Category: Film Review

It doesn’t seem like writer/director Michael Nader is trying to launch his own movie monster with The Toll Man, but I’m certain he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to join horror history if the opportunity arrived. “The Toll” introduces viewers to a different kind of low-budget terror in the picture, examining how the supernatural creature is capable of bringing victims to the brink of madness by using their own trauma against them, requiring a death to make the nightmare stop. It’s a genre tale set in the deep woods, and it could work as a stage play as well, giving the lead actors time to shape personalities and panic as Nader organizes a slow-burn decent into rural Canadian hell. With expectations dialed down a few notches, “The Toll” works as a suspense story, watching Nader try to make something intimidating happen with limited production resources. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s amazing that “Last Call” is being released in 2021. It plays like something out of the mid-1990s, when Edward Burns was creating low-budget tales of Irish brotherhood and romantic troubles, setting these struggles in neighborhoods where families have existed for generations. Co-writer/director Paolo Pilladi is a bit late to the trend, but he’s trying to summon a good time with the feature, which observes the beginnings and endings in a crusty Pennsylvania town. Everyone likes a flavorful overview of community spirit, but “Last Call” is aggressively idiotic, with Pilladi overseeing a sitcom, not a movie, manufacturing relentless cliches and predictable turns of plot. He’s under the impression that broheim energy will cover for the picture’s lack of depth, but that doesn’t happen. Pilladi generates a depressing viewing experience instead, arranging the whole thing as a tribute to crabbing culture, but these people deserve better treatment than this dim dramedy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Slaxx” is about a killer pair of jeans. Of course, there’s more to the feature than that, which may surprise some viewers settling in for a weird slasher film set inside a clothing store. Co-writer/director Elza Kephart hopes to attract attention with her oddball premise, which joins equally strange inspirations for horror entertainment (e.g. “Rubber,” “Death Bed: The Bed That Eats”), and she delivers all sorts of bloody violence with the endeavor, looking to keep up with audience demands for this type of B-movie escapism. “Slaxx” does well with the little it has, but it aims for a different type of awareness overall, gradually replacing silliness with a more sobering assessment of business ethics, adding some thought-provoking material to the effort’s satirical interests. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps she’s not a television legend, but actress Soleil Moon Frye certainly made her mark on the industry in the 1980s, playing the titular role in the sitcom “Punky Brewster.” She became a pop culture sensation while still a child, with Hollywood happy to send her through the ringer of fame, working to transform the girl into an icon. The dream wasn’t realized, with the brutality of maturation pushing Frye out of the “cute kid” universe and into the danger zone of unemployment, suddenly faced with teen years that exposed her to the cruelties of media coverage and fair-weather friends. For reasons even she doesn’t fully understand, Frye spent her adolescent years documenting her every move, using a video camera, diaries, and voicemails to provide a “chronological blueprint” of her experience around town, surrounded by other actors struggling with the same issues of obsolescence. After decades in deep storage, Frye is ready to confront the evidence, directing “Kid 90,” putting the pieces of her youth back together with an unusual documentary. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

BenDavid Grabinski makes his feature-length directorial debut with “Happily,” and he brings a deep love for cinema with him, working to squeeze as much movie mood as possible. He also provides the screenplay, examining the plight of a functional couple as they spend a long weekend with disgruntled partners, left to deal with extreme unease as their adoration of each other is transformed into a behavioral mystery. Grabinksi likes to play with surreal touches and dry humor, casting a few comedians to add some improvisational energy to the picture. It’s not always focused on the problems at hand, but “Happily doesn’t unravel, remaining an inviting puzzle of dark events and interpersonal hostilities, with the material always better off with real feelings instead of self-conscious strangeness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a long road to release for “City of Lies.” The feature started shooting in 2016, and fought waves of legal and financial entanglements before final making its way to a North American release. Somehow, the picture has become even more topical in the interim, with screenwriter Christian Contreras taking inspiration from Randall Sullivan’s book, “LAbyrinth,” using the investigation surrounding the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls to examine a the greater cancer of corruption spreading through the L.A.P.D. “City of Lies” has a lot on its mind, but it also has some degree of difficulty summoning gripping drama, doing much better as a rapid-fire detective story with multiple suspects and theories concerning an unsolved mystery. A few stretches of melodrama aren’t nearly as interesting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As an anthology horror film, “Phobias” does things a little bit differently. Instead of tying together different tales of terribleness via a wraparound story, the picture provides more of a sustained plot, taking breaks from the prime conflict to deal with flashbacks involving a handful of characters. The theme is fear, exploring how such a powerful feeling is being weaponized by an evil scientist, who’s violently pulling such troubling emotion out of test subjects. The production aims to put together five examinations of fragile people confronted by mistakes, mysteries, and self-harm, giving the gathered directors a chance to show their stuff as they deal with macabre events linked to the titular experience. “Phobias” is oddly assembled, feeling like the middle part of a trilogy, but there’s appealing sinister business to be found for patient viewers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Courier” explores