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Film Review - Fast & Furious 6

With its last outing, 2011’s “Fast Five,” the “Fast and the Furious” franchise reached a previously unimaginable creative high. Against all odds, it was a vastly entertaining picture that readjusted tonal goals for the series, dropping most the dead weight car race tangents to run full steam ahead as a caper, using the limited but colorful cast to generate an event film atmosphere populated with familiar faces and some exciting new ones. Rewarded with enormous box office returns, the producers have decided to maintain the pace, keeping “Fast & Furious 6” (titled “Furious 6” on the print) focused on a Bondian baddie, wrecking ball-style chases, and pro-wrestling fisticuffs. What’s missing here is a decent script, at least something approaching digestibility when it comes to the misadventures of this knuckle-dragging crew. The production insists the characters should verbalize their every thought. The production has made a horrible mistake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - The Hangover: Part III

It appears Todd Phillips received the memo. After the successful sequel, “The Hangover: Part II,” was released in 2011, there was a great swell of disappointment, watching co-writer/director Phillips basically remake his original 2009 feature, merely switching locales and stakes but retaining the same crude sense of humor and trust in comedic madness. Perhaps aware of the apathetic response to “Part II,” “The Hangover: Part III” heads in a fresh direction, with a new plot and a different focus on certain characters. It’s not exactly an apology, but the production’s once mighty devotion to hard R-rated chaos has been dialed down considerably, coming off affectionate toward the Wolf Pack as they embark on their final disaster. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - The Painting

In this line of work, one sees plenty of animated movies, and while there are natural variances in quality, most fall into a familiar structure, guaranteeing a certain box office response. The French production “The Painting” generally refuses the temptations of formula, displaying remarkable invention as it builds a unique world of art appreciation and adventure, using smarts instead of sameness to provide a richly detailed viewing experience that will satisfy the whole family. It’s sophisticated and stunning, amusing and harrowing, and quite possibly one of the most interesting pictures of the year, raising the bar for CG-animated pursuits. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Epic

The Cartoon-o-Tron 9000 sparks to life and cranks out “Epic,” a feature filled with so many derivative ideas and formulaic events, it’s difficult to assess what’s actually novel about the picture. From the production team that brought the world the “Ice Age” series and “Robots,” “Epic” has its eye on a blockbuster plan of engagement, hoping to wow its audience with an expansive fantasy world populated with miniature heroes and villains. What’s missing here is a personality of its own, with director Chris Wedge more attentive to marketing needs and CG-animated minutiae than supporting an engaging story. It’s a mechanical, halfhearted effort, and while it’s lovely to look at, there’s little to the movie that lives up to its lofty title. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Frances Ha

Writer/director Noah Baumbach has spent the last chunk of his career working on his anger issues, funneling his insecurities into pictures such as “Margot at the Wedding” and “Greenberg.” “Frances Ha” comes off as a calculated attempt by Baumbach to remind his audience that he’s not such a creep, working intimately with star/co-writer Greta Gerwig on a tale of delayed adolescence hitting a rough patch of reality. It’s a comedy, though often a painful one, displaying bouncy pop songs and a chipper attitude despite its investment in depicting the natural progression of stale friendships, counting on Gerwig’s sludgy delivery and credible embodiment of woman-child impulses to sprinkle sugar on the behavioral poison. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's

In 1995, the Isaac Mizrahi documentary “Unzipped” opened to acclaim and box office interest. It was a strange picture at the time, revealing the backstage life of a fashion designer, detailing the work, the struggles, and the success of such an intense vocation, teeming with judgment and humiliation. Cut to today, and fashion stories are everywhere, with television shows and documentaries happily pulling back the curtain on industry secrets and cattiness while selling an image of artistry and unattainable luxury to those who relish such dreamtime opportunities. Finding a fringe topic rarely open for discussion, director Matthew Miele goes beyond style and into the store, establishing a cathedral of commerce and anecdotes for inspection in “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Shadow Dancer

Most films concerning The Troubles take a vitriolic stance, using stark images of violence and fiery participants to paint a disturbing portrait of sacrifice and circular movements of tragedy. “Shadow Dancer” is no less impassioned, but takes a more suspenseful route, locking on the internal churn of responsibility and personal protection as national events and schemes of war carry on in the background. It’s a terrific picture, bolstered by powerful performances from Clive Owen and especially Andrea Riseborough, who carries the restless effort with a singular display of discomfort peeking out from behind a mask of duty, capturing a precise projection of doubt in the midst of destructive political certainty. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Assault on Wall Street

