Category: Film Review

The director of “How to Be Single” and “Love, Rosie,” Christian Ditter has explored the ways of dating and romance, and now he turns his attention to the challenges of family life with “The Present.” It’s a “Groundhog Day”-style effort from screenwriter Jay Martel (“Get Hard”), who creates a time-travel tale about the prevention of divorce and all the strange roadblocks encountered during this race to preserve normalcy. Martel’s story supplies a germ of an idea involving the anxiety of kids who don’t want to see their parents break up, but Ditter isn’t ready to go deep with the endeavor. He makes a Disney Channel-type of viewing experience instead, going broad and borderline obnoxious with this feature, which establishes adult concerns but offers childish antics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Imaginary” comes from Studio Ponoc, a company established by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who was a producer at Studio Ghibli. It’s their first feature-length endeavor since 2017’s “Mary and the Witch’s Flower,” and they remain in a fantasy realm with the picture, which investigates a community of imaginary friends and their battles to understand their purpose, facing an evil presence determined to feast on them. Similarities to the recent “IF” are impossible to miss, but director Yoshiyuki Momose makes a more fanciful experience with “The Imaginary,” which aims for screen immersion with its offering of wild characters, fantasy environments, and exceptional animation. It’s not always a riveting study of heroes and villains, but the production aims for details with the effort, holding attention with a significant creative achievement that makes full use of the art form. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2021, Andrew McCarthy authored the book, “Brat: An ‘80s Story,” which examined his formative years and experience as an actor, building on a foundation of education and professional drive to rise as a major face in Hollywood, which was in the midst of mining the youth market. McCarthy became a star, and he also became part of the “Brat Pack,” with journalist David Blum electing to depict a collection of young thespians in an unflattering way to help define a moment in time. McCarthy’s been dealing with the branding for decades, and now he's taken his fight to the screen, directing “Brats,” which sets out to understand what happened to an assortment of movie professionals who were suddenly turned into media stars at a tender age. This turbulent experience remains at the heart of the documentary, but McCarthy isn’t always interested in studying it, occasionally biting off more than he can chew as he attempts to go abyssal into cultural analysis, which allows the film to wander away from its most appealing offerings of reflection from those who were there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director James Croke doesn’t have much in the way of a budget for “Latency,” going the modest route for this chiller, which highlights the dangers of technology and the influence of anxiety disorders. There are plenty of ideas in the writing to investigate, and with only two characters and a single location, expectations are put in place for a heartier examination of personality and behavior, while Croke is clearly paying tribute to the cinema of David Cronenberg at times. Unfortunately, the helmer has his ambitions, but the execution of “Latency” is underwhelming. There’s little tension to enjoy as the main player in a game of unreality deals with a disruption to her brain, and Croke isn’t too confident when it comes to scares, preferring to hit viewers with loud noises instead of nailing them with more interesting acts of terror. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Pixar Animation Studios has taken a few hits in the press lately, with the company facing some financial turmoil as parent organization Disney figures out what to do with the animation giant. Their output has been mostly impressive over the last five years, creating a few original gems along the way (“Luca,” “Soul”), but now Pixar returns to the source of one of their greatest financial and critical successes with “Inside Out 2.” There’s a cynical response ready for such a follow-up to one of 2015’s best movies, but screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein offer a careful continuation meant to expand on the world of Riley and her turbulent emotions. The character is now a teenager with a lot of room to grow, and “Inside Out 2” does just that, developing the inner world of feelings with a more advanced state of distress, and director Kelsey Mann (making his directorial debut) oversees a gorgeously animated adventure that returns to behavioral discoveries with heart and humor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Daina Oniunas-Pusic offers quite the first impression with “Tuesday,” her feature-length helming debut. She doesn’t make it easy for herself, taking on the subject of death, and even the process of it in an askew way, going the magical realism route with this study of a mother working extremely hard to deny the imminent passing of her terminally ill daughter, challenged by Death itself, who emerges in the form of a macaw. There’s a devastating side to the material, but Oniunas-Pusic isn’t all that interested in crafting a tearjerker, going to much stranger places with the endeavor, which is never short on surprises. “Tuesday” hits the heart, how could it not? But there’s a rich sense of inspired filmmaking driving the effort, with Oniunas-Pusic overseeing outstanding performances and imaginative storytelling with this often stunning exploration of life and loss. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Big City Greens” made its Disney Channel debut in 2018, and quickly became a hit for the company, who gave the show greater exposure on the Disney+ streaming service, establishing a loyal fan base for the series. Created by The Houghton Brothers (Chris and Shane), “Big City Greens” is the rare animated offering that organically merges crazy slapstick antics with a real sense of heart, always finding fresh ways to explore the Green Family and their urban and rural experiences. And now the program goes big, with “” offering a 90-minute-long adventure with beloved characters, which is quite a development when episodes usually run around 11 minutes. The Houghton Brothers, co-writers, and director Anna O’Brian maintain their usual speed with the feature, delivering a hilarious odyssey into major trouble for the characters, losing none of the charm and mischief of the original series. