Category: Film Review

Remaking his own 2005 feature “13 Tzameti,” writer/director Gela Babluani doesn’t expel all that much effort modifying his material; instead, he essentially reheats this vicious tale of Russian roulette for American audiences. There’s a decent amount of star power and established actors collected for this chiller, and those new to the premise might find themselves drawn into this foul underworld saga. However, fans of the original will likely be saddened to find Babluani making the same film all over again, only here he cools the efficiency of the previous picture, allowing a sense of staleness to permeate the production. While still rippling with tension due to the graphic subject matter, “13” remains an unnecessary remake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Roland Emmerich has spent his career guiding Jean-Claude Van Damme, pushing viewers through a Stargate, staging a global alien attack, resurrecting Godzilla, and orchestrating the end of the world. He’s done very well sticking close to spectacle, but he’s never quite challenged himself in the dramatic realm. “Anonymous” is Emmerich’s first real stab at a human story, though even this modest costume drama carries a bold mystery: Was Shakespeare a fraud? It’s a complicated answer in a protracted motion picture. Sure, theaters are burned, incest is established, and several actors compete to be the biggest ham of the movie, but the concentrated mood is far removed from anything the director has done before. It’s a weird feeling to be bored by a Roland Emmerich feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Oh, the yelling in this thing. “Trespass” must set some type of record for the longest screaming match in a motion picture; the verbal amplitude just drags on and on. Mix in some hyperventilation and vile overacting, and here’s the latest from Joel Schumacher, the once engaging filmmaker who’s spent the last five years crafting disappointments (“The Number 23”), misfires (“Blood Creek”), and turkeys (“Twelve”). Here, the director elects to make ears bleed in this insufferable home invasion thriller, which takes a fairly undemanding design for suspense and turns it into a frightfully pokey 85-minute collision of abysmal creative decisions. Not even a healthy blast of glittery star power can rescue this punishing movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a film critic, I’m painfully aware that “The Mighty Macs” is one ridiculously clichéd piece of work. As a filmgoer, I was charmed by the G-rated gentleness and interest in providing young female audience members with a portrait of empowerment, free of heady sexual overtones. It’s not a remarkable movie by any stretch of the imagination, yet “The Mighty Macs” is good, clean entertainment for the whole family, snapping spare parts from hundreds of sports pictures together, fashioning a slight, but genial feature that should appeal to viewers hungry for lighter fare that isn’t animated.

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It’s the trend these days to whip a franchise back to the beginning when moving forward is no longer a viable creative direction. It’s this alleged “freshening” treatment that’s been dispiriting to watch, though the “Paranormal Activity” series is unique in that its third installment is actually a second prequel to the 2009 no-budget blockbuster. “Paranormal Activity 3” leaps back even further in time to survey the origins of demonic happenings and parental disposal, returning to an era of crude surveillance equipment and child endangerment. Sadly, the time machine treatment does nothing to reenergize the formula, with this latest ghostly rampage practically a shot-for-shot remake of the previous pictures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The idea of a sequel to the 2003 film “Johnny English” seems absurd, but the movie proved itself to be unexpectedly popular around the globe. Ditching his world-famous Mr. Bean character to create a James Bond parody, star Rowan Atkinson (who actually appeared in a Bond adventure) found another character worthy of his rubbery appeal, making light of suave spies and the action genre in his own floppy way. “Johnny English Reborn” brings back the character for another round of slipping and spying, but not much else has changed since the release of the original picture. “Reborn” is more of a spiritual title. Everything else in this silly but draggy comedy is pure rehash. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alexandre Dumas’s novel “The Three Musketeers” has been adapted for the big screen countless times, finding great success (Richard Lester’s 1973 romp with Oliver Reed) and utter failure (2001’s martial arts turkey, “The Musketeer”) on its journey to find the preeminent cinematic incarnation that does justice to the original text while loading the frame with all sorts of swashbuckling antics. Director Paul W.S. Anderson falls short of sword-whooshing glory, but he certainly slaps together a pretty picture. His take on “The Three Musketeers” is a highly produced adventure that’s eager to please; unfortunately, every time the feature opens its mouth, disaster strikes, again confirming Anderson’s place as one of the most disappointing filmmakers working today. A feast for the eyes, this “Three Musketeers” is better seen than heard. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Following in the footsteps of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” and “Too Big to Fail,” “Margin Call” examines the wreckage of the 2008 financial crisis, only this effort has the benefit of exploring the early hours of the insanity, observing the formation of escape plans and panic attacks, isolating the sweat-soaked calm before the storm. It’s a commendable film, but one that rarely engages beyond surface details of Wall Street crooks bracing for impact, stewing in the juices of contemplation a little too long. As an attempt to humanize the disaster, it’s successful, bolstered by an outstanding cast able to communicate the gut-rot squeeze of fraud and the sickening launch of its permanent impact. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To lure in potential audiences, “Take Shelter” is being marketed as a psychological thriller with disaster movie overtones, hope to entice people normally drawn to such heightened experiences of screen terror. Truthfully, the feature is something different, a decidedly complex and human portrait of developing madness, employing a few acts of showy suspense theatrics to emphasize the disorder in play. “Take Shelter” is a difficult film that runs about 30 minutes longer than it should, but it’s anchored wonderfully by two outstanding lead performances from Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, the latter communicating a bend of reality in such a hauntingly private manner, befitting a character who understands where a path of despair will lead him, yet can’t help but shuffle along to its inevitable conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The world of birding gets a hit of the Hollywood spotlight with “The Big Year,” a comedy that’s actually quite entertaining when it stays focused on the competitive aspects that come into play when tracking our flying feathered friends. The rest of the picture is devoted to only moderately interesting characters struggling with mundane domestic worries, boxed into a gentle PG-rated package that’s friendly enough, but lacks a vigorous wit. I’d write that “The Big Year” is for the birds, but it’s quite enjoyable at times — a bright and colorful escapade across America (or likely Canada) with three affable comedians scrambling to make tepid material their own. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Fireflies in the Garden” has endured a rough ride to a U.S. theatrical liberation. Shot over four years ago, the domestic drama has seen its fair share of missed released dates and wary studios, though I’m not exactly sure why. Although far from perfect, the feature remains an honestly felt motion picture about the complexities of behavior and the wrenching pull of regret, using games of secrets and revelations to manipulate the characters into positions of remembrance. It doesn’t add up to much, but it seems writer/director Dennis Lee never intended it to, embracing the undeclared bonds of life, permitting viewers to study relationships and true levels of hostility. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Thing” is a prequel to a 1982 feature titled “The Thing,” itself a remake of “The Thing from Another World,” from 1951. It’s a complicated nest of titles, though the 2011 “Thing” doesn’t really have any inclination to tie into the previous “Thing” until the climax. The rest is just the same old “Thing,” essentially reheating elements from the old “Thing” to sell a new “Thing” to younger audience members who haven’t had the pleasure of viewing John Carpenter’s classic tale of paranoia, monsters, and avoiding…things. If it sounds like one “Thing” too many, you’re right, as the 2011 “Thing” brings nothing new to the table besides unnecessary explanation and an abundance of iffy CGI, muting the terror potential by playing everything obvious and lifeless. The new “Thing” is nothing like the old “Thing.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Why would “Footloose” be up for the remake treatment? While plenty of years have passed since its 1984 theatrical debut, the movie still feels like a fresh slice of teen fantasy, infused with an iconic soundtrack and a blissful sense of the zippy MTV era in which it was created. 2011 serves up a modern take on an elderly tale, and there’s actually some imagination in the director’s chair as Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow,” “Black Snake Moan”) takes the wheel, tasked with bringing the boogie up to date without disrespecting a feature film that’s prized by so many. “Footloose” turns out to be entertaining, sporadically delightful, but like most reheats, it lacks the essential sense of surprise found in the original picture. It has its highlights, but the production feels more like a corporate decision than a cartwheeling spell of creative expression. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Father of Invention” is a mischievous idea in search of a stronger motion picture. It’s best as a comedy, permitting the colorful cast a chance to play against type with broad but friendly characters. Unfortunately, co-writer/director Trent Cooper keeps positioning the feature as a family drama, looking to tug heartstrings when something frothier was in order. I enjoyed sections of “Father of Invention,” but it’s an effort drawn to mediocrity, ignoring wonderful comedic opportunities to make yet another relationship story between a humiliated father and his distrustful daughter. I wish there was an invention to help alleviate the nauseating effects of tuneless melodrama. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sam Shepard is an accomplished artist, but as an actor, he’s occasionally a little uninspired. Requiring strong material to perk up his instincts, Shepard has hit a few highlights during his career, working with Philip Kaufman on “The Right Stuff” and Wim Wenders on “Don’t Come Knocking.” Regardless of a few professional peaks, he always seems to be stuck in some type of militaristic role, forever playing reserved characters of deteriorating authority. “Blackthorn” offers a fresh reason to remain invested in Shepard’s long and winding filmography, providing a meaty role and an irresistible western formula to flare his screen charisma in full. He’s terrific in a movie that needs his unique thespian touch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a musical entity, Fishbone was unlike anything seen before. A fusion of funk, ska, punk, and metal, the band blazed the music scene sharing frantic, glorious sounds, sold with some of the most animated live performances around. They’re legends, yet never quite achieved the worldwide popularity required to shape raw talent into a viable business. Instead, the crew scrapped and slugged their way to the middle, creating an intense, intriguing narrative of backstage creation and erosion, captured superbly in “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone,” a documentary that probes the current state of the group while tracking their origins and industry challenges.

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“Melancholia” is a disaster movie, though it doesn’t resemble the work of Irwin Allen or Roland Emmerich. There are no near misses or romantic melodrama, and the Capitol Records Building remains intact for the duration of the picture. This is Lars Von Trier’s opportunity to stage the end of the world. With the effort comes a flood of misery and doomsday terror, expressed with incredible visuals and a refreshing sense of detachment to monumental planetary chaos. In fact, it would make a corker of a double feature with “2012” — one movie using widespread death to entertain the popcorn-munching masses, the other examining increasing mental clarity as a dire situation greets a soothing psychological position of utter despair. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After all these years, I sort of forgot Martin Sheen can really act. Not that his work has ever been less than stellar, but there’s a hardness he’s perfected on television and film over the last few decades, a posture of authority that’s convincing but curiously repetitive. “The Way” features the finest Sheen performance in quite some time, refined yet superbly vulnerable, and who better to draw the man out of his shell than his own son, writer/director/co-star Emilio Estevez, who crafts an elongated, yet emotionally resonate story of man taking to travel to soothe his fractured soul. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Considering the troubling times we’re currently stewing in, “The Ides of March” has been released at an opportune moment, tempting the discontented with a story of utter political corruption. Of course, we’ve been here before, with cinema always there to expose the evils of ambition, especially when it concerns the fanged machine of Washington. The feature is a perfect fit for co-writer/director/star George Clooney, who constructs a decidedly modern take on underhanded business, yet channels the moviemaking masters of 1970s to help reach an unsettling position of stillness, watching as corrupt men and women slowly come to the realization that they’ve lost their integrity. It’s a sharp, satisfying plunge into duplicity, perhaps Clooney’s most intriguing offering as a filmmaker. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To appreciate the clunky charms of “Real Steel,” one must accept a bizarre premise that finds the citizens of futuristic America clamoring to watch robots engage in boxing matches. It’s a ludicrous plot befitting an absurd motion picture, but one that at least makes the attempt to be more than just a simple metal-crunching exercise in mindless violence. Youngsters will surely get a charge out of “Real Steel,” but anyone who’s spent time attending movies over the last 40 years will be able to predict every turn of this script, every beat of the performances, and every last swing of the sock-em robots. It’s a film of unbearable formula and occasional stupidity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com