the saga of Greville Wynne, who’s not only in the possession of the most British name I’ve ever encountered, but he’s partially responsible for preventing the outbreak of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. His story of spying and unlikely partnership with Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky has been previously explored in two BBC productions over the years, but director Dominic Cooke (“On Chesil Beach”) and screenwriter Tom O’Connor (“The Hitman’s Bodyguard”) try to dig a little deeper into the paranoia and tentative friendship of the arrangement. What initially seems like yet another dry British drama about world history grows substantially darker in its second half, with “The Courier” developing into a serious examination of psychological exhaustion, tracking the mounting pressures of a connection that would eventually stop the possibility of global destruction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2017, there was “Justice League.” It was meant to be the big move for the D.C. Extended Universe, uniting a team of top-tier superheroes to match the box office might of Marvel’s “The Avengers.” Director Zack Snyder spent years laboring to return Superman and Batman to the screen, and the battle royal was intended to be his crowning achievement, but many things went wrong during the editing of the picture, squeezing the helmer out of the production. Snyder was replaced by “Avenger” director Joss Whedon, who reshot and reworked a significant portion of “Justice League,” which ultimately didn’t help the movie, leaving fans disappointed. And now there’s “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” with Warner Brothers returning the 2017 effort to its original visionary, who’s been offered a chance to restore what was lost and give the faithful the viewing experience they’ve been dreaming about for the last four years. And it’s a commitment too, trading 120 minutes of Whedon’s mangling for 242 minutes of free-range Snyder, with the “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” filmmaker sidestepping the casual viewer to rebuild an offering meant strictly for the D.C. devoted. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last December, moviegoers were offered “Breach,” a low-budget sci-fi/horror endeavor that paired co-writer/director Edward Drake, co-writer Corey Large, and star Bruce Willis, who certainly hasn’t been choosy in recent years, seemingly taking any job that meets his quote and offers limited time on the set. Three months later, the trio are back with “Cosmic Sin,” another sci-fi/horror offering (perhaps made right after “Breach”) that aims a little higher than the previous collaboration, trying to provide viewers with an epic understanding of imperialism without spending the right amount of cash to bring it to life. Drake returns with colorful cinematography and a passably compelling first half, but “Cosmic Sin” loses its vague intensity in a hurry, soon bogged down by cliches and backyard filmmaking limitations, while Willis is the usual Willis, showing very little interest in anything happening around him. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2014, director Miguel Arteta took on the challenge of family entertainment with “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” tasked with making something softer for a Disney audience after a career creating R-rated pictures for adults. It was a surprising achievement from the helmer, who found a wonderful balance of slapstick and heart, keeping the feature on the move while highlighting a cast capable of delivering manic energy and warm feelings. After working through another stretch of little seen movies (including last year’s “Like a Boss”), Arteta returns to PG-style antics for “Fun Day,” which is a loose adaptation of a children’s book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. Skipping on a sincerity this time around, Arteta still delivers a boisterous effort in “Yes Day,” which is aimed directly at younger viewers searching for a live-action cartoon that celebrates the spirit of family and the wonders of undisciplined behavior. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

You’ve probably never heard of Ken Zheng before, and that’s something the co-director/writer/star of “Insight” is looking to change. The triple threat hopes to launch his own franchise with the actioner, paring with helmer Livi Zheng to mount a revenge story with elements of mystery and police procedural. There’s also a fantasy element in play to keep things sufficiently unusual. “Insight” isn’t as dynamic as one would hope for, with the production playing it too carefully to come across professional, missing a level of madness that usually makes this type of screen introduction memorable. There’s a cast of character actors trying to support Zheng to the best of their abilities, giving the effort some dramatic flavor while the writing is basically going through the motions between displays of stunt work, where Zheng is happy to show off his physical skills. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Long Live Rock” was completed a few years ago, initially intended to be a summary of the hard rock lifestyle as experienced by the artists and the fans. Director Jonathan McHugh (“Cosplay Universe,” and also a soundtrack producer on “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation”) gets into the mess of it all with those heavily involved in these united worlds, collecting interviews from participants and footage from rock festivals, delivering an overview of dedication to a sound that some have suggested is no longer a dominant force in popular culture. However, in our pandemic world, “Long Live Rock” serves a different purpose in 2021, offering a look back at a time not too long ago when tens of thousands of people would gather in large spaces and pack together as tightly as possible, releasing something primal as a community, sharing the music and air in a way that isn’t possible right now. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Two years ago, I had a positive reaction to “The Bouncer,” which offered a rare dramatic outing for star Jean-Claude Van Damme, who uncovered a bit more acting range with help from co-writer/director Julien Leclercq. The helmer has remained close to thriller entertainment over the course of his career, but he’s finding ways to cut through the steely norm and deal with the inner pain of his antiheroes. The formula returns with “Sentinelle,” which pairs Leclercg with star Olga Kurylenko, who also has a fondness for more aggressive screen activity (seen recently slapping around villains in “The Courier”). The collaboration brings some feeling to “Sentinelle,” which is refreshingly simplistic in plot, instead concentrating on the rotting core of the main character as she struggles to find one form of justice for a wounded loved one. It’s revenge cinema pulled off with ferocity, giving Kurylenko something to work with as Leclercq arranges riveting escalation, delivering a brutalizer with some deep-seated pain to examine. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After 33 years, Eddie Murphy is ready to party again. 1988’s “Coming to America” is largely regarded as the end of Murphy’s golden age, when the young comic stormed the box office charts with hit comedies, turning himself into industry royalty with the feature, which delivered his last major success for years. The triumph was earned, with Murphy taking producing and starring duties, looking to transform himself into a traditional leading man, challenged to set romantic moods while engineering absurdity with a fish out of water comedy that, while overlong, did the trick, turning Murphy into a defined actor. The star has been in a good mood in recent years (scoring big with 2019’s “Dolemite Is My Name”), so it only makes sense to have Murphy return as Prince Akeem, looking to generate a boisterous screen sequel with “Coming 2 America,” a long-awaited return to the world of Zamunda, which is facing a fresh crisis of royal leadership. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Boogie” marks the directorial debut for Eddie Huang, who turned his autobiography, “Fresh Off the Boat,” into a phenomenally successful television series, and one lauded for its sensitive handling of humor and love for Asian culture. Huang remains interested in pursuing such coverage with “Boogie,” which explores the challenges facing a young basketball prodigy dealing with the demands of education, love, and his career prospects while managing expectations from his Chinese parents. While it deals with deep insecurities and complex family issues, Huang is more comfortable with crudeness, trying to engage a younger audience for the movie, which largely confronts adult issues. It’s a messy feature highlighting Huang’s inexperience behind the camera, often downplaying what works so well in his screenplay, leading to a frustrating viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Joe Carnahan has a made a living creating violent entertainment, endlessly fascinated by screen mayhem and meaty attitude, favoring tests of survival. With “Boss Level,” he’s aiming to summarize his storytelling interests, taking inspiration from video games to launch a time loop adventure that tracks one tough guy’s particularly busy day, dealing with a horde of assassins coming to murder him in gruesome ways. Much like his last helming endeavor, 2014’s “Stretch,” Carnahan finds the fun factor in pure excess, giving “Boss Level” an enjoyable level of mischief as it organizes multiple deaths and physical challenges. It’s not quite the hyperactive film it initially promises to be, but it moves, with the production clearly having a ball as it figures out ways to raise a little hell. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Author Patrick Ness created a large sci-fi/fantasy world with his “Chaos Walking” trilogy of books. The YA offerings generated a sizable fanbase, and such financial attention typically inspires a call from Hollywood, a town that, despite repeated and costly failures, remains determined to transform every workable YA novel into a franchise for years-long milking. However, “Chaos Walking” isn’t material that lends itself to high adventure, wizard battles, or dystopian gamesmanship. It’s a more internalized, character-driven experience that’s handled roughly by the film adaptation, with the screenplay clearly struggling to make sense of material that worked for many on the page. Director Doug Liman is simply overwhelmed by the endeavor, wrestling with the expectations of the fanbase and the needs of those new to the world-building. “Chaos Walking” attempts to be something special and unique to the subgenre, but it doesn’t emerge with much authority, relying on generic ideas to simply find a way out of the complicated story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Quentin Dupieux was recently seen on American screens with “Deerskin,” his ode to strange masculinity, insanity, and filmmaking. It was another creative success for the helmer, who enjoys the playfulness of absurdity, asking viewers to hang tight as he creates unusual dark comedies with deliberate pacing and plenty of surprises. Produced before “Deerskin,” “Keep an Eye Out” is a Dupieux offering finally making its way to the U.S., giving fans a chance to catch up with the creator’s oeuvre as he pursues a consistent moviemaking rhythm (he already has two features awaiting release). “Keep an Eye Out” is perhaps his most contained endeavor, largely taking place inside a police station, but it retains all the delightful mischief Dupieux is known for. He masterminds an especially long night of interrogation for a cop and a suspect, working with a limited space and budget superbly, conjuring a fascinating game of panic that triggers big laughs and a few gasps along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Moxie” was a 2017 book by Jennifer Mathieu, presenting a story about a high school girl beginning to understand how females are actually treated in educational and social systems, rising up to do something about it by weaponizing a voice she never knew she had. The material gives a lot to screenwriters Tamara Chestna and Dylan Meyer, who set out to define multiple characters and personal histories in just under two hours of screen time, also making sure the central message of revolution is preserved, but from a human perspective involving two generations of participants. The production mostly conquers the adaptation process, while director/co-star Amy Poehler gets the feature to a place of awareness and tenderness, as the material plays to her career interests in feminism and personality. “Moxie” has a lot to say about the state of emergency facing women, and it does so with considerable charm and focus, with the endeavor perfectly cast with emerging talent capable of communicating such adolescent frustration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com