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Hannah Pearl Utt impressed with her last endeavor, 2019’s “Before You Know It,” blending interests in comedy with something more sincere when dealing with character yearnings and foibles. Utt returns to a similar dramedy landscape with “Cora Bora,” following the misadventures of a young woman attempting to handle herself with care, only to end up in impossible situations of longing and awkwardness as she tries to reconnect with her past. The picture also offers a starring opportunity for actress Megan Stalter, who’s been particularly good about stealing scenes in recent efforts (including “Sometimes I Think About Dying” and “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain”), and she’s terrific here, handling the turns found in the screenplay (by Rhianon Jones), which tracks a bumpy road of maturation. “Cora Bora” is a little lumpy at times with pace, and a few supporting characters seem superfluous to the odyssey, but the feature remains involving and empathetic, detailing a specific stretch of emotional unrest. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

David Duchovny is best known for his acting in television shows, but he’s created a directorial career over the years, breaking into feature-length filmmaking with 2005’s “House of D,” also claiming a screenplay credit. The picture didn’t work, despite a capable cast, but Duchovny tries again with “Reverse the Curse,” which returns him to the delicate ways of relationships and regrets. Marketing plans are pushing the movie as more of a lighthearted study of a family reunion and the strange influence of baseball, but Duchovny wants something deeper with the endeavor, which strives to provide a more sensitive viewing experience with emotionally constipated characters. It’s not another “House of D,” but “Reverse the Curse” shares similar tonal problems and general helming issues, with Duchovny struggling to craft a dramedy capable of hitting hearts and finding humor. It ends up a mushy pile of moods, but, once again, acting is the highlight of the effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jake Allyn has scripted a few movies, with his last, 2021’s “No Man’s Land,” exploring the cowboy way in America. Allyn also acts in the features, giving himself juicy parts, often portraying tormented souls dealing with trouble of their own making. For “Ride,” Allyn returns to acting and screenplay duties (co-writing with Josh Plasse), and he makes his directorial debut with the endeavor, which once again explores the desperation of Texan men trying to fight their way out of emotional horror and financial ruin. It’s another showy part for Allyn, but he wisely packs the picture with capable supporting talent, with these performances carrying the film through a general sluggishness it only periodically breaks free from. “Ride” is an editorial pass away from greatness, but the effort does hit a few gut-rot moments of regret worth sticking around for, and its central idea of generational guilt occasionally reaches its potential. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We’re coming up on the 60th anniversary of Ultraman’s debut on Japanese television, and the enormous, powerful superhero has experienced many media interpretations over the decades, including the 2022 film, “Shin Ultraman.” He returns to the screen in the animated endeavor, “Ultraman: Rising,” which offers plenty of action for kaiju fans, but co-writer/director Shannon Tindle (“Lost Ollie”) looks to create a more human take on the fantasy creation, merging family issues and the might of monster activity. “Ultraman: Rising” certainly has moments of cuteness as it deals with the antics of a baby kaiju and pressures of parenthood facing the costumed warrior, but there’s some darkness to the feature as well, with Tindle striving to balance all the action fans of the subgenre expect with a slightly more serious tale of generational expectations and responsibilities. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s the Summer of Shyamalan. In August, M. Night Shyamalan returns to screens with “Trap,” revisiting thriller interests after dabbling in semi-horror releases over the last handful of years. Before dad gets a chance to entertain audiences, his daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, offers her feature-length directorial debut with “The Watchers,” also handling screenplay duties on this adaptation of a 2021 A.M. Shine novel. Shyamalan also attempts to deliver spooky business with the endeavor, which observes four characters trapped in a dire situation of fantastical imprisonment, and like her father’s recent output, the picture just doesn’t have much in a way of chills or pace to really capture audience imagination. “The Watchers” is atmospheric at times, and the helmer is aided greatly by an active sound design, but it’s a long wait for something special to happen, and while Shine has ideas, Shyamalan struggles to make them come alive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Longing” is a remake of a 2017 Israeli film, with original writer/director Savi Gabizon returning to oversee its English-language refreshing. It’s been turned into a vehicle for actor Richard Gere, who’s a natural fit for a story following a cold, distant businessman learning of a son he never knew and already lost, inspired to track the young man’s footsteps and understand an existence he wasn’t part of. The part plays directly to Gere’s strengths as an actor, and initial expectations for a more mournful journey are nicely disrupted by the helmer, who attempts to manufacture a darker tale of fixation. “Longing” doesn’t always connect as intended, especially in the third act, but Gabizon launches an interesting mystery of behavior with the tale, adding a few turns along the way to keep the viewing experience involving and enjoyably weird before the whole thing sobers up in the end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2020’s “Bad Boys for Life” managed to revitalize the franchise for ticket-buyers, becoming the highest-grossing sequel of the series, proving there was still audience interest in the world of supercops Lowry and Burnett. Creatively, new directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Falllah brought nothing fresh to the series, content to ape departing helmer Michael Bay and his brand of visual overkill. “Life” was numbing, overlong, and lacking in humor. There was room for improvement, but the approach clicked at the box office, and Arbi and Bilall (in their first