Category: Film Review

“No” is a creative take on political filmmaking, using a simple step
backwards in terms of camera equipment to isolate a time and place with a
subtle sense of the video age. It also endeavors to tell a specialized
story of marketing, observing the use of television commercial
techniques and promotional stratagem to win an election, reducing the
urgency of the issues to play a mind game with the masses. It’s
fascinating work from director Pablo Larrain and screenwriter Pedro
Peirano, who manage to slip into the skin of a beleaguered country and
detail the urgency of a revolution, sold one jingle at a time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many films dramatize the aftermath of World War II, but few have tackled
the immediate steps of research after combat has ceased. There’s a
novelty to “Emperor” that makes it inviting, investigating conversations
concerning the reconstruction of Japan mere days after atomic bombs
were dropped in 1945. An historical treatment seems to be a perfectly
acceptable route for the production to take, yet “Emperor” is concerned
that hardened men talking procedural events won’t make much of a movie,
so a romantic subplot is introduced, trying to humanize the enormity of
war. It’s an unnecessary addition, but there’s a lot more disappointment
to come with this lackluster effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I like where director Michel Gondry’s heart is at with “The We and the
I,” attempting to capture the impulse-driven behaviors of teenagers as
they journey home together on a city bus. It’s a movie that’s loose and
raw, using an ensemble of amateur adolescent actors to embody the free
flow of emotions and reactions that typically follow characters of this
age. Communicated with Gondry’s beloved sense of visual mischief and
devotion to the art of the non sequitur, “The We and the I” is a
production that’s worth at least a surface appreciation as it endeavors
to make a film about kids starring kids. However, such ambition only
carries the viewing experience so far, as most of the effort is
strangled by a persistent unpleasantness and Gondry’s tone-deaf way with
establishing sympathy for this public transit motley crew. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We’ve been through this story before, on three separate occasions. Joe
Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s “Paradise Lost” documentary series
(including the 1996 original, “Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills,” a
2000 sequel, “Revelations,” and the 2011 conclusion, “Purgatory”)
triumphantly inspected the gruesome, astonishing details involving the
trial and conviction of the West Memphis Three. The pictures were
incendiary and mournful, blending journalism and outrage masterfully
over six methodical hours, walking through the case one step at a time.
While never intended to be the definitive document of the West Memphis
Three, the “Paradise Lost” movies became a beacon for national interest,
with celebrities, legal minds, and passionate observers manufacturing a
movement to free Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin
from the hell of life in prison for crimes they claim they did not
commit. Despite treading on well-worn cinematic ground, “West of
Memphis” swears it has something fresh to share with the world, taking
145 minutes to file through its theories and interviews. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movies about submarines are a rarity, making the relative disappointment
of “Phantom” all the more troublesome. While far from a disaster, the
picture is exhaustively mediocre, attempting to generate suspense
without providing necessary detail, while some critical miscasting lets
even more air out of the viewing experience. Writer/director Todd
Robinson (2006’s “Lonely Hearts”) certainly has a vision with “Phantom,”
mixing masculine men and Cold War tensions in a claustrophobic setting,
peppering the effort with chases and torpedo-dodging, but the
excitement is ephemeral, washed away by a routine of sweaty stand-offs
that aren’t exactly rippling with urgency. “Phantom” has its moments,
but not nearly enough of them to rattle nerves in the manner Robinson
intends. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One of my primary criticisms of 2010’s found footage horror hit, “The
Last Exorcism,” was its artificial feel and cringe-inducing
performances. Intended to simulate reality, the picture felt false
throughout, leaving me to wonder why the production would choose such a
subgenre to tell their tale when they didn’t seem prepared to take the
illusion seriously. The unfortunately titled “The Last Exorcism Part II”
brings the franchise to its senses, dismissing improvisations and
shaky-cam cinematography to find a more traditional route of terror by
switching the demon activities to the realm of scripted drama, treating
the next round of storytelling in a more cinematic manner, allowing the
audience to be pulled into the tension instead of randomly bopped around
by a flimsy sense of chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” gets an aggressive update in
“Jack the Giant Slayer,” a vividly imagined fantasy film with an
unexpected appetite for destruction. Director Bryan Singer can’t lift
the feature off its feet, yet his vision for towering threat and lands
far, far away is virile enough to supply a hearty adventure, sold with
unusual visual effects and a welcomingly blunt attitude when it comes to
the violence of men and monster. It’s an impressively large-scale
endeavor, only lacking a sharp wit and a blistering sense of urgency
that could carry it to greater heights of grandiose entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One year ago, there was “Project X,” a feature about a party populated
by teenagers swinging wildly out of control. “21 & Over” is similar
in many ways, with the primary difference being the legal drinking age,
allowing the characters to carry out their boozehound fantasies in
public. There are few surprises contained in “21 & Over,” which
marks the directorial debut for Scott Moore and Jon Lucas, the
screenwriters behind the two “Hangover” pictures, who try to resuscitate
the binge drinking formula for the college crowd. The result is a
shamefully calculated effort to merge party chaos with a coming of age
tale in a manner that tickles the audience while making them feel for
the dim-witted characters that populate the movie. Moore and Lucas do
not pull off the tricky juggling act. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In January they were witch hunters, and now they’re getting high.
