Category: Film Review

As a character, Doctor Strange has been very busy recently, making a mess of the multiverse in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” also dealing with apocalyptic battles in the last two “Avengers” sequels. In “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the Master of the Mystic Arts finally receives a sequel to call his own, following up his introductory adventure from 2016. Change is inevitable, but the production team from the original picture isn’t around for the next chapter, with director Scott Derrickson stepping away from a series he helped to launch, replaced by the legendary Sam Raimi, who hasn’t helmed a feature since 2013’s “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Raimi once created a fierce hero in “Darkman” and crafted some of the best “Spider-Man” movies, making him a natural fit for the material, and writer Michael Waldron gives him a meaty comic book journey to realize. “Multiverse of Madness” improves on its predecessor, and while there are many more dramatic knots to untangle here, there’s some premium Raimi-ness to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe, presenting them with their first horror-tinged story that actually feels frightening at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With a low budget, several producers credited, and a supporting turn from Bruce Willis, expectations for “Corrective Measures” are limited at best. We’ve been down this B-movie avenue before, as the material deals with the violence and relationships of prison life involving a handful of aggressive characters. What’s slightly different here is inspiration, as the picture is an adaptation of a graphic novel created by Grant Chastain and Fran Moyano, and the director is Sean Patrick O’Reilly, who’s previously worked in animation, helming cuddly offerings such as “Panda vs. Aliens” and “Go Fish.” He’s not the obvious choice for this sort of hard-edged endeavor, and that’s probably why “Corrective Measures” is a bit more palatable than the competition. It’s no revelation, but as junky, low-tech entertainment goes, O’Reilly is ready to show his stuff, giving the feature occasional bits of personality and performance as the sci-fi concept periodically rises to the occasion, providing a few stretches of excitement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a special requirement for viewers sitting down to watch “Fortress: Sniper’s Eye.” It’s a challenge unlike anything I’ve come into contact with before, and I hope innocent souls out there don’t have to experience what I have been through. That’s right, I was forced to recall exactly what happened in the original “Fortress.” The feature came out five months ago, and from all accounts, it was universally rejected by audiences, at least those who took the time to sit through an unbearable display of bad acting and worse direction (credited to James Cullen Bressack). There was barely a story, and characterization was even less important to the production, which was mostly interested in showcasing dreary conflicts between blank personalities. “Fortress” was awful, and now it has a twin, with “Fortress: Sniper’s Eye” essentially a remake of the original picture, offering fans(?) another slow ride into pure tedium. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriters Kirsten King and Casey Rackham make their professional debut with “Crush,” which seeks to update the classic American teen comedy for 2022, getting some help on matters of adolescent mishaps from co-producers Chris and Paul Weitz, who, a very long time ago, also worked over the subgenre with “American Pie.” “Crush” strives to make things a bit more current and positive with its depiction of romantic entanglements and sexuality, looking to reach an older teenage audience with some sweetness and silliness, tracking the lead character’s efforts to attract her object of desire’s attention while stumbling into various sticky situations along the way. King and Rackham keep the endeavor mild but appealing, trying to secure the heart of the story to the best of their ability. Director Sammi Cohen offers breezy work, out to preserve sensitivities and comedy, with the latter proving to be a bit of a challenge to the production as melodrama becomes more compelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Hatching” is the feature-length directorial debut for Hanna Bergholm, who establishes her creative strengths with an unflinching look at the strange ways of a girl breaking under the pressure of her everyday life. Screenwriter Ilja Rautsi creates a realm of extreme stress to explore the main character’s evolution, using horror to help reach viewers with ideas on the toxicity of social media and parental expectations. There’s also a monster loose in the picture, giving the endeavor a good amount of suspense and weirdness as it details a potent psychological profile. “Hatching” is odd and effective, providing all the gruesomeness one wants from genre entertainment, but it also possesses an appealing dark side that touches on the reality of today’s world, and all the faux perfection it requires. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Aviary” was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering small production demands to writer/directors Jennifer Raite and Chris Cullari, who create a tale that’s performed by a handful of actors, shot mostly with exteriors positioned far away from the general public. Scale isn’t the goal here, with the screenplay aiming to provide an intense psychological study of frayed characters confronting their mental decline, hoping for liberation as they’re pulled into possible insanity. “The Aviary” analyzes the ways of cult control, and it’s a fascinating topic, but Raite and Cullari don’t have a feature-length concept to develop here. They have a short film instead, noticeably struggling to dream up conflicts and turns of plot that gets the endeavor to a 90-minute run time. Leads Malin Akerman (also one of 21 producers on the project) and Lorenza Izzo try to work themselves into a frenzy, but the effort’s thinness and lack of juicy surprises keep the picture middling at best. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Robert Eggers enjoys making bleak films about the madness and magic of the world. With “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” Eggers was able to bring his vision to the screen with the help of small-scale productions, keeping budgets and expectations low. For “The Northman,” the helmer is offered significant resources to make his dream of a Viking epic come true, enjoying the visuals big money can buy, along with colorful casting. However, Eggers doesn’t stray far from his cinematic interests, returning to the muck and blood of heightened conflict. He sets out to craft a period picture that respects elements of history and embraces the fury of mythology, working with co-writer Sjon to make “The Northman” a major moviegoing event, but on his terms (to the best of his ability). It’s violent, loud, and unafraid to get ugly, trying to remain in a state of psychological unrest for 135 minutes, which is a task that taxes Eggers as he labors to shape a brutalizing viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Bad Guys” is a children’s book series created by Aaron Blabey, who’s managed to transform his original idea into a wildly popular franchise, with 2022 welcoming the 15th installment of the series. Blabey brings an enjoyable sense of humor to his work, and now DreamWorks Animation tries their luck transferring good-natured silliness to the big screen. “The Bad Guys” is directed by Pierre Perifel (making his helming debut) and scripted by Etan Coen (“Get Hard,” “Holmes & Watson”), and while they don’t put a lot of thought into the story, the filmmakers do capture an engaging energy to the endeavor, which speeds along for its first hour before formula kicks in, slowing things down. It’s a spirited feature at times, offering interesting visuals and strong voice work, trying to reach the fan base with a colorful caper that respects the literary characters and their complicated relationship with goodness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nicolas Cage’s career has been weird for a long time now. He’s been working almost non-stop for the last decade, participating in projects that promise a big payday for a limited time commitment, churning out some rather dismal pictures in the process. There have been a few gems as well, such as last year’s “Pig” and “Willy’s Wonderland,” but Cage’s overall taste in screenplays hasn’t inspired his usual magic. “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” challenges Cage to play himself, albeit a slightly more amplified version of the real man, who’s newly stuck in a troubling situation when a money gig in Spain goes wrong on multiple levels. Co-writer/director Tom Gormican has a deep love for Nicolas Cage, and he’s ready to share it with the world in “Massive Talent,” but he stops just short of making a farce with the endeavor, which stops just short of becoming an exuberant celebration of Cage’s special ways with comedy, action, and self-loathing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Roger Michell enjoyed a lengthy career filled with critical darlings (“Venus,” “The Mother,” “Enduring Love”) and a genuine smash hit (“Notting Hill”). He passed away last year, and his final film, “The Duke,” showcases his strengths as a helmer, managing character lives and tremendous performances in an unexpectedly spirited movie about an extraordinary situation orchestrated by a charismatic man. “The Duke” is based on a true story, but Michell gives it a jazzier sense of dramatic engagement, offering mild comedy and strange moments of suspense while putting his faith in leads Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, who give the material a rich sense of emotional life, helping to deepen a tale of thievery that, in other hands, could’ve been played for simple laughs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Unplugging” is a timely tale about a couple drifting apart, getting more comfortable with their devices than with each other. There’s a dramatic version of this story to be made, but screenwriters Brad Morris and Matt Walsh (who also stars) attempt a comedic take on the problem of excessive screen time, hoping to find humor in the efforts of two people trying to remain connected everywhere they go. It’s a small-scale offering of domestic disturbance from director Debra Neil-Fisher (a longtime editor, with credits including “Dr. Giggles,” “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and “Fried Green Tomatoes”), who tries to make something happen with very little from the writers, who are more interested in creating personalities than cinematic events. “Unplugging” is amusing, with a few laugh-out-loud moments, and I’m sure some viewers will be able to relate to at least a few of its ideas. Consistency is punted away in the third act, but there’s an hour of enjoyable mildness with performances aiming to please, meeting the production’s modest creative goals. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“9 Bullets” is being marketed as a tough action picture, focusing on characters with guns drawn, narrowly escaping danger at every turn. It’s not an accurate representation of the actual viewing experience, which is more in line with a slightly more violent Hallmark Channel production, concentrating on melodramatic acts of human connection. The occasional act of pursuit finds its way into the endeavor, but writer/director Gigi Gaston keeps things painfully uneventful in “9 Bullets,” which stumbles through emotional exchanges with banal characters, brought to life through dreadful performances. It’s a difficult sit, with Gaston making a weird creative decision to blend Disney-style storytelling with moldy B-movie cliches, ending up with a messy snoozer that often plays like there wasn’t a completed screenplay during filming. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” series was originally planned to be a five-film franchise, covering a grand story about an earlier age in the Wizarding World. “The Secrets of Dumbledore” is the third chapter in the saga, picking up where “The Crimes of Grindelwald” left off in 2018, with the second installment introducing an impenetrably grim tone and unnecessary ugliness to reach a more mature audience raised on everything “Harry Potter.” “The Secrets of Dumbledore” sustains the severity of J.K. Rowling’s vision (she co-scripts with Steve Kloves), but there’s a defined effort to brighten up the wizard war for the new endeavor, as director David Yates is tasked with balancing lightness and darkness to preserve brand name approachability. There’s noticeable springiness to parts of the movie, but still no firm dramatic reason to remain interested in the stale storytelling, which remains so painfully far from the heartfelt highs of “Harry Potter.