The French comedy “Populaire” is pure frosting. A lighthearted affair
with an unusual premise, the picture coasts on its enormous reservoir of
charm, with leads Romain Duris and Deborah Francois lighting up the
screen, while period production elements create a candy-coated mood that
supports the feature’s frothy intentions. Recalling the colorful zest
of a Jacques Demy movie from the 1960s, “Populaire” is an entertaining,
energetic effort, perhaps best appreciated for its dedication to the art
of escapism as it utilizes romantic formula to inspire its own take on
the competition film.
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The mystery of J.D. Salinger is mighty because the author refused to
provide the world with the details of his private life. Labeled a
recluse to ease understanding of his disinterest in fame, Salinger
positioned himself as the ultimate buried treasure for literary
fanatics, leaving few particulars about his upbringing and daily
business behind, thus creating rabid interest in anything connected to
the writer. Joining the quivering pile of admirers is screenwriter Shane
Salerno (“Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem,” “Armageddon”), who embarks on
an impossible storytelling task, striving to paint a portrait of an icon
who’s hidden all the color. Fascinating in spurts, maddeningly
melodramatic, and bizarrely unfulfilling despite a two-hour run time,
“Salinger” delivers a few facts worth further inspection, but the rest
has the tone of a circus sideshow, concentrating almost entirely on
Salinger’s oddity.
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1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” is a classic, adored by millions who grew up
with the picture during its days as a network television perennial,
where annual holiday showings bestowed the movie with its status as an
event. These days, the feature is widely accessible on home video and
cable, allowing the effort to be passed down to younger generations,
freshening appeal. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of “The Wizard of
Oz” (and to promote a new selection of DVD and Blu-ray releases), the
work has been handed an IMAX 3D makeover, updating the screen adventure
to the standards of a modern spectacle. There’s certainly no need for
this treatment, but for those interested in an alternate look at the
film, the overhaul is tasteful and engaging. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What’s strange about “The Colony” is how it’s a feature film that seems
like it would be more comfortable as a short. There’s not much dramatic
meat on these bones, but it’s a perfectly watchable B-movie distraction,
with a passable eco-disaster storyline that collides unexpectedly with
horror elements midway through the effort. Recognizable performers such
as Bill Paxton and Laurence Fishburne certainly add to the experience,
but this is not a substantial enterprise, requiring a few extra beats of
storytelling and panic to pass as a full cinematic meal. Good for a few
moments, “The Colony” doesn’t have enough ambition to make its intended
impact.
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A sensual drama such as “And While We Were Here” doesn’t have to present
likable characters, but something near the vicinity of understandable
is a must. Flavorless and a tad mean-spirited, the feature asks the
audience to accept the development of a life-altering affair when the
participants have only known each other for less than a day, also forced
to digest rather unsavory behavior as the couple quickly forges their
unlikely bond. Warmth isn’t a priority, as writer/director Kat Coiro is
actually making a movie about opportunity, creating a void where genuine
feeling and confusion should reside. A sluggish, confused picture, “And
While We Were Here” is cold to the touch.
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“Short Term 12” doesn’t cover any new dramatic ground, exploring the
tentative connection created by shattered foster kids and their
revolving door of handlers. It’s been fodder for television and movies
for decades. There’s familiarity here, leaving writer/director Destin
Cretton to find spaces of emotional complexity and guarded acts of
vulnerability to explore with an emphasis on behavioral nuance. The
filmmaker nails every single beat of personal expression and stymied
confession, creating a picture that triggers a turbulent ride of
reactions, hitting exquisite points of breakthrough and regression.
“Short Term 12” is a beautiful effort that refuses the lure of cheap
sentiment, electing to fashion characters worth inspection, feeling
around the woe and frustration that informs each one of these superbly
scripted personalities.
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It’s been a little over a decade since Billy Bob Thornton last directed a
feature. That’s a long time between efforts, especially when the
previous movie was 2001’s “Daddy and Them,” a forgotten southern story
that effectively grounded Thornton’s interests in the job after securing
accolades for his helming debut, “Sling Blade.” “Jayne Mansfield’s Car”
plays directly to the lauded actor’s strengths, taking viewers down to
the heart of Alabama to explore the fits and foibles of a dysfunctional
family, leaving room for an able ensemble to bloody their fists some
with a barbed screenplay, with Thornton a permissive leader, hoping to
catch blips of fury and vulnerability as the picture takes a leisurely
stroll down a path of self-destruction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Some films just don’t need sequels. 2011’s “Insidious” was a fine fright
machine with plenty of atmosphere, a corker of a plot, and a genre
drive to rattle its audience with a surefire burst of scary material.
