Category: Film Review

When “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” was released in 2010, viewers laughed. It was a particularly inept filmmaking endeavor from writer/director James Nguyen, who seemed to have no idea how awful a movie he was making, marching forward with a tale of bird attack in Half Moon Bay, California, utilizing some of the worst helming instincts imaginable. Cult film fans ate it up, and Nguyen returned to the scene of the crime with 2013’s “Birdemic: The Resurrection,” where he achieved some level of self-awareness, trying to recapture the vibe of the first installment while leaning into expanding ridiculousness. Viewers didn’t laugh. Ten years later, Nguyen returns to quite possibly his only source of income with “Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle,” which basically rehashes “Shock and Terror,” only this time around, the helmer is determined to establish the climate change message of the series, asking viewers to sit through an hour(!) of exposition, speeches, and Hitchcock appreciation before the birds return to attack humans. Viewers won’t laugh. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Marital blues and relationship concerns are the focus of “Maybe I Do,” which examines communication struggles between people trying to figure out what they want from life and love. Writer/director Michael Jacobs touches on universal feelings of uncertainty and fatigue, offering a dramedy that concentrates on the inner lives of characters and their stunted ways of self-expression. To help the cause, Jacobs has brought in a capable cast willing to explore the itchiness of such doubt, with leads Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, William H. Macy, and Diane Keaton offering committed performances to help Jacobs reach his larger points about the demands of trust. “Maybe I Do” is frequently supported by thespian strength, as Jacobs gets a little too windy with his dialogue exchanges, losing pace as he tries to make something meaningful while the natural flow of the material leads to a potentially farcical conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“You People” is a film about race, culture, and love, and it most certainly wants to be a comedy up until the moment it suddenly decides not to be one anymore. The screenplay is credited to Kenya Barris (who also directs) and Jonah Hill, but there’s no evidence in the movie that anything was actually written down. Instead, the picture plays like a long improvisational challenge between actors eager to engage and actors who no longer have much interest in onscreen performance, with the endeavor fighting to achieve some type of shape as it blindly jumps from one scenario to another. “You People” hopes to update the premise of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” but Barris and Hill aren’t ready to think things through with the feature, which offers only limp riffing and dismal formula, assuming some type of importance when it can barely summon up the energy to create a genuine set-up and punchline. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer Will Honley (“Bloodline,” “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions”) has a strong idea for horror in “Blood,” examining the extent of a mother’s love when she’s forced to turn to macabre solutions to solve unreal problems. Unfortunately, Honley only gets as far as a short story with the material, straining to stretch the particulars of the concept to a feature-length run time. Director Brad Anderson (“The Machinist,” “Vanishing on 7th Street”) attempts to conjure a dark mood for the endeavor, which plays with mysterious happenings and grim developments in health and home, but there’s not a lot of dramatic meat on these bones. “Blood” gets pretty far with a first half devoted to grotesque situations and marital hostility, but the production can’t sustain such mystery, eventually slowing down to a full stop as the screenplay loses interest in developing the central crisis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a slasher movie for every occasion, and “Alone at Night” (titled “18 & Over” on the film, so I’m sure there’s a story there) attempts to portray the dangers facing a cam girl while she’s trying to do business inside a remote cabin. The setting is familiar and the players are all the same, but co-writer/director Jimmy Giannopoulos also deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to give his picture a little extra sense of isolation and loneliness as he manufactures misdirections and suspicions. “Alone at Night” is a small-scale endeavor and it doesn’t try to be anything more than a droopy genre exercise, with Giannopoulos going through the motions as he hopes to merge suspenseful encounters and mild media commentary, which whiffs just as hard as the rest of this tiresome, aimless chiller. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Most trilogies take years to complete, with meticulous filmmaking used to craft a tale worth exploring throughout three movies. For the “Detective Knight” series, viewers had to wait 13 weeks, with “Detective Knight: Independence” following last October’s “Rogue,” and December’s “Redemption,” allowing the impatient to mainline bottom shelf action in the fastest manner imaginable. It’s been a quick and dirty ride for writer/director Edward Drake, who’s slapped together a collection of forgettable endeavors starring Bruce Willis, though in this particular supercop world, the star and main marketing selling point barely participates in the story. “Independence” sustains such a bizarre creative choice, with Drake once again making the saga about other characters, this time taking on the violent disillusionment of a young man facing a cold world of indifference, drawn to the comforting heat of rage to solve his problems. It’s not a terrible idea to pursue, it just requires a more refined cinematic touch to really sell, and Drake just can’t get there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Missing” is not a sequel to 2018’s “Searching,” but the pictures share a universe where detective work is carried out on computers, giving traditional sleuthing a screen update. The new film is a desktop thriller that attempts to build on what “Searching” started, changing up the central mystery while maintaining a heated look at clicking and calling as a young woman fights to learn more about her mother’s disappearance. Writer/directors