoint. While it eventually falls apart, the feature sustains an intriguing personality and daredevil tone, asking the audience to spend time with total jerk and enjoy it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After forging a career in comedy, most recently presiding over “The Daily Show” for the last 15 years, Jon Stewart is finally ready to direct movies. Naturally, the funny man has gravitated toward the story of Maziar Bahari, a journalist held captive in Iran, locked inside solitary confinement for 118 days. Granted, “Rosewater” does offer a few points of humor along the way, but it’s primarily interested in sobering sequences of interrogation and hopelessness. It’s nice that Stewart is hungry to show off another side to his creative focus, and “Rosewater” is accomplished work. However, it’s exactly the type of viewing experience expected from an Iranian imprisonment story, leaving surprises few and far between. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Jessabelle” is the latest entry in the low-budget horror sweepstakes, with company Blumhouse Productions trying to sustain their run of hits with another chiller of limited scope. A ghost story of sorts with a bayou tilt, the picture attempts to scare with images of menacing spirits and a mysterious past for its lead character. Sadly, all director Kevin Greutert can muster is limp chills and formulaic atmosphere, making “Jessabelle” look like every other fright film in the marketplace. Perhaps screenwriter Robert Ben Garant (“Balls of Fury,” “Herbie Fully Loaded”) once held an interesting idea for a possession story, but the work has been stripped of identity and anxiety, blandly going about its business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jazz is nothing but suffering, at least according to the movies. “Low Down” is the Joe Albany bio-pic, surveying the pianist’s life as he disrupted his musical gift with drugs and selfishness, neglecting his only daughter in the process. This is not a story of sunshine and clarity, but prolonged mistreatment, watching characters struggle for nearly two hours, never quite learning anything about themselves or their demons. “Low Down” has a specific glaze that’s certainly tended to by director Jeff Preiss, but rarely does it hit a note of profundity that revives interest in the gradual unraveling of an irresponsible man. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Wolves” is writer/director David Hayter’s obvious attempt to jump-start a werewolf franchise with superhero overtones. It’s expected work from the co-screenwriter of “Watchmen” and “X2: X-Men United,” who tries to reenergize horror and action with this collection of stunts and heavily made-up actors growling at one another. “Wolves” is ambitious but never completely in Hayter’s control, striving to build a mythology that could be covered in numerous sequels without ever establishing a reason to care about the first installment. It’s loud and violent, but the feature drags more than it should, struggling with iffy performances and lousy visual effects to raise a properly furry screen commotion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At this point, it would be strange to see a sincere holiday picture that values family time and trusts in the special fantasies of the season. “A Merry Friggin’ Christmas” is the umpteenth variation on the dysfunctional ways of parents and children thrown together for the holidays, and it will receive the bulk of its publicity due to the death of star Robin Williams, who appears in one of his final screen roles. Predictable and largely unfunny, “A Merry Friggin’ Christmas” doesn’t make much of an effort to subvert clichés, wasting a perfectly skilled cast on lukewarm relationship woes and a yuletide appreciation that’s meant to lean toward the farcical, but mostly comes off unimaginative. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Superheroes are big business these days, grossing billions at the box office as characters both famous and obscure score high with audiences hungry for fantasy heroism. It makes sense for the Marvel Comic Universe to hit CG-animation, with “Big Hero 6” providing an opportunity for Disney to bring comic book adventure to a more family-friendly audience. Although considerable changes have been made to soften the source material for the screen, “Big Hero 6” retains its basic sense of courage and high-flying action, while Disney-esque formula brings the heart. This is not groundbreaking work from Walt Disney Animation, but the movie remains fabulously entertaining, with colossal visuals and an endearing character in Baymax, who more than earns his lovable status. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

This review contains strong language.

Insanity comes easy to “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” A Japanese production from writer/director Shion Sono (“Suicide Club”), the picture is a wild ride of comedy and action, taking great care to preserve brutality and winks as it winds around an askew tale of revenge. The effort is also something of a valentine to 35mm filmmaking, a dying artform that Sono revives with a vengeance in this berserk creation. Funny and frightening, “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” is a singular piece of moviemaking, thrillingly committed to screen chaos with marvelous comic timing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Diplomacy” takes a corner of World War II history and brings it to life onscreen. The picture marks the return of director Volker Schlondorff, the helmer of “The Tin Drum,” who’s explored the war throughout his career, but rarely has he found a tale this theatrical in design. Adapting a play by Cyril Gely (who co-scripts), Schlondorff ignores the expanse of war to manage a tale of two opposing forces softening in a Parisian hotel, keeping the showdown intimate and the mind games suspenseful. Perhaps “Diplomacy” doesn’t overwhelm with its subtleties and general low-budget take on conflict, but it does offer two tremendous performances from Andre Dussollier and Niels Arestrup and a full sense of torturous deliberation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com