Dennis Hopper was in a strange place during the 1980s. An actor and director who helped to change the course of the film industry with his work on 1968's "Easy Rider," Hopper gradually rode such fame into the ground, embarking on a longstanding battle with alcohol and other vices, sending him on a weird creative path where he worked with top directors (including Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Peckinpah, and Robert Altman) and participated in various B-movies. A plan towards sobriety really returned Hopper to the mainstream, working on himself while offering memorable turns in "Hoosiers" and "Blue Velvet," making himself known to the business in a different way. 1990's "Flashback" is representative of the new Dennis Hopper, with the thespian clearly inspired to work on a studio picture, perfectly cast as an aging countercultural figure reconnecting with his past, dealing with all the baggage involved in such self-reflection. If Hopper had a tail, it would be wagging throughout the feature, delivering an energetic performance that mixes elements of his past with traditional servings of action and comedy, handed a decent scene partner in co-star Kiefer Sutherland. It's difficult to imagine what "Flashback" would've been without Hopper's participation, as he's working hard to make the material work, adding something special to an endeavor that's engaging, but needs his energy to work through some lazy screenwriting from David Loughery (who would go on to disappoint with rough scripts for "Fatale," "Nurse," "The Intruder," and "Shattered"). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Blu-ray Review – Bless the Child
There was a weird, unsettled vibe to the world as the year 2000 approached, and Hollywood was ready to exploit it, trying to cash in on the unknowns of the Y2K experience, turning to the ways of Heaven and Hell to do so. There was a brief uptick in religious chillers, with 1999's "The Omega Code" and especially Arnold Schwarzenegger's "End of Days" hoping to deliver some unsettling big screen experiences for audiences potentially in the mood to bask in creepiness, watching the forces of good and evil duke it out for control of humanity. While a little late to the party, 2000's "Bless the Child" offers the same idea, with star Kim Basinger endeavoring to cash-in on her Oscar-winning performance in "L.A. Confidential," taking the lead on a chiller involving a special child and her potentially unholy position as Satanists and guardians battle for custody. "Bless the Child" hopes to summon a thunderous level of threat, but ridiculousness wins the war here, finding director Chuck Russell struggling to land even a single moment of genuine suspense and fear while the material grows increasingly ugly to hold attention. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Blu-ray Review – Crazy People
"Crazy People" reportedly had some difficulties making it to the screen, with original star John Malkovich exiting the production after weeks of work, joined by co-star Michelle Pfeiffer, while writer Mitch Markowitz was eventually fired from what was meant to be his directorial debut. It's not an easy start for any feature, but this production was cursed, forcing producers to clean up the mess by hiring Tony Bill ("My Bodyguard") to take over as the helmer, while Dudley Moore was brought in to replace Malkovich, joined by co-star Daryl Hannah. This feel of moviemaking panic creeps into "Crazy People," which takes a promising idea for a ripe farce about the world of advertising and slowly sands off all the rough edges, trying to bring warm feelings to an endeavor that should be served ice cold. There are laughs in the film, big ones too, but the whole offering comes across as half-baked, resembling a picture that once had a clear idea of what it wanted to be, only to change almost everything at the last minute, ending up an unsatisfying blend of tones and jokes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Blu-ray Review – Critical Condition
There was an effort made in Hollywood to transform comedian Richard Pryor into a leading man during the 1980s. He was an actor for years, but there was something about the decade that inspired a push to make Pryor a major force in movies, including a high-profile co-starring role in "Superman III," and starring vehicles in "The Toy," "Brewster's Millions," and "Bustin' Loose." Some money was made, but his future as a bankable name didn't solidify, and not helping the cause was a gradual decline in creative quality, including 1987's "Critical Condition," which spent two weeks on top of the box office chart, but quickly faded from memory after its initial release. And there's a good reason for that, as the screenplay by Dennis and John Hamill doesn't flow smoothly, offering different tones and styles of comedy, which doesn't help to inspire laughs, and subplots are plentiful, making Pryor's practiced shtick as a Nervous Nellie seem especially forced on material that likely wasn't originally conceived as a showcase of the actor's screen abilities. "Critical Condition" is a non-starter all around, and while it's not without some charms, the picture doesn't have a special sense of mischief to land its humor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Corner Office
