Entertainment Maven

Bait 3D DVD Review (Kirk Haviland)

Bait 3D DVD

Starring Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Alex Russell, Phoebe Tonkin and Julian McMahon

Written by Russell Mulcahy and John Kim (with additional writing by Shayne Armstrong, Duncan Kennedy, Shane Krause and Justin Monjo).

Directed by Kimble Rendall

From the Gold Coast of Australia Anchor Bay Entertainment brings us Bait 3D on DVD and Blu-Ray. The film stars a cast of rising stars from Australia including Xavier Samuel (Loved Ones, Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Sharni Vinson (Step Up 3D, You’re Next), Alex Russell (Chronicle) and Phoebe Tonkin (TV’s The Secret Circle, Tomorrow, When the War Began). The cast is further rounded out with some veteran presence in the form of Julian McMahon. The question remains with the overabundance of Shark based thrillers out there is Bait more part Jaws or Sharktopus?

After a gargantuan freak tsunami hits a sleepy beach community in Australia a group of survivors, including store staff Josh (Samuel) and Ryan (Russell), Josh’s former fiancée Tina (Vinson), Police Officer Todd and his daughter Jaimie (Tonkin), and the untrustworthy Doyle (McMahon) find themselves trapped inside a submerged grocery store. As they try to escape to safety they soon discover that there is a predator among them more deadly than the threat of drowning – multiple vicious great white sharks are lurking in the water. As the bloodthirsty sharks begin to pick the survivors off one by one, the group realizes that they must work together to find a way out without being eaten alive.

Bait 3D establishes from the beginning that this is not a serious thriller out to uphold the Jaws legacy. It clearly has its tongue firmly planted in cheek. Why the script went through six writers is beyond me as the dialogue is pedestrian and the “twist” obvious to anyone watching the film well before the people in the film discover it. There is a lot of the traditional paint by numbers in the story, but the thing that keeps its forward momentum is the camp factor allowing for some humorous sequences and some decent death scenarios. I say scenarios because the deaths themselves come at the hand of one of the worst realized sharks I’ve seen in a theatrical production (it is playing theatrically in Australia but will be direct to video in North America) and play for laughs not scares. The young cast does manage to represent themselves well here and it’s obvious as to which of these actors are the ones that are already making inroads in not only Australia but Hollywood as well. McMahon serves as senior statesman here and perfectly encapsulates the charming, smarmy guy you know you should never trust but you still do. The setting of the film is actually pretty ingenious and the physical set, set decoration, and physical effects all add to the sense of claustrophobia and urgency of the film. The CGI portions do let the film down considerably as they never appear realistic at any time. Sadly Bait would have been better served with a “Jaws the shark isn’t working” type scenario that would have forced them to get more creative.

Ultimately there is a lot of fun to be had with Bait 3D, while it will never win any awards it does enough that it could easily become a cult classic. While Bait 3D will not be for everybody, there will be a lot who hate it outright and will claim I am losing my mind, I still must give it a Recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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TIFF 2012 – Miss Lovely Review (Robert Harding)

Miss Lovely 1 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh, Anil George

Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia

Film festivals are a great place to find films you would not find anywhere else. Many of the films, both foreign and domestic, will not play theatrically anywhere else and may not even make it to VOD/DVD. This year the Toronto International Film Festival’s City to City program featured films from Mumbai India. Looking them over I found a few I thought I’d check out, including Miss Lovely directed by Ashim Ahluwalia. Everywhere I researched the film it was described as being about two brothers who hit it big making horror-porn films in the mid 1980s. But don’t get fooled by what I amount to as clever marketing ploys. This is not exactly the film you may think it is.

Miss Lovely follows the life of Sonu (Siddiqui) who along with his brother Vicky (Anil George), produce low-budget sleazy horror films in Bombay. While Vicky clearly loves the money and lifestyle of splicing pornography into C-grade films, he wants more. Vicky convinces his brother that cutting out their less than above board backers is a good idea. Of course it isn’t and Vicky pays for it. This event only helps motivate Sonu who has never enjoyed making low-grade movies and has always wanted to make mainstream romance films. Enter Pinky (Niharika Singh), an exquisite ingenue with a shady past, and Sonu hasn’t only found his lead lady, but perhaps his partner for life.

Miss Lovely 2 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

I had always thought India had pretty strict rules and regulations when it came to their film industry and never thought I’d hear the words Indian-Horror-Porn come up in my lifetime so I jumped at the chance to delve into the world of this underground film industry.

Miss Lovely is not a horror film. In fact, it has very little content with regards to horror films. Miss Lovely also isn’t a porn film and contains very little sex related material. There is a small amount of horror film and porn footage and some on set shots of the making of said films. The content was more underwhelming than expected especially when the sex scenes consisted of little more than bare breasts and “heavy petting.” Those expecting explicit or boundary pushing material may be disappointed.

