JURASSIC WORLD (2015)

Wanted to wait before reviewing this, as it's such an adrenaline-fueled film; one of those CGI wonders that gets you pumped up while watching it, caught up in the visuals ... but later on, when you think about the film itself, proves to have little substance.  While not as good as the first but better than the sequels, Jurassic World is the story of the never-ending pursuit of more profits, as yet another dinosaur theme park, built on the site of the original, is proving to be big business.  This time though, on-site scientists have created a brand new hybrid of dinosaur - one that, of course, ends up getting loose and causing a chain reaction of panic and problems.  Chris Pratt plays his two-dimensional raptor wrangler as best he can, while Bryce Dallas Howard feels miscast as the hard-boiled park exec whose own nephews become dino-bait.  The film is rousing, the effects good, the story pretty much the same as always - but ultimately it's all style and substance; a "popcorn" movie for the senses, even as it leaves nothing behind for the heart or soul to digest. (rated PG-13)  B-

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL? (2013)

Imagine Quentin Tarantino going to an all-you-can-eat sushi bar, over-eating, then crashing into an insane dream ... and you have the film Why Don't You Play in Hell?, a bloody yakuza-thriller-comedy-romance about a Japanese crime boss who wants to make his wife's release from prison (after ten years) special by hiring a movie crew to make a film starring their teen daughter, who got famous as a little girl for a popular toothpaste commercial.  Enter the F*ck Bombers, a group of four gorilla filmmakers whose leader is determined to make his name in film history ... or die trying.  When that same leader gets the idea to film the actual raid of the crime boss and his gang on a rival yakuza gang, things go from nuts to insane, and words can't convey the sheer lunacy of the violent, bloody, off-its-hinges (and often hilarious) mayhem that follows.  While I wish it had a stronger ending, this is a great film, so original and nuts (and SO much fun) you can't help but appreciate it for that alone. (not rated)  A

PAINLESS (2012)

Saw this film on a recommend via one of my favorite horror writers, and while understanding comparisons to films like The Orphanage I felt this one lacked emotional depth.  Going back and forth between two time periods in Catalonia, first we see the effects of a fearful village, before and during the Spanish Civil War, on a small group of young children deemed to be impervious to pain; considered a danger to themselves and others, the children are sent to an old asylum for rehabilitation, though in truth no one knows how to "cure" them.  Meanwhile, in present day, a physician dying of bone cancer needs a marrow transplant, and when he learns his parents aren't really his parents, sets off on a journey to find his biological mother and father.  You can see the ending of Painless long before it comes, and even with the kids' horror story there is just a tonal coldness - a lack of emotional connection - here to make me want to recommend it. (not rated)  C-

STUNG (2015)

Stung is a fun homage to monster movies of the 1950's, where giant mutant ants or rabbits or frogs or whatever were always set on destroying our world.  Here the story revolves around a young caterer named Julia (Jessica Cook), who has taken over her father's business since his death, and her assistant Paul (Matt O'Leary), who drive out to an isolated country estate to cater a yearly garden party for an elderly widow and her creepy son Sydney (a wonderful Clifton Collins Jr.).  As the night goes on, we learn the deceased owner of the property was a guy whose business was pesticides - and that's about when the giant wasps start attacking, not only stinging the guests but using their bodies as hosts to grow more.  Stung is gory, fun, even funny - though I was hoping for "funnier"; had heard the film was sort of comedy-horror, but it takes itself a bit more seriously than that, to the film's detriment.  Still a truly fun, well-done monster movie fans of the genre will enjoy, no doubt; just wish it had pushed a little harder at poking fun at itself! (not rated)  B

THE TRUE COST (2015)

