• Blu-ray Review – Inbetween Girl

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    Writer/director Mei Makino makes a strong helming debut with "Inbetween Girl," examining the turbulent life of a teenager caught up in trouble when it comes to love, family, and sex. It follows recent dives into the adolescent heart, including "Eighth Grade" and "Edge of Seventeen," with Makino committed to providing an honest examination of the female experience, with the main character handling the pressures of home and hallway interactions with a thin grasp on her emotional health. "Inbetween Girl" is intimate and humane, and it's also absolutely wonderful, with Makino making an effort to create a layered, knowing study of deep feelings without giving into the temptation of melodrama. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The Rainbow Boys

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    Gerald Potterton (who passed away in 2022) is perhaps best known as the director of 1981's "Heavy Metal," and rightfully so, as he oversaw a wonderful animated effort to bring R-rated comic book worlds to the screen. But there was more to his career, with 1971's "The Rainbow Boys" exploring the helmer's oddball sense of humor and love of the Canadian wilderness, following characters on the hunt for a fortune in gold, using what's left of their wits to get there. "The Rainbow Boys" is a strange feature, mixing personal problems with slapstick comedy, and Potterton certainly seems like he's having a ball with the endeavor, though it's debatable just how much of that enthusiasm reaches the audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Vengeance

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    B.J. Novak is a celebrated comedian, author, and a cast member on "The Office," which, according to the internet, is the greatest television show of all time. He's hunting for a new challenge with "Vengeance," making his directorial debut with his take on American characters and podcast culture, also working in a murder mystery at times. Novak also writes and stars in the feature, accepting an enormous amount of responsibility to deliver a tightly constructed whodunit with heavy presence of a Texas insanity. Novak gets most of the way there with "Vengeance," which pieces together rather cleanly for its first two acts, delivering a rich sense of personality and dramatic purpose, even when the story is uncomfortably similar to the hit show, "Only Murders in the Building." The helmer can't stick the landing, but Novak offers amusingly exaggerated observations and behaviors with the film, which remains an engrossing sit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Love Again (2023)

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    Writer/director Jim Strouse made a positive impression with his last two features, guiding 2015’s “People Places Things” and 2017’s “The Incredible Jessica James” to big hearts and sizable laughs, positioning him as a helmer to watch, especially with smaller, more human tales of love and confusion. However, indie film work has its professional limitations, with Strouse trying on a studio project for size with “Love Again,” which is a remake of a 2016 German picture, detailing the experiences of two strangers who find each other through text-based confessions, leading to a romance that’s built on a big issue of trust. “Love Again” isn’t an event movie, but it does have some scale thanks to a supporting turn from Celine Dion, and the material plays to Strouse’s strengths with its presentation of wounded souls. Typical romantic comedy shallowness isn’t completely avoided, but the material makes a serviceable attempt to highlight human concerns, and chemistry with leads Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan is pleasant enough to lift the endeavor up when it needs it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Johnny & Clyde

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    After sitting through the opening 15 minutes of “Johnny & Clyde,” I’m sure most viewers will ask themselves the same question: Am I watching a sequel? Co-writer/director Tom DeNucci (joined by 26 producers) doesn’t put any care into character introduction and storytelling is something beyond his capabilities, instead throwing all kinds of faces, places, and information at the screen in the hopes something will stick. There’s no information readily available that lists the endeavor as a follow-up to another movie, but anything is possible, and the majority of “Johnny & Clyde” certainly acts like the second chapter of a crime saga, and one with interest in fantasy elements while running through the same old business with thrill-killers. It’s an unwatchable mess, sure to be one of the worst films of 2023, but perhaps this is what DeNucci is going for, but that would be giving him credit for this jumble of noise and colors, and he hasn’t earned such consideration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – What’s Love Got to Do with It?

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    Shekar Kapur, the director of 1998’s “Elizabeth” and its 2007 sequel, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” returns to duty after a 15-year-long break from big screen storytelling with “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Shedding interest in historical dramas, Kapur joins screenwriter Jemima Khan for this study of arranged marriages and challenges with true love, endeavoring to make something that deals with authentic relationship issues while still hoping to remain approachable as a study of a tentative romance. “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (which doesn’t have anything to do with the Tina Turner hit, but try explaining that to your brain) has the opportunity to say something meaningful about ongoing battles between the heart and mind, but the production isn’t courageous enough to really offer an honest assessment of near-misses when it comes to relationships, eventually turning to a to-do list of cliches just to make sure the material meets expectations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Undead