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an Uwe Boll picture, going to back 2008 when his last theatrical endeavor, “In the Name of the King,” blew in and out of multiplexes with the speed of a spring breeze. Since that time, Boll has gone on to direct 15 movies, living up to his Ed Wood legacy by churning out features at an alarming rate, with one of his last efforts titled “Blubberella” (oof). What was once goofy cult aimlessness has now become a private industry for Boll, who, despite his grim artistic reputation and the forgettable nature of his work, has managed to remain employed after all these years. Now the helmer puts the Financial Crisis of 2008 into his crosshairs, turning monetary ruin and one-percenter gloating into a revenge fantasy, putting a gun and a moronic script into the hand of the common man. Because it wouldn’t be Boll if there wasn’t borderline irresponsible storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Star Trek Into Darkness

I was completely swept away by the 2009 reinvention of “Star Trek” (my favorite film of that year). Director J.J. Abrams approached an impossible creative challenge with startling confidence, restoring awe to a dusty brand name while removing the need to be slavish to Gene Roddenberry’s original creation as it paved the way for its own universe of alien planets, adversaries, and whip-crack heroism. Four years later (an eternity in blockbuster time), Abrams and Company return with “Star Trek Into Darkness,” a sequel that’s nearly as thrilling as the previous picture, delivering a sensational view of crew camaraderie and earthbound threat. However, there’s a specific cancer in the screenplay in dire need of removal, moving a jubilant creation into an area of dramatic replication that’s all wrong. Most of “Star Trek Into Darkness” will have its audience cheering, the rest feels like a slap across the face. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - The Iceman

What “The Iceman” has to offer, we’ve seen before. It’s a hitman story, a bio-pic of sorts studying the cold-blooded career of Richard Kuklinski, a mafia enforcer who murdered over 100 people during his two decades on the job, dealing with all types of godfathers and hot-heads as he tried to raise a family in relative peace. It’s a tough guy saga touched up with some texture by co-writer/director Ariel Vromen, who makes a passable attempt to deepen the displays of underworld gamesmanship by focusing on the nuclear power generated in Kuklinski’s mounting frustration with his eroding life. It’s not a feature that lingers after it concludes, but considering the cliches available to the production, it shows some taste when it comes to goombah happenings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my introduction to Ricky Jay was through his acting credits, watching him perform in the films of David Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson, completely unaware of his legacy as a sleight of hand master. His magical authority would come later to me, making his accomplishments and skill even more impressive, with his very career a type of delicious misdirection to people of a certain age. “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay” returns focus to Jay’s far-reaching history with tricks and stage performance, sitting down with the subject to discuss his influences and career, placing attention on a man who would much rather communicate through his indescribable brilliance with something as simple as a stack of playing cards. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Love Is All You Need

Danish director Susanne Bier has built a career out of difficult pictures with hard edges, gracefully exploring the limits of vulnerability with a decidedly humane approach, always aware of natural behaviors that have generated some spellbinding cinema (including 2004’s “Brothers”). “Love Is All You Need” is an unnerving step toward mainstream acceptance for the helmer, masterminding an unexpectedly conventional romantic drama that carries a predictability about it that’s a touch deflating. I’m not suggesting the movie is a Kate Hudson rom-com with Katrina and the Waves needle drops, but for every touch of emotional texture that’s inviting, there’s a wallop of formula that’s disheartening. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Erased

After playing second fiddle to Gerard Butler in last month’s “Olympus Has Fallen,” it’s about time star Aaron Eckhart proved himself in the action arena. It’s only a shame “Erased,” as nondescript a title as can be, doesn’t reveal much ingenuity in the stale genre, electing to reheat plot elements and violent encounters viewed in other, better films. Eckhart commits to the material like a professional, but his feverish investment in Arash Amel’s repetitive script and Philipp Stolzl’s pedestrian direction is wasted, with “Erased” struggling to come across exciting when it’s really just painfully average, resembling a sleepy version of “The Bourne Identity.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - The English Teacher