Though documentaries are often not "my thing," when the subject matter is close to my heart (animals, for instance) I can't resist.  What blew me away about The True Cost was how accurate the title was; from turning consumers into materialistic spendaholics, to the low-to-nothing slave wages paid to overseas factory workers living and working in deadly conditions in countries like Cambodia, Indonesia and India, to the environmental impact of genetically-enhanced cotton seeds potentially harming not only those who wear the clothing but also killing those who grow the cotton to make it, this film was a genuine, moving eye-opener to the high human cost paid to bring consumers the lowest clothing prices possible.  Also playing on the industry's constant feeding of the idea that we must buy more to be happier (when the opposite is true), The True Cost was a revelation to me ... and a film every person who likes to shop should see, hoping it will affect change. (rated PG-13)  B+

NORWEGIAN WOOD (2010)

Weeks later, I still don't quite know what to make of Norwegian Wood.  I've never read Haruki Murakami's novel (nor any of that author's work, yet), but watched the film because Death Note was one of the most original and fascinating film I'd seen in years ... and this film starred Ken'ichi Matsuyama, who played "L" in those films, and who is a brilliant, understated actor even here.  This film is well-acted, period, even if not perfectly cast, and the story - set in 1960's Japan - about college student Toru (Matsuyama), who reunites with his friend Naoko years after her boyfriend (also Toru's best friend) Kizuki committed suicide, is a study of how debilitating grief can be, and one man's journey to either let it swallow him ... or find life anew in someone new.  Not the most uplifting topic for a film, but at its weakest Norwegian Wood suffers from a near-total disconnect of its main characters, leaving a stone-cold emotionless tale that, while powerfully told, lacks the power to fully engage.  Disappointing. (not rated)  C

SKIN TRADE (2014)

After New Jersey cop Nick Cassidy (Dolph Lundgren), with the help of the feds and the Bangkok police, captures Serbian gangster/human trafficker Viktor (Ron Perlman) - killing the man's youngest son in the process - Viktor makes bail, promptly disappears, and sends a pair of goons to kill Cassidy's wife and young daughter, sending the devoted cop over the edge to Asia in search of Viktor and revenge.  Soon after his arrival, however, Cassidy is framed for the murder of a Thai cop - the partner of Tony Vitayakul (Tony Jaa), who in turn now hunts Cassidy for that murder, even as both of them try to put a stop to Viktor and his operation.  An okay action film elevated hugely by the presence of Tony Jaa, who after twenty years in the business still commands 100% of your attention on-screen.  Much of the plot we've seen before, but the film does a good job of bringing awareness to the horrific crime of human trafficking, and the cast's commitment to their roles make for an especially tense final battle. (rated R)  B-

PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 (2015)

It's been six years since mall security guard Paul Blart (Kevin James) saved all those people in the East Orange, NJ mall (including his daughter) - and boy, has his life turned to crap since.  His wife left him after six days of marriage, his mom was run over and killed by a milk truck, and in short it would appear Paul Blart's life has peaked when he gets an invite to attend a security officer's convention in Las Vegas ... where (big surprise!) pretty much the same thing that happened in the first film happens in the second, when a rich patron of the Wynn Hotel (Neal McDonough) and his gang plot to replace and steal all the artwork in the building.  There was a charm to the first Blart film that's totally gone here in the re-hash, with Kevin James little more than annoying in the role.  Raini Rodriguez, Loni Love and a completely under-utilized David Henrie are the true reason to watch this film, but even they and some fun via Geovanni Gopradi as a cop can't save this (overall) unfunny film.  Let's hope Blart retires the badge after this one. (rated PG)  D+

PEYOTE (2013)

Simplicity is the backbone of this short, sweet tale of discovery called Peyote.  Essentially a two-character film, we're first introduced to Mexican teenager Pablo (Joe Diazzi) over breakfast, bored at home and using food to make a monster movie with his handheld video camera.  Heading out later, he finds himself filming at random until a guy in the local park - Marco - catches Pablo secretly recording him.  But instead of anger a friendship is born, and with his parents away for the summer it's easy work for Pablo to be talked into a road trip to the Mexican desert by Marco, in search of naturally-growing peyote for the naive teenager to try; a journey that not only opens the young men's eyes to each other, but also causes each of them to look at himself in a whole new way.  Wonderfully filmed showcasing the beauty of its Mexican landscape, Peyote sneaks up on you with its simplicity ... but in the end proves a profound film about friendship and first crushes, lovingly made. (not rated)  A