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    To make a quick impression, writer/directors Peter and Michael Spierig elected to make a zombie film to help break into the movie industry, using the tried and true method of genre storytelling to kickstart their careers. 2003's "Undead" is a homegrown production from Australia, with the siblings working with small sets and their own digital effects to create a bloodbath, and one with a distinct sci-fi angle to help increase onscreen chaos. The Spierigs remain ambitious with their plans for the general mayhem of "Undead," but this production spirit doesn't translate to a ripping good time with deadly enemies and community hellraising. The endeavor tuckers out quickly, with the Spierigs unable to sustain elements of horror and sci-fi in a feature that doesn't have much to offer viewers after the opening act. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Lost Faith

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    In the 1990s, Joel D. Wynkoop wanted to become a prolific moviemaker. He made his helming debut with 1985's "Twisted Illusions," but really aimed to make his mark years later, soon delivering an enormous number of movies for the home video market. 1992's "Lost Faith" is the first shot fired, with Wynkoop overseeing a feature that transforms him into an action hero, with lengthy martial arts showdowns and women to save, delivering a celebration of all things Joel D. Wynkoop. Unfortunately, film wasn't the future for the writer/director/star, who selects a shot-on-video approach for the endeavor, which contributes to the overall sloppiness of the picture, and it quickly becomes painfully ridiculous. "Lost Faith" is a mess of ideas, with Wynkoop struggling to make storytelling decisions, often too distracted by his own awesomeness to really care about anything else. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Lieutenant Jangles

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    2018's "Lieutenant Jangles" is an Australian production looking to celebrate rogue cop films from the 1980s, doing so with a tiny budget and limited patience for playing anything straight. Co-writer/director Nic Champeaux goes broadly comedic with the endeavor, which tries to charm viewers with displays of raunchy behavior and cartoon ultraviolence, believing more is more with this type of wacky production. There's a lot of noise and constant penis references in the feature, but laughs are a bit more difficult to find. Champeaux and Co. certainly seem like they had fun making "Lieutenant Jangles," but such mischief is seldom infectious. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Damselvis, Daughter of Helvis

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    Writer/director John Michael McCarthy has something in mind with "Damselvis, Daughter of Helvis," but he's not in the mood to share it with viewers. One can appreciate the faint plan to create a graphic novel-style viewing experience with this tale of a young woman and her mission to meet her undead parent, but the details of this universe are mostly muddled and incomplete. Instead of providing cinematic polish, McCarthy delivers a shot- on-video event, and while the production has room to do pretty much whatever it wants, the helmer remains fixated on generating a confusing offering of pursuit, religion, and surreal experiences, supplying a rock and roll slide into screen stasis one too many times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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    The Guardians of the Galaxy haven’t exactly been lying around since the release of ‘Vol. 2” back in 2017, with the space gang caught up in Avengers business while spending some time with Thor and his personal issues. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” looks to return the team to full screen power with a new sequel, but something is a little off with their latest adventure. Writer/director James Gunn made a positive impression with his buoyant vision for the first two chapters of the series, but his instincts for merriment and space opera are dulled for “Vol. 3,” which emerges as an angrier, noisier, and sadder turn for the MCU, with Gunn straining for emotional manipulation as he makes his usual mess of things in the comic book realm. Joyfulness that was present before is mostly gone here (along with more decisive editing), keeping the viewing experience only intermittently appealing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Peter Pan and Wendy

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    There’s controversy whenever Disney elects to create a live-action version of one of their animated films. The company isn’t exactly interested in creativity with these offerings, with most emerging as impressive technical achievements content to rehash the same story for a young audience (think “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”). And then there was 2016’s “Pete’s Dragon,” with co-writer/director David Lowery endeavoring to do something different than the original 1977 musical, finding freshness and big heart in his remake opportunity, emerging with the best of the Disney do-overs. Lowery returns with a true career challenge, dealing with the oft-told tale of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” There’s been enough media devoted to Neverland happenings over the last century, putting the helmer in a difficult position of invention. “Peter Pan and Wendy” doesn’t stray far enough from the basics of Barrie’s world and Disney’s 1953 animated offering, but it finds ways to restore a little magic to the tale, and it’s newly focused on the emotional health of the characters, which keeps it interesting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Black Demon

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    “The Meg” was a hit film in 2018, and it’s taken a long time for the studios to get going on a sequel, which is an unusual choice when dealing with material that explores a rampaging megalodon. There’s a “Meg 2” finally coming sometime this year, but the producers of “The Black Demon” are looking to take advantage of the long wait, cooking up their own version of a rampaging megalodon feature. However, to really make a memorable disaster picture with a monster shark, one has to spend big bucks, and the producers of “The Black Demon” don’t have that kind of money, giving the eating machine more of a cameo in its own movie, with screenwriter Boise Esquerra believing most audiences will be happier to watch a story of ecological ruin and family strife. Of course, that’s not the case, and the new killer shark event on the scene misses its potential by a country mile. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