It’s easy to understand why Jon Hamm would agree to star in a low-budget endeavor like “Corner Office.” He’s almost in every shot, takes control of the picture through voiceover, and portrays a mentally unstable human being, giving him a chance to do something different in a career that’s mostly been about sameness. He doesn’t make any bold choices, but Hamm finds his footing with the material, which is an adaptation of a book by Jonas Karlsson (Ted Kupper handles screenplay duties), capturing the peculiarities of a bizarre person coming into contact with unreality. Director Joachim Back doesn’t make an urgent movie with “Corner Office,” but he finds his way into the strangeness of the tale, which presents power plays in a business setting, teasing “Office Space” directions, but ending up with its own appreciation of insanity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Meg 2: The Trench
2018’s “The Meg” was an adaptation of a book by author Steve Alten, but that wasn’t the big draw of the movie. Summer audiences wanted to witness giant shark mayhem on a big studio budget, and director Jon Turteltaub certainly achieved that level of escapism. It wasn’t a clever feature, but it was a fun ride, with big visual effects and a grand sense of disaster film scale, making for an enjoyable distraction. It’s taken producers five years to come up with a “Meg” sequel, finally returning with “Meg 2: The Trench,” which brings in indie helmer Ben Wheatley (“A Field in England,” “Free Fire”) to try his luck with sharksploitation, on a mission get the brand name’s momentum going again with a screenplay (credited to Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris) that’s basically a rehash of the original endeavor, only a bit darker at times, and more aware of its fun factor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Mob Land
Poster art for “Mob Land” finds star John Travolta with a gun in his hands, involved in some incident of violence. The image promises something active about the feature, which has been described as a “thriller” in press information. The picture is most certainly not active in the way thrillers usually are, with writer/director Nicholas Maggio going for more of a contemplative tone with the endeavor, exploring the price of crime as a single act of theft becomes a nightmare for a young man desperate to support his family. “Mob Land” has a few moments of physical activity, but it’s largely a film about hard stares and philosophical discussions, with Maggio unwilling to tighten up the effort, giving it some type of forward momentum. The helmer would rather stew in hazily realized atmosphere, and while he scores with some dips into darkness, Maggio misses an opportunity to turn all this misery into a gripping viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – The Passenger (2023)
Director Carter Smith was recently in command of last February’s “Swallowed,” finding compelling ways to amplify an unusual crisis of drugs and digestion. There was a creepy opener with some real tension to explore, but Smith wasn’t as confident with his conclusion, bringing the feature in for a rocky landing. It wasn’t the resolution many hoped for, but enough of “Swallowed” connected as intended, highlighting the helmer’s interest in bizarre situations of confrontation and survival. Smith’s newest endeavor, “The Passenger,” also gets off on the right foot, establishing a level of confusion and violence to power the story. However, this time, the ending matches the beginning, with “The Passenger” maintaining a consistent level of threat and furious feelings, detailing a gnarly therapy session between a mass shooter and the victim he spared with a decent sense of pace and a few stretches of real intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Lola
Andrew Legge makes his directorial debut with “Lola,” going the extreme low-budget route to accomplish his cinematic goals, working with digital tools and frenzied camerawork to generate a look into the past, present, and future. It’s a time-travel movie in a way, and also a found-footage production, keeping viewers sufficiently disoriented as Legge (who co-scripts with Angeli Macfarlane) plays with the magic of mystery and the brutal realities of war, also endeavoring to craft a story about two sisters and their extraordinary journey with a special machine. “Lola” has limits to its imagination and execution, but the central idea is fascinating, with Legge and Macfarlane finding a fresh approach to the manipulation of time, delivering an askew take on the WWII experience and the weird crisis of trust facing special siblings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Til Death Do Us Part