Nick Johnson and Will Merrick (making their helming debut) stick close to the formula of the previous offering of static suspense, maintaining focus on the confusion of the situation and all the concentration it requires. “Missing” isn’t a real stunner in terms of summoning tension, falling a little short of its predecessor as it tries to provide a similar viewing experience, only with a slightly less interesting story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“80 for Brady” is a film that celebrates the career and overall allure of NFL quarterback Tom Brady. And who else can lift Brady higher than himself, with the athlete taking a co-producing credit while making a role for himself in the feature. It’s Brady on Brady, and that’s concerning, but the production makes a wise decision to limit the non-actor’s screen time, turning the story into a valentine to friendship, with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field doing the heavy lifting here, offering their enthusiasm, timing, and star power to an effort which needs all the charm it can possibly get. “80 for Brady” is ridiculous and formulaic, but there’s a pleasant mildness to the endeavor that will surely delight the target demographic for the picture, and the leads offer the right energy, getting the movie past some unnecessary dramatic road blocks on its way to semi-digestible broadness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After finding some success with 2022’s “Marry Me,” star Jennifer Lopez immediately returns to the romantic comedy genre with “Shotgun Wedding.” However, instead of mild pleasantries and easily solvable problems, the new movie offers more of an action film experience, detailing all the panic involved when a destination wedding is invaded by local pirates on the hunt to collect a fortune in ransom money. Instead of toughening up in the part, Lopez looks to try on a Lucille Ball impression for the picture, which isn’t easy to watch. Actually, there’s very little in “Shotgun Wedding” that’s charming, with director Jason Moore (“Pitch Perfect,” “Sisters”) overseeing a noisy and brainless offering of easily digestible entertainment, with the cast and crew enjoying tropical surroundings while the material drags through uninspired scenes of physical threats and relationship woes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Alice, Darling” is a story about domestic abuse, but director Mary Nighy doesn’t linger on the violence of the situation. She uses such tension in other ways, working with screenwriter Alanna Francis to best comprehend a level of dehumanization involved the in the eponymous character’s battle with herself, making efforts to achieve a level of exterior normality while she disintegrates within. Also prioritized by the material is an examination of friendship, which gradually takes command of the picture, exploring the ways close relationships struggle with communication and deliver on protection when necessary. Nighy gets a little carried away trying to bring visual poetry to the feature, but “Alice, Darling” is a haunting effort that eventually finds the heart of the situation, capturing the intensity of fear and the liberation of love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jesse Eisenberg is well-known for his acting career, breaking into the big time with “The Social Network” and “Zombieland,” and sustaining an interesting dramatic career with roles in “The End of the Tour” and “The Art of Self-Defense.” He’s moved behind the camera for his directorial debut, “When You Finish Saving the World,” which is an adaptation of his 2020 audio production. The material plays to Eisenberg’s strengths, examining the struggle of neurotic and frustrated characters trying to maintain some connection as life takes them in different directions, handling earnest intentions by making a mess of everything. The helmer loves to summon scenes of itchy interactions and damaged relationships, giving “When You Finish Saving the World” some interesting energy as it deals with the customary trials of parenthood and adolescence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Kids vs. Aliens” is a short movie (68 minutes before end credits), and the kids of the title don’t meet the aliens until the picture is more than halfway over. There are strange story priorities for co-writer Jason Eisener, who hasn’t made a feature in over a decade, finding minor cult appreciation for 2011’s “Hobo with a Shotgun,” his ode to Troma Films and grindhouse entertainment. Eisner remains in this world for “Kids vs. Aliens,” which is as aggressive as “Hobo with a Shotgun,” hoping to wow viewers with a steady display of loud performances, garish lighting, and dialogue that’s basically just various expletives strung together. The writing isn’t too adventurous, and the endeavor barely makes time for the central showdown, with more attention put on adolescent woes than intergalactic threats. It’s certainly an active effort but always falls short of its potential, apparently saving the good stuff for a sequel promised at the end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“There’s Something Wrong with the Children” is a misleading title. There’s something wrong with everyone in the feature, which examines real and unreal trouble coming for two couples looking to have a refreshing weekend in the woods. The screenplay by T.J. Cimfel and David White isn’t a “Bad Seed” clone, more interested in marital communication and parental fears than devious little ones, which gives the film an unusual air of hostility. However, the production doesn’t sustain such psychological games for long enough, with more physical acts of survival coming into play. Director Roxanne Benjamin (“Body at Brighton Rock”) tries to inspire a fear factor in the picture, but formula eventually wins in the end, gradually limiting the dramatic potential of the movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes a lot to be known as the worst “House Party” movie, but here we are. The original 1990 film is pretty much a classic at this point, and while it contains scenes that’ve aged horribly, the picture remains a joyous, hilarious endeavor, with writer/director Reginald Hudlin capturing the wiliness of youth and the broadness of comedy, making for an irresistible overnight adventure with earnest, playful characters. Sequels arrived and quality dipped, with the last installment, 2013’s “House