Category: Film Review

“Rams” is a remake of a 2015 Icelandic film. It’s been reimaged for an Australian setting, and lengthened by writer Jules Duncan, who spends more time in the tale, which involves a disturbing development in a farming community that prides itself on a love of animals and the land. The Icelandic version was compelling, with a balanced examination of comedy and drama, playing up a central crisis of brotherly estrangement. The update pursues a community atmosphere, with director Jeremy Sims (“Last Cab to Darwin”) enjoying his time with a range of actors, occasionally slowing the feature down to detail ensemble interplay. “Rams” remains approachable despite a bleak premise, and it certainly helps to have Sam Neill and Michael Caton in the lead roles, giving the endeavor richly communicative performances with limited dialogue. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps those jonesing for something in the same vein as 2019’s “Midsommar” might be the right audience for “Sacrifice.” Adapting a short story by Paul Kane and crediting H.P. Lovecraft as a storytelling influence, writer/director Toor Mian and Andy Collier attempt to summon a spooky mood of remote Norwegian evil involving the presence of a cult and psychological pressure applied to two Americans new to the area. “Sacrifice” doesn’t emerge with much authority, with the helmers aiming to achieve more of an unsettling viewing experience than an overtly violent one. The end result isn’t thunderous, with Mian and Collier going the slow-burn route to chills, but they still come up short with any sort of fear factor. There’s style and atmospheric churn, but the feature doesn’t deliver where it counts the most, taking the long way to an unsatisfying destination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s surprising to see director Neil Marshall back behind a camera so soon after tanking his shot to revive the world of “Hellboy” for the big screen. The 2019 release was mostly terrible, highlighting Marshall’s shortcomings as a helmer who’s spent his career chasing violent, bloody stories of monstrous conflict and war. He’s a genre guy, and now he’s trying to make do with a limited budget for “The Reckoning,” which is something of a vanity project for Marshall, collaborating with actress Charlotte Kirk, aiming to turn his girlfriend into a major action star. It’s a strange project all-around, trying to conjure a period world of plague horrors and “witch finder” monologuing, also delivering sexuality and scenes of torture. Marshall attempts to bring bigness to Kirk’s presence, but the feature is woefully small and silly, offering a community theater vibe for material that’s looking to be merciless and dramatically thunderous. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s been a multitude of stories concerning the horrors of World War II brought to the screen, and there will be many more to come. It remains fertile dramatic ground to explore tales of heroism and suffering, giving producers more of a black and white opportunity to inspect personal sacrifice in the middle of a world-changing conflict. For “Dara of Jasenovac,” focus moves away from American and European concerns, highlighting the torturous experience of Croatia during the Ustase years, following one 10-year-old girl’s odyssey through a concentration camp system as she tries to keep her two-year-old brother alive. There’s perspective here worth noting, adding to the history of WWII, but there’s little in “Dara of Jasenovac” that hasn’t been done before, and by stronger filmmakers. It’s 130 minutes of hardship that quickly loses its impact, as director Predrag Antonijevic grows obsessed with finding new ways to photograph mental and physical breakdowns, creating an especially difficult sit for anyone beside students of history. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the grand scheme of Hollywood business and the quest for guaranteed moneymakers from golden IPs, it’s amazing there hasn’t been a sequel created for 1985’s “The Goonies” or, more realistically, a remake of some sort. There’s plenty there to work with, leaving screenwriter Christina Strain (“The Magicians”) with a free shot to harness that special screen energy and find a way to reintroduce it to a new audience. “Finding ‘Ohana” isn’t nearly as feisty or madcap as “The Goonies,” but it’s clearly aiming to achieve the same dramatic goals, putting kids on a path to hidden treasure to seek adventure and help solve a few family problems. Director Jude Weng (“Fresh Off the Boat”) delivers some spirited sequences for the picture, but the material isn’t strictly after thrills, often more interested in the nuances of Hawaiian culture and the power of love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director John Lee Hancock has maintained a strange career, primarily concerned with male characters dealing with some sort of dissatisfaction in their lives (including “The Rookie,” “The Founder,” and “The Highwaymen”). With “The Little Things,” Hancock stays within his comfort zone, only now he’s assembling a detective story about a serial killer, aiming to stay procedural while dealing with the business of characters trying to move past some form of psychological blockage. It’s a very weird picture, and not always in a refreshing way, with Hancock attempting to remain elusive with cat and mouse elements while offering some of the most cliched dialogue in recent memory. The eccentricity of it all is almost worth a viewing, watching Hancock mount something sinister without really going for it, keeping “The Little Things” restrained to emphasize atmosphere the feature doesn’t always have. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Dig” concerns the specifics of an archaeological excavation project in 1939, a subject that doesn’t exactly scream riveting cinema. In the hands of director Simon Stone (“The Daughter”) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (“Tamara Drewe”), the picture comes alive with a rich level of exploratory adventure, transforming the mystery of Sutton Hoo and its buried treasures into a uniquely riveting sit. Buffini doesn’t simply regurgitate real-world specifics of the labor, working to transform the situation into a parade of characters dealing with the thrill of the hunt and specific fears tied to the oncoming darkness of World War II. “The Dig” does a terrific job sneaking up on viewers, with a simple request to explore a mound of dirt turning into a rich understanding of character and the sheer labor of the mission. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It hasn’t been easy to take Justin Timberlake seriously as an actor. He’s been unremarkable in mediocre movies (“Runner Runner,” “In Time”), often favoring comedic turns to best match his charms as a pop performer, finding a merging of worlds in his most recent thespian turns, providing voice work for the “Trolls” animated franchise. Timberlake is handed more of a challenge with “Palmer,” portraying a broken character working to put his life back together while assuming a parental role for a neighbor boy who needs the domestic support. “Palmer” isn’t a stunningly original endeavor, but screenwriter Cheryl Guerriero does manage to layer in some heart where it counts the most, also providing Timberlake with a conflicted personality to help show his stuff, which he does in a surprisingly understated turn. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s initial caution when approaching “Penguin Bloom,” which has the appearance of a Disney production, highlighting the special relationship between an ailing family and the wounded bird they’ve taken in and nursed back to health. What’s seems painfully vanilla at first quickly reveals itself to be a deeply moving picture about rehabilitation and love, with director Glendyn Ivin working extra hard to keep the material as emotionally authentic as possible while featuring the antics of a mischievous magpie. “Penguin Bloom” is a simple but highly effective drama that never strays far from character, dealing sensitively with dueling situations of immobility facing a long road of rehab and recognition on their way back to health. The sweetness of it all is there, but Ivin manages to deliver a movie that isn’t cloying, which is an impressive achievement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When a clearer picture emerged of detainee treatment at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in the mid-2000s, filmmakers jumped at the chance to examine and dramatize such experiences. It was a trend meant to mirror journalism features of the 1970s, but with the exception of a few provocative offerings, most of the movies didn’t work, with a few downright awful (anyone rewatch “Rendition” lately?). The decade of dread hasn’t been visited in earnest for some time, but “The Mauritanian” is trying to find its way back to the Guantanamo Bay nightmare, with the screenplay an adaptation of “Guantanamo Diary,” a book by Mohamedou Ould Salahi which detailed his cruel treatment during his lengthy stay behind bars. The literary offering gives director Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “State of Play”) a meaty tale of injustice to sink his teeth into, helped by the presence of Jodie Foster, who delivers a commanding lead performance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a director, Steven Kostanski keeps making strikingly odd features, working with impossibly low budgets and deep genre cuts to come up with remarkably inspired mayhem, often sold with a healthy sense of humor (including “Father’s Day,” “The Void,” and “Manborg”). He aimed for more visible work with 2018’s “Leprechaun Returns,” put in charge of doing something with a DOA franchise. He managed to generate some excitement along the way, returning viewers to the ways of practical make-up effects and gory encounters. Leaving horror brand employment for something that plays more to his strengths, Kostanski takes command of “PG: Psycho Goreman,” a horror comedy that provides a major jolt of creativity, welcoming viewers into a highly amusing, blood-soaked adventure with a frustrated alien and the kids who love to control him. “Psycho Goreman” is a hilarious picture and the most charmingly violent effort found in years. It’s a Gwar concert with huge laughs and fascinating production textures, giving Kostanski another winner for his impressive filmography. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Brad Ingelsby (“The Way Back,” “Run All Night”) faces a considerable creative challenge with “Our Friend,” hired to transform a 2015 magazine article by Matthew Teague into a feature-length movie about the writer’s struggle to deal with life and love while watching his wife slowly succumb to cancer. The focus isn’t entirely on pain, as Teague was eventually joined by his longtime pal for the experience, teaming up to support a woman they both loved. While it reads like a sitcom, “Our Friend” isn’t lighthearted in the least, going into dark corners of depression and despondency to best replicate Teague’s headspace during the ordeal. Ingelsby injects some intriguing ideas on the challenges of marriage and partnership into the script, but director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”) doesn’t know when to quit with the film, unwilling to end the endeavor until every viewer is left in a fetal position. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jeremie Guez doesn’t take the easy route with “Brothers By Blood” (a.k.a. “The Sound of Philadelphia”). It’s an adaptation of a 1991 Peter Dexter novel, covering the troubles of two cousins born into the mob lifestyle, with one young man embracing his rise in the ranks, while the other deals with unimaginable grief as privately as possible. The material appears prepped and ready to become a sprawling crime saga about family and territory, but Guez bites off more than he can chew with “Brothers By Blood,” which visibly struggles with dramatic exchanges, and miscastings provide a constant reminder that the production didn’t think things through when it came to the execution of the picture. Guez goes where many filmmakers have gone before with the endeavor, showing little interest in doing something different. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The White Tiger” is an adaptation of a 2008 novel by Aravind Adiga. It was a respected debut offering for the writer, and the film version is handed to Ramin Bahrani, who achieved early career praise with indie fare such as “Man Push Cart” and “Goodbye Solo” before his transition to a Hollywood guy, making mediocre pictures like “At Any Price,” “99 Homes,” and 2018’s “Fahrenheit 451” reworking. As well-intentioned as he is at times, Bahrani isn’t a strong moviemaker, with “The White Tiger” his attempt at an epic, focusing on the journey of a lowly young man in India as he begins to recognize his disposability, considering options to help find his dignity. Adiga’s ideas on self-actualization remain intact, but the rest of the feature lumbers through subplots and characters, eventually reaching a conclusion that feels like the midway point of the story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“No Man’s Land” begins in a Texas border town on the edge of the Rio Grande, but it largely plays out on the other side of river, in Mexico. This blurring of border and culture inspires parts of the screenplay, credited to David Barraza and Jake Allyn, who labor to build some level of suspense around a central ideal of understanding between fragile communities. It’s an immigration story explored from a different perspective, and if “No Man’s Land” remained there, providing a strange education for its characters, perhaps the picture might’ve been meaningful. Barraza and Allyn don’t trust such softness of feeling, injected a tedious revenge subplot into the feature, which torpedoes much of its honest intent to study the bitter realities and karmic dangers of intolerance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Caged” is a story about solitary confinement. Viewers remain close to the lead character as he experiences life in a Segregated Housing Unit (an S.H.U., which was the original title for the picture), slowly grasping how hope dwindles and insanity increases during a lengthy stay in a concrete box. Co-writer/director Aaron Fjellman eventually reveals his message of concern at the end of the feature, but it’s an extremely hard sit before such clarity is provided. This is 75 minutes of a man brought to his breaking point by a system that desires to hurt him and memories of domestic strife that haunt him. I’m not sure who the target demographic for the film is. It’s competently acted and its mission is understood, but Fjellman doesn’t provide a strong enough reason to make the journey with him, as much of “Caged” seems constructed to satisfy the helmer, not viewers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Marksman” is co-written and directed by Robert Lorenz, a longtime Clint Eastwood collaborator who last helmed “Trouble with the Curve” for the screen icon. It makes sense that his follow-up would be “The Marksman,” with star Liam Neeson currently experiencing an Eastwood-style career stretch filled with action pictures of limited distinction, keeping himself employed by playing seasoned tough guys who find themselves in difficult situations. Neeson was last seen in the recent “Honest Thief,” and he basically makes the same moves here, portraying a flawed but noble man put in charge of the protection of innocents. The material commences with a study of Mexico/U.S. border complications, but once free of mild politics, Lorenz keeps the endeavor formulaic, leaning on Neeson to hit beats of anger and paternal warmth, which he is more than capable of achieving, and with little effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last month there was “Songbird.” It was a tale of lovers separated by the continued devastation of COVID-19, offering viewers a look at the near-future where things remain horrible around an increasingly policed and hostile world. It was the first major offering of pandemic exploration during a pandemic, and it was a terrible film. Now there’s “Locked Down,” which isn’t a slice of dystopian misery, but an in-the-moment take on COVID-19 habits and relationship realizations, with writer Steven Knight (“Serenity,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”) basically mounting a play about the pressure cooker environment of cohabitation during a time of inescapable living situations. Director Doug Liman is known for his restless style and tight storytelling abilities, but he can’t get past the inherent heaviness of “Locked Down,” which tries to play brightly, at least passably so, but it’s dealing with grimness, and not well, with Knight offering scattered ideas and characters existing in a global health situation that still has yet to take a defined shape. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A famous film nanny once sang, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” This Disney line is the general idea driving “Outside the Wire,” which delivers big, bruising action sequences and tense chases featuring a good amount of CGI while trying to deliver a story about American military terrors, underlining the cruelty of drone technology used in far off places. It’s a big message handled by Mikael Hafstrom, the director of “1408” and “Escape Plan,” who tries to mask the feature’s inherent darkness with some highly choreographed violence and broadly written ideas on moral redemption. The production delivers a diverting endeavor with pleasingly smashmouth encounters and a driving plot. It’s not something to be taken seriously, but Hafstrom sweats to sustain his overall message, and his dedication is laudable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Paul W.S. Anderson like to direct movies based on video games and work with his wife, Milla Jovovich. The couple had a thing going there for quite a while, churning out features based on the “Resident Evil” franchise, with Anderson personally in charge of four installments, turning heavy CGI and nonsensical plotting into a family business. He became very skilled at disappointing audiences. After 2016’s “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” failed to interest American audiences, it seemed as though the collaboration was over. Enter “Monster Hunter,” another video game title that’s been transformed into celebration of Jovovich’s action hero capabilities, only this time the story’s been simplified and the enemy turned into behemoths. “Monster Hunter” is an improvement on most of the “Resident Evil” sequels, but Anderson stays within his interests as a filmmaker, preferring the creation of eye candy over telling an exciting story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com