Its conclusion wasn’t open-ended, but it was definitive in its idea of
inescapability, goosing the audience one last time before the end
credits rolled. However, the movie was a hit, reviving director James
Wan’s wilting career, opening the door for a follow-up. Admirably,
“Insidious: Chapter 2” is determined to transform a one-note story into a
franchise, but the energy is misspent, wasted a continuation that’s
labored and dull, with only a few crisp ideas to aid digestion. Instead
of furthering the premise to the next level of engagement, the
production scrambles to make sense of itself, with a desire to pave a
cleaner path to “Chapter 3.”
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“The Family” is a rare English-language action outing for
co-writer/director Luc Besson. Recently tackling political pictures
(2011’s “The Lady”) and family fare (the “Arthur and the Minimoys”
trilogy), Besson hasn’t touched idiosyncratic material like this since
1994’s “The Professional,” which ended up as one of his finest cinematic
achievements. “The Family” doesn’t rate as high, which comes to be a
frustrating revelation as the feature lumbers from one incident to the
next, unsure of its tone or its storytelling cohesiveness. It’s not a
terrible effort from the vastly talented helmer, but one that’s
tremendously disappointing, failing to live to the promise of its
premise, while its sense of humor is funereal at best.
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“Museum Hours” is almost a literal title for this picture, which has the
characteristics of a visit to a fine arts establishment. It’s
observational and reflective, allowing for personal interpretation and
artist commentary as it shuffles along, taking in the enormity of space
and meaning with atypical cinematic patience. It’s a lovely feature,
relaxing and exploratory, making it an ideal sit for specialized moods,
best suited for viewers able to slow their heart rate and enjoy the
view, allowing writer/director Jem Cohen to guide the viewing experience
as it weaves through a tale of two people and the city they experience
in both a direct and casual manner.
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There’s now a film-loving generation that’s learned everything they know
about cinema from VHS, the popular home video format of the 1980s and
‘90s. Moviegoing isn’t something they’re practiced in, only consumption,
brought on by an industry revolution that brought practically
everything out on the format, from heralded classics to material that
redefines bad taste. The documentary “Rewind This” focuses on the
intensity of these collectors and creators who embrace the possibilities
of VHS, keeping the spirit of discovery alive as they hunt and create
obscure titles, embracing the eccentricity and spirit that once packed
the shelves at the local mom and pop video store.
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In 2000, there was “Pitch Black,” a Vin Diesel action vehicle before he became Vin Diesel.
It was met with a shrug at the box office, but went on to collect a
fanbase on home video. Gambling on a newly minted star (still glowing
from his “The Fast and the Furious” breakthrough), Universal bet the
farm on 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick” — an attempt to stretch a
B-movie character over a J.R.R. Tolkien-style fantasy mythology, hoping
to jumpstart a fresh franchise. It was met with yet another shrug.
However, Diesel isn’t willing to let this idea go, reuniting with
creator David Twohy to unleash the unimaginatively titled “Riddick” on
the world, hoping third time’s the charm for this saggy series.
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Lynn Shelton is such an inviting moviemaker with an interest in the
purity of human reaction that’s gifted her filmography (including
“Humpday” and “Your Sister’s Sister”) a charming sense of spontaneity
and feeling. “Touchy Feely” is almost up to the level of her previous
work, but there’s an odd unfinished quality to the picture that’s
distracting, almost unprofessional. The screenplay invests in a
fascinating sense of sensorial immersion and deprivation, with
characters worth following for the duration of the feature. Sadly,
“Touchy Feely” doesn’t see its themes through to the end, leaving the
effort dangling in the wind, unsatisfying and needlessly drained of depth.
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It’s rare to witness a movie completely wipe out. Usually there’s a lull
or a noticeable decline in quality preceding a crash landing, but
“Afternoon Delight,” after a solid hour of commendable creative credits,
plummets to Earth in a shockingly abrupt manner. There are severe tonal
adjustments and then there’s this feature, which explodes at the
60-minute mark, sending emotional and thespian shrapnel everywhere.
There hasn’t been a film this self-destructive in some time, making
“Afternoon Delight” undeniably fascinating, but quite tedious once it
swallows a grenade in its final act, making it difficult to trust
anything writer/director Jill Soloway has to share on the state of the
modern American marriage.
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Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are funny guys who’ve never
successfully translated their sense of humor to the screen. Co-writing
iffy projects such as “Night at the Museum,” “Balls of Fury,” and “Let’s
Go to Prison,” the pair has enjoyed several opportunities to prove
themselves, yet nothing’s connected creatively. “Hell Baby” is their
directorial debut, with the pair now taking charge of their own
material, and they’ve selected quite a project to kick off this new
career path, constructing a satire of demon squatting and exorcism
films, though one with a fondness for non sequiturs and incessant
tomfoolery, keeping in line with their usual taste in laughs.
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