Miss Lovely 4 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Miss Lovely is actually a family drama meets love story set in the seedy underbelly of the Bombay film industry. On this level the film is generally successful. Sonu’s relationships with Vicky and Pinky are well developed despite the finale with regards to Pinky and Sonu not being fully explained. You truly do feel for Sonu as the meek brother who’s often bullied and taken advantage of. The film looks quite good as it manages to re-create the 80s look really well despite a few missteps with the camera work. But despite all that is good about the film, there’s still something lacking.

Miss Lovely is a film that I think falls prey to false expectations. Going in expecting anything relating to the horror or porn genres would be a mistake. Unfortunately, those were the aspects of the film I found most interesting. Director Ashim Ahluwalia had originally set out to make a documentary about the Indian “horror porn” industry in the 80s and his research shows through in this film. Those aspects of the film are not only entertaining but educational. Kinda makes me wish he had stuck to making the documentary rather than this Lovely Miss.

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The Victim Blu-Ray Review (Kirk Haviland)

The Victim Blu-Ray (2012)

Starring Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, Ryan Honey, Denny Kirkwood and Danielle Harris

Written Reed Lackey and Michael Biehn

Directed by Michael Biehn

New this week from Anchor Bay Entertainment comes the directorial debut of 80’s action star and cult icon Michael Biehn, The Victim. Having written the film as a vehicle for his wife Jennifer Blanc and himself to produce under their new production label, after a rumored wayward promise to director Robert Rodriguez on the set of Planet Terror that he would direct his own film. The only question that remained was whether Biehn could take on all hats behind the scenes and deliver in front of it?

Annie (Blanc) is a dancer by trade and a party girl by nature, but one day her life is put in jeopardy after she’s witnesses the horrific murder of her closest friend Mary (Harris) at a party in the woods gone wrong. Fleeing from the two police men she was partying with, now turned attackers, she stumbles across Kyle (Beihn) who lives the life of a recluse in the middle of the woods. As the police officers (Honey and Kirkwood) close in on Annie, Kyle must decide which side he believes and whether to defend Annie from her pursuers.

The premise is simple grindhouse standard and the set up classic, so Beihn is starting strong by keeping things uncomplicated. That said, the script lacks polish and I was unsurprised to hear is was written in less than 3 weeks, another person taking a pass at the dialogue would have come in handy. Beihn is basically playing the acerbic, gritty, former bad-ass character he has been making a good living off of for the past decade or so. He definitely plays to his strengths onscreen and manages to deliver an effective performance. Sadly the other half of the Beihn household does not live up to her end of the bargain as Jennifer Blanc does not perform nearly as well. To be fair the script does not help her in the situation either as clearly Michael Beihn knows how to write his character, but is not sure what to do with the rest of the characters. Despite this un-engaging performance, Blanc is not the worst actor in this piece as Ryan Honey is so over the top and ridiculous it’s laughable. The setting works tremendously for the production as locating it in a wooded cabin and the forest surrounding it is both cost effective and cinematic. Beihn does show some promise behind the camera, I would certainly wish though that the next time he sits down to direct he tries his hand at something he didn’t write. Then we will truly see if the talent comes through.

The Blu-Ray includes a scant amount of special features that are an audio commentary featuring both Beihn and Blanc and a short behind the scenes segment. While I did not listen to the entire commentary, I can tell you the behind the scenes featurette is pretty awful, with excerpts of the movie soundtrack playing behind and over film footage throughout.

Overall The Victim is at least better than the sum of all its parts, mainly due to Michael Beihn’s work in front of the camera. I can’t outright tell you this is worth a buy, but I will give it the slightest of passes: The Victim is an extremely mild recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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TIFF 2012: The Fitzgerald Family Christmas Review (Paolo Kagaoan)

the fitzgerald family christmas 1 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012)

Starring Edward Burns, Connie Britton, Noah Emmerich, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Anita Gilette, Heather Burns, Michael McGlone, Kerry Bishe and Ed Lauter

Directed by Edward Burns

Caitlin Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald) stands looking distraught in her house. Her brother Quinn (McGlone) and sister Sharon (Bishe) are with their respective girlfriend and boyfriend driving to a beach house a few hours from New York City. Their brother Gerry (Edward Burns) is managing the family bar and asks a woman named Nora (Britton) for a drink. Those are just four out of nine siblings who seem to be living their pre-holiday lives on their own or within clusters. They traditionally have to cerebrate Christmas with their mother Josie (Gilette), but things temporarily change this year. Gerry, the family’s de facto patriarch and peacemaker, tells the members of his family that their estranged father, Big Jim (Lauter), wants to celebrate Christmas with them. Inviting him over comes down to a vote, but there’s a shocker that’s affecting their decisions – Big Jim has pancreatic cancer and has two months to live.

the fitzgerald family christmas 2 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