“Hansel & Gretel Get Baked” returns the fairy tale siblings to the
screen, this time reimagined as a pot-loving, crime-solving young woman
and her picture-snapping, straight-laced brother facing off against a
drug-dealing witch. Obviously, it’s not a traditional retelling of this
classic story of temptation, but more of a bizarre gorefest punctuated
with a joke or two. Considering the ridiculous title and the
production’s lack of budgetary might, “Hansel & Gretel Get Baked”
might come across as an overlong, underwritten late night television
sketch, but there are a few highlights here worth waiting around for,
especially for those with a hankering for motivated no-coin,
bottom-shelf entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Sweeney” is based on a British television series that began life in
1975, making its American theatrical run a little on the baffling side,
though one should never doubt the drawing power of Ray Winstone. The
beefy, growling actor makes a fine if familiar impression in this
hard-charging actioner, gifting depressingly conventional material a
personality as the story high-fives every cop movie cliche imaginable.
Regardless of predictability, “The Sweeney” has its share of thrilling
moments and inventive showdowns, managing a sufficiently entertaining
ride when it allows Winstone and the cast to fulfill their bruiser
promise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Considering the wealth of news coverage surrounding the activities of
serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, it appears there’s little left to be
learned about the man and his unnervingly calm modus operandi. “The
Jeffrey Dahmer Files” doesn’t add anything to the conversation outside
of a few psychological dimensions that have recently come to light, with
co-writer/director Chris James Thompson making more of an art piece
crossed with a network news magazine show. Taking on the incredible
details of the gruesome case and its aftermath, Thompson accepts quite a
burden of informational responsibility, only to generate an aimless,
tedious picture that’s part documentary, part re-creation, and mostly
unenlightening. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I can easily see why a respected actress like Marcia Gay Harden decided
to take part in a dreary picture like “If I Were You.” It’s a meaty role
that requires broad comedic skills and subtle dramatics, while offering
the performer a chance to play around with romantic interactions and
boozehound sway, hitting all the corners of characterization while
spewing out a mouthful of dialogue. Heck, there’s even a touch of
Shakespeare in the mix as well. Professionally, I’m sure it seemed like a
smart movie, yet “If I Were You” is a strangled endeavor that’s 30
minutes too long and short-sheeted in the laugh department. Perhaps it
was a blast to make, but to sit through the feature requires an
extraordinary amount of patience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Scott Stewart is a former visual effects artist who’s directed two major
features: 2009’s angel revolt picture “Legion,” and the 2011 sci-fi
actioner “Priest.” With that type of gloomy filmography, the prospect of
spending more time with Stewart’s blurred cinematic vision is less than
appetizing. To write that “Dark Skies” is his best effort to date is a
tad misleading but undeniably true. It’s not a profound movie, but
technically competent, while huffing Spielberg fumes in a big bad way to
pay tribute to the man who made the ultimate alien invasion event.
“Dark Skies” contains promise in its earliest moments that suggest
Stewart has finally broken out of his carbonite brick of mediocrity and
found material that benefits from his nondescript touch. However, it all
eventually falls apart. Although, compared to “Legion” and “Priest,”
it’s more of a gradual comedown instead of a free fall without a working
parachute. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Snitch” doesn’t have a clue what type of movie it wants to be. A
cautionary tale? An actioner? A domestic drama? A political statement?
