Category: Film Review

"My Brother the Devil" has powerful individual moments, truly honest
emotional searching that gives the material depth the movie doesn't
otherwise possess. Though it comes across as yet another inspection of
misspent youth in a rap-saturated council estate setting,
writer/director Sally El Hosaini scratches a little deeper to explore
the bonds between siblings, where influence and approval reign supreme.
Being her first film, "My Brother the Devil" is kneecapped by stiff
scenes and overcooked performances, but as a whole, the picture
introduces the world to a promising storytelling talent with more on her
mind than sneers and straightforward criminal interests.
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The key to 2010’s “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” was its sincerity. It was
a genuinely awful feature from an enormously incompetent filmmaker, a
man who thought he could match his idol Alfred Hitchcock in the suspense
department, only to make a mind-numbingly tedious, technically
disastrous picture about global warming, attacking birds, and young
people dealing with vaguely defined vocational triumphs. Of course, it
was hilarious to watch, leaning into every last creative pothole
writer/director James Nguyen created, studying a movie that had
absolutely no ambition beyond being a movie, and it often failed at
that. Molded into a midnight movie phenomenon, sold on its badness,
“Birdemic: Shock and Terror” transformed into something of a hit. And
with any unexpected cinematic success comes a sequel, whether we want
one or not.
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After the 2011 release of the global blockbuster “Transformers: Dark of
the Moon,” director Michael Bay wanted to challenge himself again. After
years of gargantuan features, “Pain & Gain” represented a return to
roots planted with the 1995 action comedy “Bad Boys,” offering Bay a
chance to cause a comparatively low-budget ruckus in his favorite
filming location: Miami. The robots in disguise are gone, replaced by
equally destructive bodybuilders on the hunt for the American Dream, and
while the potential of this true story is immense, Bay resorts to his
old tricks, making the picture more frustrating and deadening than
raucous. Intentionally ugly and mean-spirited, “Pain & Gain” somehow
believes itself to be a coked-out, body-smashing good time at the
movies. Instead, it’s quite a chore to sit through. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The power of great cinema is a special thing. With “Mud,” the screening
audience I attended the film with fell in love with the picture,
physically and verbally invested in story and character to a degree I
haven’t been exposed to in a very long time. It was a unique moviegoing
adventure for a classically conceived effort, standing somewhere between
a Mark Twain novel and a David Gordon Green feature (at least one where
he’s not trying to be funny). Somber and engrossing, “Mud” is like
paging through a terrific book containing a few dull chapters, with
writer/director Jeff Nichols (“Take Shelter”) creating an evocative
atmosphere of mystery and misfortune, captured through well-rounded
personalities, patient screenwriting, and ace acting from most of the
cast.
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“Welcome to the Punch” is a steely, stylish picture, yet it lacks much
of its titular promise. Weirdly abrupt and largely inconsequential, the
feature is only good for a few decent shoot-outs and chase sequences,
where writer/director Eran Creevy shows potential with visceral
elements. However, consistency of storytelling eludes him, with “Welcome
to the Punch” prone to meandering with complex character associations,
almost showing disinterest in itself. Thankfully, a cast of solid U.K.
actors pick up the slack, bringing intensity and behavioral nuance to an
otherwise airy actioner that feels severely pared down from its
original intent.
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After flirting with the abstract and the surreal in the midst of slasher
film shenanigans with “Halloween II,” writer/director Rob Zombie has
decided to scratch the itch in full with “The Lords of Salem.” A bizarre
mind-bomb of a movie, the feature represents a slight change in
direction for the helmer, who once had a ball raising hillbilly hell and
now appears to be consumed with atmospheric nightmares, with a heavy
tilt toward psychological erosion. “The Lords of Salem” isn’t for every
taste, with those hankering for a vicious joyride into the black heart
of witchcraft sure to walk away disappointed. The effort is best suited
for viewers willing to allow Zombie time to chase artistic impulses and
genre obsessions, to let the doomsday weirdness gradually wash over
them.
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Despite a few public animosities and a prolonged break-up period, Cheech
and Chong have remained a force of comedy for over 40 years, which is
no small achievement. Fans have come to expect a certain impish,
pot-laced sense of humor from the duo, and “Cheech & Chong’s
Animated Movie” delivers exactly that, playing like a greatest hits
album of old bits, interpreted through the click-and-point miracle of
modern cartooning. Strictly for the faithful, the feature is essentially
a victory lap for the pair, recycling their brand of drugs-n-fart humor
in an attempt to entice a new generation of stoners aching to see such
antics colorfully rendered onscreen.