I wish “The English Teacher” was as humorous and mischievous as it believes itself to be. A farce in serious need of speed and content, the picture doesn’t exactly achieves its minimal goals, falling short of its intended satiric aim toward high school theatrical productions, while lacking spitfire as a comedy of errors tinged with uncomfortable sexuality. Although the cast is invested in the shenanigans to a satisfying degree, there’s simply not enough to the feature that translates to dynamic filmmaking. “The English Teacher” unfolds with all the edge and depth of a television movie, and despite some tempting turns of unsavory behavior, it barely shows interest in itself. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Sightseers

With “Down Terrace” and “Kill List,” director Ben Wheatley was striving for more of a severe atmosphere of family dysfunction and the dark unknown, creating interesting but indulgent cinema that fell short of its initial promise. “Sightseers” takes Wheatley in a distinctly broad direction, creating a pitch-black comedy that’s uproarious when it isn’t completely horrifying. It’s shocking in all the good ways, lead by two fantastic performances from Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who capture the elusive feel of cheery malevolence early on the feature, helping to sell Wheatley’s casual atmosphere of whiplash temper down to the last gasp. “Sightseers” is a legitimate doozy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Aftershock

“Aftershock” is a strange disaster film that desires to merge broad comedy with utter depravity, looking to concoct a pungent brew of exploitation for those who’ve developed a taste for such bitter screen insanity. Unfortunately, the feature is lopsided, unfunny, and needlessly aggressive, or, in other words, it was co-written by Eli Roth, the horror player behind the “Hostel” series and “Cabin Fever.” Though Nicolas Lopez is credited as co-screenwriter and director of “Aftershock,” the picture bears all the birth defects of a Roth endeavor, including wild tonal swings, cruel violence toward women, and an overly jokey introduction. Although it hopes to depict the utter downfall of man in the face of a natural disaster, it’s mostly obnoxious and forgettable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - Peeples

The marketing for “Peeples” has been stamped silly with the Tyler Perry brand name, though he only has a vague producer presence here, not a primary creative role. Actually, it’s probably a mistake to have Mr. Madea’s name anywhere near the picture, as Perry’s core fanbase will be expecting something volcanic from a movie that just wants to relax and have a little harmless fun. It’s more Huxtables than hysterical. That’s not to suggest “Peeples” is an especially good film, but when it finds its silly stride, there’s some amusement to be had, providing a few scattered laughs. Its even-tempered atmosphere of mischief is perfectly alien to Perry’s bazooka approach, so be warned acolytes, this feature isn’t going to scratch that pan-wielding melodrama itch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - The Great Gatsby

Director Baz Luhrmann is not a miracle man, but he’s successfully restored pluck to fatigued material with his unique brand of cinematic voodoo. He made Shakespeare dizzy with 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet,” sent turn of the century Paris to Mars in 2001’s “Moulin Rouge,” and restored romantic sweep to a majestic continent with 2008’s “Australia.” However, turning his laser focus to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby” somehow tangles his antennae, faced with material that doesn’t allow for the type of spunk Luhrmann has turned into a brand. Despite his best intentions to make this collection of mope and alienation feel like a celebration of a euphoric era and its force of personality, the helmer can’t inject feeling into a cold-blooded creation. It’s a gorgeous film; sadly, it’s not a silent one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - In the House

Continuing his barbed but playful filmmaking interests as of late, writer/director Francois Ozon works his way to an exploration of voyeurism with his latest effort, “In the House.” Playing to the helmer’s strengths as it details obsession and mental gamesmanship, the feature is a riveting endeavor that blurs the line between fact and fiction, working as delicious commentary on the mechanics of literary manipulation while managing a peculiar complexity as a tale of depressed people avoiding their own realities. It’s amusing and unexpected, capturing the compulsive spirit of writing with wit and attention to mischief that keeps it unpredictable to the very end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Film Review - At Any Price

In the mid-eighties, there was bumper crop of films examining the plight of the red-blooded, family-oriented American farmer as they faced industry demands, corporate interests, and dwindling profits. In 2013, the vocation has changed radically, with little room for a personal touch, giving way to fields of crops born from genetically modified seeds, with Big Agriculture turning to science and law to control what was once an Earthly treasure shared by all. “At Any Price” uses the discomfort surrounding GMO seeds as a foundation for its story of domestic dissolve, but largely ignores the possibilities of the conflict. In fact, the results are quite disastrous when it steps away from farming concerns, resulting in a movie that’s unforgivably clunky, tone-deaf, and dreadfully acted. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com