Category: Film Review

I’m sure for most people, the opportunity to revisit their high school years is not something they’d willingly submit to. For some, there’s too much pain associated with those brutal years, while others endured genuine suffering during this time of adolescence. For documentarian Cecilia Aldarondo, time has come to understand what exactly happened to her during this period in her life, and she’s bringing all of us along for the journey. “You Were My First Boyfriend” is something of a documentary, but more of a visual essay/podcast, with Aldarondo returning to the scene of the crime, going back to her teen years in Winter Park, Florida, where she experienced the pain of bullying and participated in the cruelty of denial, which has caused blockage during her adulthood, electing to reopen old wounds to figure out what went wrong. “You Were My First Boyfriend” is teeming with universal feelings capable of reaching any viewer, and it hits some powerful points of behavior when Aldarondo chooses to settle down and actually make the movie people are likely to be most interested in. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“It’s a Wonderful Knife” is another offering of cutesy horror, emerging from the mind of screenwriter Michael Kennedy, who played silly and stabby with his “Freaky Friday” take on slasher entertainment, 2020’s “Freaky.” It’s directed by Tyler MacIntyre, who also played around with genre attitudes and teen concerns in “Tragedy Girls.” The men collaborate on a new endeavor, striving to bring some Christmas spirit to a standard stale of horror survival, once again sold with a lighter sense of humor. Actual scares aren’t part of the deal with “It’s a Wonderful Knife,” which never rises above the debatable cleverness of its title. The feature is a loose remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but Kennedy and MacIntyre don’t go full tilt frightmare with the effort, which has its share of bloodshed, but mostly plays like an episode of a CW show. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year, there was “Elvis,” with director Baz Luhrmann transforming the life and times of Elvis Presley into a tornado of filmmaking, performance, and music, aiming to show as much respect as possible with a sympathetic portrait of the iconic entertainer. The King returns to screens in “Priscilla,” with writer/director Sofia Coppola aiming for a more critical understanding of Elvis, examining the experience of his wife, using Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me,” as the basis for this exploration of relationship woes. Coppola doesn’t have any interest in the glitz of the Elvis experience, retaining her concentration on the meditative touches of indie moviemaking, crafting something of a companion picture to her 2006 effort, “Marie Antoinette,” with both tales examining the ways of women stuck in strange situations of luxury and submission, gradually recognizing such imprisonment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Marsh King’s Daughter” is an adaptation of a 2017 novel by Karen Dionne, and it’s frequently listed as a thriller. The film version, written by Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith, certainly offers a climax with more physical activity and gun-toting gamesmanship, but the bulk of the story primarily remains a study of psychological erosion and trauma, detailing one woman’s battle to reclaim her sanity after living with a specialized form of abuse as a child. Director Neil Burger (“Voyagers,” “The Upside,” “Divergent”) aims to make an atmospheric picture with a strong dramatic core, but he only gets halfway there. “The Marsh King’s Daughter” has powerful moments of performance and character examination, especially when dealing with the pure horror of parental manipulation, but the two sides of the endeavor don’t snap together, leaving the viewing experience uneven and the conclusion unsatisfying. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last June, there was “Arnold.” A three-part documentary on the life and times of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the picture couldn’t reach all areas of the star’s experience, but it provided a fascinating overview of his career and personal life. Now there’s “Sly,” with director Thom Zimny (“Elvis Presley: The Searcher,” and a large number of Bruce Springsteen projects) taking a look at the ways of Sylvester Stallone, with the other ‘80s action hero handed a thoughtful inspection with help from the actor. Unfortunately, “Sly” is about half as long as “Arnold,” allowing for less concentration on the fine details of Stallone’s days, and while plenty of information is missing from the movie, Zimny still creates a riveting portrait of a driven man making his way through a peculiar career, taking note of the inspirations and events that pushed him through achievement and failure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Meg Ryan doesn’t act much anymore, and when she does, she’s been using her star power to support her directorial endeavors. In 2015, there was the little seen “Ithica,” and now there’s “What Happens Later,” which returns Ryan to the screen in a major part, also handling scripting duties with Kirk Lynn and Steven Dietz, adapting his 2008 play, “Shooting Star.” Ryan’s playing to her strengths with the effort, which returns the actress to the romantic comedy subgenre that boosted her career over 30 years ago, but general sweetness is limited here. The material is more interested in the ways of aging and soured relationships, getting into the unfinished business between two people who loved each other long ago, reuniting for a night during an airport layover. “What Happens Later” isn’t big on tingles, but it does have Ryan and co-star David Duchovny, who share decent chemistry in this tale of regret, helping to bring an otherwise static but deeply felt picture to life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While mostly appreciated for her work in documentaries (including “In the Realms of the Unreal” and “Misconception”), director Jessica Yu has been known to get silly on occasion, going weird with previous endeavors, such as 2007’s “Ping Pong Playa.” She’s back with wackiness for “Quiz Lady,” which tracks the rising anxiety of a modest woman with a brilliant mind forced out into the open by her eccentric sister, pointed toward game show domination. The cuteness of the idea only gets the feature part of the way, while Yu and screenwriter Jen D’Angelo (“Totally