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Their name is Astron-6. A filmmaking collective from Canada, the
production team specializes in retro entertainment with a distinct wink,
fueled by a love of eighties cinema and the freedom of no-budget
creative challenges. Their debut feature, “Father’s Day,” was an
unexpectedly hilarious, imaginative take on splatter shenanigans,
cutting the toxicity of the gore with a sly sense of humor, articulated
by a sharp ensemble of capable comedians. Astron-6 returns with
“Manborg,” another dip into the warm waters of violent B-movie
reverence, this time channeling “RoboCop,” Sam Raimi, and the “Mortal
Kombat” video game to generate an acid-washed cornucopia of action and
laughs. Short, silly, and superbly crafted with next to no money,
“Manborg” is a delight. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Oblivion” is sci-fi entertainment that recalls genre pictures from the
1980s and ‘70s, where character and spectacle were more evenly matched.
It’s a strikingly designed and photographed effort that indulges only a
handful of blockbuster bonanza moments, more attentive to its knotted
exploration of identity and paranoia, almost old fashioned in its
inspection of psychological disruption. That’s not to suggest “Oblivion”
isn’t exciting, but it carries more of a literary tone, hoping to
extract suspense through intimacy instead of explosions, constructing a
beguiling atmosphere of isolation and revelation that keeps the
production alert, despite a few convoluted twists along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Robert Redford is no fool. The screen icon and celebrated director knows
full well that audiences wouldn’t be very patient with his latest film,
“The Company You Keep,” without the security and color of a large cast
made up of famous faces. It’s a smart move, providing a sense of
stability with this labyrinthine tale of aging radicals, weighty
secrets, and dubious journalism, with the talent helping to ease the
often scattered feel of the storytelling — an effort that faces a
difficult job of establishing numerous names and places. Never
underestimate these modest flashes of star power, as the ensemble
manufactures the suspense and reflection necessary to make “The Company
You Keep” stick as a stirring drama and as a statement of generational
idealism greeting the golden years. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the interconnected world we live in, dangers are abundant. With so
many people exchanging their inner most thoughts and fears, along with
all kinds of sensitive information, the potential for catastrophe is
great, yet the warning signs remain hazy. “Disconnect” seeks to navigate
the divide between machine and humankind, initially setting out to
inspect intimate violations brought to life via online communication.
It’s a fascinating topic and one of utmost importance in today’s
plugged-in society. Unfortunately, director Henry-Alex Rubin doesn’t
examine the issues long enough, soon clearing away a promising
cautionary tale to sermonize with a heavy, almost suffocating
melodramatic approach to close out this crushingly formulaic picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Terrence Malick makes a particular type of movie. There’s nothing wrong
with an artist in possession of a singular style, with many filmmakers
enjoying mighty careers basically making the same feature over and over,
with subtle shifts in approach. “To the Wonder” is Malick’s latest work
(his sixth project since 1973), and it resembles his previous
accomplishments in numerous ways. What’s lacking here is character,
watching the helmer construct his traditional ode to environmental
instability and human weakness, yet there’s not a single interesting
figure onscreen capable of holding attention. A sudsy wash of
sensations, “To the Wonder” is gorgeous and ambitious, but cold to the
touch, nearly carrying on as a parody of a Malick endeavor instead of
solidifying its poetic ways as a step forward in the slo-mo evolution of
the reclusive creator. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It seems the poisoned apple doesn’t fall far from the rotting tree.