The grand success of 2014’s “John Wick” has inspired many productions to present action scenes hoping to replicate the intensity and the eye-widening intricacy of the Keanu Reeves-starring feature. “Til Death Do Us Part” is another endeavor that bears some “Wick”-edness, with screenwriter Shane Dax Taylor (“The Best Man,” 2021’s “Masquerade”) and Chad Law (“Jarhead 3: The Siege,” 2023’s “The Flood”) arranging a tale about a secret society of assassins turning on one another when a simple act of termination turns into all-out war. Director Timothy Woodward Jr. (“The Call,” “Gangster Land”) doesn’t have to do much to make the premise work, tasked with simply focusing on the action ahead of him. And yet, that doesn’t happen with “Til Death Do Us Part,” which delivers a draggy viewing experience slowed by uninspired writing and a general absence of pace. There’s violence, but only at times, as the movie is more interested in droopy character banter than how the players attempt to destroy one another. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back! Well, they never really go away anymore, with television shows and other media keeping the lucrative brand name alive even during lower points of popularity. However, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is the first big screen offering in a little while, with 2016’s entertaining “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” struggling to find an audience for the Michael Bay-produced take on the central premise of superhero reptiles. Director Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) returns to the sewers with a new approach, riding recent waves in animation and comedy to refresh the franchise, moving away from hard action to rework the adolescent excitement of it all. “Mutant Mayhem” is an engaging restart of the Turtle universe, emerging with stylish animation and active voice work, on a quest to make the Heroes in a Half Shell lovable again. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – River Wild (2023)
1994’s “The River Wild” was a traditional thriller from director Curtis Hanson, who aimed to bring a little Hitchcock to the great outdoors with his vision for suspense during a white-water rafting trip. The script was tight and open-world locations evocative, and the production had Meryl Streep to inspire audience curiosity, with the venerated actress in the midst of an experimental phase, starring in big studio projects, exploring genre work. “The River Wild” earned its success, offering tremendous entertainment value and sharp filmmaking, but, apparently, time has come to revisit the title. “River Wild” isn’t a sequel, and it’s not really a remake, with screenwriters Mike Nguyen Le and Ben Ketai (who also directs) reworking the basic rafting premise for a much darker take on rising violence on a river. It’s a low-budget, Streep-less endeavor with limited goals, and while it doesn’t match the thrills of the 1994 effort, “River Wild” has compelling grimness, refreshing brevity (running 85 minutes), and contains a few surges of panic to keep it involving. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Shortcomings
Charming and prolific actor Randall Park has been dabbling in direction over the last few years, taking on a few television episodes to build some confidence. He graduates to feature-length storytelling with “Shortcomings,” which is an adaptation of a 2007 graphic novel by Adrian Tomie (who also accepts screenplay duties), and he’s picked a small project to explore. The tale follows the slow implosion of a young man getting used to the idea that he’s the source of all his relationship problems, and Tomie supplies a gentle mix of humor and horror with the story, which offers a few turns to keep things interesting. Park presents a graceful effort, managing the sometime odd tone of the endeavor, and he’s gathered a gifted cast to bring all the shades of emotion to life, overseeing some terrific performances. “Shortcomings” is small but always engaging, with the helmer capably reaching dark areas of behavior without losing the rhythm of Tomie’s original vision. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Dreamin’ Wild
Writer/director Bill Pohlad has a real affinity for stories about musicians, especially tortured ones dealing with a lot on their minds. In 2014, Pohlad explored the Brian Wilson experience in “Love & Mercy,” and he returns to the world of psychologically troubled artists in “Dreamin’ Wild,” which is based on the true story of the Emerson Brothers, who, in 1979, released their one and only album, watching a vision for music world success evaporate soon after. It’s a profound tale of guilt and regret, and Pohlad handles it all very carefully. He’s making a soft film about an easy listening band, trying to be comforting while examining distressing feelings of failure. “Dreamin’ Wild” doesn’t charm with its leisurely pace, but Pohlad has command of the material’s heart, getting into deep, complicated emotions over the run time, working to understand mental spaces of people newly confronted with their past, and all the stinging pain and lost potential that comes with it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Blu-ray Review – Nightmares (1980)