assignment after their “Batgirl” movie was cancelled) are back to business with “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” The film is basically “Bad Boys for Life 2,” offering a direct sequel to the previous chapter, which, once again, finds the main characters in a whole heap of trouble in Miami, while viewers are treated to the same level of sensory overload and haphazard scripting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Shark attack movies are now part of release routine, with many filmmakers trying their luck to restore some frights to the exhausted experience of oceanic terror. Director Xavier Gens (“Hitman,” “The Divide,” and “Frontier(s)”) doesn’t have a novel idea for “Under Paris,” but he does have an interesting setting, bringing shark frenzy to France, where teams of cops and activists do battle as a humongous mako makes its way to the Seine river. As most of these pictures go, there’s a race against the clock as the hunt begins, with some looking to destroy the predator, while others seek to protect it during a major event in town. “Under Paris” doesn’t capture attention through originality, but Gens manages to make something mildly fun with the endeavor, which adds periodic violence to delight viewers. It’s not an action-packed viewing experience, but there are surges of panic to work with, and the general novelty of the setting is most welcome. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Mothers’ Instinct” is a remake of a 2018 French film from director Olivier Masset-Depasse, which was an adaptation of a 2012 novel by author Barabra Abel. Screenwriter Sarah Conradt is tasked with reviving the material for an American remake, and helming duties are handed to Benoit Delhomme. The respected cinematographer (“The Theory of Everything,” “The Scent of Green Papaya”) makes his directorial debut with “Mothers’ Instinct,” facing a creative challenge with familiar material to some, trying to refresh a story that’s largely dependent on maintaining a level of surprise. There’s a lot going on in the feature, which carries the mood of melodrama but slowly turns into something else, and Delhomme has game actresses in Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, who bring a fine level of itchiness to the movie. The talent brings the endeavor to life, maintaining an appealing atmosphere of disturbing behavior as the story goes to strange places, but not always with confidence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For a tale of presidential paranoia and troublemaking, “Shadow Land” is surprisingly small in scale. It plays like a pandemic production, using only the basics in setting and casting to support what’s meant to be a mystery of some sort. Perhaps the screenplay by Ian Corson was something impressive at one point, building a puzzle involving American leadership, a psychologist, and a journalist who all work to define a vague threat hanging around a vacation home. Director James Bamford (“Air Force One Down”) doesn’t have the budget or the time to make a feature of note. He goes generic instead, visibly struggling to manufacture some form of suspense while editorial efforts try to shorten what appears to be a lengthier examination of trouble for all the characters. “Shadow Land” isn’t drearily acted, but it doesn’t piece together as tightly as it could, creating confusion where thrills were originally intended. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been many pictures in recent years detailing the ways of senior citizens looking to reconnect with their youthful days, with slapstick comedy and the bonds of friendship driving these endeavors. And Diane Keaton has starred in most of them. The actress returns to the ways of being wacky with “Summer Camp,” which shouldn’t be confused with “Poms,” “Book Club,” or “Mack & Rita,” but it’s mostly the same type of movie. What’s different here is the setting, following three seventysomething women to a camp reunion where they confront their ages, friendships, and themselves as they try to enjoy a return to the stomping grounds of their teenage years. Written and directed by Castille Landon, “Summer Camp” is meant to be warm and silly, but it’s mostly wearying, offering an incredibly limited imagination for humor, while its sense of characterization is wholly bizarre at times. Perhaps it’s meant to delight a single demographic, but somehow it’s not fun for anyone. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, there was “Nyad,” which examined long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad and her efforts to cross the Straits of Florida, beginning in 2010. “Young Woman and the Sea” shares the story of Gertrude Ederle, who, in 1926, sets her sights on swimming across the English Channel. These are similar investigations of domestic and physical hardships, with “Nyad” trying to manage an abrasive personality. “Young Woman and the Sea” is a Disney production, and it aims for more of an inspirational tale of endurance, following Gertrude’s challenges as she attempts to achieve something few believe a female can accomplish, or should. The picture is an old-fashioned offering of audience-pleasing filmmaking, with director Joachim Ronning (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”) and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (“Rush Hour 2,” 2019’s “The Lion King”) going for big feels with the endeavor, attempting to merge the details of Gertrude’s swim with a broadly cinematic underdog story. And they’ve created quite a charming, exciting movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jim Henson passed away 34 years ago, leaving behind a legacy of creative accomplishments almost impossible to believe. He was an innovator, filled with imagination and drive to realize his creative vision, using his skills in the art of puppetry to generate vivid characters and living worlds. The loss of Henson was tragic on many levels, and while his spirit hasn’t diminished, director Ron Howard sets out to craft a reminder of the man’s towering achievements. “Jim Henson: Idea Man” is a documentary exploring the life and times of the subject, with the production working with a plethora of footage and interviews to manufacture an intimate appreciation of Henson’s universe and his human qualities. Longtime fans are treated to a victory lap-style understanding of greatness, but Howard is also attentive to newcomers, going through the years to identify the growth of inspiration and reinforce the special sensitivity and ambition that defined Henson’s career. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com