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead” came to America in 2015, with filmmaking duo Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner looking to have their way with the zombie subgenre, merging the merciless violence of the undead with a heavy “Mad Max” influence. The picture was a creative success, providing a necessary jolt of excitement for zombie entertainment, promising more mayhem to come. But mayhem didn’t come, at least not immediately, which is typically the norm for this kind of endeavor. Instead, the helmers waited quite some time to return to the world of “Wyrmwood,” emerging after seven long years with “Wyrmwood: Apocalypse,” which hopes to resurrect the graphic horrors of the original effort. “Apocalypse” sustains the intensity of the first movie, but timing isn’t a friend to the follow-up, with the large gap between features hurting the overall impact of the sequel, which struggles to come up with new challenges for its characters and deliver on expectations established years ago. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Riley Sterns likes the dry stuff. He has a dark sense of humor, especially when portioned out into bite-sized pieces of deadpan delivery and mild absurdity. He was last seen helming the 2019 comedy “The Art of Self-Defense,” which strived to be weird, goofy, and severe, only emerging with a moderate amount of success on all three fronts, and he returns to his specific tastes in oddness in “Dual.” The plot is unnervingly similar to “Swan Song,” a 2021 picture that detailed the experience of a man getting to know his clone before death claims him. “Dual” shares the same story, but Sterns isn’t making a heavy drama. He’s after a more elusive tone with the effort, working with star Karen Gillan to embrace the stillness of silliness, putting his love of idiosyncrasy to the test in this study of low self-esteem, cloning, and combat training. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Father Stu” tells the story of Stuart Long, a rough-around-the-edges guy who stumbled through life as a boxer and a man of dented charms who suddenly found his calling to the priesthood, taking him on a much different journey. It’s a bio-pic that’s more about the odyssey of life than select moments of drama, with writer/director Rosalind Ross (making her feature-length debut as a filmmaker) trying to identify the power of persistence and faith, as Long was eventually diagnosed with a muscle disease that threatened everything he was working for. “Father Stu” isn’t typical Christian entertainment, with Ross keeping things raw and as real as possible while still trying to engage her audience, often going to comedy to remain approachable. She has a faithful servant in star Mark Wahlberg, who goes about as far as he can as an actor here, working extra hard to deliver a performance that respects the development of Long’s unique determination to be of service to others while saving himself. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Chariot” is a brain-bleeder from writer/director Adam Sigal. It plays like a sci-fi novel and probably should’ve been one, looking to confuse and beguile viewers with its sustained oddity, exploring one man’s awareness of unreality while dealing with personal issues and meeting bewildering people in his new apartment building. There’s a clear voyage into the unknown with this material, as Sigal enjoys introducing unexplained visuals and personalities, giving the audience about 75 minutes of disorientation before the answers start coming, and it’s debatable if they ever do. “Chariot” has many issues, the primary one being a lack of a clear invitation from Sigal to join the lead character on his odyssey into the unknown, keeping participation at arm’s length as he organizes a carnival of weirdness only for himself. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Brendan Muldowney was last seen in action with 2017’s “Pilgrimage,” which brought viewers on a mission with medieval monks. It was an action movie set during the Crusades, giving Muldowney a shot to make as much of an epic as possible while remaining in his native Ireland with a limited budget. The feature was a creative success, but perhaps not a financial one, inspiring the helmer to limit his range for his next endeavor, where screen activity is largely contained to a single house. “The Cellar” is a horror picture, but one that tries to shake up the norm by adding an element of mathematics to go along with all the hellraising, giving it a more distinct approach than similar genre offerings. Bits and pieces of the effort are quite interesting, but Muldowney still wants to engage in a familiar manner, mounting a fairly routine chiller that offers shadowed threats and characters with frustratingly limited situational awareness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The power of musical performance courses through the veins of “Metal Lords,” but writer D.B. Weiss (“Game of Thrones”) looks to go a bit deeper than simple stage showmanship. He’s creating a teen comedy, and one that’s more interested in character and mental health than basic high jinks, which gives the endeavor appealing emotional texture and unexpected depth. “Metal Lords” rides the same lightning as 2003’s “School of Rock,” getting off on the musical subgenre and the educational potential of it all, and director Peter Sollett (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) keeps the feature’s energy up as he manages teenage pursuits and musical management. “Metal Lords” is a bright film about a few dark subjects, and the production handles tone superbly, careful to avoid spirit-crushing formula, developing a highly amusing idiosyncrasy to the journey. It’s a whole lot of fun, and periodically hilarious as it explores the mischief motivation only heavy metal can provide. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was a time when the entire geek nation rose up and boldly protested early animation design work on 2020’s “Sonic the Hedgehog,” pushing producers to rethink their vision for the speedy video game hero, returning him to a more familiar appearance to appease the fanbase. It’s a powerful lobby, and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” attempts to keep the faithful happy with a more directly adventurous sequel that moves the eponymous character away from domestication, keeping him more active with survival challenges and matching him with an assortment of game-based supporting characters. “Sonic the Hedgehog” was entertaining and funny, but it stepped carefully when it came to connecting screen elements with franchise highlights. The follow-up gets a bit too noisy at times, but it wants to impress, offering more hectic encounters to provide thrills, hoping to engage former and future players, not casual admirers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com