Category: Film Review

Writer/director Rian Johnson has developed a reputation for
uncompromising, inventive work (with “Brick” and “The Brothers Bloom”),
and his latest, the sci-fi brainteaser “Looper,” is no different. While
his features are intricately designed and heavily considered, Johnson’s
not one to keep an eye on pace, often so enamored with screen
particulars that a simple sense of forward momentum is missing, losing a
primal cinematic drive to step back and admire his handiwork. “Looper”
is the closest the filmmaker has come to a dazzling motion picture,
toying with the conventions of the time travel subgenre to fashion his
own thriller, a movie with real teeth and a working brain. Although
intermittently ferocious, “Looper” doesn’t hold the viewer by the throat
for two hours, showing a troubling lack of stamina the longer it
develops the central conflict. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s difficult to believe “Pitch Perfect” was scripted by Kay Cannon, a
vastly talented writer who made a name for herself working on “30 Rock,”
a job that requires ingenuity, a samurai-sword-sharp sense of humor,
and a mathematical understanding of screen timing. Cruelly, “Pitch
Perfect” is a glorified episode of “Glee” with a “Family Guy” funny
bone, bellyflop displays of improvisation, and a running joke concerning
projectile vomiting. At one point, a character even slides around in
the soupy stomach contents. Yeesh. Perhaps the target demographic of
teenagers and music competition nuts will enjoy themselves
wholeheartedly with this bothersome feature, losing themselves in the
songs and fatigued silliness, yet “Pitch Perfect” is an unexpectedly
lazy effort from a genuinely inspired writer, steamrolling through the
world of a cappella in an uncivil manner that doesn’t inspire laughs or
induce the chills that typically accompany true vocal power. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The particulars of film distribution have kept “The Hole” from American
eyes for quite some time now. Originally shot in 2008 and released in
Europe in 2009, the feature finally makes its way west for reasons that
aren’t immediately clear, but I’m grateful regardless. The latest from
director Joe Dante, “The Hole” is a modest production with a hearty
sense of scare, tunneling into the psyche to find a human source of
terror to compliment the monsters that occasionally pop into view during
the picture. Entertaining, with a welcome sense of mischief, “The Hole”
plays to Dante’s strengths, returning him to a suburban battleground
where young characters face off against an unstoppable, often knee-high
malevolent force. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a polar opposite difference between the gloriously elastic
animation of “Hotel Transylvania” and its wretched screenplay, and it’s a
heartbreaker to see such a wonderful premise torpedoed by a lack of
storytelling consideration. A rare foray into spooky business for family
audiences, the feature contains such promise that it seems almost
impossible to screw up in a major way. Enter Adam Sandler, who brings
his low-brow sense of humor to this monster mash, endeavoring to appease
adults with a moldy tale of father-daughter strife, while he looks to
tickle kids with bodily function humor. Although it’s a shame that
“Hotel Transylvania” is so persistently crude, true disappointment
emerges from the exceptional cartoon craftsmanship of the movie, which
is wasted on ghastly writing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s a rare event to find an author not only writing the screenplay
adaptation of his own work, but directing it as well. It’s a heavy
workload for Stephen Chbosky, who attempts to make the nuances of his
book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” compute on the big screen.
Although gifted a trio of inspired performances from the lead actors,
“Wallflower” is a muddled creation blessed with unique emotional
sincerity, yet cursed with loose ends and poorly defined characters,
huddled into a precious creation that might test the patience of those
with a sensitivity to effusive teen melodrama. There’s enormous insight
into the adolescent mind, yet Chbosky is hopelessly disorganized,
creating a film of sporadic significance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Bringing Up Bobby” has all the good intentions in the world to tell an
honest story about separation and the lasting sting of mistakes.
Writer/director Famke Janssen (the “X-Men” star making her filmmaking
debut) portrays her story earnestly, massaging an arc of personal
responsibility that’s kindly enough, but rarely is it ever felt down
deep in this underwhelming picture. A mismanaged drama with overheated
performances and a general disinterest in following through on
characterizations, “Bringing Up Bobby” doesn’t provide the soulfulness
it aims to share. Instead, it stumbles through scenes without a
consistent tone, hoping to shape something meaningful out of its display
of misguided parenting. Janssen just doesn’t have the vision to achieve
it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s an enormous gust of passion blowing through “Unconditional,”
though it seldom has the force to lift leaden scenes off the ground.
