Category: Film Review

Something happened to “Hector and the Search for Happiness” during the adaptation process, something that took a novel by psychiatrist Francois Lelord and turned it into a touchy-feely British film with no sense of timing, tenderness, and character. All over the map tonally, with surprisingly little shame, the feature is a complete mess that carries on as a cinematic band-aid offered to moviegoers probably wondering why they’re expected to cry when they had nothing to do with the creation of this picture. “Hector and the Search for Happiness” is aching to be sweet syrup for the masses, but it never once does it stop and question how it’s setting out to achieve such universal love. The message has clearly been prioritized over the plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When producers arrive to adapt the works of author Patricia Highsmith, they gravitate toward her Tom Ripley series, which has spawned numerous movie and television iterations, exhaustively documenting the world of the tentative serial killer. “The Two Faces of January” heads a different direction, and while the menu here still includes death and panic, there’s a fresh sense of paranoia to mine. Writer/director Hossein Amini spins a convincing tale of suspicion with “The Two Faces of January,” generating an inviting level of suspense while preserving the spare details of the crime, utilizing his cast superbly as he feels around the corners of this moody, sneaky psychological thriller. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Something has happened to director Antoine Fuqua in recent years. Something that’s made him a very angry man. His filmography has been peppered with extreme violence, with “Shooter” and “Training Day” not shy about sharing graphic content. Last year’s wretched “Olympus Has Fallen” delivered a more malicious Fuqua, with the helmer overseeing a relentlessly, needlessly brutal feature that reveled in its shock value. “The Equalizer” follows the same path to pain, again dishing up scenes of suffering and gore that’s more off-putting than celebratory, turning what should be a thrilling revenge story with an everyday hero into cinematic punishment. A highly ridiculous, extremely unpleasant picture, “The Equalizer” keeps Fuqua foaming at the mouth. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Tracks” has a secret weapon in its outback locations. Bringing the true-life tale of Robyn Davidson and her amazing trek across Australia to the big screen, director John Curran wisely emphasizes the natural expanse and danger of the land, with glorious shots of nature in motion, alternating between punishment and salvation for the lead character. “Tracks” has its share of spirituality and wonderful detail, but it’s often a movie that’s best without dialogue, appreciating the hardship facing Davidson as she embarked on an incredible journey. That’s not to suggest the film doesn’t have dramatic value, but it’s most comfortable covering the daily business of survival in a seemingly inhospitable land. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it comes to the challenge of bringing the story of Jimi Hendrix to the screen, writer/director John Ridley (who won an Academy Award for scripting “12 Years a Slave”) certainly didn’t have it easy. Denied use of Hendrix’s music to help populate “Jimi: All Is by My Side” with album hits, Ridley cooks up another approach, filling the film with the blues to help inspect the artist’s influences and personal groove. There’s also an amazing performance from Andre Benjamin to hold attention. Even without a familiar sonic presence to provide reassurance, “Jimi: All Is by My Side” gets under the skin of its subject, braiding bio-pic convention and considered editorial work to share a sample of Hendrix during his rise to glory. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Following up their work on the hits “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” animation studio Laika returns with yet another darkly comic vision in “The Boxtrolls,” an adaptation of the book “Here Be Monsters!” Keeping to studio standards, the picture is a bizarre mix of the broad and the terrifying, handed a distinct English tilt this time around to perfect its dry sense of humor. As with everything Laika works on, “The Boxtrolls” is visually striking and intermittently amusing, but a little of this unusual world goes a long way, with pacing and story issues crippling an otherwise enjoyable romp through cheese worship and creature idiosyncrasies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Ocean’s 11” template hits a new low with “Plastic,” a British import hoping to present itself as joyride of thievery, sex appeal, and turns of plot. Unfortunately, co-writer/director Julian Gilbey (“Rise of the Footsoldier”) has difficulty working out the tone of his movie, submitting wretched acts of life-destroying villainy, only to suggest that these ghouls are the good guys. Derivative and weirdly sleazy, the picture is completely cross-eyed, watching Gilbey work overtime to generate a slick offering of escapism, only to stumble with every ridiculous scene. “Plastic” doesn’t simply describe the method of fraud employed by the characters, but the level of cinematic craftsmanship as well. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although “Lilting” is executed with a quiet dignity, the story concerns all the gut-rot guilt people carry around every day, unable to purge their deepest fears and largest regrets. It’s sensitive work from writer/director Hong Khaou (making his feature-length debut), who captures a specific feeling of anxiety that’s boosted here by communication issues and cultural differences. It’s an impressive effort from Khaou, who secures profound emotions without resorting to melodrama, taking the audience on a strange journey of confession that’s heartbreaking at times, showing a rich appreciation for the complication of love and the subtle urges of emotional needs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Since the advent of digital filmmaking, music documentaries have flooded the marketplace, each production savoring a slice of the industry by sharing anecdotes and showcasing performances. Over the last few years alone, pictures such as “Sound City,” “Muscle Shoals,” and “A Band Called Death” have explored unique stories of adversity and creativity, each blessed with an invigorating soundtrack of flavorful tunes. “Take Me to the River” is the latest effort to deliver musical history to the wider audience, and it’s teeming with legends and memories. Unfortunately, while the work is joyous and respectful, the movie is poorly directed, frequently decimating pure musicianship to spotlight banal conversations that add little to the overall flow of the feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a busy year for Liam Neeson, with “A Walk Among the Tombstones” his fifth picture of 2014. After his marquee value exploded with the release of 2009’s “Taken,” it’s been interesting to see the type of material Neeson has gravitated to, selecting a steady stream of blockbuster entertainment (“Clash of the Titans,” “The A-Team”) and downbeat indies (“Chloe,” “Third Person”). “A Walk Among the Tombstones” mixes both interests into one deflated soufflé, with writer/director Scott Frank’s serial killer thriller struggling to inject excitement into a mopey, overly stylized tale of no-nonsense do-goodery. While Neeson commits to the flawed hero routine with grace, the rest of the movie fails to acknowledge its low battery signal during a dismal second half. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After bottoming out with 2010’s “Cop Out,” his stab at a mainstream comedy with broad jokes and big stars, writer/director Kevin Smith stepped back from the movie business, reevaluating just what filmmaking meant to him. He found salvation in a bong and a podcast, returning to screens with 2011’s “Red State,” an interesting misfire that swapped his noted sense of humor for something far more sinister, trying to disturb his audience instead of tickle them. Continuing to mine his revived creative drive, Smith returns with “Tusk,” another demented micro-budget endeavor, only for this round, the horrors aren’t heavenly but frighteningly fleshy, mixing his love for conversation with a newfound interest in the macabre, producing a creature feature that’s original while retaining all the Smith-isms fans love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Maze Runner” is the latest entrant into the YA box office sweepstakes. While it shares a dystopia setting like its brethren “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games,” this story veers off in a slightly different direction, refusing the rise of the heroine path to play up paranoia and man vs. monster action. The change is refreshing, but “The Maze Runner” is beholden to an adaptation challenge that not only needs constant exposition, but also makes room for a crummy ending that’s not content to give ticket buyers their money’s worth, but demand they immediately save up for sequel. Perhaps a little more thought could’ve been put into the initial installment before a continuation is considered. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Shawn Levy has a way of ruining a perfectly good thing. The helmer of the “Night at the Museum” franchise, “The Internship,” and “Date Night,” Levy isn’t easy to trust with comedy, and he’s virtually untested with the depiction of deep-seated emotions. “This is Where I Leave You” provides a unique creative challenge, forcing Levy to manage a plethora of characters and numerous shifts in tone while preserving a core feeling of family, shooing away melodrama and plastic antics to find the soul of this battered group of sad sacks. While he’s still powerless to sitcom urges, Levy manages to capture dimension and sensitivity, aided in great part by an ensemble who shade their participation carefully, finding satisfying pockets of ache in a familiar but charming look at dysfunction and enlightenment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s unfortunate timing when it comes to the release of “Fort Bliss.” An Afghanistan War-themed drama, the feature has to compete with a plethora of similar productions, each with something to share about state of life on the front lines and back home. Sadly, the marketplace is crowded for this type of tale, yet “Fort Bliss” is worth a viewing. Its setting is familiar, but the emotions contained within are genuine and frequently devastating, contributing to an overlong but truthful inspection of separation and the reality of service. Led by a moving performance from Michelle Monaghan, the film carries heaviness with sensitivity, more interested in the pains of post-service reentry than the usual pressures of a war zone. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last two decades have been a career roller coaster ride for director Terry Gilliam. Acquiring studio faith with 1995’s “12 Monkeys,” the helmer subsequently lost his Hollywood itch with 1998’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and 2005’s “The Brothers Grimm.” The rest of this time was devoted to screaming indies, chaotic efforts such as “Tideland” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” which did more to reinforce Gilliam’s frustration with filmmaking, intentionally submitting off-putting pictures as an act of defiance. His latest, “The Zero Theorem,” is reminiscent of Gilliam’s earlier triumphs, acting as almost a sequel to 1985’s “Brazil” with its vision of authoritarian hell and psychological flights of fancy. This isn’t Gilliam reclaiming what’s been lost throughout the years, but it’s refreshing to encounter one of his features and not wish to be somewhere else enjoying the afternoon. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s no reason to beat around the bush here: the title “My Old Lady” promises a potent comedy filled with curmudgeons and playful ageism. The actual “My Old Lady” is the opposite of mirthful escapism, wading into surprisingly murky psychological waters as it tries to add a dash of levity to an otherwise potent understanding of dysfunction and loneliness. Instead of silly, it’s raw work, but that doesn’t necessarily discount its advantages, including a wonderful cast and a generous exploration of its Parisian setting. Truthfully, I’d vote for a new title, but since that opportunity is now gone, it’s best to remind potential ticket-buyers to bring down farcical expectations and prepare for something with more substance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Arriving to add some perspective to current unrest in the Middle East is “The Green Prince,” a documentary that’s primarily driven by personal recollection, not visual evidence. Director Nadav Schirman (“The Champagne Sky”) takes a distinctly theatrical route to examine tensions between Israel and Palestine, concentrating on two participants in a larger war, dissecting how men from opposing sides of an agonizing conflict worked together to disrupt violence and secure soulful clarity. “The Green Prince” often plays like an NPR special, but the purity of feeling and inherent suspense of the story remains alert, adding new dimension to a numbing conflict. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

An accomplished filmmaker with a hunger for the performing arts, director Carlos Saura brings “Flamenco, Flamenco” to a global audience. Not just dance picture, the movie is a celebration of form and passion, leading with sophisticated footwork and body movement as the helmer organizes 21 performances from a wealth of gifted Spanish musicians, singers, and dancers. It’s lively work, perhaps a bit overwhelming for those not typically versed in the ranks of flamenco performers, but it remains bold enough to impress, offering the viewer an opportunity to soak up the indelible images and sounds delivered, presented with a celebratory concentration from Saura, who clearly adores his work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

You may want to keep your receipt after a viewing of “No Good Deed.” My showing was completely devoid of suspense, passable performances, and basic screenwriting flair. I hope this isn’t a widespread problem. If so, writer Aimee Lagos and director Sam Miller have a lot to answer for with this stillborn thriller, messing up a straightforward exercise in exploitation entertainment. Instead of producing nail-biting tension as the central nightmare escalates, “No Good Deed” is weirdly conversational and bafflingly protracted, laboring to fill 80 minutes with the most tedious interplay seen in an intentionally trashy production all year. The ingredients couldn’t be simpler, yet the end result is lifeless and, worse, boring. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Drop” emerges from the mind of Dennis Lehane, the author of “Shutter Island,” “Mystic River,” and “Gone, Baby, Gone.” The latter is important to note as “The Drop” carries enormous similarities to its film adaption, with both efforts concentrating on the sticky folds of a tough neighborhood, where bad business carries on while daily business continues without question or comment. It’s another dip into working class woe, only here Lehane stuffs in more of a slow burn thriller element, pulling the audience into a troubling situation of deception and antagonism while focusing on building character through strange conflicts. It’s an odd one, but the movie has a terrific curveball that’s worth the patience required to digest all its eccentricities. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com