It’s a muddle of ideas and moods, and too many of them are not worth the
price of admission. Despite a passionate performance from Dwayne
Johnson and a few provocative ideas floating around the production,
“Snitch” takes an interesting story and renders it impotent, trying too
hard to appeal to the widest possible audience with difficult material.
It’s broad and brawny, dealing with a subject matter that requires a
fine touch of intimacy and stillness. No amplification was necessary. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Matt Lucas is a British comedian who received his first taste of
American success with the release of “Bridesmaids,” where he played Gil,
the working man trying to push unemployed Annie (Kristen Wiig) out of
an apartment he shares with his sister (Rebel Wilson). The small
supporting role caught significant attention, leading to a starring role
in “Small Apartments,” a comedy about Los Angeles residents in various
states of disrepair. It’s a not a particularly impressive feature, but
it does offer a creative step forward for Lucas, who provides a bravely
unglamorous performance and a general muting of his comedic impulses,
also surrounding him with an oddball ensemble inhabiting all forms of
disillusionment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Why should Liam Neeson have all the fun? “Inescapable” is a rather
brazen attempt to rework the “Taken” formula with a different lead
actor, asking Alexander Siddig to suit up as a raging father on the hunt
for his missing daughter. While the feature has a fiery attitude and
Siddig’s full commitment, it’s also painfully clunky, clearly unprepared
for the challenge of a revenge film. Although politically aware and
careful with its handling of pre-war Syria, “Inescapable” doesn’t have
the juice normally associated with such violent entertainment. Its
interest in characterization is admirable, but there’s little firepower
where it counts the most. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Vamp U” is a bad film, though not terribly offensive. It’s an attempt
to pants Hollywood’s waning vampire obsession with a no-budget
production aiming for laughs over mystique, though the potency of the
gags leaves much to be desired, and it has a tendency to underline its
“Twilight” target with temple-rubbing regularity. Still, on the spectrum
of wacky monster comedies starring untested and unknown actors, “Vamp
U” retains a modicum of spunk and a few smiles as it goes about its
business of slapstick and bloodsuckery. Dial expectations way down, and
perhaps writer/directors Matt Jespersen and Maclain Nelson will be able
to entertain you for 90 unremarkable but innocuous minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As low impact CG-animated moviemaking goes, “Escape from Planet Earth”
is surprisingly persistent when it comes to staging mind-numbing
mediocrity. The potential for a rip-roaring alien adventure is there for
the taking, but the production doesn’t bother, instead recycling beats
of irreverence, action, and sentiment from other, better pictures. It’s a
drag, but a needlessly stupid one, begging on bleeding knees for
younger audiences to fall in love with it, which translates to emphatic
voice work, extended slapstick routines, and a precocious child
character meant to act as a surrogate for the nosepickers. And just to
make sure the feature radiates complete nonsense, every time a character
falls in “Escape from Planet Earth,” there’s a fart sound effect piped
in. Surely your children would rather watch “Argo” instead, right? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Out of all the horror productions that flood the market every year, it
takes a special idea and level of execution to catch attention. Basic
shock value is no longer enough to pass muster. “Would You Rather” isn’t
blessed with a comfy budget or particularly strong actors, but there’s a
suffocating feeling of suspense and personal ruin carrying the
proceedings along, with a healthy amount of tension to savor. It’s a
humdinger of a picture at times, guaranteed to rile up even the most
jaded viewer, while presenting in interesting, if incomplete, portrait
of human nature as it’s faced with a cold reality of choice and
survival. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year saw the release of “Goon,” a hockey comedy (starring Seann
William Scott and Liev Schreiber) that took special interest in the job
of the enforcer, a man recruited to provide violent protection for
players, picking fights with anyone to claim dominance on and off the
ice. It’s a genuinely funny picture with an amusing ugliness, but
there’s an undeniable dark side to the profession that wasn’t
illuminated in full. Director Alex Gibney picks up the slack with “The
Last Gladiators,” a sobering documentary on the true price of this NHL
fight club, featuring interviews with a few of its most notorious
participants. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com