Category: Film Review

“The Book of Life” is a little different from your average CG-animated picture. Sure, it’s a comedy with flashes of adventure and an ambition to deliver grand spectacle on a tighter budget than the typical Pixar or Dreamworks production. However, Guillermo Del Toro is the movie’s godfather, shepherding his own “Nightmare Before Christmas” by steeping the effort in ghoulish imagery, messing around with tonality as it examines an unusual holiday in the Day of the Dead. “The Book of Life” is superbly designed and animated, but it’s also a cluttered endeavor, spending too much time explaining what’s going on instead of experiencing the rich multiverse co-writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez is laboring to create. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although its marketing suggests a continuation of Tyler Perry’s “Temptation,” “Addicted” has more in common with an Adrian Lyne effort. The film marks a breakthrough for author Zane, an “urban eroticist” who’s built an empire on sex, evolving from books to pay cable programs, placing emphasis on soft-core antics involving inquisitive characters. “Addicted” is based on her 1998 novel and takes a slightly more severe look at the needs of the heart and the urgencies of the mind, wrapped up in a ridiculous melodrama that’s confused and shameless. If one squints hard enough, all the nudity and grinding might retain appeal, but for those who can’t switch their brain off, the picture is maddeningly inconsistent and comically performed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s hard to believe that “Dead Snow” debuted over five years ago, but director Tommy Wirkola had more pressing career matters to tend to instead of mounting a sequel right away. Testing the Hollywood experience with “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” Wirkola secured an unlikely hit movie, but also found his creativity zip-tied by industry power plays. To help reclaim some of his old mojo, the helmer has returned to his old Nazi-zombies stomping grounding with “Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead,” a ruthless and hilarious follow-up that feels more like a purging of filmmaking frustration than a straight-up continuation, with its blitzkrieg approach to gore and slapstick easily topping the original effort, while showing off exactly what type of mischief Wirkola can muster. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For family audiences, the multiplex is often filled with animated efforts to entertain all ages, dazzling the crowd with colorful, cartoony imagery. It’s been some time since a live action production has been able to please with PG rating, making “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” all the more special. Although loosely based on the 1972 children’s book by Judith Viorst, this update finds its own comic timing and misery to mine, resulting in a frequently hilarious movie that’s wonderfully charming, free of clutter, and enthusiastically performed. It’s a lousy day for the titular character, but a celebratory one for paying customers in need of a group outing, with “Very Bad Day” sly and broad enough to please all ages. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s isn’t much left unwritten when it comes to the cinematic exploits of Dracula. The famous monster has been covered from every angle, leaving the producers of “Dracula Untold” with a specific interpretational challenge to help revive the fanged character for a new franchise. Instead of intimate horror, director Gary Shore takes the blockbuster route, transforming the saga of Dracula into a CGI-heavy war film with a light dusting of tragedy. It’s numbing but not without its charms, though critical miscasting in the lead roles does more to damage “Dracula Untold” than sunlight and silver combined. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Pride” is as bold and big of an audience-pleaser as I’ve seen all year, practically determined to reach out from the screen and high-five each ticket-buyer. This English production is pretty shameless, but thankfully there’s a heart behind the ham, with director Matthew Warchus mindful of pathos, constructing a picture with a meaningful message of self-empowerment while exploring select characters in full, adding some profound emotions to the dramedy. “Pride” has its subtle moments, but Warchus doesn’t linger for long, more inspired by the larger arc of celebration and love, which successfully softens most displays of strident exaggeration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last summer, actress Chloe Grace Moretz stated there will never be a “Kick-Ass 3” due to piracy woes (conveniently forgetting that few were interested in the original film to begin with). It was a crushing blow to the faithful, but never fear Hit-Girl fans, “Kite” is here to pick up the slack. A violent study of a teen assassin working in a smoky dystopian landscape, “Kite” creates quite a commotion as it smashes heads and dodges bullets, with the producers displaying a distinct interest in picking up where “Kick-Ass” left off, even bringing in a known Hollywood paycheck-casher (in this case, Samuel L. Jackson) to beef up the legitimacy of such a one-note viewing experience. The similarities are startling at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A journalism thriller with an explosive subject of corruption and cover-up to inspect, “Kill the Messenger” is quite sharp when it comes to the depiction of stomach-churning betrayals and eye-wiggling paranoia. As a complete appreciation of the offenses that eventually overwhelmed writer Gary Webb, less is understood, leaving “Kill the Messenger” a fiery picture with nowhere to go, hitting a few painful incidents of pressure before it’s back in a dramatic gray area. Director Michael Cuesta is a gifted helmer, great with gritty, streetwise tales of survival, and moments score in the feature. There are just not enough of them to shake off a few questions of authenticity concerning Webb’s painful decline. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are many films that deserve sequels, offering fans a chance to revisit favorite characters as they evolve during a new adventure. 2012’s “The Pact” was an effective no-budget chiller, tracking the particulars of a ghost story with encouraging imagination, even if the overall effort felt a little soft. While I’m sure a small profit was eked out of its release, I fail to see the need for a “Pact II,” which returns to the serial killer nightmare, interested in expanding the story for new participants while inviting a few old faces to return. It’s unnecessary, and worse, glacial and uninspired, laboring to come up with a few viable reasons to plunge back into this limited world and manipulate it into a burgeoning franchise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“One Chance” is so eager to please its audience, it practically curls up in their lap and purrs. It’s a broad “crowd pleaser,” which translates into fingerpaint filmmaking intended to stir up basic emotions and supply inspiration to those willing to believe everything the script offers. It’s the true story of Paul Potts, the opera singer who conquered “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2007, but the authenticity of Justin Zackham’s pedestrian screenplay remains in doubt, liberally cleaving away significant moments of Potts’s life to maintain an underdog storyline that rings false throughout. It’s painfully obvious work, ideal for a brain-mushing rental, only registering as sincere when focused intently on leading work from James Corden and Alexandra Roach, who bring life to an otherwise manipulative viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

