The 5 Best DVD Releases of January 2013

 Dave’s 3-Word Review:Good Solid PlotTim Burton is no stranger to stop-motion animation. We all know of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Corpse Bride“, even “James and the Giant Peach” which Burton worked on as a producer. His latest film, “Frankenweenie” does not lack in what you would come to expect from a Tim Burton stop-motion film. It does come to a surprise, however, that the film is not a musical as his other stop-motion animation films have been. Did it really even need to be a musical to feel like a Tim Burton stop-motion work of art? Not at all.Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) had the best dog in the world. His name was Sparky, and he would do anything for that dog. Victor and his family liked to make their own monster movies starring Sparky himself, but when Sparky is hit by a car while the family is off at a baseball game, Victor loses it. Inspiration sets in when his scientist teacher presents what happens to muscles after death when they come in contact with electricity. So off to the pet cemetery Victor left, and exhumed Sparky’s mangled up corpse to attempt to bring it back from the dead. It worked, but who can keep  a zombie dog secret for too long? Yes, before too long, hunchback Edgar ‘E’ Gore (Atticus Shaffer) finds out, and that is when things worsen.You see, Edgar ‘E’ Gore was a blabber mouth, and because the entire class was assigned a science project, every one of the kids decided that necromancy is a good enough theory to win the project. Only none of the other kids had the heart or passion that Victor had, so without that love, you can only imagine what happens. It was that love and passion that created a scientific variable that couldn’t be repeated, at least not the same way. However, this film portrayed a snowball effect. You do one bad thing with disastrous implications, bad things are sure to follow.This movie, first of all, is in black and white, as the original 1984 short film was (also a Burton flick). This was a brilliant move, because there is just no other way you can see “Frankenweenie” portrayed. This isn’t just a re-telling of the “Frankenstein” story, this is a parody on a number of other horror films with references to such films as “Frankenstein“, “Bride of Frankenstein“, Steven King’s “Pet Sematary” “The Mummy“, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds“, “Godzilla“, and “Gremlins“. There is also shout-outs to classic Tim Burton films such as “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas“.  Also feel free to put this into the category of parodies done right. Good parodies are allowed to have a plot for a majority of the film, and this film had a good, solid plot.It does take a second to get to the point, at least more than what you would expect from it. Once it does, however, you will be pleasantly surprised at how heartwarming the film is. It shows a good amount of respect to classic horror films while not distracting from the main story. This is a story of loss and acceptance, with that all-too-familiar Tim Burton twist. For those of us that have lost loved ones or pets, who wouldn’t have wished to bring them back from the dead? This film is both satisfying and important to those that have lost loved ones. If you take a deeper look into the film, it might even be telling you that death is not the end, it will happen, sure, but don’t fear it. You may not see this message, but is it possible that they may have been shooting for that at some point while filming? Sure, anything is possible.You may not be a fan of Tim Burton films, and that is fine. There are a lot of people that can’t stand nor understand his stuff. There are others, however, that would never miss an opportunity to see what else he has come up with, and is planning to in the future. This film is for the Burton fans and those looking to see if they could one day be a fan. For those that aren’t fans, just know one thing, you don’t have to worry about Johnny Depp making a cameo. We all know that can be a bit exhausting. Dave’s 3-Word Review:Seinfeld, but DarkYou have got to love a movie that separates itself from the tiring stereotypes of virtually every other film like it. Sometimes it is simply too easy to pick overused ideas and change into your own creation. We like to see original works of art from people that are willing to go that extra mile to be unique, to be special. One way that comedies tend to do this is by making a movie ridiculous, which is a huge risk; they would have to get everything right. “Seven Psychopaths” is one of these unique films that deserve to be seen at least once.Colin Farrell plays an alcoholic screenwriter named Marty. Marty has been struggling with his latest screenplay called “Seven Psychopaths” He mostly struggled on trying to create these psychopaths that don’t fall into the category of stereotypical Hollywood garbage, but rather are unique and different, something people might actually like. So he and his friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) brainstorm