REAL MOVIE NEWS

Midnight Diner Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Tony Leung Ka Fei
Actors ‏ : ‎ Tony Leung Ka Fei, Deng Chao, Eddie Peng, Vision Wei, Joyce Cheng
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎NR (Not Rated)
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 43 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ August 17, 2021
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa

Midnight Diner opens with voiceover letting us know that there are midnight diners in many cities. Anyone familiar with the original manga series the film is based on should be aware of this fact, as there are versions of film and TV adaptations available in Japan, Korea, and China. This latest film adaptation takes place in Shanghai, though the premise remains much the same as it has in every adaptation of Yarō Abe’s internationally popular series. The narrative is highly adaptable because of the episodic structure. While the format allows includes a diner open from midnight to morning, the vignettes are made up in the variety of patrons.

Spiral 4K Ultra HD Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Darren Bousman
Actors ‏ : ‎ Chris Rock, Samuel Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, John Tokatlidis
Producers ‏ : ‎ Oren Koules, Mark Burg
Studio ‏ : ‎ Lionsgate Home Entertainment
MPAA rating ‏ R (Restricted)
Audio Description: ‏ : ‎ English
Media Format ‏ : ‎ 4K
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 33 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ July 20, 2021
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Spiral (or Spiral: From the Book of Saw, if you need the full title as indicator of what you are getting into) revives a franchise that distinctly belongs to a sub-genre of horror that has fallen out of favor in recent years. Torture porn had its heyday after 9/11, and the Saw franchise was at the forefront with a sequel nearly every year soon after the first film was a success. We were promised the end with Saw: The Final Chapter in 2010, but that turned out to be untrue when it was revived in 2017 with Jigsaw. Spiral takes the series in a new direction, indicated by a new title and higher caliber cast members than typically found. Unfortunately, beneath the fancy new marketing is just another Saw film, derivative and predictable even with a bit of social relevance added to the formula.

Hydra Blu-ray Review

Actors ‏ : ‎ Masanori Mimoto, Miu, Tasuku Nagase, Takaya Aoyagi, Takashi Nishina
Director ‏ : ‎ Kensuke Sonomura
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 17 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ July 20, 2021
MPAA rating ‏ : NR (Not Rated)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with a genre film having a derivative plot. In some ways, we go to see genre movies because of their familiarity, and the ability to give us what we came for. Audiences don’t go to romantic comedies expecting to see the couple do anything other than fall in love by the end of the movie, and most watch martial arts movies with the understanding that there are storylines that get re-used time after time. This is because they work. Hydra leans heavily into a set-up which has been used countless times in action movies, especially ones with martial arts. But while there isn’t much new to the story, that simply makes the fighting elements of the film that much more important.

Silat Warrior: Deed of Death Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Areel Abu Bakar
Actors ‏ : ‎ Namron, Khoharullah Majid, Feiyna Tajudin, Fad Anuar, Taiyuddin Bakar
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Surround Sound
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 41 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ July 6, 2021
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa (Hi-Yah!)
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Malaysia
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

In terms of seeing another international film industry find an audience outside of the country of origin, Silat Warrior is a minor success. Within the martial arts genre, we have seen this happen quite often in the past decade, most likely thanks to the success and international attention The Raid franchise brought to the Indonesian film industry. After Indonesia, we saw the first Vietnamese film distributed to the United States in Furie, so it should come as little surprise to find many familiar elements in the Malaysian martial arts movie Silat Warror: Deed of Death. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite have the same impact as those that came before, and we may have to wait to see Malaysian cinema truly take off in international markets.

The Paper Tigers Blu-ray Review

Director ‏ : ‎ Tran Quoc Bao
Actors ‏ : ‎ Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Alain Uy
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 48 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ June 22, 2021
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa

Apparently there were offers to make this film with a studio budget, as long as the roles were worked for major stars (Bruce Willis and Nicholas Cage among those wanted), but the filmmakers chose to seek funding on Kickstarter rather than whitewash their script. While I respect this decision, it shows that there is no studio influence, in both good and bad ways. As noble as the decision was to keep minorities in the main roles, it doesn’t help with their amateurish acting and the script problems a studio likely would have worked out. The Paper Tigers is a highly watchable film, but also one that constantly asks you to look past flaws in filmmaking.

Undercover Punch and Gun Blu-ray Review

MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Media Format : Subtitled
Release date : June 8, 2021
Actors : Andy On, Vanness Wu, Philip Ng
Studio : Well Go Usa

If the plot was taken seriously, Undercover Punch and Gun could easily be accused of derivative content. The sheer amount of undercover cop narratives in the history of Asian action has made this the case, and Undercover Punch and Gun throws us directly into this exact scenario. It is with variation in tone, and where the film goes with the predictable premise that promises some originality. First of all, despite an emphasis on martial arts action in the storyline, the tone is comedic enough to consider the parodic elements of the narrative. At least to some degree, the derivative elements feed into the humor in this regard.