David Fincher doesn’t make movies for the audience, he makes them for himself. He’s the curator of his own cinematic museum, keeping the area impeccably lit, free of clutter, and decorated with displays of inhumanity. “Gone Girl” is an apt gig for the deified director, employing his detached appreciation of misery to guide a contemporary mystery that utilizes a traditional offering of twists and turns, but doesn’t appear particularly interested in forward momentum. Based on the best-seller by Gillian Flynn (who also scripts), “Gone Girl” is an artistically sound picture with many delights, also effective as a satiric trident throw into the very concept of marriage. As a puzzler, it leaves much to be desired, with Fincher often too busy doing white-gloved finger-wipe inspections on the corners of the frame to pay much attention to the nail-munching aspects of Flynn’s winding work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s clear at this point in his career that Nicolas Cage will do anything for a paycheck. That’s not to knock the actor, everyone has to pay the rent, but this relatively recent interest in taking any gig that comes his way has created a chaotic filmography, with “Left Behind” his latest career question mark. That’s right, Cage is doing a faith-based movie, and one that’s already been covered by Kirk Cameron in a 2000 effort. The new “Left Behind” is obviously working to erase memories of the previous endeavor, but this remains flimsy material, boasting enough stilted performances and clumsy action to keep its trembling take on the Rapture down to a dull roar. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2013’s “The Conjuring” was a surprise box office smash, earning its success with a quality horror effort that was smart with suspense and well performed. Instead of a sequel to the picture, the studio has elected to cheapen the experience with a low-budget prequel/spin-off, hoping to cash in on a quickie horror release for the Halloween season. I’m sure most fans would rather have a proper “Conjuring” follow-up, but they’ll have to make do with “Annabelle,” a slack chiller that sets sail with startling confidence, only to sink when it actually has to follow through on its ghoulish promises, resulting in an uneven film that makes one truly appreciate the squeezing sense of terror “The Conjuring” offered. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Most cinematic dissections of the Vietnam War concentrate on the either the early years of the conflict, when morale was high and troops were alert, or the thick of the fight, highlighting a drain of innocence and military interest. True to its title, “Last Days in Vietnam” doesn’t pay attention to anything but the final moments of the American presence in the country, searching to understand the chaos that occurred once evacuation procedures lost their ability to manage hordes of desperate refugees. A vital piece in the ongoing puzzle of the conflict, “Last Days in Vietnam” is an eye-opening documentary that captures the charged emotions and troubled leadership that fed into an overall sense of panic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Good People” plays like a movie that was rushed through post-production, with huge chunks of plot cleaved away to get to the visceral content as quickly as possible. It’s adapted from a novel by Marcus Sakey, but certainly doesn’t feel like a story that could fill pages, with anemic characterization holding hands with halfhearted performances. Director Henrik Ruben Genz is handed potential with this tale of moral choices and criminal interests, but there’s just not enough substance to “Good People” to fulfill, while scenes of physical conflict feel like reheated Danny Boyle mechanics, never hitting bold points of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If there was ever a low-budget VOD thriller that had the potential to transform into a nifty offering of suspense, it’s “Reclaim.” Boosted by a premise that preys on real-world fears of fraud and foreigner isolation, the picture delivers a satisfying opening act, arranging a situation of betrayal that’s credible and somewhat novel for a cinematic exploration. Unfortunately, the prospect of exploring uneasy manipulations proves unappetizing to director Alan White, who pushes aside the complexity of the story to stage tedious chases and shoot-outs, often without the budget to create an authentic portrait of pursuit. “Reclaim” isn’t a disaster, it’s just disappointing and thoughtless after a potent introduction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Building a reputation for sophisticated B-movies, writer/director Nacho Vigalondo returns with “Open Windows,” his first English-language effort. After guiding “Timecrimes” and “Extraterrestrial” through some puzzling turns of plot, Vigalondo’s ambition gets the better of him here. After a suspenseful, inventive opening half, “Open Windows” takes on more twists and incident than it can handle, slowly suffocating a nifty premise that plays the entire film on a laptop screen, drilling into timely technological fears. Overplotted and underwhelming, the feature gets by on sheer novelty for a considerable amount of time, only to be shut down by the helmer’s refusal to play the premise as economically as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The horror feature “7500” has experienced its share of release date delays and missed seasonal opportunities. Shot in 2011, the picture is finally seeing the light of day, and as expected, the results aren’t encouraging. However, as muddled as it is, “7500” shows promise in its opening act, promising an unremarkable but effective airplane disaster movie, frosted with stock characterizations and jumps of mid-air panic. But such simplicity isn’t enough to challenge director Takashi Shimizu and screenwriter Craig Rosenberg, who try to transform potential catastrophe into a mind-bender with traditional Japanese fright film decoration. It doesn’t work for a myriad of reasons, but it’s certainly not a sloppy effort, just an unnecessary one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One could go cross-eyed looking over the filmography of director Brian Trenchard-Smith. The Australian helmer, transformed into an industry hero in the documentary “Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation,” is the very definition of a “gotta eat” moviemaker, churning out a run of low-budget productions covering all genres and tastes. “Drive Hard” is Trenchard-Smith’s latest work, boasting a premise that seems right up his alley. It’s a car chase extravaganza, with plenty of scenes devoted to panicked banter and squealing tires, tearing all over the Gold Coast. And yet “Drive Hard” falls a little flat, never quite secure in its insanity and perhaps a bit too ambitious with its screenplay, which spends more time building secretive allegiances than it does tending to the visceral highlights I’m certain most viewers would prefer to see. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

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