Party: Tonight’s the Night,” trying to restart the series engine. Enter LeBron James, who’s partially in charge of bringing the brand name back, making the new “House Party” all about him, with remake duties handed to director Calmatic and screenwriters Jamal Olori and Stephen Glover. It’s difficult to understand if James and Co. have even seen the first feature, as the remake shares none of the fun and mischief, quickly getting lost in DOA jokes, poor characterization, and an obsession with marijuana moments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Dog Gone” is an adaptation of a book by Pauls Toutonghi, who detailed the true story of Gonker, a pet that went missing in the wild, inspiring owner Fielding Marshall and his family to organize a massive search for the pooch along the Appalachian Trail. It’s an interesting story of determination and familial stress, and it also offers a boost of positivity during dark days, giving viewers a chance to get involved in the hunt for an easily distracted dog and all the bonding time such a mission provides. Director Stephen Herek (“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “The Mighty Ducks”) doesn’t have a major creative challenge with “Dog Gone,” tending to domestic issues and community support, which leaves the feature without much tension as it tries to go easy on the target audience. Dud scenes periodically arrive, but the feature is successfully gentle, hoping to inspire warmth with acts of kindness and understanding. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Gerard Butler has certainly found a place for himself in the film industry. He’s been playing tough guys stuck in desperate survival situations for the most part, doing relatively well with such career ambitions, breaking up the norm with a few different turns over the years (such as 2018’s “The Vanishing”). His latest, “Plane,” doesn’t offer a sizable acting challenge, but Butler tones down the brawniness this time out, tasked with portraying an average airline employee suddenly thrust into a live-or-die situation on a Southeast Asian island. Of course, the production isn’t completely committed to the everyman concept, but it gets close enough for this tense, ultraviolent thriller, giving Butler something to play as the body count rises. Director Jean-Francois Richet (“Blood Father” and 2005’s “Assault on Precinct 13” remake) has his limitations when it comes to emphasizing terror, but he delivers occasional surges of fury in this competent nail-biter, using Butler’s grit in all the right ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The war between good and evil takes a few bizarre turns in “The Devil Conspiracy.” Screenwriter Ed Alan has the makings for a trashy fantasy novel about a plan to bring Lucifer to power via DNA resurrection (facing archangel Michael’s mission to stop such an event), piling up nonsense in such a confident manner, it requires pages and pages of literary effort to really make sense of it all. Alan’s gone to the movies instead, hoping his Heaven/Hell showdown might kickstart a new franchise. “The Devil Conspiracy” doesn’t have the budget to fully realize most of the weirdness in Alan’s endeavor, with director Nathan Frankowski trying to shape some type of epic as power plays and demonic happenings are ordered up. It’s not Christian entertainment, and it’s not a big-budget undertaking, with the feature more of a bizarre take on biblical fury that’s never as awesome as Alan intends it to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Seven Faces of Jane” is an experimental film where eight directors take a crack at following the journey of a single character through various short tales of introspection and loneliness. The production labels this dramatic mission “exquisite corpse,” with the moviemakers unaware of any master plan, keeping their segments free of connective tissue, encouraging a more challenging, artful game of storytelling. “The Seven Faces of Jane” is strange and emotional, taking viewers on a bumpy ride of charged encounters and quiet reflection, with star Gillian Jacobs the through line for the endeavor, tasked with communicating different psychological spaces for the same character, delivering one of the best performances of her career as she helps to guide viewers through the weirdness of dramatic interpretation and fragmented plotting presented in a puzzle that’s not meant to be solved, just appreciated for most of the run time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Sick” takes viewers back to 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 dominated daily life, turning everything upside down as people struggled to understand what was happening to health and society. That’s enough right there to power a horror movie, and a few productions have attempted to detail pandemic life while we remain in pandemic times, but “Sick” has something slightly different in mind when it comes to manufacturing a fear factor. “Scream” screenwriter Kevin Williamson (joined by Katelyn Crabb, his former personal assistant) looks to revive his slasher interests with the project, blending moves from previous productions with fresh community paranoia, making for a mildly compelling chiller. It’s no major offering of suspense, but director John Hyams (who made a similar endeavor in 2020’s “Alone”) creates a few tense moments of survival while Williamson and Crabb paw lightly at the agony of the last few years. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Drop” isn’t really a film, it’s more of a showcase for improvisational interactions among actors tasked with feeling around for moments instead of participating in scenes. It’s a comedy, but not really, with co-writer/director Sarah Adina Smith unsure if she even wants to make a funny movie to begin with, mostly interested in thinly veiled hostilities between people in relationships. The central idea concerns a mistake made by one character that triggers a flood of shame during a destination wedding, and there’s something intriguing about such a disaster. However, “The Drop” doesn’t have shape or timing, with juicy bits of hidden hostilities and silent struggle generally ignored as the ensemble plays make-em-up games that often go on way too long. Smith doesn’t seem too concerned with editing or performance, with the feature in desperate need of something more than just sustained aimlessness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com