Category: Film Review

When Eli Roth’s “Cabin Fever” was released in 2002, audiences weren’t particularly interested in its blend of comedy and horror. The movie was shuffled in and out of theaters fairly quickly, but the picture’s reputation blossomed on home video, finding its cult audience a little more easily. Strangely, no major continuation was mounted, with 2009’s “Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever” a botched production nobody in creative circles seems interested in claiming. And now there’s “Cabin Fever: Patient Zero,” a second sequel that’s more of a franchise reboot, abandoning all ties to Roth’s creation as it sets out to rework the persistent spread of a flesh-eating virus to fit an even lower-budgeted series of follow-ups. It’s not the most ideal situation for director Kaare Andrews, but he makes the most out of a deflating position, crafting not an exceptionally memorable horror film, but at least an entertaining one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Since he’s given up on acting, perhaps directing documentaries is the next best thing for Mike Myers. The reclusive star (who hasn’t been seen in a film since 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds”) picks up a camera and sticks Shep Gordon in front of it, who’s not really famous, isn’t in need, or plays an important part of history (traditional documentary subjects). He’s just an entertainment manager who possesses some of the best stories around, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous for decades, helping to build some of the biggest stars in music and food. Gordon also comes off as a fairly nice guy, inspiring Myers to recount his life and times, hoping impart an old-fashioned message of loyalty and kindness in an industry known for merciless and reckless behavior. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Nothing Bad Can Happen” is grim and brutal, but might very well be the rare screen depiction of Christianity that carries beyond simple cinematic reinforcement for the already converted. A German production, the movie seeks to understand the power of faith and how it’s often tested by gale force sin, loosely adapting the story of Jesus to isolate punishment as a test of will and belief. It’s “The Passion of the German Runaway,” but devoid of sermonizing and exclusion, embarking on a vicious journey for the lead character as his devout ways are challenged by those out solely to harm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Violette” has a darkness about it that isn’t always easy to process, but it does achieve the striking sensation of a writer striving to find her voice. It’s the hunched-over, furious fingers pose that co-writer/director Martin Provost masters throughout the picture, acquiring a special intimacy with the subject and her vast appreciation for traumatic incident. Perhaps “Violette” overindulges with its run time (130 minutes), but the reward for such excess is a profound appreciation for a woman who struggled with sexism, self-doubt, and a troubled life to create something pure on paper, seeking salvation in the creative process, which is beautifully rendered in this film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

During my experience in moviegoing, I’ve observed that it isn’t easy to bring a Philip K. Dick novel or short story to the big screen. A sophisticated sci-fi writer, Dick’s material needs special care when translated to a screenplay, while a few of his ideas are truly resistant to the cinematic realm, better served in the expansive canvas of imagination literature provides. “Radio Free Albemuth” is the latest attempt to bring a headrush of exposition and ideas into theaters, and while it’s ambitious work, writer/director John Alan Simon is in way over his head with this enormous narrative that connects an alien empire to a Los Angeles record executive, fiddling with fascist government interests, a chart-topping song of revolution, and marital dissolution along the way. It’s a story meant to be consumed in small bites, but Simon attempts to swallow it all at once. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been numerous Woody Allen knockoffs created over the last four decades, but the German production, “A Coffee in Berlin,” has the right ambiance, just not the same neuroses and interest in wit. Writer/director Jan Ole Gerster (making his feature-length helming debut) has the right idea to mount a tribute of some type, but in trying to make his own mark with this somber material, he misses the connection between visual jazz and downbeat dramatics, creating a movie that always seems like it’s reaching for a laugh, only to reveal some type of grim behavior. “A Coffee in Berlin” does have its moments, and Gerster knows how to milk a running gag, but it’s difficult to accept this picture as anything besides confused, no matter how well intentioned it is. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Signal” is a brain-bleeder with surprising accessibility. This is a tricky review to write, as much of the film’s power comes from its secrets and reveals, with a deliberate leisurely pace to help accentuate moments of paranoia and an overall sense of psychological disturbance. Co-writer/director William Eubank conjures elements of “The Twilight Zone” and superhero cinema to help shape this odd but striking effort, and while the young helmer doesn’t have the tightest command of pace, Eubank makes up for occasional cinematic stasis with a convincingly mysterious viewing experience that successfully sustains interest all the way to the final frame. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The whole point of 2012’s “Think Like a Man” was to celebrate the words of wisdom shared by comedian Steve Harvey. Adapting his 2009 book, “Think Like a Man, Act Like a Lady,” the feature embarked on a study of coupling, clashing personalities, and gender solidarity. It wasn’t a good film, but it was a box office hit, with audiences eager to absorb relationship advice from the host of “Family Feud.” For “Think Like a Man Too,” everything that defined the original picture has been wiped away, replaced with straightforward shenanigans, taking the celebration of dysfunction to Las Vegas, where, despite ample evidence of the contrary on television, anything goes. If the first movie was an irritating, poorly managed tale of people in love, “Think Like a Man Too” is straight-up obnoxious. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After a stunning early career with such pictures as “Show Me Love,” “Together,” and “Lilya 4-Ever,” writer/director Lukas Moodysson has spent the last decade floundering with artful, symbolic, but often unsuccessful efforts, trying to reclaim his voice through chaos and strained drama. “We Are the Best!” (his first film since 2009’s “Mammoth”) restores some of Moodysson’s lost mojo, helming a loose, buzzing dramedy about musical ambition and personal expression. Although the movie often goes cross-eyed trying to figure out how to slip out of scenes, it retains joy and a rich sense of curiosity, brought to life through three terrific lead performances Moodysson manages with palpable glee. It’s great to have him back on two feet again. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With his last film, 2011’s “Carnage,” director Roman Polanski guided an adaptation of a play. With “Venus in Fur,” the helmer returns cinema back to the stage, exploring the theatrical possibilities of David Ives’s play. It’s a minor boomerang effect that’s enlivened Polanski’s creative side, presenting him with the challenge of summoning tension in tight spaces. However, “Venus in Fur” takes more than a few unusual directions, evolving from a tale of persistence into a full-scale dissection of submission, boosted by two outstanding performances from Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner, who communicate quite a range of reactions to provocative situations, while Polanski, ever the mischievous one, amplifies deceptively casual combativeness into an engrossing psychological flaying. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Jersey Boys” was a sensation on Broadway, charming audiences and even winning a few Tony Awards in a run that continues to this day. It’s a show known for its lively energy, its toe-tapping hit songs, and meaty East Coast attitude. So why is the big screen incarnation such a joyless, tuneless slog? Perhaps most of the blame can be placed on director Clint Eastwood, who doesn’t possess the right kind of rhythm to make the material stand up and sing as it should. There’s also the legacy of Frankie Valli, the star of the show and a man treated so preciously, he’s practically fitted for a halo. Whatever magic was created onstage is missing from the movie, which spends more time mourning The Four Seasons than celebrating what made them a massive group to begin with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Rage” is a generic title for a generic film. After clawing his way back to critical respectability with last spring’s “Joe,” Nicolas Cage boomerangs to paycheck roles with this rather impressively confused thriller, teasing Steven Seagal career territory with his participation in such a low-budget actioner. With dead eyes and stiff hair, Cage simply shows up for this tale of revenge, working through beats of distress and menace that require little effort. Director Paco Cabezas seems to understand the limited interest, working to liven up the picture with stylized brutality, not quite understanding that the screenplay by Jim Agnew and Sean Keller is a meditation on the merciless, cyclical nature of violence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’ve seen my fair share of ugly movies, and while most revel in mean-spiritedness to attract attention, a few manage to build something artistic and substantial while maintaining the beat of their black hearts. “The Human Race” is a double threat. It’s both a no-budget disaster and an effort that’s desperate to offend, imagining itself a “Death Race 2000” on legs, only without a satiric slant, rudimentary filmmaking skills, and authentically wacky performances. An amateurish mess that’s only out to provoke with its abuse, “The Human Race” sprints forward with its shoelaces tied together. Despite a nifty premise, the feature is a complete waste of time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The director of “Day of the Beast” and “The Perfect Crime,” Alex de la Iglesia has built a reputation for screen insanity, creating wild visions of death and destruction, often with a darkly comedic slant. “Witching and Bitching” is perhaps his most berserk creation. A horror free-for-all that toys with the irritations and appetites of witches