While I’m not up on my science fiction writing as most people, from my
viewpoint, “Robot & Frank” is a fairly original idea massaged
wonderfully by director Jake Schreier. It’s a funny movie, but not
really a comedy. It’s melancholy, but far from depressing. It’s
mischievous, but grounded in realism. A hodgepodge of moods built around
an unlikely story of friendship between a man and his service robot,
the film carries itself confidently, with occasional moments of
significant emotion, articulated superbly in Frank Langella’s lead
performance, his most memorable work in quite some time. Who really
needs human co-stars when a faceless robot helps to form one of the
year’s best on-screen pairings? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One would think that a movie produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
would contain a little more theatricality, a little more bang for the
buck. “The Day” is a post-apocalyptic actioner from the sports
entertainment factory, and despite a plot that dabbles in cannibalism
and supplies a sizeable body count, there’s little here that invigorates
the senses, despite a production that’s sniffing around for a certain
tone of badassery it never achieves. Glum, poorly acted, and hard on the
eyes, “The Day” is a flat feature with a few spikes of absurdity that
push the production into unintentional camp. Even by the relatively low
standards of the siege horror genre, this picture is a tedious waste of
time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What’s most frustrating about “The Possession” (not to be confused with
last week’s “The Apparition”) is that it’s filled with potential. It’s a
distinctive story of demonic ownership with a specific cultural tilt,
yet the production seems hesitant to follow through with its chilling
ideas for terror. Instead, “The Possession” is locked in mediocrity,
always wincing when the horror hits a few memorable extremes. Maybe it’s
the PG-13 rating or perhaps director Ole Bornedal isn’t up for the
challenge, but this feature is exceptionally good at pulling its
punches, leaving discouraged viewers to fantasize about a more
satisfying picture poured from the same filmmaking ingredients. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sure to raise pulse rates and incite shockwaves of disbelief,
“Compliance” is an exceptional example of provocative filmmaking, taking
viewers on a 90-minute-long journey of humiliation, manipulation, and
good old fashioned stupidity. It’s a riveting watch, with a stranglehold
of suspense expertly maintained by writer/director Craig Zobel, who
accepts the challenge of adapting a true crime situation without pumping
the plot full of fiction, holding to the innate horror of the central
violation while subtly shifting the ground beneath the viewer’s feet.
Bravely uncomfortable and sure to inspire heated post-movie (and likely
mid-movie) conversation, “Compliance” is haunting, positively enraging
when it sinks in that this was no nightmare, but a reality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure” is the brainchild of Kenn
Viselman, a marketing wizard behind “The Teletubbies” and “Thomas the
Tank Engine” who decided to strike out on his own, overseeing a family
film geared toward the short attention spans of pre-schoolers. Billed as
“interactive,” “Big Balloon Adventure” encourages young viewers to
twist and shout in front of on-screen characters, getting into the
spirit of this lackluster musical blasted with puppetry and nuclear
colors. Although it’s meant to tickle toddlers, “Big Balloon Adventure”
isn’t worth punishing multiplex pricing, delivering small-scale thrills
on a limited budget. It’s definitely a rental, offering parents a chance
to escape while wee ones bop around for 85 minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s difficult to recommend “Lawless” to the average moviegoer. It’s a
film that contains scenes of pure evil, with lacerating violence to back
up its arguments, making it extremely troubling for those with
sensitivity to screen brutality. Thankfully, there’s a consistently
impressive effort inside its grim ambiance, embellishing its
Depression-era setting just enough to activate splendidly as an offering
of pulp cinema, keeping viewers glued to dramatic developments and
widescreen menace. It’s a rough feature, yet this intensity keeps the
material on task. Instead of lounging around as an evocative slice of
backwoods history, “Lawless” stands up straight as a revenge picture,
with flawed heroes and a villain of unparalleled sliminess. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Marketed as a sinister picture with heavy demonic overtones, “The Tall
Man” turns out to be something quite different, absent a juicy genre
hook to immediately pull viewers in. That’s not to say the film is
successful, but its intentions are unique, hoping to approach formulaic
scares with moralistic twist. It’s a shame the feature isn’t terribly
interesting beyond its central concept, laboring through pedestrian
chase sequences and flaccid confrontations. Writer/director Pascal
Laugier has a few inspired visual ideas to share, but what begins as an
intriguing Stephen King riff devolves into a Lifetime Original,
effectively burning off the potential of the complex misdirection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com