Category: Film Review

“The Magician’s Elephant” is an adaptation of a 2009 Kate DiCamillo novel, with screenwriter Martin Hynes out to rework the author’s ways with magic for an animated movie. It’s a fantasy feature, but one aiming to hit the heart with some force, following the trials of a young boy searching for a way to make contact with an elephant that’s been mysteriously pulled into a remote kingdom, desperate to return the confused creature to its home, also hunting for the location of his missing sister. As with most literary-based endeavors, there are plenty of characters and motivations to go around, with director Wendy Rogers doing a satisfactory job of tonal management and family film ambiance, giving the effort a few nice pops of action during the material’s ultimate quest to be endearing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1995’s “Twister” was an enormous hit, becoming the second highest-grossing feature of the year, delivering screen voltage to viewers with its tale of reckless storm chasers and the tornados they hunt across the Midwest. While plans materialized time and again over the decades, a sequel never arrived (Hollywood is currently trying again), leaving the door open for other pictures to explore this world of adrenaline and science addicts. Again, nothing of note was created, giving co-writer/director Herbert James Winterstern a shot to add to the nature-gone-mad subgenre with “Supercell,” which returns to the open land of America and the threat posed by brewing storms. Some expectations are in place for another “Twister,” but Winterstern doesn’t head in that creative direction, eschewing a pulse-pounder for something more character-based and sensitive, breaking up the study of a young man trying to connect with his late father with periodic brushes with danger. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin apparently enjoy working together. Especially in recent years, with the “9 to 5” co-stars dealing with the demands of a television series in “Grace and Frankie,” and the pair recently disrupted Super Bowl happenings in the comedy “80 for Brady.” Fonda and Tomlin return to the screen with “Moving On,” joining writer/director Paul Weitz (“About a Boy,” “Little Fockers”) for a tale of getting older and angrier, detailing a friendship that confronts a deeply disturbing incident from their past. “Moving On” as a few light-ish moments to maintain some friendliness, but Weitz mostly goes dark and occasionally heavy with the feature, which is much more of a drama than the film’s marketing suggests. As to be expected, Fonda and Tomlin are compelling and emotional, but Weitz can’t master the murky tone of the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Wildflower” has a lot on its plate. The screenplay by Jana Savage examines a particularly overwhelmed teenager fighting to handle all that’s asked of her, facing demands from her education, a new love, a best friend, and her intellectually disabled parents. The writer generates a series of volatile scenes, with the main character’s arc following her stressful experiences, studying her response to such responsibility. There’s something interesting about such a lifestyle, but “Wildflower” doesn’t handle chaos carefully, dipping into melodrama at times, limiting the emotional potential of such an unusual odyssey involving an especially abrasive character. Director Matt Smukler doesn’t aim for subtlety with the feature, which frequently comes across as a television movie, unable to manage the various moods Savage pursues, creating a rocky and unfulfilling viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a brand, Pornhub has come a long way, with the company working to keep itself as the top destination for adult entertainment videos, offering a staggering database of visual offerings for consumers to pore through, reaching all corners of sexual interests. It seemed harmless enough for a few years, but times have changed, and the inner workings of the site have been exposed to all, with a turn in 2020 triggering the company’s downfall in some aspects of business and reputation. Director Suzanne Hillinger examines just what happened to the Canadian corporation, endeavoring to grasp the separate concepts of sex trafficking and sex worker in “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story,” which takes an unusual look at the business of pornography, especially in the internet age, when everything is available to users, but few care to deal with the prospect of controlling it in some way, preferring to strictly profit from it instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984's "The Company of Wolves" is co-writer/director Neil Jordan's ode to the sinister business of fairy tales. Inspiration is presented by author Angela Carter (who co-scripts), who supplies entry into a strange world of dreams and nightmares, also paying close attention to the power of storytelling with this immersion into dark woods, unreal threats, and burgeoning sexuality. Jordan teases a level of lustfulness with the endeavor, but he's mostly consumed with achieving a specialized look for the film, using a modest budget to build a fantasy land for the characters to explore. "The Company of Wolves" has a remarkable visual presence at times, with Jordan in pursuit of a cinematic journey. Pacing doesn't quite matter to the helmer, who's deeply committed to mood, keeping the picture from acquiring the dramatic authority and elegant creepiness it hopes to deliver. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Breaking" takes its inspiration from a 2018 article (written by Aaron Gell) about the saga of Brian Brown-Easley. An ex-military man struggling with financial issues while dealing with the Department of Veteran Affairs, Brian reached the end of his rope, looking to trigger a reaction from a system that continually ignored his concerns. He achieved this by entering a Wells Fargo location, threatening to blow it up with an explosive device in his backpack, only demanding the money promised to him by the system. It's a true story handed a dramatic reworking in "Breaking," with John Boyega tasked with creating a human being beyond the headlines, capturing Brian's boiling frustrations as he reaches for extremity to solve some of his problems. Co-writer/director Abi Damaris Corbin (co-scripting with Kwame Kwei-Armah) tries to make something cinematic with the endeavor, amplifying tension and focusing on powerful performances. She also hopes to work in reminders of systemic failures and humiliations, using Brian's story to identify how those who've been promised help are often left behind, forced to deal with the impenetrability of bureaucracy, adding another layer to this tale of a mental breakdown. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jeff Turner and Kelly McCormick are fans of the singer Tiffany, who scored major pop radio hit in 1987 with her cover of "I Think We're Alone Now," catapulting her to superstardom for a brief moment in time. Of course, a lot of people were fans of Tiffany back in the day and a few remain so as she keeps working on her music career, but for Turner and McCormick, the red-headed performer of sugary tunes aimed at a teenage audience isn't just someone they admire, but a woman they both want to possess. "I Think We're Alone Now" is a 2008 documentary from director Sean Donnelly, who dares to spend time with two people gently ignoring their severe mental health issues, following a path of delusion as they hope to make contact with Tiffany, pledging their eternal love for the singer, dreaming of a day when she becomes a permanent part of their lives. Whether this involves Tiffany being dead or alive is up to viewers to decide. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1997's "The Good Book" presents a dystopian vision of a future where humankind is controlled by the internet, with a Big Brother-like organization keeping close tabs on the population. In 2022, this isn't such a far-fetched vision of reality, but director/co-writer Matthew Giaquinto is making a shot- on-video endeavor, limiting the reach of his messages on media control and isolation. And he's trying to make something of a horror film with "The Good Book," which dabbles in religion and ruin, hoping to provide a slightly more intellectual viewing experience while still tending to B-movie nonsense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The trials of being an adolescent are explored in “Chang Can Dunk,” which examines one teen’s battle to understand popularity and physical might after years of being viewed as a lesser individual. It’s the feature-length directorial debut for Jingyi Shao (who also scripts), who focuses on the business of being a kid in today’s world of social media clout and online harassment, juggling such pressure with a study of domestic woe featuring a distant mother and her wounded son. There’s a lot to “Chang Can Dunk,” more than the picture initially reveals, and Shao has the challenge of balancing the spirited ways of a sports film and the heartfelt moves of a family movie. Pacing takes a beating in the endeavor as two different plots compete over the run time, but Shao has something special with the cast, as charm and confidence jumps off the screen, keeping the viewing experience inviting as the story hits occasional turbulence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are often billed as the minds behind the “A Quiet Place” franchise, representing the greatest success in their careers as a filmmaking team. Directorial efforts haven’t been quite as special, with the pair recently in command of 2019’s lackluster “Haunt.” They receive a shot at the big leagues with “65,” a sci-fi actioner that carries a substantial budget and features a starring turn from Adam Driver, returning to a galaxy far, far away after years playing Kylo Ren in the “Star Wars” sequels. Beck and Woods have a premise worth paying attention to in “65,” which sets up a prime opportunity for a slam-bang survival movie featuring dinosaurs, fantasy tech, and a race against time. However, there’s something a bit off about the endeavor, finding Beck and Woods often downplaying thrill ride elements to explore character pain and burgeoning relationships, adding a lot of unnecessary pauses to the Big Chase, throttling the excitement factor of the picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2022’s “Scream” was a sequel to 1996’s “Scream,” with the release meant to revitalize a franchise horror fans lost interest in. The effort paid off at the box office, bringing the Ghostface killer back to pop culture prominence, and the producers weren’t about to let time get in the way of momentum, quickly ordering another chapter of the series. Just over a year later, “Scream VI” (we’re back to numbered installments now) is out to pick up exactly where the last feature ended, with returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, hired to maintain the same atmosphere and tempo of “Scream” while continuing to dig deeper into the ongoing saga of Woodsboro hellraising, coming up with another series of chases, stabbings, and exposition dumps in a quickie follow-up that does very little with changes in location and urgency. “Scream VI” is more of the same, and perhaps that’s exactly how fans want it to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

They were once the Farrelly Brothers, but directing duo Peter and Bobby have gone their separate ways. Peter found his way to Oscar gold with “Green Book,” getting a taste of Hollywood regality in the process (promptly burning off all goodwill with “The Greatest Beer Run Ever”), but Bobby isn’t as interested in serious storytelling, remaining in full Farrelly Brothers mode with “Champions,” which is a remake of a popular 2018 Spanish picture. Peter looks to change how viewers understand racism, while Bobby stays with the fart jokes and manipulative ways that made him a millionaire, taking solo control of story that combines heart, sports, and comedy, hoping to make a crowd-pleaser. Such mass appeal might work for some audiences, but it’s difficult to get excited about “Champions,” which doesn’t stray from formula and doesn’t feel particularly endearing, getting by on soft humor and paint-by-numbers screenwriting by Mark Rizzo. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Unicorn Wars” is a Spanish-French animated production about the eternal battle between teddy bears and their archenemies, unicorns. It sounds like a comedy, or perhaps a ready-made cult cinema title, but writer/director Alberto Vazquez takes the premise seriously, endeavoring to understand the price of war and the corruption of conflict with the picture, which is not intended for younger viewers. These teddy bears are ready to kill, amputate limps, expose their genitals, and curse, offering R-rated experiences for an audience ready to process the extremity found in the movie. “Unicorn Wars” isn’t a particularly commanding viewing experience, but it does register with creative visuals, strong voice work, and commitment to the concept, with Vazquez marching forward with this decidedly violent and wholly bizarre feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For a decent heist film to work, there has to be engaging characters, some snappy pacing, and something interesting to steal. There’s more to the genre, explored in numerous other movies, but the basics are key to support a diverting viewing experience. Screenwriter Michael Corcoran (making his professional debut) has the general shape of a thriller with “Righteous Thieves,” inventing a team of criminals working to do a little good in the world, using their skills to take down a villain and his collection of stolen goods. There’s a slight “Robin Hood”-esque touch to the material, but little else about the endeavor puts in the effort to remain memorable. Director Anthony Nardolillo hopes to juice up the viewing experience with some mild action and a final act journey into the business of stealing things, but viewers are forced to deal with unremarkable characters and stale banter, which doesn’t sell the electricity of the players and their specific game. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Jon Wright managed to do something exciting with a monster movie in 2012’s “Grabbers,” and he returns with another subgenre target, looking to revive the critter cinema with “Unwelcome,” which is being sold to viewers as a kind of “Gremlins”-style feature concerning the unusual activity of small beings and their enigmatic interests in a pair of new homeowners. The screenplay (by Wright and Mark Stay) commits to the creation of a backstory and society for the little menaces, but “Unwelcome” isn’t a free-for-all horror experience I’m sure many expect it to be. It’s much darker, with the writing working to develop a clear understanding of mental health issues before it unleashes knee-high threats, and even that takes some time to arrive. Wright wins points for keeping his picture quite hostile, but a natural slide to screen chaos with fantasy creatures is mostly avoided, making for an accomplished, but slightly confusing film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director George Gallo hasn’t been delivering decent work, with recent years devoted to ineffective thrillers and chillers (“The Poison Rose,” “Vanquish”), and he returns to genre duty with “The Ritual Killer,” which is credited to six screenwriters and 18 producers, gathering a full house when it comes to making creative decisions. The feature reflects such a populated production team, as various ideas and tones compete for screentime, only to face a painfully vanilla approach from Gallo, who doesn’t do anything to get the endeavor going. “The Ritual Killer” is cookie cutter filmmaking all around, providing a dull ride with dangerous and broken characters who all move so slowly and offer little emotion, they may as well be mannequins presented for limited posing. For a movie about a murderer, black magic, and traumatic pasts, nobody here is working up the energy to care much about it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Guy Ritchie has enjoyed a recent creative winning streak, pulling himself out of the punishing excesses of the “Aladdin” live-action remake and “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” focusing on tight capers and revenge stories starring collections of meaty, loquacious characters, found in “The Gentlemen” and “Wrath of Man.” “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” keeps the good times going for Ritchie, who co-scripts (with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies) an amusing superspy adventure that does well with his usual interests in casting and threat. Ritchie’s cinematic muse, Jason Statham, returns to power in the feature, positioning him as a man of action, joined by a team tasked with taking control of an enigmatic doomsday device. There’s a James Bond-ian influence over “Operation Fortune,” crushed up with Ritchie’s impishness and love of tough guys posturing. The helmer doesn’t provide the tightest storytelling with the effort, but offers an entertaining sit with this globetrotting adventure into danger. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’m sure Stephen King had no idea that when he created a short story in 1977 about murderous kids in rural Nebraska, he would still be seeing movies inspired by it made to this day. “Children of the Corn” is back, but, in reality, it’s never really left, with producers determined to keep making adaptations, sequels, spin-offs, and whatevers for nearly four decades, with the last offering, the little-seen “Children of the Corn: Runaway,” released in 2018. There’s certainly big money in forgettable horror, and the brand name returns with “Children of the Corn,” which lands firmly in the whatevers category, with writer/director Kurt Wimmer (“Ultraviolet,” “Equilibrium”) conjuring his own take on King’s idea, and he has something worth developing involving poisoned land and abused kids. Unfortunately, Wimmer is lost with the feature, delivering an amateurish nightmare that becomes an unintentional comedy, adding another dud installment to the pile. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writers Salvatore Cardoni and Brian Rawlins bring some technological complications to the survival movie with “Unseen,” which follows the panic of a gas station employee asked to help a nearly blind woman manage an escape attempt from her abusive ex-boyfriend over the phone. Director Yoko Okumura crafts a somewhat frenetic viewing experience, which offers a few hits of comic book-style escalation while trying to take the central crisis seriously. It’s a tonal challenge the helmer mostly lands, doing especially well with leads Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy, who supply excellent performances as frightened strangers, helping to secure a full sense of anxiety and humanity while the screenplay works to complicate a bizarre partnership. “Unseen” is a wild ride at times, finding its way with a unique take on video call assistance, reaching a few heights of fear and friendship during the mad dash to safety. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com