CHOCOLATE CITY (2015)

Not having seen the Magic Mike films yet I have no basis for comparison, but to me the acting, choreography and storyline of Chocolate City were all pretty awful.  Robert Ri'chard - whom I've been a fan of since he was a kid actor - stars as Michael McCoy, a "good guy" college student flipping burgers to help his mom and deadbeat brother pay the bills, when he's afforded the opportunity to really help out by working as an exotic dancer.  Ri'chard - still maintaining fresh-faced boyish innocence at age 32 - is the best thing about this otherwise passionless ode to African-American beefcake, in which the choreography of all the male dancers looks the same ... and instead of being "hot" makes you sort of want to bathe after watching it.  Factor in staples like the clueless girlfriend, aging and jealous "on his way out" dancer who hates Michael, NO real nudity to speak of, and a ridiculous ending that throws away all Michael was supposed to have learned from this experience, and what's left is something mostly uninteresting (and at times downright painful) to watch. (rated R)  D-

KING OF COMEDY (1999)

Perhaps some bias in this review, 'cause frankly I just love Stephen Chow.  In front of, behind, or writing for the camera, since Kung Fu Hustle I've known he's brilliant at comedy - and comedy with a heart.  No less here, starring as Hong Kong actor-wannabe Tin-sau, who no matter what he tries cannot seem to get beyond working as an extra for films and TV - most of the time even bungling that up, as he's so technical in his approach he won't even stop being "in character" until the director yells "Cut."  He lives poorly, puts on small productions at the local community center, and teaches acting on the side, his entire life spent in pursing his dream.  When a beautiful bar hostess comes to him for acting lessons, to act more sincere at work and earn more money, a potential romance begins to bloom ... just as Tin-sau, at last, gets what appears to be the break he's been working for.  Funny, warm, sweet, romantic, heartfelt - but who'd expect less from Stephen Chow? (not rated)  A-

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014)

Bad City, a near-ghost town in Iran, has earned its name; the place reeks of poverty and death, its few residents mostly surviving over living.  Arash (Arash Marandi) is a handsome young man living with his drug-addicted father, for whom he has literally given everything; Atti (Mozhan Marno) is a prostitute who has Arash's father as a regular customer, and the old man's drug dealer as a pimp.  And into their lives comes The Girl (a remarkable Sheila Vand), a petite, dark-haired beauty who walks the streets of Bad City at night ... and who happens to be a vampire living quietly in their town.  Director/writer Ana Lily Amirpour has fashioned a terrific, moody, atmospheric film about loneliness and despair that also works as one of the most original vampire movies ever made - shot in black and white, which gives it even more of a grace and beauty found so little these days in the "horror" genre.  Marandi and Marno are terrific, Vand wholly impressive as the lonely, haunting and haunted child of the night who finally finds a friend. (unrated)  A-

THE TECHNICIANS/aka THE CON ARTISTS (2014)

For a heist film featuring some standard trappings of the genre, there's just something charming about this film thanks to its star, model-turned-actor Kim Woo-bin.  This was my first time seeing Kim as an actor; was never a particular fan before, but this movie changed that.  Here he plays Ji-hyeok, a master thief/con artist with a penchant for cracking safes, who along with his buddy (Ko Chang-seok) pulls off one daring heist after another ... until, with the help of a young, untrustworthy hacker (Lee Hyun-woo), they steal thirty million in diamonds from President Jo, who has his own plans for an outlandish robbery and has now found the perfect guys to threaten into pulling it off.  As Ji-hyeok plots their final job and the cops close in, the film - in the last half hour - develops enough twists, double-twists, and surprises to have this viewer freaking out until the end.  Yes, Kim may be his own biggest fan, even here and in character ... but dang it, it works; I loved this film. (not rated)  A-