“Antiviral” marks the feature-length directorial debut for Brandon
Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg, the master filmmaker behind such
classics as “The Fly,” “Videodrome,” and “Dead Ringers.” Following in
his father’s footsteps, Brandon conjures a diseased take on our engorged
celebrity-fixated culture with this ominous, gruesome production. While
the younger Cronenberg is undeniably sipping from his dad’s reservoir
of corporeal nightmares, he proves himself to be visually fascinating
helmer with a unique perspective on societal decay. “Antiviral” is
stimulating work with a fulfilling grasp on agitation, though it works
ever better as a glimpse into futureworld psychosis and extremes of
consumption. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Scary Movie V” opens with Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan in bed. Then
they begin to have sex. Then “Yakety Sax” kicks in to score their
gymnastic lovemaking session. And this is the type of viewing experience
“Scary Movie V” becomes, with bad ideas spread like curdled butter over
lousy ideas, and it doesn’t let up for 75 minutes (add another 15 for
the end credits). What began with the Wayans Brothers spoofing “Scream”
has now turned into a cinematic garbage bin for the franchise’s fifth
outing, with a reduction in budget, casting surprises, and fodder for
satire flattening the potential for even a single responsive titter. If
you absolutely need to experience the feature, bring a pillow, as
there’s nothing to the effort that promises to keep the viewer awake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jackie Robinson was a miraculous baseball player, but one would never
know that after watching the bio-pic “42.” Instead of focusing on a
sterling Major League Baseball career that lasted for nine years, the
feature only covers Robinson’s introductory season with the Brooklyn
Dodgers, where he faced torrential amounts of bigotry as he broke the
color barrier. Racism is primarily on the mind of writer/director Brian
Helgeland, and it often results in dramatic dead ends, beating the same
drum of intolerance while a towering portrait of a sporting legend is
left behind. “42” isn’t a baseball movie, it’s a flaccid, obvious
melodrama with occasional moments of dazzling diamond activity. What a
shame. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After soaring to box office heights and striking Oscar gold with his
last two pictures, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours,” director Danny
Boyle comes crashing back down to Earth with “Trance,” a soggy jigsaw
puzzle of a movie that’s so intent on frying the brains of its viewers,
it completely forgets to invite them in on the grisly festivities.
Crafted with Boyle’s traditional electro bounce and cinematographic
A.D.D., “Trance” is best left for those who either adore the filmmaker
no matter the inconsistency of the work or those who love taffy-pull
strands of interpretational material, working the stickiness until it
makes some type of sense, even if the creator didn’t intend such
meaning. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While in possession of a storied filmmaking career, director Ken Loach
isn’t one to hunt for a laugh. Rarely exposing his funny bone, Loach
aims for a slightly lighter tone with “The Angels’ Share,” though any
smiles are quickly tempered by the crushing reality of human
fallibility. As with any Loach picture, the effort is a mix of emotions
and hardships with a Scottish tilt, yet pockets of brevity are welcome,
permitting the movie an approachability and unpredictability that’s
often missing from the helmer’s work. I’d even go as far as to suggest
“The Angels’ Share” is somewhat charming, which is a reaction not
typically found with a Loach endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Following in the footsteps of numerous stories concerning the dangers of
granted wishes and the unmerciful nature of greed, “The Brass Teapot”
takes an extremely dark premise and treats it like an afternoon picnic.
Lacking fangs and consequences, the picture at least moves, granted a
buoyant forward momentum by director Ramaa Mosley, making her
feature-length helming debut. She knows how to make a movie skate along,
but in terms of black comedy and vicious delights, “The Brass Teapot”
is missing numerous layers of sickness, fearful of pushing a plot of
pain on its audience, forcing them to study the complexity of unsavory
desires with unlikable characters. Instead, it’s a candy bar commercial
with the occasional act of violence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Seeing a horror remake pop into moviegoing view certainly isn’t a new
development. After all, Hollywood has been on a recycling tear as of
late, returning hits such as “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm
Street,” “Halloween,” and “Dawn of the Dead” to the big screen. It’s an
unfortunate development driven almost entirely by the prospect of easy
box office returns (with newcomers and fanatics lining up in droves),
but a few of these reheated properties have managed to score with
imagination and a renewed thirst for blood. Count “Evil Dead” in the win
column, successfully reworking the legendary cult feature from 1981 for
a younger audience while teasing the faithful with elaborate acts of
violence and survival that live up to the exalted brand name. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s not like Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” was a modest art-house
release back in 1993. It was destined to be a blockbuster from the
moment work began on the picture. An expensive, visually groundbreaking
tale of dinosaurs run amok, “Jurassic Park” fulfilled its promise with
enthusiasm and armrest-rattling suspense, supported by a level of
Saturday-matinee-style directorial heft that felt like opening gifts on
Christmas morning. It’s been two decades since the mighty T. rex first
rampaged onscreen, and to celebrate the anniversary of this now-classic
fantasy adventure, “Jurassic Park” has undergone a makeover, pushed and
pulled into 3D, while an IMAX-approved sound mix carries the theme park
chaos to new heights of eardrum-banging intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com