Director John D. Lamond has been open about his inspiration for 1980's "Nightmares" (aka "Stage Fright"), using the screaming success of 1978's "Halloween" to support his concept for a horror endeavor, which follows a shattered young woman's entrance into the predatory ways of the theater scene. Lamond replicates John Carpenter's use of subjective camera sequences, hoping to bring a little Michael Myers magic to his take on slasher entertainment, with this killer making use of broken glass to dispatch various targets. "Nightmares" has the foundation to make something happen with its display of theater-world egos and oversexed males, but Lamond doesn't have enough here to fill his run time, creating an empty directorial exercise that struggles to conjure any sort of scary business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Blu-ray Review – Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Just over a decade ago, "Magic Mike" rolled into theaters offering a boisterous time to excitable viewers interested in the seductive moves of male strippers, with writer Reid Carolin hoping to support all the gyrating with a sobering look at the personal problems facing the characters. The movie was modestly budgeted and turned into a major hit, giving star Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh a shot at creating a most unlikely franchise. Audiences were a little less interested in 2015's meandering "Magic Mike XXL," but Tatum has managed to make a major business out of this underlit world, overseeing the creation a stage musical and even a reality T.V. show, and now he's ready to return to shirtless, Blue Steel duty with "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Soderbergh and Tatum attempt to turn away from uninspired pranks and general aimlessness with the second sequel, now on the hunt for a "let's put on a show!" vibe with this take on the formation of a stripper-heavy theatrical production, hoping to merge some major physical artistry with grind-happy sequences in what's easily the best installment of this oddball trilogy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Hidden Strike
One would think an action movie starring John Cena and Jackie Chan would be an easy sell for studios, but something happened to “Hidden Strike” on its way to a small, unpublicized release. The feature was shot in 2018, when the world was a hugely different place, but the screenplay by Arash Amel (“Grace of Monaco,” “A Private War”) tries to make a mid-‘90s actioner with the material, which offers only the simplest of characterizations and the basics in heroes and villains. Director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor,” “Need for Speed”) is also an uninspired choice, tasked with making a noisy blockbuster for a Chinese audience, using as much CGI assistance as possible. “Hidden Strike” isn’t fun or funny, it’s more of a sensorial assault, watching Chan and Cena attempt to be charming when they have terrible writing to manage and video game visuals to support. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Happiness for Beginners
“Happiness for Beginners” is an adaptation of a novel by Katherine Center. It’s the type of romantic story that’s easily predictable, with the final scene of the film a forgone conclusion, but it’s the journey there that counts the most. Writer/director Vicky Wight tries to make a cozy picture about navigation, physical and emotional, following a lonely woman dealing with all the trauma she’s experienced and the communication issues she’s having difficulty managing. There’s expected levels of romance and comedy, and Wright doesn’t exactly downplay the predictability of it all. However, she invests in personality, gently nudging the material away from tiresome formula, going easy on the senses with a movie that’s quite charming, also supported by colorful work from an energetic ensemble. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Talk to Me (2023)
Popular Australian YouTubers Danny and Michael Phillppou make their directorial debut with “Talk to Me,” a tale of supernatural happenings involving the curse of an embalmed hand. It’s not a take on “The Monkey’s Paw,” but a ghost story in a way, with the screenplay (by Danny Phillppou and Bill Hinzman) following the trend of trauma-inspired horror happenings, looking to do something sinister with deep pain felt by a few of the characters. “Talk to Me” has its atmospheric power, with the helmers managing to create a few striking sequences with their limited budget. Visual might generally outruns storytelling here, with the writing much too vague with critical details, and acting is largely too broad for comfort, losing the intimacy of it all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
-
Film Review – Haunted Mansion (2023)
Two decades ago, Disney tried to bring one of their most popular theme park attractions to the big screen, but they didn’t really have a game plan when it came to the tone of the endeavor. “Haunted Mansion” didn’t work, struggling to balance a decent fear factor and comedy, with laughs gradually taking over the feature, trying to give star Eddie Murphy something to do. The company revives the brand for another go-around in “Haunted Mansion,” but this time there’s more attention paid to the attraction experience, with director Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) and screenwriter Kate Dippold (2016’s “Ghostbusters”) looking to deliver a scarier film, but still remain approachable for family audiences. The new “Haunted Mansion” is a stronger movie than the 2003 release, and while it take some hits with excessive length and dramatic overkill, it definitely understands the mood of the Disney Parks classic, reaching its potential when translating the dark ride to a cinematic event. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
BRIAN ORNDORF 