while surveying the frustrations of men, the feature burns through a cinematic playground of magic and misery, supplying ghoulish images and situations that play directly to the helmer’s interests. Slick and humorous, “Witching and Bitching” is not a film that’s easily forgotten, burning a welcome amount of energy trying to entertain and repulse in equal measure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s always an absolute pleasure to come across a performance that’s in perfect sync with the material, especially work from a talent who’s never received a proper dramatic challenge before. After a few uninspired years at “Saturday Night Live” and a high-profile supporting role in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” it was easy to write comedian Jenny Slate off as another nondescript performer unable to get their voice out into the open. With “Obvious Child,” Slate proves her screen worth in a big way, delivering what I can safely proclaim to be one of my favorite performances of the film year. Her chuckling take on an open-wound personality is a revelation, backed by an oddball but sneaky dark comedy that’s almost pitch-perfect, taking on taboo subjects and silly behavior with lovable scatterbrained enthusiasm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2010’s “How to Train Your Dragon” was a revelation, a thrilling, poignant animated movie that broke through conventions to become a richly defined character piece with the odd scene of soaring adventure. It was beautifully made all around, rewarded with big box office, television spin-offs, and now a sequel, which has the disadvantage of trying to keep up with the achievements of the original effort. “How to Train Your Dragon 2” eschews repetition to deepen its mythology, finding a fresh theme of maturation to explore with hero Hiccup and his trusty dragon Toothless, while delivering a formidable villain, epic battle sequences, and a more profound understanding of the personalities that populate this irresistible world. While it’s missing the opportunity for introductions, “How to Train Your Dragon 2” sustains all the pitch-perfect filmmaking that carried the original feature to glory, allowing for sophisticated emotions to develop organically. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sequels aren’t easy to assemble, but it helps to have a production team that’s up for the challenge, ready to send established characters on a fresh adventure. “22 Jump Street” plays it safe and cynical, hoping to subvert the norm by openly mocking sequels as it goes about the business of building one. 2012’s “21 Jump Street” was silly and fun, its follow-up is a little less so, missing a jewel of an idea that could transform the update of a popular 1980s cop show into its own thing. Repetition is intentional, and the picture barely colors outside the lines. “22 Jump Street” is certainly amusing, but rarely is it funny or energetic, mostly content to rehash beats from the previous feature, you know, like a sequel. Get it? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Ping Pong Summer” is in love with the 1980s. It’s an obsession that drives writer/director Michael Tully, who celebrates and satirizes the era with this vague “Karate Kid” riff that’s all about the details. While it teases “Wedding Singer”-style nostalgia as a means of wink-happy derision, “Ping Pong Summer” is a more pure-hearted affair, with an interest in silliness that carries throughout the film. It’s funny at times, energized by its idolatry, and while there are substantial shortcomings to the picture, it knows how to have a good time, playing with teen cinema conventions as it checks off its laundry list of references and sense memories. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Lullaby” is a film that contains immense passion and heartbreak, yet the final cut doesn’t retain much in the way of organic emotional release. The directorial debut of actor Andrew Levitas, “Lullaby” is a disjointed, overcooked tale of familial relationships, self-examination, and assisted suicide, and a feature that delivers only sporadically when it comes to the feelings it’s hoping to inspect. It’s grabby work, perhaps too concerned with fulfilling its tearjerker intentions, but there is some detectible skill from Levitas that suggests he might be a helmer to watch one day. For all the manipulation that requires a machete to hack through, there are moments contained within that are welcomingly human. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Grand Seduction” is as Canadian a production as can be. Featuring cocaine abuse and rampant unemployment while it tracks a concerted attempt to trick a young man into submission, it’s just about the friendliest film of the year so far. Playful and charming, the picture coasts on its sense of humor and handle on mischief, while sustaining a casual atmosphere of community bonding that would be rendered as pure syrup in America. Director Don McKellar doesn’t possess enough judicious editing confidence to make “The Grand Seduction” airtight, but even slogging through excessive length and the effort registers appealingly. After all, there are not many movies that feature scenes of phone sex that you could bring your grandmother to, making the endeavor’s startling approachability something to savor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com