Category: Film Review

Zoom is described as a “video teleconferencing software program,” and it became a very big deal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom permitted large groups to gather online and interact in a way that kinda-sorta resembled the natural back and forth people had in “the before times.” It was also a valuable source for connection as isolation crept into our lives, giving loved ones a chance to see one another again, helping to briefly but effectively chase the lockdown blues away. “Family Squares” is a Zoom movie in a way, using the technology to bring together a group of actors tasked with portraying a dysfunctional family pulled together to deal with the death of the matriarch. Director Stephanie Laing (“Irreplaceable You”) offers an ambitious examination of communication and performance with the picture, and while she could seriously use another pass in the editing room, “Family Squares” does find its footing as a study of emotion and relationships dealing with various distances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Big Gold Brick” is reminiscent of prefab cult films released in the early 2000s, when producers were trying to reach an alternative audience with brain-bleeders (e.g. “Donnie Darko,” “The Chumscrubber”), looking for young talent to do something quite different to attract attention. Making his feature-length helming debut is Brian Petsos, who takes viewers into the world of brain injuries with “Big Gold Brick,” which mixes the real and unreal in a dark comedy about relationships and the art of storytelling. Petsos comes prepared to show his stuff with the endeavor, overseeing a stylized, vaguely silly effort that’s meant to be a wild ride into psychosis, and one that requires 132 minutes of your time. There’s little reward for such a big ask from the production, as the material isn’t particularly amusing and lacks gravity as a study of a broken mind. Petsos wants the world with this offering, but it’s hard to remain interested in the movie’s frustrating indulgence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Butter” is based on a 2012 YA novel by Erin Jade Lange, and its cinematic adaptation seems inspired by the major success of 2017’s “Wonder.” The two tales deal with the experience of being bullied and misunderstood, with external differences inspiring others to dehumanize the characters in subtle ways. “Butter” examines the difficultly of being morbidly obese in high school, with the eponymous teen struggling to be treated kindly while masterminding a dire plan to be understood by all. Lange’s material explore dark emotions and real-world pain, which is difficult to bring to the screen. Writer/director Paul A. Kaufman has all the good intentions in the world to create a sensitive understanding of the boy and his problems, but such ambition, as pure-hearted as it is, tends to cloud the complex emotions in play, making for a mediocre take on adolescent confusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

He was once a staple of cable programming and bottom-shelf video store offerings, and now Andrew Stevens is trying to make his mark on the VOD action market, producing “Pursuit,” which, like so many of these low-budget endeavors, features a crummy script, poorly shot action, and the appearance of a once A-list actor (in this case, John Cusack) who’s now doing money gigs to pass the time. “Pursuit” is ridiculous, but not in fun way, with the production trying to get mean with graphic violence and sadistic characters, hoping to attract attention to a darker revenge story, and one that sometimes requires a whiteboard to follow. Director Brian Skiba (“Beverly Hills Christmas,” “Defending Santa,” and “Merry Ex Mas”) trades seasonal spirit for nasty business in rural Arkansas, and while he tries to squeeze in some style and severity, he can’t fight a dull script and bad acting, which this picture is loaded with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is the ninth installment of a franchise that began in 1974, and the original filmmakers weren’t exactly thinking about a long-running movie series at the time. The grotesque appetites of primary monster Leatherface have basically remained the same over the decades, but he’s taken many forms, deviating from the original endeavor, which was largely about grimy, grisly frights, shot like a snuff film. After the general blandness of 2017’s “Leatherface” and the absolute stupidity of 2013’s “Texas Chainsaw 3D,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” makes some effort to connect to the original Tobe Hooper classic, returning to the character of Sally Hardesty for a little long-time-coming revenge, aping the recent smash hit, “Halloween.” Sadly, for “Chainsaw” heads, this bit of visceral motivation doesn’t bring much to the feature, which aims to be simple, short (74 minutes before end credits), and slaughter-y, but offers nothing new to the brand name besides a modern setting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After spending the last decade developing his position as a producer of films such as “Magic Mike” and “Logan Lucky,” Channing Tatum is ready to make the leap to direction, and he picks a layup project to best secure a future behind the camera. Joining partner Reid Carolin, Channing also co-scripts “Dog,” which examine the combative relationship between an ex-Army Ranger and the wounded military canine he’s tasked with bringing to her deceased handler’s funeral. It’s hard to dislike anything involving the healing powers of animal partnership, but Carolin and Tatum don’t think things through with the feature, preferring to make a scattered tale of mutual misery that hopes to be heartwarming, only to offer unlikable characters making confusing choices. “Dog” eventually gets to the sweet stuff, but the journey there is a rough ride most of the time, dependent on Channing’s charms to connect the dots. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As pop culture deep cuts go in 2022, “Inspector Ike” certainly has the weirdest inspiration in recent memory. Co-writers Ikechukwu Ufomadu and Graham Mason (who also directs) head back to the 1970s, looking to parody the state of television mystery movies, inventing a faux world for a gifted NYC detective and his periodic run-ins with murder. The pair concoct a comedy, and one created on a shoestring budget, limiting the technical replication of the picture, but Ufomadu and Mason manage to score some hearty laughs with this extremely specific valentine to the “Columbo” world of small-screen cops and their expert ways with sleuthing. “Inspector Ike” isn’t built for bigness, remaining a modest offering of silliness, and it largely succeeds through engaged, playful performances and occasional ideas that deliver on the promise of such a strange spoof. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s not a lot of ways to approach a werewolf story, with freshness lacking when it comes to the ways of transforming bodies and vicious appetites. Writer/director Sean Ellis (“Cashback,” “Anthropoid”) searches for a new take on a monster movie, and he finds it with “The Cursed,” which brings such terror to the late 1800s, offering a story about land seizure, denial, and grief. There’s also the occasional sequence of stalking between predator and prey, but Ellis doesn’t go overboard with his moments of violence. Instead, he elects to take the slow-burn route, playing tribute to Hammer Films and their deliberate ways of exploring an unfolding nightmare. “The Cursed” isn’t always riveting, but it comes together as an intelligent study of werewolf fantasy and threat, doing something different with a well-worn concept. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Richard Bates, Jr. enjoys the creation of idiosyncrasy. He’s been creatively successful with the stuff in recent years, previously helming “Tone-Deaf” and “Trash Fire,” getting something going with dryly executed weirdness that occasionally lands some huge laughs. He’s back to business with “King Knight,” which explores the bursting insecurity of a witch whose entire history of personal success as an adolescent is exposed to his coven, leaving him in a position of exposure he can’t immediately process. Bates, Jr. brings a healthy sense of humor to the endeavor, which is small in scale but steady with silliness, making for an enjoyable sit. It’s not the most ambitious feature, but the production achieves some good-natured hilarity with its limited budget, remaining strangely kind and cheery with this tale of wizardry and shame. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Uncharted” is an adaptation of a video game series established in 2007. The franchise has been wildly popular with players, often described as an updated version of the Indiana Jones saga, sharing an appetite for high adventure and globetrotting treasure hunting. And now it’s a movie, because that’s apparently what gamers want to see, removing control of the action and putting it into the hands of producers itching to provide a big screen ride that could never replicate the experience of being the characters on a mission to find a fortune. “Uncharted” the film fails to summon a significant sense of excitement, struggling with miscastings and an overall sluggishness that doesn’t inspire a sense of awe or suspense that typically comes with this style of entertainment. It began life as a video game and probably should’ve stayed one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Marry Me” is being positioned as the big 2022 Valentine’s Day offering from Hollywood, presenting a digestible opposites-attract tale that’s filled with music and warm feelings, and an enormous number of plugs for NBC television programming. Sweetness isn’t really a priority for the picture, which is a loose adaptation of a webcomic, though such an odd inspiration doesn’t really factor into the making of the endeavor, which often resembles dozens of other romantic comedies all seeking to create some tingles for date night. “Marry Me” is certainly inoffensive, but there’s no noticeable drive from director Kat Coiro (“A Case of You”) to make something different with the material, happily guiding the feature through predictable scenes and programmed feelings. There’s very little spark to the movie, which spends most of the run time denying what actually works in the film, on a simple quest to deliver the same old stuff for holiday viewers trying to catch a little buzz off big screen love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Returning to his love of low-wattage thrillers, director Steven Soderbergh offers “Kimi,” which updates the ways of paranoia cinema for the COVID-19 age. Written by David Koepp (another fan of twisty chillers, previously helming “Stir of Echoes,” “Secret Window,” and “You Should Have Left”), the feature pieces together elements of “Rear Window” and “Blow Out,” creating a situation of panic for the lead character that requires more than just physical endurance to survive. There’s a heavy psychological element in play, as “Kimi” is perhaps more of a character study than a nail-biter, with Soderbergh enjoying another celebration of 1970s cinema, sticking with minimalist ideas and conflicts. The endeavor isn’t thunderous, but it’s efficient and gripping at times, working with mental health issues of today to inspire a classic sense of pressure on the protagonist. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2017, Kenneth Branagh decided to try his luck with the works of Agatha Christie, directing an adaptation of her most famous novel, “Murder on the Orient Express.” He also gifted himself the central role of private detective Hercule Poirot, fitted for an ornate mustache and a chewy part, unleashed on a somewhat underwhelming endeavor that was definitely boosted by his thespian emphasis. The picture found an audience, becoming a major hit for Branagh, who tries his luck again with “Death on the Nile,” which takes its inspiration from a 1937 Christie book. Much like “Murder on the Orient Express,” there’s a lot to like about the new Poirot adventure, but there’s just as much that doesn’t connect in the film, which is hurt by an uneven cast and iffy technical credits. But there’s always Branagh, who makes a meal out of the part, once again giving his all to the feature in a way that helps to occasionally lift it off the ground, making detective fiction thrilling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Liam Neeson has been doing the same thing for many years now, cashing in as an unusual action hero for an older audience. He’s made serviceable bruisers in recent years (“The Marksman,” “The Ice Road”), and he reteams with his “Honest Thief” director, Mark Williams, for “Blacklight,” which is, of course, about a character with a particular set of skills who switches to protection mode when he’s threatened by bad guys. What’s slightly different about “Blacklight” is its push to be taken seriously as a story concerning the hazards of journalism, which is blended with the usual business involving Neeson’s character and his way with violence. The writing (by Williams and Nick May) is trying to comment on the ways of today’s world, delving into conspiracies and government betrayals, but the two sides of the endeavor fail to gel into one complete Neeson-y joyride, leaving the final cut tonally inconsistent and a tad silly. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2020, director Jason Orley made a positive impression with “Big Time Adolescence,” which examined the confusion that comes with being a teenager, facing social challenges and personal issues involving a bad influence. He returns to the ways of arrested development with “I Want You Back,” which brings the age of concern up to thirtysomething territory, but flaming insecurities remain. The screenplay is credited to Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, and they try to update the “When Harry Met Sally” formula for a new, more cynical time of romantic woe, reworking character panic concerning the end of relationships with a broader comedic vision. “I Want You Back” doesn’t sustain its initial spark, but it’s incredibly funny at times, with stars Jenny Slate and Charlie Day offering tremendous chemistry and timing to help Orley find his way through the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Supercool” aims to land somewhere between “Superbad” and a John Hughes teen comedy, going the fantasy route to explore common adolescent insecurities and less common adventures involving criminal activity. It’s a presentation of zaniness from director Teppo Airaksinen and writers Olli Haikka and Ali Moussavi, who attempt to generate a farcical atmosphere for the endeavor. Trouble is, the production doesn’t push hard enough when it comes to a snowballing sense of madness, playing with outrageousness every now and then, which puts the movie into park one too many times. There are ideas in “Supercool” with potential, and laughs are present, but the overall effort is lacking a sense of sustained tomfoolery, and it eventually wants to generate some level of sincerity, which is all wrong with a premise that’s better with silliness, at least when given a chance to explore it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Mostly everything in “Book of Love” is pulled from other movies, but its central culture clash is unusual. The story tracks the ways of an uptight British author who’s tasked with managing a book tour in Mexico, exposed to a very different way of life, working to adjust to the shock to the best of his ability. Comedy is encouraged by the writing (credited David Quantick and Analeine Cal y Mayor, who also directs), and, of course, romance, with the feature hoping to be a primary Valentine’s Day choice for couples searching for something easy on the senses. Trouble is, there’s not much originality to “Book of Love,” which is weighed down by formula, slipping into Hallmark Channel territory as the tale goes from a passably itchy study of the literary industry to a banal adventure into mutual attraction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many believed 2010’s “Jackass 3D” was meant to be the closing chapter in the saga of men hurting themselves for the entertainment of many. It certainly felt like a grand finale, with the production adding 3D touches to best place the stunts and pranks right in the face of the viewer, providing a lasting jolt of physical harm. The gang has been away for 12 years, but with the world in a such dire condition lately, its time to laugh again. Or at least wince. Lots of wincing. “Jackass Forever” is the fourth installment of the series, with Johnny Knoxville and his crew returning to duty, mixing old, battered faces with a new generation of fans/volunteers ready to prove themselves worthy of the “Jackass” name. Once again, big fun is found with the endeavor, but the gray hairs are more pronounced this time around, gags are repeated, and it’s all well and good when a cast member soils himself in his twenties, but when they’re 51, it’s probably time to retire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Last Looks” is an adaptation of a novel by Howard Michael Gould, who also provides the screenplay for the picture. It’s detective fiction, a slice of L.A. noir, only without all the rough edges the genre is known for. Gould is after something lighter with the material, trying to make a comedy about corrupt people attached to a brutal murder, with a private investigator caught up in the strangeness of it all, hunting for clues and meeting characters who would rather see him off the case. There’s cheekiness to the endeavor that’s a little off-putting, and the director is Tim Kirkby, a celebrated television helmer who also made the excretable 2018 comedy, “Action Point.” Kirkby is better with actors than tonality, getting decent work out of his oddball casting, but the primary whodunit experience of “Last Looks” tends to get lost in Gould’s preference for eccentricity, making this a rare crime story where introductions are stronger than resolutions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Horror films have a long history of addressing real world problems through the fantasy of fear. “Slapface” takes aim at the issue of bullying, with writer/director Jeremiah Kipp constructing a monster movie that touches on deep psychological situations of abandonment and isolation, following the lead character’s experience with a mysterious entity as he struggles to make sense of grief. “Slapface” is a low-budget production, often fighting against some visual ideas that don’t work, and performances aren’t always where they should be, but Kipp has an idea worth following in the feature, which does an effective job communicating abyssal pain and fear that’s starting to consume young minds, leaving them confused and exposed to an outside evil that works in strange ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com