Category: Film Review

Prison pictures, once the cornerstone of gritty cinema, don’t have it easy anymore. With the debut of HBO’s “Oz” in 1997, the standards of realism have been raised considerably, with any movie exploring the wearisome experience of incarceration required to have something of substance to support nearly two hours of screen time. “Jamesy Boy” offers the true story of James Burns, a juvenile delinquent whose mistakes cost him his formative years, but it’s not nearly enough of a journey to carry the feature, resorting to a non-linear structure to introduce surprise to a story that doesn’t contain any. Although it aims to dissect a trail of poor decisions and establish a horizon of self-awareness, “Jamesy Boy” lacks dramatic muscle and a credible lead performance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Money for film production is scarce these days, requiring screenwriters to dream up new ways to stage suspense without traipsing all over the world. “Freezer” takes the challenge to an extreme, containing the action to a restaurant walk-in freezer, where the characters argue, accuse, and figure out a way to free themselves from an exceptionally cold prison. Where it lacks in scope, “Freezer” makes up for in sass, with Dylan McDermott having a grand old time here as a Willis-style wiseass, while the production organizes levels of punishment for the leading man, creating a passably entertaining B-movie that has enough spunk and gruesome behavior to forgive its dreadful ending. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For marketing purposes, the comedy “G.B.F.” is labeled as the new film from “The Director of ‘Jawbreaker’.” Technically, this is true, but it’s also the first work of fiction from Darren Stein since the release of the 1999 feature, a movie that tanked during its theatrical run. In the 14 years since the release of “Jawbreaker,” it appears Stein’s cinematic tastes haven’t changed much, as “G.B.F.” is practically a remake, once again slipping into the skin of superficial teens and their specialized problems, with self-conscious scripting and confused direction suppressing the production’s obvious spirit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The suds flow in “Summer in February,” so much so that moviegoers could probably sneak in some laundry time while they wait for the film to play out its melodramatic tale of longing and woe. Although handsomely shot, the feature emerges from a tradition of irrational behavior and chest-heaving passion, yet director Christopher Menaul can’t seem to wake the material up, with the majority of the effort uncomfortably uneventful and tonally mismanaged. It’s a period excursion into unnecessary suffering, leaving a wide open opportunity for gloriously pained performances and a steady dispensing of anguish, but “Summer in February” just doesn’t register as intended. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With “Rubber” and “Wrong,” writer/director Quentin Dupieux has established a bizarre sense of humor that’s resulted in two extremely odd but hilarious pictures. Blessed with a cinematic touch and solid timing, Dupieux goes for a trifecta of absurdity with “Wrong Cops,” a shapeless satire of police procedurals populated with idiots, opportunists, and aspiring musicians. Admittedly, with a series like “Reno 911!” in the rear-view, it’s difficult to find the originality in Dupieux’s concept, but his love for ridiculousness and his eye for casting helps the film stand out as its own borderline insane event. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There has been no shortage of movies detailing the exploits of the legendary figure Hercules throughout cinema history. The character was a fixture of matinee distractions in the 1950s and ‘60s, eventually finding renewed popularity with a 1997 Disney Animation production and cult television series starring Kevin Sorbo. Apparently, 2014 has been designated the Year of Hercules, with two pictures hitting screens hoping to reignite interest in the powerful hero. The first out of the gate is “The Legend of Hercules,” director Renny Harlin’s attempt to transform the figure of might into a clichéd, slo-mo stabbing machine, siphoning tricks and imagery from seemingly every popular adventure film since 2000. Painfully derivative and miscast up the wazoo, this effort to return mythical majesty to the multiplex triggers more yawns than cheers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If one were to cut open the belly of this film, bile, beer, and blood would flood the room in a matter of seconds. “August: Osage County” is one of the most volatile pictures I’ve seen this year, besting horror efforts in terms of sheer terror and horrifying encounters, making the idea of a dysfunctional family more unnerving than the boogeyman. It’s head-rattling work, adapted by Tracy Letts from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, bringing this toxic material to the screen with help from an all-star cast ready to sink their teeth into this meaty drama. Consistently surprising, enchantingly vicious, and thematically profound, “August: Osage County” is a rough sit, but one that rewards with a shotgun blast of emotion that’s riveting to watch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are lots of things to love and lots of things to tolerate about “Her.” The latest from writer/director Spike Jonze (his first since 2009’s “Where the Wild Things Are”), the effort is a strangely accurate depiction of the mounting disconnect modern society is facing as glowing screens consume our lives, as well as a sharp depiction of fear emboldened by solitude, isolating an antisocial vibe that lends the film frightening accuracy. “Her” is a feature of locations, textures, and profound emotions, scattering itself all over the screen as it explores the highs and lows of love. Jonze has something spectacular here, but he’s all too eager to bury the movie in unnecessary pauses, with a glacial pace hurting the picture’s ambition to find a climatic place of catharsis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