Long Weekend DVD Review

MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
Director : Stephen Basilone
Media Format : Subtitled, NTSC
Run time : 1 hour and 31 minutes
Release date : May 25, 2021
Actors : Finn Wittrock, Zoë Chao, Casey Wilson, Jim Rash, Damon Wayans Jr.
Subtitles: : English, French, Spanish
Producers : Audrey Rosenberg, Sam Bisbee, Deanna Barillari, Laura Lewis, Theodora Dunlap
Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

I had a really hard time with this film. It sets up a premise that is grounded in realism, and the painful twists and turns in the road of life. We are following a protagonist so painfully down-on-his luck, that it isn’t difficult to get pulled into the relatability of the situation. In some ways, it was too realistic for where I am in life right now, but I appreciated this dedication. That is, until the movie decides to throw away the realism in favor of a fantasy twist. The movie even makes a game out of keeping the reveal of whether the fantasy elements are real or simply mental illness until the very end. This is problematic, because regardless of which you are hoping for, the reveal makes entire elements/aspects of the narrative irrelevant.

Shit House Blu-ray Review

MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
Director : Cooper Raiff
Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time : 1 hour and 41 minutes
Release date : May 18, 2021
Actors : Dylan Gelula, Cooper Raiff, Amy Landecker, Logan Miller
Studio : IFC Independent Film

For an accurate depiction of the irresponsibility of college life, in particular the propensity to bulldoze through handling of romantic relationships, you could do a lot worse than Shit House. If you are in the middle of your own romantic entanglements, this may not be the best choice for your mental/emotional state. While it is excusable as a realistic depiction of youth, the way in which some of the characters treat poorly is sometimes difficult to watch.

The Father Blu-ray Review

Director : Florian Zeller
Actors : Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell
Producers : Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Simon Friend, Philippe Carcassonne
Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Media Format : Subtitled
Run time : 1 hour and 37 minutes
Release date : May 18, 2021
Subtitles: : English

Most of the time I don’t enjoy being disoriented by the films that I watch. The Father was a unique experience, in that my disorientation felt crucial to the viewing experience. If the movie is simplistic in terms of story, that only allows for the focus to be on the presentation of the plot involving an aging man named Anthony (Anthony Hopkins). Even the choice to have the character named the same as the actor playing him simplifies things. We understand that the experience of aging is one that even a famous actor must face, and this film puts in the perspective of a person who is going through this.

Deliver Us From Evil Blu-ray Review

Director : Won-Chan Hong
Actors : Hwang Jung-Min, Lee Jung-Jae, Jung-Min Park, Moon Choi, Akuryu
Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
MPAA rating : (Not Rated)
Media Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time : 1 hour and 49 minutes
Release date : May 25, 2021
Subtitles: : English
Language : Korean (DTS 5.1)
Studio : Well Go Usa
Genre films have a tough balance to fulfill. They have to be inventive enough to please fans who feel they have seen it all, but also must be familiar enough to provide the content audiences expect to see. As a result, we see a lot of films like Deliver Us From Evil, which feel like an amalgamation of several franchises, from Taken to John Wick, though it is also distinctly South Korean in themes. But even with all of the expected pieces, it felt like something was missing from Deliver Us From Evil.

The Marksman Blu-ray Review

Director : Robert Lorenz
Writers : Chris Charles, Danny Kravitz, Robert Lorenz
Producers : Tai Duncan, Mark Williams, Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Robert Lorenz
Actors : Liam Neeson, Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba, Teresa Ruiz
MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Aspect Ratio : 2.39:1
Media Format : Digital_copy, NTSC, Subtitled
Run time : 1 hour and 48 minutes
Release date : May 11, 2021
Language : English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
Studio : Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Everything about The Marksman feels very carefully constructed, but done so by a group of producers rather than storytellers. The difference between the two is often creativity: whereas a screenwriter or director are interested in the best way to tell a story, a producer is most interested in how to sell tickets. As a result, we get a production that is made up of Clint Eastwood collaborators making a movie that is similar to the ones he used to make. The casting of Liam Neeson in the title role is an acceptable stand-in for Eastwood, but also brings to mind any number of thrillers that have become his bread-and-butter since the success of the Taken franchise. The Marksman (originally The Minuteman) even has a plot which is intentionally timely, adding another reason to convince audiences to buy those tickets.