Being a Christian production, its intention is peaceful enough, with a
concentrated effort to reduce the audience to a puddle of tears through
acts of goodness and confession. However, that aspiration to extract a
massive amount of emotion from characters and viewers is clouded by
scattered storytelling. “Unconditional” often goes out of its way to
divert concentration from its most compelling subplots, trying hard to
come across as an important movie on a myriad of topics. While strongly
acted by stars Lynn Collins and Michael Ealy, it’s a clumsy picture that
feels like it’s going to add up to more than it actually does. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As Hollywood anoints Jennifer Lawrence as the Next Big Thing, there’s
some unfinished business to tend to before she bathes in her “Hunger
Games” franchise success or tastes Oscar glory with the upcoming “Silver
Linings Playbook,” and its name is “House at the End of the Street.”
Shot before her stint as Katniss in “The Hunger Games,” this B-list
thriller reminds the world of more humble time for the actress, when she
had to take any job that slipped into view, establishing her name with
traditional genre career steps. It’s a terrible picture, but it’s hard
to fault the star for its failure, as she delivers a performance best
described as “embarrassed,” while the rest of the effort dissolves into
an insipid bore with nearly a third of its running time devoted to an
easily escapable situation. I hope Lawrence takes some time today to hug
her “Catching Fire” producers for her good fortune. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last time we saw the character of Judge Dredd on the big screen, it
was in a 1995 Sylvester Stallone vehicle from Disney. While
interestingly designed and occasionally inspired, “Judge Dredd” was a
misfire, tanking an opportunity to bring the cult comic book bruiser
(first inked in 1977) to life in the manner he was originally conceived.
It took time, but enterprising financiers have decided to try again
with Dredd, this time sticking close to the source material to inspire a
cinematic do over, shedding a Hollywood action bonanza atmosphere to go
grittier, keeping the character masked and mean as he’s once again sent
out to assess the wicked citizens of Mega-City One. Second time’s a
charm with “Dredd,” which brings out the agony of this world and the
duty of the protagonist with a welcome discomfort, hitting consistent
points of futuristic fury in a supremely entertaining picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Master” attempts to simulate a collapse of hope brought on by
tremendous trauma and acts of self-destruction. It’s the latest from
Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the great filmmakers of our time, who makes
a long-awaited return to screens after his last picture, 2007’s “There
Will Be Blood,” barnstormed through cinemas, ending up with a few Oscars
and a catchphrase that enjoyed time in the pop culture sunlight. “The
Master” doesn’t share the sound and fury of “Blood,” with Anderson
aiming for more spiritual matters rooted in real-world invention.
Ambitious without a daredevil sensibility, this is not a feature that
always commands the utmost attention, feeling a tad ponderous and
unfocused at times. The creative elements are extraordinary as usual,
yet there’s a palpable restraint to the material that keeps it from
burrowing under the skin. “The Master” fumbles around in the dark,
though it’s often an enthralling journey marked by fits of scorching
passion and quaking frustration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“End of Watch” touches absolute brilliance with alarming inconsistency.
It’s a procedural drama with a film school twist, using video cameras to
dig deeper into the hardened cinematic routine of the L.A.P.D. Instead
of “Cops,” where a cameraman is largely responsible for capturing
criminal activity, “End of Watch” puts the video equipment into the
hands of the police, creating a spirited atmosphere of intimacy to aid a
tale of partnership put to the ultimate test on a daily basis. It’s an
interesting concept with a trendy found-footage tilt, yet
writer/director David Ayer doesn’t follow through with the
possibilities. In fact, he doesn’t follow through with much of anything
in this searing but problematic cop drama. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, writer/director/actor Josh Radnor made a small but impressive
debut with “happythankyoumoreplease,” a precious title for sure, but a
workably anxious creation dedicated to the collisions of life. Squeezing
out a second picture between seasons at his day job, acting on the
sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” Radnor returns with “Liberal Arts,” a
small-scale character piece that shows impressive growth in directorial
confidence and screenwriting nuance. Despite its potentially formulaic
collegiate setting, the helmer captures a full sense of thought and
desire in work that’s undeniably human, striving to make a movie about
whirring minds and anxious souls, not content to assemble a neurotic
collection of intellectuals burning through literary references while
swigging coffee. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s rare to see an actor act their age these days, yet Clint Eastwood
always seems determined to play above his years, recently drawn to
cranky, senile characters, last seen on screen in 2008’s ode to senior
might and lawn protection, “Gran Torino.” “Trouble with the Curve”
introduces an even creakier side to Eastwood, playing an aging man
facing the end of his career and his sight, while dealing with the
normal irritations and blockages of old age. It’s not a comfortable
watch, yet Eastwood has that irascible charm that keeps a sense of humor
swirling around dark developments. The movie is lucky to have him and