Killer,” “Hocus Pocus 2”) go overly broad with the effort, aiming to crank up the bigness of it all while retaining some emotional pull with viewers. “Quiz Show” is a strange viewing experience, with Yu navigating some distinct highs and lows with the effort, which is charming enough at times, but never quite lands its major laughs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actress Wendy Wilkins makes her directorial debut with “Death on the Border,” which examines the violence and misery of human trafficking in Mexico and America, with more of a focus on how this aggression particularly targets vulnerable girls. It’s an admirable idea from Wilkins, who hopes to provide a heartfelt understanding of trauma and terror concerning the loss of life and innocence. It’s the actual filmmaking that torpedoes the viewing experience, with Wilkins also handling screenplay duties, and she’s all over the place with characters and timelines, making a big mess out of something that should be played as simply as possible to best connect with its audience. “Death on the Border” is clumsy work, presenting a sloppy understanding of pain and faith, while the story itself is a jumble of names and places, often offered without essential organization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The future of love is put to a special test in “Fingernails,” which opens with a card exploring the science of fingers, and how nails can sometimes be useful in the prediction of heart disease. It’s a different kind of ailment that’s examined in the screenplay by Sam Steiner, Stavros Raptis, and Christos Nikou (who also directs), with the writers taking a long look at the chemical and emotional ways of attraction, following a woman’s experience as she acquires a job at a company that’s dedicated to the physiological deduction of relationship longevity. “Fingernails” is an odd one, but not off-putting for the most part, with Nikou clearly looking to make something slightly peculiar about a universal experience, examining the inner drive of desire and the complications that come with it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last month, there was “Desperation Road,” where author Michael Farris Smith adapted his own novel for the screen, exploring the gut-rot ways of guilt and need in rural America. He’s back with “Rumble Through the Dark,” which also happens to be a tale of the gut-rot ways of guilt and need in America. Smith certainly has a love of hardscrabble lives facing the corrosive ways of violence, doing well with the pain of “Desperation Road,” while the hardness of “Rumble Through the Dark” is more of an ask for viewers, especially with an overlong feature that tends to settle on suffering instead of moving forward with storytelling. However, directors Graham and Parker Phillips bring some style to the picture, helping to turn a lengthy journey into agony into something cinematic, while Smith does a capable job of escalation, taking the long way around to a rough conclusion that finds its intended emotionality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Three people are credited as screenwriters for “Black Noise,” and it’s a movie that’s primarily made up of scenes where characters are walking around with weapons in their hands, silently making their way through various environments. There’s some type of alien invasion story in play here, but the actual film doesn’t pay much attention to it, instead trying to reach a sellable run time with the least amount of drama possible while the cast and crew enjoy tropical locations. Sean-Michael Argo, Leigh Scott, and Philippe Martinez (who also directs) aren’t motivated to do much of anything with “Black Noise,” which provides a simple overview of survival, with an extraction team coming up against an unknown force in St. Maarten. There’s some attempt at emotion and action, but nothing is pursued in full, with the endeavor feeling like a half-completed offering of sci-fi entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director David Yates received the career boost of a lifetime when he was selected to guide the last four movies in the “Harry Potter” saga, bringing darkness and depth to the franchise as it matured with its audience. His work outside of the series has been greatly disappointing, failing to show the same storytelling confidence as before, including a return to J.K. Rowling land with the instantly forgettable “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” features. “Pain Hustlers” is Yates’s effort to move past wizard woes, with the British director turning his attention to the American pharmaceutical market, joining screenwriter Wells Tower (adapting a book by Evan Hughes) on this study of the rise of the fentanyl market and the corrupt business practices of those profiting from the misery of others. It’s an important tale to tell, but Yates doesn’t have an original take, reheating “The Wolf of Wall Street” to connect the dots in this scattered study of unbridled greed and dubious morality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Created by Scott Cawthon, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” video game franchise has been going strong since 2014, welcoming players to a strange monster mash of ‘80s nostalgia and horror-based gameplay, giving younger players a genre experience without destroying bedtimes. Like any popular video game, the time has come to bring Cawthon’s creation to the big screen, with the creator taking screenwriting duties with Seth Cuddeback and Emma Tammi (who also directs), tasked with turning a point-and-click event into a real movie. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” arrives with capable production achievements and some macabre additions, but the production misses the mark when it comes to scares and pace. It’s a rather dull visit to the Chuck E. Cheese-inspired pit of Hell, finding the overall picture saddled with too much plot and attempts at mood, missing a critical sense of threat that’s boosted the game’s global success. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Pierre Morel’s career started off strong, overseeing the parkour entertainment of “District 13,” and he stunned the world with his efficient command of 2008’s “Taken,” showing comfort with straightforward action storytelling. Everything post-“Taken” has been a disappointment, with Morel unable to replicate his largest hit, overseeing duds such as “The Gunman” and “Peppermint.” He’s back in the genre with “Freelance,” which is initially presented as more of a comedy, following the activity of a reluctant hero trying to keep people alive in South American jungles. Laughs aren’t present in the feature, which eventually sheds its comedic interests, giving viewers a film of confusing tonality, while Morel hopes to cover for the mess of “Freelance” with bloody violence and quippy co-stars, adding another dud to his fledgling career. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director David Fincher works slowly these days, and he attempted to bring a passion project to the screen with his last film, 2020’s “Mank,” looking to replicate Hollywood history and deliver something personal, ending up with an immersive but distant feature. Chasing that coldness, Fincher doubles down on iciness for “The Killer,” which is an adaptation of a French graphic novel series, and he reunites with his “Seven” screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, for this merciless study of revenge featuring a lead character who lives exclusively inside his own head. Fincher fingerprints are everywhere with the impeccably shot and assembled effort, but the straightforwardness of the story and its razor-sharp execution is absolutely fantastic, keeping the helmer focused on a suffocating, acerbic plunge into noir-ish action and reaction, offering actor Michael Fassbender one of his best roles in one of Fincher’s best pictures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Stuart Gordon passed away in 2020, but his moviemaking spirit lives on in “Suitable Flesh,” which is an adaptation of “The Thing on the Doorstop” by author H.P. Lovecraft. Helmer Joe Lynch (“Everly,” “Point Blank”) looks to honor one of his filmmaking influences with the project, which resurrects the Gordon experience created in “Re-Animator” and “From Beyond,” bringing in screenwriter and frequent Gordon collaborator Dennis Paoli to successfully revive the atmosphere of genre entertainment from the 1980s. “Suitable Flesh” gets most of the way there, with Lynch doing a fine job replicating the strange mix of horror and eroticism, handling a body-swapping story that’s ideal for a grisly inspection. The endeavor has a difficult time finding a stable conclusion, but it certainly opens with gusto, offering all sorts of bizarre behavior and moments of panic, creating some appealing B-movie momentum. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Jesse V. Johnson is a prolific helmer, working in the world of B-movies, where he’s often realizing revenge stories featuring men with guns. He’s built a career out of low-budget endeavors (including “Accident Man,” “The Debt Collector,” and “White Elephant”), but he tries for some sort of scale with “Boudica: Queen of War,” a period actioner concerning the birth of a female leader during a time of Roman rule. The picture is “inspired by events,” with Johnson doing his best to mount a “Braveheart” clone, only the focus here is on a queen seeking revenge on the invading army that’s destroyed her life, playing into a Druid prophecy. “Boudica” isn’t successful when trying to bring bigness to the screen, but Johnson gets as far as possible with limited resources, investing in bloodshed to keep things sufficiently violent, straining to make sure viewers stay with an undercooked story and limited production achievements. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Garth Davis has sustained a career of meditative features looking at the ways of the human experience. He’s gone poetic and distant with endeavors such as “Lion” and “Mary Magdalene,” and David doesn’t stray far from his formula with “Foe,” which is an adaptation of a novel by author Iain Reid (who handles scripting duties with the helmer). It’s a story about the ways of artificial intelligence, entering a marketplace where there are many movies about the same subject (including last month’s “The Creator”), only Davis isn’t interested in action or visual effects. He’s after something more intimate with his characters, exploring the stresses of relationships and the decline of Earth, doing so while seldom leaving a remote midwestern location. “Foe” misfires in many ways, but it’s not an interesting failure, with Davis determined to transform the viewing experience into a grueling sit with desperate performances and a bleak understanding of the world around us. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Stand-up comedian and occasional actor Bill Burr makes his directorial debut with “Old Dads,” and he’s looking to play to his strengths with the feature (sharing scripting duties with Ben Tishler). Here’s a story about a fiftysomething man trying to understand the world around him, with his Gen X sensibilities rubbing up against modern ways of communication and understanding, navigating a society where people attempt to understand feelings instead of immediately mocking them. I won’t use the W-word because Burr doesn’t use the W-word, but “Old Dads” seems like it really wants to be about the W-word, awkwardly squeezing the square peg-ness of the comic’s stage act into the round hole of moviemaking, becoming a viewing experience about bits, not storytelling. Burr isn’t stretching here, doing what he always does, resulting in a pedestrian endeavor that barely has any laughs and doesn’t thoughtfully challenge the ways of the world or actively address the plight of frightened men of a certain age struggling with irrelevancy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alexander Payne has an incredible track record as a director, overseeing a list of amazing pictures during his time, including 2011’s “The Descendants” and 1999’s “Election.” His streak was broken with 2017’s “Downsizing,” unable to find a proper mood for the misguided comedy, though it was hardly a disaster. Payne is back on his feet with “The Holdovers,” where he reunites with his “Sideways” star, Paul Giamatti, with the pair once again examining the life of an arrogant man facing the cold reality of his personality, trading the sloshed battleground of wine fields for a private school for boys. Scripted by David Hemingson, “The Holdovers” is completely dedicated to the examination of its characters, putting these nuanced people in a variety of situations that test their resolve and break through their defenses. And it’s a wonderful film, carried by pitch-perfect performances and gorgeous cinematography by Eigil Bryld, putting Payne back on track with another human tale of connection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com