different ideas for these psychopaths. All the while Billy and Hans (Christopher Walken) run a business of kidnapping dogs and acting innocent as they return the dogs for a cash reward, one day they kidnap the wrong dog from the wrong owner. Charlie (Woody Harrelson) loves his Shih Tzu Bonnie, and when she is kidnapped, he vowed to kill her captors.What’s so interesting about this film is that before seeing it, you think these seven so-called psychopaths are what this movie is about, but there are two main stories at play. The first being the story about Marty and the other is his screenplay. Both go hand in hand, because unbeknownst to Marty; his book is loosely based on a true story, thanks to the input that his friends have given him. You know what else? You get a good idea of how the whole movie will play out by the end, and it’s not too shabby of a film on its own. In that regards, the movie is actually pretty smart.It is also pretty smart because it took a monumental risk that most filmmakers are too cowardly to try. They gave a comedic film ridiculousness and it held up. A lot of the movie is nonsense as these people just ramble on about random things that don’t seem to do with anything else, but it makes sense in a way. Remember the entire premise of “Seinfeld”? It was a television show about nothing, and each episode included a number of actors rambling on about nothing that danced to the tune of an episodic arc. The same can be said here. The overall arc was about this villain trying to get his dog back, because he loves that dog. It’s so ridiculous, but it fit the overall vibe the film gave off. Then these friends try to complete the screenplay before they all end up dying in an end-of-the-movie shootout. Again, completely bonkers, but it matches the vibe.The comedy in the movie is only hilarious if you are a fan of random and dark humor. The look and the feel of the movie is lighter, but all of the jokes tend to revolve around death. Basically, if you were a fan of “Seinfeld” and tend to like dark humor, then there is a good chance that you are going to have a great time watching this film. If not, you could still enjoy it because the movie does have a lot to offer, but it still isn’t for everyone.Visually speaking, there isn’t a ton of gore throughout the film, but when it happens, it really happens. Imagine a young child that only has a red crayon coloring in a person in a coloring book, and that person was cut out and brought to life, you would get a good idea of how one victim in the film looked like. Dave’s 3-Word Review:Flawed, but RealisticIf you are a fan of reality television, then at some point in your life you have probably caught sight of the famous show, “C.O.P.S“. Even if you have never watched the show, most of you will probably already have a good idea of how the show operates. Some of the television show is actual footage used from the on-board patrol car camera. The rest of it is mainly shot from a documentary crew following the police around on their daily endeavors. Jake Gyllenhaal‘s latest film, “End of Watch” follows the same concept…to a degree.Officer Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) works for the Los Angeles police department. He had the idea to document his life as an officer with cleverly placed video cameras on his pocket, as well as his partner, Mike (Michael Pena). While out on a routine patrol, these officers stop a car, only to find guns and a load of cash, which inevitably puts a hit out on their life from a serious drug cartel. Ever since this happens, Taylor and Mike continually run into truly shocking scenes that seemingly deepen in seriousness. It’s a fight for their lives in this dramatic action flick.While this film has the initial feeling of another found-footage film, that’s not entirely the idea. The view itself does switch to our antagonists here and there, as well as having the typical establishing shot. No matter how much the perspective changes, it continues to feel like found-footage, as if our key characters are following around these gangsters with their video cameras while somehow managing to stay out of their line of sight. It may be an overall feeling of the film, but it does mix with the officer’s footage, giving this idea of consistency the feeling of inconsistency. The question emerges of what purpose there really was using home video-style with the police if they were going to do the same thing with the opponents without them even having a camera. They should have instead only used found footage for the police, and used a different perspective for the antagonists for a more complete and satisfactory result.The other problem you may find with this film was how convenient can it really be to be an officer for the LAPD? There was a scene where the police literally picked a police report at random to investigate, resulting in bodies and decapitations. The audience may feel as if the movie took the believability slightly too far. There should have been some kind of other minor scenes to