co-star Amy Adams, who both bring a fresh sense of life to an otherwise
hokey, stale screenplay. To bring baseball terms into the review, the
pair consistently hit home runs while the feature itself only manages
the occasional ground rule double. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I must admit, I’m a sucker for the high school reunion subgenre. It
inflames that primal itch to see close friends, enemies, and lovers
reunited after a long absence, coming together to assess childhood hopes
and adulthood realities, while surveying radical changes in body type
and maturity levels. It also provides a solid foundation for ensemble
work, gifting actors of various abilities brief glimpses of character to
develop, while pinballing around a room of diverse personalities. “10
Years” doesn’t radically alter the basics of this type of story, yet it
proceeds with caution, ignoring a grotesque display of concentrated
nostalgia to explore intimacy, enjoying the process of personal
discovery in a blessedly gentle manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If “About Cherry” actually contained a story concerning the leading lady
known as Cherry, it would be a far more enlightening picture. Instead,
the movie is a drippy, incomplete effort from first-time director
Stephen Elliot, who has a functional idea to drill inside the scattered
mind of an aspiring adult film actress, yet he lacks the concentration
required to shape these acidic experiences into a cohesive tale of
panty-dropping enlightenment. The feature is all over the place,
spending valuable time with vague characters and implausible personal
exchanges, resulting in a muddled, inconsequential journey of a
surprisingly unsympathetic character and her hazy ride to the top of the
porno food chain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’m happy that the actors could secure themselves a lovely Hawaiian
vacation with “You May Not Kiss the Bride,” but I only wish they
contributed to a more substantial film. Surprisingly violent for a
romantic comedy, the feature offers a broad display of slapstick and
shootouts, positioning itself as a tropical adventure with a sense of
humor. Without a single laugh or a convincing performance, “Kiss the
Bride” ends up a South Seas home movie for key production personnel. It
was probably a blast to make, but fails as an offering of big screen
escapism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Despite its eventual failure, “Bait” deserves some credit for trying to
pull off an insane scenario capable of reigniting the killer shark
subgenre. There are moments here, albeit few and far between, where
director Kimble Rendall seems like he’s found a way to make this
low-budget shocker work on a limited scale, playing with claustrophobia
and oddity to turn a ridiculous script into a credible machine of
terror. Scares are absent and the performances are wretched, yet “Bait”
deserves a participation ribbon for its willingness to take an aquatic
hunt in an unexpected direction, using recent world woes to inspire a
shark tale that’s poorly executed yet charmingly absurd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s hope in the opening ten minutes of “Resident Evil: Retribution”
that writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson might to able to turn this
tattered franchise around, taking a few moments to reconnect to the
previous sequels through an introductory recap from our monotone
heroine, Alice. For a brand name that’s prided itself on nonsensical
scripting, it’s strange to watch this fifth installment take a breath to
fit the puzzle pieces together, pretending the earlier pictures
actually made sense, with “Retribution” hinting at an enormous refocus
of priority on an actual plot. Sadly, it’s all a tease. A loud,
explosive tease. Instead of storytelling bravery, “Retribution” shoves
the series deeper into absurdity, continuing the quest of 2010’s
“Resident Evil: Afterlife” to contort a once promising zombie stomp into
a stilted, baffling 3D fireworks display. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Unlike many other adult dramas, “Arbitrage” doesn’t feature a single
sympathetic character. It’s a slightly incomplete story of privileged
people using their influence to further fraud and dodge manslaughter,
manipulating those beneath them. It’s a compelling tale of reptilian
behavior and escalating legal woes, best appreciated for a few fine
performances and writer/director Nicholas Jarecki’s attention to
merciless acts of business world survival, embodied heroically in star
Richard Gere’s bravely unlikeable work. Although it never ties together
as securely as it should, “Arbitrage” carries itself with a confident
sense of gloom and panic, keeping the mysteries at hand persuasive
despite storytelling that flames out instead of building ominously. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Mike Birbiglia’s “Sleepwalk with Me” began life as a stand-up comedy
piece before it was quickly transformed into a National Public Radio
story, a comedy album, a Broadway show, and a book. And now it’s a
movie. Not bad for a charming, mildly horrifying tale of sleep disorder
and a life devoted to comedy tested by the pitchfork poke of domestic
routine. Bravo to the gifted Birbiglia for his ability to reinvent the
material for a diverse range of formats, with each stop on the
“Sleepwalk with Me” creative tour revealing newfound emotional angles
while basically rehashing the same jokes. Despite its intimate origin
and spasms of humor, Birbiglia’s tale of woe makes a soft, easy landing
on the big screen, finding a fresh approach to slide outsiders into the
comedian’s world, while longtime fans will have fun discovering
unexplored corners of the sleepless saga. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com