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    In 2016, writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig created “The Edge of Seventeen,” which took a look at a time of adolescence and maturity, when teenage feelings start to intersect with adult realities. It was a magnificent movie, announcing the helmer as a talent to watch. The wait for her follow-up is over, with Craig returning to explore the pains of growing up with “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” adapting the beloved Judy Blume novel for the big screen. And she does a remarkable job with it, generating another sensitive and real understanding of a young person’s education while on the front lines of puberty. Blume wrote with compassion and emotional authenticity, and Craig completely captures such delicate tone, juggling the story with a rich sense of intimacy, following the author’s lead as characterization is beautifully detailed and the dramatic journey finds a nuanced understanding of behavior. It’s one of the best films of the year. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Sisu

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    For those who like their cinematic offerings lean and mean, there’s “Sisu.” A Finnish production that clocks in around 90 minutes, the endeavor is all about aggression, with the World War II tale focusing on a basically unkillable soldier doing battle with Nazis trying to murder him over a two bags of gold. Writer/director Jalmari Helander (“Rare Exports,” “Big Game”) doesn’t have much more in mind than revenge, creating a viewing experience that’s simple and visceral, and also has the added pleasure of watching Nazis get slaughtered in increasingly painful ways. “Sisu” isn’t a rollicking good time, but Helander has a healthy sense of the absurd with the effort, delivering a mildly bizarre but commanding actioner that does quite a bit with very little. It's wartime horror sold in a distinctly B-movie way, and for those who usually can’t find an interesting alternative to glossy, pointless bruisers that fill the marketplace, here’s a stark offering of pain and justice to refresh the possibilities of screen intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Clock (2023)

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    “Clock” is based on a short film, with writer/director Alexis Jacknow offered an opportunity to expand on her original idea, working to deliver a deeper sense of character connection and achieve greater thematic reach with the material. Jacknow examines the state of motherhood, and the choice to avoid such an experience, using intense peer pressure and internalized confusion to generate a semi-Cronenbergian viewing experience that taps into a specific area of unrest. “Clock” tries to be a traditional horror movie in a few ways, with Jacknow overseeing the creation of nightmare imagery and psychological fracture, but it offers a more interesting take on the female experience, especially when it digs into mounting concern and judgment surrounding baby fever. The endeavor doesn’t really have enough to fill a feature-length run time, but Jacknow details unusual topics and behaviors with her screenplay, trying to communicate something few productions dare to explore. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Anvil! The Story of Anvil

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    It's easy to describe "Anvil!" as a real-world version of "This is Spinal Tap," but the comparison is incredibly accurate. The comedy of "Spinal Tap" certainly didn't come out of thin air, leading me to believe that the antics of the Canadian metal band Anvil must've played some part in the 1984 comedy classic. While suitably absurd and prone to spotlighting rock cliché humiliation, "Anvil" is a far more loving film than it seems at first glance. Taking a second look at the career of a band who was always this close to the success of their brothers in the headbangin' business, "Anvil!" is a stupendous document of perseverance and crushing music industry realities, brought to life by two men who somehow managed to keep the devil horns raised through decades of disappointment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Attack of the Beast Creatures

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    Filmed in 1983, "Attack of the Beast Creatures" (a.k.a. "Hell Island") is a tiny monster movie before tiny monster movies became all the rage in the decade, boosted by the tremendous success of 1984's "Gremlins." Director Michael Stanley and writer Robert Hutton don't have a decent budget, but they have access to a forest, some actors, and a collection of little puppets, setting out to create a horror picture about survival in a remote location. "Attack of the Beast Creatures" isn't a hugely cinematic experience, but there's some charm in the deadly attacks of little ghouls and the humans struggling to make sense of the situation before they're eaten alive. It's not always a compelling endeavor, but when Stanley and Hutton get around to making a mess of things, the effort is enjoyably goofy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Death Magic

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    It's not every day when one encounters a tale of black magic mixed with post-Civil War antagonisms. 1992's "Death Magic" looks to blend wartime madness with astral curiosity, giving co-writer/director Paul Clinco a semi-interesting start to his shot-on-video endeavor, showing a little more ambition than the average backyard production. It's a no-budget offering of exploitation, with some gore and emphasis on nudity, but Clinco doesn't lean into the trashier aspects of the movie. Instead of summoning madness, the material becomes caught up in the ways of the occult and bland relationships, moving away from the central menace of a dead military monster pulled from beyond to exact revenge on his enemies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Goodbye, Don Glees

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    The emotional lives of teenage boys are examined in "Goodbye, Don Glees," a Japanese animated feature that shows little restraint when detailing the agony of deep feelings. Writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka takes inspiration from Rob Reiner's "Stand by Me," arranging a highly sensitive study of adolescents trying to make sense of the world, going on a journey into the wild that helps them to focus on dreams and mistakes, with occasional shenanigans undertaken along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com