True to its title, “The Past” remains stuck in a shared history with its characters, with the weight of guilt and resentment powering much of the drama as tension is slowly stoked for two hours of screen time. It’s the latest work from Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian filmmaker who previously detailed the erosion of a relationship in the powerful 2011 picture, “A Separation.” In many ways, “The Past” is an extension of concerns and antagonism that informed the earlier work, only here the feature builds toward an ill-fitting mystery element that’s nowhere nearly as compelling as the blunt reality of an imploding family trying to preserve a semblance of peace as old emotions return to the forefront during a particularly combustible weekend. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Simple pleasures carry the romantic comedy, “Black Coffee.” Writer/director Mark Harris works with a tiny budget and limited cinematic scope, but his dedication to sensitivity and character is compelling enough to pass, making the feature something different in a marketplace overstocked with the same story. A film from a black perspective that doesn’t invest in hysteria, stereotype, religion, and appears genuinely interested in articulating themes of self-improvement without resorting to brutal pandering to bring its message to the masses? “Black Coffee” isn’t a major force of moviemaking, but it’s a refreshing picture, displaying impressive restraint and intelligence as it details the trials of new love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a special sensitivity to process the strange feelings swirling around “The Truth About Emanuel.” It’s an impressive tonal tightrope walk from writer/director Francesca Gregorini, who asks the audience to observe an extreme form of emotional trauma that takes a few odd turns as it works itself out, some ideas coming close to unintentional comedy. Thankfully, the helmer displays a suitable amount of understanding to make this story penetrate as intended, riding a turbulent wave of emotions, symbolism, and psychosis to capture the sense of healing and connection that ultimately emerges from the material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The expanse of the mind and its multitude of mysteries form the basis of “Banshee Chapter,” a particularly odd title for a film that has little to do with an overt poltergeist presence. Taking cues from H.P. Lovecraft’s 1934 short story, “From Beyond” (also the inspiration for a 1986 Stuart Gordon film), “Banshee Chapter” is a low-budget hodgepodge of found footage disorientation and hallucinatory cinema, though one convincingly mounted by writer/director Blair Erickson. Although it doesn’t push the limits of horror as far as it could, the feature offers a mildly unnerving journey into the abyss of the brain, dialing up the creep-out factor as it investigates a nightmare rooted in reality, goosed here with some old-fashioned alone-in-the-dark scares. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Paranormal Activity” film series has made its producers and distributor a massive amount of money, a fact especially disconcerting when one factors in the limited effort put into these pictures. With all installments revolving around the exploits of characters who willingly put themselves into dangerous situations while refusing to put their camera down, “Paranormal Activity” has becomes a brand name for cheap scares and unsteady acting. It’s a haunted house experience that once dominated the Halloween season. For “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” the frightfest has been bumped to January, moving scares from autumn to winter with hopes a change of date will recharge the franchise as it enters the second stage of its longevity. Perhaps the moneymen also hope all the cold and snow might distract from the fact that “The Marked Ones” doesn’t bring anything new to the series, only triggering memories of the previous chapters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With 2010’s “Outrage,” writer/director/star Takeshi Kitano set out to manufacture a Japanese crime saga that was authentic in its observance of yakuza methodology and ritual while indulging in a plot of tarnished loyalty and cold-blooded control. It was his “Godfather” in many respects, and in an effort to keep up with the Coppola achievement, Kitano has created another chapter in what appears to be something of a trilogy for the gifted filmmaker. Much like the first feature, “Beyond Outrage” is a byzantine creation that’s primarily made up of names and faces, with the occasional burst of viciousness arriving to remind the viewer that Kitano still packs a punch these days, deftly blending extended dialogue sequences with harrowing moments of hostility, crafting a worthy follow-up to an unexpectedly engrossing picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although it was never a success, William Friedkin’s 1980 effort, “Cruising” (starring Al Pacino), has inspired a cult following over the last three decades. A deeply flawed but fascinating vision of the gay club scene in New York City, “Cruising” was reportedly shredded by the MPAA to achieve its release, shorn of 40 sexually explicit minutes that have never seen the light of day. Enter James Franco and Travis Matthews, two filmmakers out to flex their creative muscles by restaging this lost footage with an eager cast of background players and a hesitant star in Val Lauren, spending a few days in a Los Angeles theater dissecting the motivations of the moment, using the shoot as a way to challenge personal fears. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Open Grave” has a nasty exposition habit. A horror film with some mystery on its menu, the picture is terrified to leave any viewer behind, always explaining itself, underlining relationships and spelling out tension. It’s an irritating routine, making the movie feel more diluted than it already is, with director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego (“Apollo 18”) incapable of quieting down the effort, showing respect for intelligence and natural screen suspense. There’s a germ of an idea within “Open Grave” that deserves development, but what’s ultimately made it to the screen is simplified and stripped of feeling, scratching out the level of anxiety screenwriters Chris and Eddie Borey are aiming to summon with this end of the world endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s an incredible story of tenacity buried somewhere in “Lone Survivor,” but it’s difficult to embrace the searing aspects of the tale when director Peter Berg (fresh off the 2012 flop, “Battleship”) insists on turning the effort into an action movie, wrapped in the American flag. The true-life tale of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and his astonishing fight out of an Afghanistan war zone, “Lone Survivor” doesn’t need much ornamentation to explore the heat of the moment when processed by an elite military unit. Sadly, Berg doesn’t trust the inherent nobility and stress of the situation, changing the blurred dynamic of conflict to fit the needs of cliched screenwriting and unimaginative direction, reducing a primal fight for life to a patriotic “Die Hard” sequel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“47 Ronin” has received its fair share of press due to its runaway costs and missed released dates. Branded a troubled production, it’s with some relief to report that the feature is not a mess, just misguided in a manner familiar to moviegoers who’ve previously been subjected to the runaway ambition of a first-time director with access to unlimited funds. His name is Carl Rinsch, and while his career will undoubtedly survive “47 Ronin,” let’s hope the experience assembling a fantasy samurai picture of this magnitude will provide him with much needed focus for any future endeavors. This one simply gets away from him, and while it’s handsomely made, the work is stiff, still, and tonally unsteady. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com