Morgue Blu-ray Review

Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
MPAA rating : (Not Rated)
Director : Hugo Cardozo
Media Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time : 1 hour and 21 minutes
Release date : May 11, 2021
Actors : Francisco Ayala, Maria del Mar Fernandez, Abel Martinez, Pablo Martinez, Raul Rotela
Subtitles: : English
Language : English (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
Studio : Well Go USA

Prior to Morgue, I had never seen a horror film from Paraguay, and this added a level of significance even before watching the film. Unfortunately, however great the impact may have been on transnational cinema (the relationships between nations within the film industry), it had very little impact on me as a viewer and long-time fan of the horror genre. The storylines and the characters connecting them feel disjointed throughout, and even a seemingly fool-proof set-up ends up wasted potential that is traded in for cheap editing tricks and jump scares.

Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles DVD Review

Director : Laura Gabbert
Media Format : NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time : 1 hour and 15 minutes
Release date : April 27, 2021
Actors : Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Sam Bompas, Dinara Kasko, Deborah Krohn
Studio : IFC Independent Film

I think my biggest mistake in the expectations I had from Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles comes from the knowledge that director Laura Gabbert previously directed City of Gold, a documentary I love. While City of Gold was about a man, however, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles is about history and an event celebrating it. In premise alone, there is more of an emotional disconnect between the material, and it doesn’t help that a movie about sumptuous culinary artistry ends with discussion of Marie Antoinette’s death.

Eoin Macken interview for Here Are the Young Men

Eoin Macken is an actor’s director. This is clear from the way he talks about the process, from casting to the collaboration of improvisation on set, and perhaps it should come as no surprise. Macken is himself an actor, and has worked with some great filmmakers throughout his career so far. This gives him a perspective that is invaluable, an understanding of each side of the process. Pair that with a dream cast, and you have the boldly original coming-of-age film, Here Are the Young Men. Part juvenile delinquency drama and part psychological thriller, it is a film that leaves an impression. Sitting down to talk with Macken about the filmmaking process and his directorial style, I found an undeniably passionate artist inside of an actor blessed with natural charm.

#NobodyTime Twitter Watch Party Tonight!

Nobody is available On Demand! Let’s watch it together this Saturday using #NobodyTime, hosted by @pattonoswalt. Grab a copy of the film & join me, @mrbobodenkirk and the cast on Twitter Apr. 17 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET! https://www.uwatch.com/nobody Join Bob Odenkirk, cast, filmmakers and guest host Patton Oswalt for an evening of kick-ass fun tonight!

Saturday, April 17
6PM PT | 9PM ET

Participating talent:

Bob Odenkirk / @mrbobodenkirk
Connie Nielsen / @CNconnienielsen
Director Ilya Naischuller / @naischuller
Stunt Trainer Daniel Bernhardt / @_D_Bernhardt
Host Patton Oswalt / @pattonoswalt

Set Reminder: https://www.uwatch.com/nobody

@NobodyMovie | #NobodyTime

Press play at 6:00pm PT on Saturday, April 17 and follow the hashtag #NobodyTime to view real-time conversation on the film. If you want to join in, tag your Tweet with #NobodyTime

Cosmoball Blu-ray Review

Director : Dzhanik Fayzie
Actors : Viktoriya Agalakova, Svetlana Ivanova, Mikhail Efremov
Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
MPAA rating : Not Rated
Media Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Surround Sound
Run time : 1 hour and 55 minutes
Release date : March 23, 2021
Subtitles: : English
Language : Russian (DTS 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
Studio : Well Go Usa

Where to start with this one… At first glance, I expected Cosmoball to be a bit more family-oriented, and to have a lot more to do with the title game. While there are elements of a family film, and scenes of the sport, this film is more interested in a larger sci-fi narrative that has closer resemblance to a superhero narrative. You may come to Cosmoball expecting Ready Player One or Alita, but you will end up with something closer to Green Lantern.

Crazy Samurai 400 vs. 1 Blu-ray Review

Director : Yuji Shimomura
Actors : Kento Yamazaki, Yousuke Saito, Ben Hiura, Fuka Hara, Tak Sakaguchi
Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Media Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Run time : 1 hour and 32 minutes
Release date : March 2, 2021
Subtitles: : English
Language : Japanese (DTS 5.1)
Studio : Well Go Usa
Gimmicks can be great for marketing a film, and often terrible for the actual experience of watching the movie. Crazy Samurai 400 vs. 1 (alternatively titled Crazy Samurai Musashi) features a 77-minute long-take action sequence at the center of the narrative, which sounds far more impressive than it is enjoyable to actually watch. While one may marvel at the technical planning and execution needed to complete this sequence, it is also undeniably repetitive and often visually dull. The emphasis on action within this sequence also means that plot and character development suffer as well.

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