Category: Film Review

Writer/director Mary Bronstein aims to cinematically communicate the pressure cooker experience of being a mother in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” There have been a number of slightly similar endeavors in recent years (including “Tully” and “Nightbitch”), exploring the psychological fragility of women who are doing their best to keep it together as pressures, real and imagined, build up around them, causing a temporary break from reality. Bronstein goes to a much darker place in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” reaching into the main character, who’s handling too much and all at once. The helmer offers a powerful examination of helplessness, and actress Rose Byrne shakes off the sameness of recent performances to vividly portray an emotional meltdown leaking out of a tightly wound person, getting to the core of a fantastically complex living experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Interest in the world of author Roald Dahl has certainly increased in recent years, inspiring a fresh round of literary adaptations including “Matilda the Musical,” “Wonka,” and “The Witches.” Even Wes Anderson has joined in, helming the short “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” for a streaming audience. Now there’s “The Twits,” which is based on a 1980 Dahl children’s novel, putting director Phil Johnston (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”) to work bringing the author’s unusual, somewhat gross ways to the screen, also sharing credit for the screenplay with Meg Favreau. “The Twits” has been handed a modern kids film makeover, with its original oddity softened in the hunt to bring a substantial story to the offering. Weirdness remains, and there’s entertainment value in Dahl’s world, but formula threatens to overwhelm the viewing experience, as the uniqueness of the book has been watered down to make a sellable movie out of it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2022’s “The Black Phone” was an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story. And it definitely played like one, with screenwriters C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson (who also directed) straining to turn a small idea for suspense into a feature film. And one that had a pretty definitive conclusion. However, definitive conclusions are no match for box office profit, and now we have “Black Phone 2,” with Cargill and Derrickson returning to expand Hill’s concept for a sequel that’s not necessary, and doesn’t invest in originality. The writers clearly turn to Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” for inspiration and direct lifts, looking for a way to return The Grabber to action without fully erasing his fate in the previous picture. “Black Phone 2” sticks with dream logic and cheap frights, and the offering takes its time to get where it’s going, aiming for a more emotional, family-oriented scare zone in a decidedly ho-hum movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jess Varley is after something specific with “The Astronaut,” but she doesn’t have a clear idea how to get there. It hopes to be a chiller, at least until it isn’t one, but the material doesn’t have much appreciation for originality, delivering the usual in terms of tight psychological spaces and perceived physical threats around an isolated setting. But there’s noticeable drive to make this endeavor snap to cinematic life, watching Varley oversee music and editing achievements that hope to sell the intensity of a picture that’s mostly flat. “The Astronaut” is headed somewhere, hoping to give viewers a ride of mystery that takes everything all the way to the final shot. The effort is appreciated, but the offering just isn’t very compelling, looking to pull off a major misdirect that lacks a more meaningful payoff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Other” is a small-scale horror movie from writer/director David Moreau, who’s been faithful to the genre over the last two decades, including work on 2006’s “Them,” 2008’s “The Eye,” and, more recently, 2024’s little-seen “MadS.” Moreau’s latest keeps him in the shadows, this time examining the psychological melting of a middle-aged woman reconnecting with her past after the death of her mother, soon recognizing the true depth of trauma she suffered at the hands of her parent. “Other” has a therapeutic level to the writing, getting into hidden spaces of pain as the main character returns to the life she left behind. And there’s something of a creature feature angle to the story, putting Moreau to work organizing nasty things that only move in the dark. “Other” has the goods to become a striking short film, but the helmer is undertaking a feature-length journey here, and there’s far too much dead air in the endeavor to really rattle the senses. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Mastermind” is often identified as a heist movie, and perhaps there’s some truth to that label. It deals with a man attempting to organize the theft of four paintings from a local museum, handling the planning and execution of a crime that means more to him than simple financial gain. While thoughts of near-misses and scheming come to mind, the feature is the latest from writer/director Kelly Reichardt, and she’s not one to indulge the simple pleasures of flashy filmmaking and furious pacing. The helmer of thoughtful endeavors such as “Wendy and Lucy,” “Certain Women,” and 2022’s little-seen “Showing Up,” Reichardt mostly deals with screen stillness, looking to examine unique characterizations and quiet spaces. This creative approach doesn’t bring much intensity to “The Mastermind,” but those in tune with Reichardt’s work might find something to savor in this muted offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Woman in Cabin 10” is an adaptation of a 2016 novel by Ruth Ware, who’s enjoyed a successful career as an architect of literary mysteries, often compared to the writings of Agatha Christie. She’s new to the realm of cinematic interpretations, with the book handed over to director Simon Stone, who contributed solid work in features such as “The Dig” and “The Daughter,” also sharing a screenplay credit with Joe Schrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. The team is ready to scramble viewer minds with this study of growing confusion and paranoia onboard a yacht filled with billionaires, following the sleuthing skills of a journalist who believes she’s witnessed a murder. The set-up is solid, the stuff of a classic whodunit, but “The Woman in Cabin 10” gradually falls apart as it goes, indulging in growing ridiculousness before it reaches pure absurdity in its final act. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Kiss of the Spider Woman” began life as a 1976 novel by author Manuel Puig, who was interested in exploring the pains of reality involving political torment and the liberation of the mind as fantasy takes hold. It was turned into a 1985 film, directed by Hector Babenco, with the little feature snowballing into an art-house hit, even scoring four Academy Award nominations and an Oscar win for co-star William Hurt. In 1992, the material was reworked into a musical from John Kander and Fred Ebb, which went on to collect multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical of the Year. That stage endeavor serves as the inspiration for a new “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” with writer/director Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls,” 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast”) attempting to bring the sharp divide between grime and glamour to the big screen, putting his faith in Jennifer Lopez to carry most of the effort’s song and dance. Technical credits are impressive, and the story finds moments of intimacy, but the production also battles a level of theatricality that doesn’t translate to riveting cinema, making the offering feel sluggish and flattened. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Disney elected to return to their past with the 2010 release of “Tron: Legacy,” giving the 1982 cult classic an event movie makeover, looking to compete in the blockbuster marketplace with a high-tech take on computer program wars and family ties. The endeavor did good business, but not “Avatar” business, shutting down corporate interest in maintaining franchise momentum on the big screen. “Tron” continued in video games, an animated series, and even a Disney Parks roller coaster, and now time comes for the company to try again. “Tron: Ares” is the second sequel, and while it offers ties to the previous picture, screenwriter Jesse Wigutow is tasked with finding a new rhythm for the series, which updates tech and characters, and even purpose as war is raged in the real world and on the grid. “Ares” comes loaded with chase sequences and incredible visual effects, and while it doesn’t quite reach the wonderful scale of “Legacy,” director Joachim Ronning (“Kon-Tiki,” “The Young Woman and the Sea,” but also “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) makes a proper thrill ride with the offering, which remains immense fun as it figures out a new way forward for the saga while playing with its past. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

John Candy passed away 31 years ago, and in a remarkable display of professional longevity, he’s never faded away. Candy has remained in the hearts and minds of comedy fans since he departed, with new generations introduced to his special charisma and screen presence, keeping his legacy alive. “John Candy: I Like Me” is a documentary about the actor and his unique personality, with director Colin Hanks (2015’s “All Things Must Pass”) launching an effort to collect information and memories about the star, looking to create a portrait of a complicated, somewhat gentle man who managed to make his dream of performance a reality, even achieving a level of fame few have experienced. “I Like Me” is meant to be an emotional event, and interviewees are tasked with providing warm memories of Candy, with Hanks attempting to identify the subject’s emotional complexity and career frustrations with a noticeably softer approach. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was once a time when sword and sorcery movies had their moment in the sun. It was an era long ago, known as “the eighties,” when producers, hungry for easy profits and small budgets, tried to match the success of 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” and rising commitment to role-playing games, offering their own take on weapon-wielding brawn and adventuring. 1983’s “Deathstalker” is one of the more famous titles of the trend, eventually conquering the home video market and spawning numerous sequels. And now it’s been brought back to life courtesy of writer/director Steven Kostanski (“Psycho Goreman,” “Frankie Freako”), who loves a monster mash, bringing his vision for practical effects and tomfoolery to “Deathstalker,” which offers a fantasy saga update that focuses on the fun factor of the subgenre. It’s a new take on an old story, with Kostanski using his remarkable imagination for gore and creature effects to successfully revive the brand name with this mostly lively display of action and evildoing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

40 years ago, “Crocodile Dundee” began production. It was a smaller Australian endeavor meant to celebrate (and test) the on-screen charms of star Paul Hogan, who was primarily known as a T.V. personality and tourism pitchman. Of course, the picture went on to achieve tremendous success, winning over global audiences on a scale that shocked the filmmakers, also turning Hogan into a beloved media figure. “Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee” explores the creation of the 1986 release, but directors Victoria Baldock and Delvene Delaney aren’t entirely committed to tracking all aspects of the production. Instead, the documentary is more of a valentine to producer John Cornell (who passed away in 2021), with Delaney, his widow, out to celebrate his contributions to “Crocodile Dundee” and spotlight his longstanding friendship with Hogan, with the pair taking their little vision for an Australian comedy to the top, achieving the impossible together. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Just a few weeks ago, she was battling a wild boar in the woods, also dodging menace from masked killers in “The Strangers: Chapter 2.” Now actress Madelaine Petsch is taking on a more frightening enemy: the dating scene. “Maintenance Required” is a romantic comedy from writers Roo Berry, Erin Falconer, and Lacey Uhlemeyer (who also directs), trying to give the target demographic a few tingles of flirtation and near-misses while also adhering closely to the subgenre’s formula to make sure everything lands as intended. Surprises are non-existent in the movie, which is strictly out to become something easily digestible for its streaming audience. However, some charm remains in the mix, with Petsch and her co-stars delivering a passable sense of enthusiasm for the material, which also delivers a few empowerment touches and odd comedy beats to help make routine palatable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Luca Guadagnino had a very interesting 2024. He released two features, scoring a pop culture hit with his tennis soap opera “Challengers,” while his pricey adaptation of William S. Burroughs’s “Queer” went largely unseen by the moviegoing public. Instead of taking some time off, Guadagnino is back in action less than a year later with “After the Hunt,” bringing Nora Garrett’s troubling tale of misconduct and accusations to the screen. The writer examines the slow burn horror of characters caught up in a mess of allegations, forced to deal with an explosive situation without disrupting the rest of their lives. It’s a potent idea for a gripping odyssey into drama, but Guadagnino doesn’t summon much tension for the endeavor. “After the Hunt” isn’t completely committed to discovering points of pressure, finding the director taking his time with intensity, and he gets a little sloppy with performances as the offering struggles to find some level of cinematic power. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Vicious” is the latest endeavor from writer/director Bryan Bertino, who made his helming debut with 2008’s “The Strangers,” but hasn’t managed to come near that success with any of his subsequent efforts. He often favors small-scale horror, keeping budgets down and claustrophobia increasing with modest tales of terror, and he remains committed to the cause with “Vicious,” which tracks the developing nightmare of a woman on her own, managing the presence of a curse that demands everything from her. The picture really isn’t all that different from “The Strangers,” keeping Bertino busy dealing with mysterious motivations and household violence. The feature doesn’t jump off the screen, missing a more invasive sense of fear, and the helmer’s ideas for suspense aren’t imaginative, once again offering the audience a night with a hyperventilating character and her battle with shadows and an aggressive sound design. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Who is Mark Kerr? That’s the primary question in “The Smashing Machine,” with the end of the picture describing the former fighter as a “pioneer” in the world of mixed martial arts during its early growth period with global audiences. This information is arguably best served at the front of the film, but writer/director Benny Safdie isn’t too attentive to information about Kerr’s history in the feature, which isn’t a bio-pic, but a snapshot of a particularly turbulent time in the fighter’s life. “The Smashing Machine” is light on details, but it carries fantastic mood on occasion, getting into the highs and lows of Kerr’s experience, giving Dwayne Johnson a real acting opportunity as he’s tasked to play a flawed, humbled person going through quite a bit with himself and others. “The Smashing Machine” isn’t always dramatically steady, as Safdie nudges the material into soap opera territory at times, but it stays compelling and periodically raw, really selling its mission to make Kerr a household name. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Joshua Friedlander has something devious in mind with “Bone Lake,” and perhaps cineastes have seen this type of twisted game before. The picture isn’t really a horror experience until the final act, more closely resembling a riff on Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” for the majority of the feature, exploring tensions rising between two couples stuck in the same rental house for the weekend. Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan (“Spoonful of Sugar”) creates a good deal of screen tension, working to reinforce various violations of trust and woozy temptations while the writing hopes to pull viewers in closer as things go all kinds of wrong for the characters. “Bone Lake” doesn’t have originality on its side, but there’s some moviemaking hustle to appreciate, as Morgan generates an atmosphere of uneasy interactions and growing paranoia. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We lost legendary director David Lynch this year, but his filmmaking spirit is sure to carry on for quite some time. His love of the unreal and heavy moods inhabits a most unusual picture in “Good Boy,” a micro-budgeted offering of eeriness from co-writer/director Ben Leonberg, who casts his dog, Indy, in the main role of a loyal pet finding his sanity tested when his owner holes up inside a cabin, dealing with life and medical issues the animal doesn’t understand. Leonberg doesn’t have much of a story, turning to atmosphere to carry the short feature (running just over 70 minutes), attempting to taffy pull a simple idea into a surreal examination of canine companionship and protection, told from Indy’s POV. There’s an interesting viewing experience to be had with “Good Boy,” but those hunting for direct chills and thrills might feel a bit disappointed with Leonberg’s approach here, which is more artful than intense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “V/H/S/” franchise feels unstoppable at this point, with “V/H/S/Halloween” the fifth consecutive installment since 2021, and the eighth feature overall. That’s a lot of short films created by enthusiastic writers and directors, but now the franchise takes on Halloween frights for the first time, moving far away from the cosmic terror of 2024’s “V/H/S/Beyond.” There are six chapters in the new offering, and most seek to squeeze as much flavor as possible out of the spooky season, supplying tales of trick or treating gone wrong, while the rest look to get a little more hostile with their frights. As with all of these movies, the segments vary in quality, but “V/H/S/Halloween” has a real issue with tonal consistency, creating a rough viewing experience as the picture goes for silliness at times, also interested in detailing absolute viciousness, including the torture of children. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In October, Marc Maron is ending his podcast, “WTF,” after 16 years in production. It’s an impressive run, totaling over 1,600 episodes with many amazing guests, including President Barack Obama, Robin Williams, and a particularly contentious chat with comedian Gallagher. Maron helped to boost the visibility of the podcast format, and he delivered many deep conversations that played into his understanding of the world and deep rooted self-absorption, often making for a terrific listen. “Are We Good?” is a documentary that takes viewers back a few years, settling on a period of time when Maron was handling the particulars of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden loss of his partner, the marvelous (and profoundly missed) director Lynn Shelton. Director Steven Feinartz is there to capture his subject during sensitive years, striving to understand Maron the media personality and the guy trying to make sense of it all with his wit and impatience. “Are We Good?” remains a bit too leisurely at times, possibly reflecting Maron’s own speed, but Feinartz manages to get emotional and real with the subject, generating a fascinating depiction of grief and the management of pain through comedy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com