Category: Film Review

These days, if an animated film hits big at the box office, there’s no way a studio is going to stop the party at one installment. With 2011’s “Rio,” there isn’t much room for extension, with the production doing a solid storytelling sweep, leaving few unanswered questions behind. However, with nearly a half-billion in global grosses, the screenwriters have dreamed up an all new adventure for fraidy-cat Spix’s macaw, Blu, who arrives with a few new friends, a soundtrack of songs, and a different destination. Missing the freshness and unexpected charm of the original effort, “Rio 2” is more entertaining than stimulating, with the strain to keep the money train rolling showing through much of the feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

More is more when it comes to the action in “The Raid 2: Berandal.” A sequel to the 2011 cult hit, “The Raid: Redemption,” this new round of ultraviolence pulls out all the stops in terms of broken bones and slashed skin, going out of its way to outdo the original’s frightening scale of aggression. Also on the to-do list is a quest to turn a contained plotline of survival into a crime saga worthy of “Godfather” complexity. Writer/director Gareth Evans aims big with this continuation, but in his lust for glory, he’s failed to trim the fat, making “Berandal” punch drunk, ugly, and, at times, endless. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Vivian Maier is big business these days, and it’s a shame she’s not around to experience the celebration. Of course, if she were alive, it seems unlikely there would be a documentary focused on her art. An obsessive photographer who lived a secretive existence as a hoarder and nanny, Maier’s shrouded life is the subject of “Finding Vivian Maier,” which seeks to grasp her elusive personality and personal history while rummaging through her visual achievements, which made her the darling of the photography scene a few years after his death in 2009 at the age of 83. An artist searching for a reflective representation of life during her travels, Maier was also a complicated woman cocooned by her mental illness, making this story of discovery all the more profound. And who better to explore this narrative than the man who stands to financially benefit the most from this newfound attention. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The makers of “Jinn” are aiming fairly high with this release. Although filmed in 2010, the picture is being issued with big plans for a sequel, while emphasis has been placed on selling the specialized car featured in the movie. It’s this level of forward thinking that’s ultimately confusing, as it’s unlikely anyone will want to see “Jinn” the first place. A crude mix of horror, “Harry Potter,” and religious idealism, the effort is a mess with a central conceit that makes little sense, forcing writer/director Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad to put all his concentration on visual effects, hoping some razzle-dazzle will keep audiences from noticing the often nonsensical plot and utter lack of tension. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the wreckage caused by “The Avengers” and the kickoff of Phase Two in the Marvel Studios master plan of superhero cinema domination with last year’s “Iron Man 3” and “Thor: The Dark World,” it seemed as though Captain America’s relatively earthbound activities wouldn’t be able to find renewed life in the midst of all the magic and crunching armor. After all, 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” is the second lowest grossing Marvel production so far, revealing a hesitance on part of the audience to accept such a figure of freedom, a boldly painted defender of democracy. Smartly, the screenwriters of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” have traveled within, largely forgoing massive theatrics to explore paranoia and corruption as the ultimate foe of our hero. Yes, there’s also a super-assassin with a metal arm leaping around the feature, but for the most part, this sequel works on a more analytical level, drawing parallels to our modern woes of government intrusion as it plays with the conventions of a comic book adaptation. In every single way, “The Winter Soldier” improves on “The First Avenger,” finding a fitting new direction for the character. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Every now and again there comes an animated film that serves as a reminder that not everything aimed toward a family audience emerges from the punch press of Hollywood. The French effort “Ernest & Celestine” has no fast food tie-in and blessedly no bathroom humor. Instead, it leads with warmth of personality and succinct thematic interests, while boasting some of the most magnificent animation I’ve seen in quite some time. Gorgeous, humorous, and endearing, I don’t think there’s a single frame in “Ernest & Celestine” that isn’t absolutely wonderful. Do your kids a favor and seek it out. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If there was an opportunity to view both volumes of “Nymphomaniac” together, or perhaps watch director Lars Von Trier’s five hour director’s cut, maybe the ritualistic demoralization that infests “Volume II” would feel more organic. Away from the work for a few weeks, and the second half of this sexualized odyssey feels strangely anticlimactic in a way that doesn’t resemble Von Trier’s original intent. While continuing its interests in disturbing imagery and storytelling deconstruction, “Volume II” is missing a sense of balance with the provocative instincts of the first installment. “Nymphomaniac” finally comes to a close, but its sensations don’t last nearly as long as previously imagined, finding Von Trier’s morbid sense of humor standing in the way of greatness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With her starring debut in Steven Soderbergh’s “Haywire,” former MMA fighter Gina Carano made quite an impression with her action hero moves, thousand-yard stare, and believability when it came to the pummeling of enemies. After a brief supporting turn in “Fast & Furious 6,” Carano returns starring status with “In the Blood,” one of those low-budget scrappers that finds a corner of the world to wreck with violence and iffy screenwriting. While the thought of Carano punching and kicking her way around the Caribbean sounds irresistible, “In the Blood” is directed by John Stockwell, who has a habit of making potential fun feel like a prison sentence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Goodbye World” is a post-apocalyptic film in the vaguest of ways, electing to avoid scenes of mass disaster to concentrate on the human struggle of survival, and even that’s not very interesting to the production. More of a reunion picture than an end-of-days chiller, “Goodbye World” does feature a tempting premise and a riveting first act, building a promising collection of characters facing a baffling series of events that tease worldwide paralysis, yet co-writer/director Dennis Hennelly prefers to focus on the selfish needs of alarmingly myopic people, altering the doomsday mood from one of panic to diluted domestic disturbances. In this movie, the world really does end with a whimper. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Craig Moss fancies himself a funny guy. With pictures like “The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It” and “30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” it’s unlikely the filmmaker has his finger on the pulse of contemporary comedy. Between wretched parody efforts, Moss has been trying to build himself a franchise with 2012’s “Bad Ass,” his cinematic extrapolation of the “Epic Beard Man” meme that was all the rage for 15 hot minutes in 2010. You recall “Amber Lamps,” right? Refusing to let a cruel joke die, Moss continues to develop his thin ideas with “Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses,” which, mercifully, dials down the meme references to plunge ahead as an average DTV actioner, this time teaming star Danny Trejo with Danny Glover, who thankfully doesn’t play a character named Doge. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Beyond the fact that “Blood Ties” is a remake of “Rivals,” a 2008 French film, there’s nothing especially original about the picture, which takes on family dysfunction and NYPD hostilities in the thick of the 1970s. The twist here is that one of the stars of “Rivals,” Guillaume Canet, has returned to co-script and direct “Blood Ties,” giving him a unique perspective on this story of brotherhood. A French take on an American cop thriller, the feature has its passions and conflicts, and while it’s formulaic, the effort retains a fiery personality, making sure the audience feels the weight of contemplation facing the frazzled characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Over the course of four movies, writer/director David Ayer has captured the gritty side of street life and how it intersects with fringes of law enforcement. It’s what he does best. In fact, it’s the only thing he does, with “Sabotage” trading bits of realism to come off as a bruising actioner, even going as far as to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role, gifting the production a certificate of authenticity. “Sabotage” is a wild feature, and not always in a positive way, with Ayer’s scattergun dialogue colliding with his procedural obsessions, resulting in a fantastically violent murder mystery that splatters instead of unfolds. Punch-drunk and nasty, the picture has its amusing idiosyncrasies, but Ayer is too busy dreaming up unnecessary chaos, refusing to develop the positive elements of the effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With “Noah,” writer/director Darren Aronofsky endeavors to create a biblical story that’s never been seen before. Forget “The Ten Commandments” and “The Passion of the Christ,” this tale of godly might is more in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien, complete with epic battles featuring faceless hordes, windy dialogue, and towering creatures that move with a distinct stop-motion animated lurch. The element of surprise works well for the filmmaker, but he can’t sustain the initial burst of invention, with “Noah” slowly grinding to a halt as it develops bland characters and protracted dramatic confrontations. Aronofsky is used to taking risks with his work, but this one slips out of his control, obsessed with overwhelming the audience instead of inspiring them with a depiction of spiritual courage. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2010, director Daniel Stamm invaded the horror scene with “The Last Exorcism,” a found footage-style chiller that cleaned up at the box office, allowing the filmmaker a chance to play in the Hollywood big leagues. His follow-up is “13 Sins,” a remake of a 2006 Thai production, and a picture that’s just twisted enough to make a successful leap to America. Although a consistent tone is elusive, Stamm proves himself up for the challenge with this uneasy morality tale, creating an enjoyable amount of tension and shock value to carry the effort through a few rough transitions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Drake Doremus made a critical splash with 2011’s “Like Crazy,” a movie about young love experienced in a full-body manner, clouding judgment and derailing lives. “Breathe In” covers some of the same dramatic terrain, only here the fixation remains on seduction and the gradual developmental process of chemistry. Where “Like Crazy” celebrated impulses, “Breathe In” highlights restraint, slowly building a feel for personal connection in a disrupted domestic situation, trusting in the power of longing and reflection. Doremus wears filmmaking maturity well, achieving a palpable sense of attraction between the lead characters, making their journey into indecent behavior seem perfectly logical, despite the cold realities that surround them. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Two Lives” is a film one has to remain attentive to at all times. Answers aren’t immediately offered during the course of the picture, which uses flashbacks and unidentified character interactions to paint a portrait of a stained life that’s finally being revealed. It takes time to get moving, but the reward is a captivating drama that presents a few effective surprises and a standout lead performance from Juliane Kohler, who communicates a pitch-perfect blend of emotions that allows the effort to cut deep. Satisfactorily tragic and pained, “Two Lives” is sharp work that develops spellbinding turns of plot as it unfolds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With “Boys of Abu Ghraib,” Luke Moran attempts to become a triple threat in the industry. Serving as writer/director/star of the picture, Moran picks an incendiary topic for exposure, creating a drama based on situations found in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal from 2004, endeavoring to master a corruption of innocence arc found in multiple war features. While it’s certainly a provocative subject, and early moments suggest the helmer is on the right track when it comes to the depiction of military desperation, “Boys of Abu Ghraib” eventually loses itself to a syrupy flow of sensitivity while presenting one of the worst endings I’ve seen in quite some time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a triumphant year for Steve Coogan. Last holiday season, “Philomena,” a film he co-write and co-starred in, picked up a few trophies and managed to find an audience despite an oppressive subject matter, while showing a pleasingly dramatic side to the performer few pictures have dared to explore. And now “Alan Partridge” makes its way to America, finally giving Coogan’s most famous character a shot at a global audience. Considering how hilarious the feature is, with a terrific wit, interest in silliness, and laudable speed, it’s a crime that it took this long for Partridge and his narcissistic antics to invade the states. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The marketing for “Nymphomaniac” has been a cheeky onslaught of provocative imagery, some tied to shots of orgasmic bliss interpreted by the stars of the film. It’s been amusing, yet the reality of the endeavor (an epic study broken down into two parts) is decidedly grim, possibly confusing those on the prowl for an offering of adult cinema as interpreted by director Lars Von Trier. “Nymphomaniac: Volume I” is the first half of the journey, and it’s filled with dire situations of compulsion and punishment. Even when the helmer makes minor attempts to pull the premise out of a coffin, the general tone of the work remains in a state of emergency. Demanding a less lustful mindset from the viewer, the effort emerges as an artfully designed exploration of grief and gullibility, pockmarked with Von Trier fetishes and wild metaphors. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I was a great admirer of 2011’s “The Muppets,” which had the unenviable task of trying to make the Jim Henson legacy relevant to a younger generation while still tickling the old guard. Mixing slapstick with song and dance, the picture returned verve to the puppet community, even with a few missteps in pacing and character focus. Applying what they learned from the experience, director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller return to the brand name with “Muppets Most Wanted,” a zippy, hilarious caper that ditches the endearing sensitivity of the reawakening to charge ahead as a traditional Muppet show of silliness, punctuated with a set list of fantastic songs by Bret McKenzie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com