There are times in this movie that make it indistinguishable from other straight to DVD sappy family dramedies. This is true especially with that piano driven score – derived from a Christmas song then veers off to different melody – which is the kind of music that’s an unwelcome presence in one’s head. Also, family comes first, making story lines about the siblings’ romantic relationships get crudely dropped, like the one between Sharon and her boyfriend. Most of the cast is competent except for Fitzgerald and Heather Burns, the latter playing their snobbish sister Erin. Both actresses reek whiny passiveness when they get outvoted by their younger siblings. Their less than stellar turns are a shame because Fitzgerald was excellent as the ex-suicidal Priss in Whit Stilman’s Damsels in Distress. Connie and Erin are great contrasts compared to the younger yet strong-willed Sharon, showing how the sisters have and can grow up differently. Painting the female characters with different brushes is an unexpected surprise from a male writer like Edward Burns. But I can’t say the same thing about the brothers who are essentially different variations of benevolent East Coast troglodytes.

the fitzgerald family christmas 3 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

But a movie’s shortcomings sometimes end up to its advantage, especially with writer-director Edward Burns’ sense of structure. A working class family like the Fitzgeralds have no business being prolific (Disclaimer: I am also poor and my mother has six siblings). But a large family makes it plausible for its members to be divided not only by gender and age but also by economic class and, through marriage and relationships, ethnicity. Having a group of nine also means that each character would have their opinions about their father despite partially agreeing or disagreeing with another. We’re watching characters instead of symbols, distinct voices within contemporary symphony with just the right bittersweet tone. This movie is more about forgiveness and the uphill climb towards equilibrium towards the perfect holiday. It earns its way enough into our hearts.

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TIFF 2012 Yellow and Greetings from Tim Buckley Reviews (Kirk Haviland)

yellow 1 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Yellow (2012)

Starring Heather Wahlquist, Sienna Miller, David Morse, Gena Rowlands, Melanie Griffith, Lucy Punch, Max Theriot, Ray Liotta and Daveigh Chase

Written by Heather Wahlquist and Nick Cassavetes

Directed by Nick Cassavetes

Mary (Wahlquist) is a substitute teacher who flounders through her days with nonsensical daydreams and sneaking out to her car to drink mini-bar sized bottles of alcohol and pop at least 30 pain pills a day. Her shrink, or so we believe him to be, thinks she’s over-medicated and her complaints of not being able to feel anything stem from this. When Mary disappears into a broom closet to have sex with the parent of a student during a PTA meeting, even she knows she has gone too far. Broke after being fired by the school, she packs up her car and sets out alone on a road trip back to see her family to confront old demons and get her life back.

yellow 3 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Yellow is a departure for Cassavetes as it is way more fanciful than I can remember him being. The movie is basically a vehicle for its lead actress Wahlquist and proves to be a star making type role. Wahlquist is terrific as Mary, her performance taking her from what could have easily been a despicable person and makes her sympathetic and engaging. The fantasy sequences work well for the most part, there are a couple that aren’t as strong and the end sequence doesn’t completely work, but Cassavetes shows a capable hand behind the camera for staging animated and CGI sequences. Blessed with a fantastic supporting cast that fills out the script, Griffith shines as the mother who would rather ignore than deal with the past, the weaker scripted second half benefits from their efforts. The strong lead performance is more than enough to see the film. Yellow is a recommend.

Greetings from Tim Buckley 1 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Greetings from Tim Buckley (2012)

Starring Penn Badgley, Imogen Poots, Ben Rosenfeld and William Sadler

Written by Emma Sheanshang, Dan Algrant and David Brendel

Directed by Dan Algrant

In Greetings from Tim Buckley director Dan Algrant follows a young Jeff Buckley (Badgley) in the days leading up to his 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Jeff develops an immediate attraction with Allie (Poots), a young woman working at the concert. With the help of Allie, Jeff finds himself coming face to face with a lifetime of mixed feelings about his absent father and their bond, which consists almost entirely of music. Algrant juxtaposes Jeff’s entry into his father’s world with scenes of Tim (Rosenfeld) in his heyday, which was also his decline. The film builds to the performance night and a stirring encore delivered by Jeff himself.

Greetings from Tim Buckley 2 — Photo from http://www.tiff.net

Greetings works mainly due to the strengths of it leads. The film is not horribly original in context or execution, we’ve seen this before in other docu-dramas, but the context is unique in that it has no inclination to examine the coming stardom of Jeff. Instead it keeps the focus of the story years before his landmark album Grace. Even his drowning in 1997 is left to a simple end title card sequence. Badgley is terrific as Jeff, matched only by the mesmerizing work of Poots. The chemistry between the two is palpable and makes the scenes between the two so much stronger than the rest of the film. Sadler is criminally underutilized here as one of Tim’s former band members and best friend, there for the concert as well. The music is the other star of the film, using mainly Tim’s songs not Jeff’s, as we see through the talent of the father what may have become of the son. Like Yellow, Greetings from Tim Buckley is worth tracking down for the performances alone. Greetings is a recommend.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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