dull it back down to believability, because if this is what every cop in LAPD is going to be dealing with on a daily basis, it may be a better idea to let the FBI take a look at the city in general, because something has to be wrong. This does not mean that there was no positives in this film, because there absolutely was.Regardless of its flaws, the movie had a remarkable sense of honesty that accompanied it. While police may not go through these types of ordeals daily or as often as they did in this film, it is possible for police to run into grisly scenes, and the way that they handled the situations and reacted to them feels real. It also relayed the trust and love that police have for each other and how they see each other as family. So in some respects it does feel inconsistent and unrealistic, but in other cases it feels intense and realistic, more so for the latter.The actors were able to portray each scene as it should have been portrayed. For example when they wanted a scene to come off as shocking, that’s how it was portrayed. When they wanted a scene to feel funny, it was funny, and when they wanted it to feel lighthearted, that’s exactly what came off. The acting was stellar, as Gyllenhaal has consistently proven his abilities throughout the years.“End of Watch” really is a thrill, and as an audience we want to know what happens next, and if these two will make it out alive. With films that try to involve as many realistic scenarios as possible, you really don’t know how it will end up unless it is actually based on a well known true story. For that, the film is unpredictable, which is almost always a joy to watch.Overall, yes the film had flaws, primarily speaking with it’s decision on how to deal with the visuals, and how those blended in together. It also had issues with realism, but at the same time had a realistic aspect as well. It’s a great film and should be watched for a number of reasons. If you don’t have it already, this film may win your respect to local police officers everywhere.View the list »
 Dave’s 3-Word Review:Violent and ExcitingWe live in a world of sequels and remakes, and for a good majority of these films, the reception turns out pretty harshly. This is probably because a remake will lose what everyone loved about the original. However rare it may be, a remake may come along that people will enjoy more than the original. One such film is “Dredd“, a film that has been recognized by many critics as better than the original. How true is that though?It a futuristic world, there is a fine line between order and chaos. There is one system of justice in the world, and that is the judges. Each judge has the power of judge, jury and execution. Our story follows Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), one of the most popular judges in the whole pool. An extremely addicting drug called Slo-Mo has made its rounds around the city, slowing down the perceptions of its user to 1% of normalcy. This drug is manufactured in a slum tower block known as “Peach Trees” headed by Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a common criminal. Dredd, along with a psychic rookie judge, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) head to the tower to put an end to the madness. The only problem is that the tower is locked down by indestructible blast shields. It is up to Dredd and Anderson to ascend the tower, taking out whoever crosses them.Already we know a monumental fact. This is a completely different story than the original film. Those of you who have seen the film “Judge Dredd” starring Sylvester Stallone are already aware that the film centered around Dredd as he is framed with murder. Some people are offended at such a shift in story, but it shouldn’t be the same, if we wanted the same we would see the original. It has plenty of homage to the original film, and plenty of originality accompanying it.The story itself feels like a classic. It feels like a classic because it is incredibly simple and it is something that we have actually seen quite a few times. It’s a very simple idea. Have the main hero start at the bottom level moving up until he reaches the boss. It is in every single video game, so gamers will love this film. The same can be said for a few other movies like Bruce Lee’s famous “Tower of Death” or even last years Indonesian hit, “Raid: The Redemption“. It is one of those incredibly simple storylines that are a blast to watch, and a good vacation from the long list of complex storylines that are equally as great.3D is implemented in this film, so you can expect to find some stunning visuals involved. For the most part, there are extremely vivid colors and slow-motion magic attributed to the Slo-Mo drug that never gets tiring to look at. It’s beautiful, even when people are getting their heads blown off. So be prepared to have conflicting emotions concerning the visuals. Apart from that, there is a lot of action, violence, and gore throughout. From start to finish, the action is unrelenting, so fans of action-flicks will also love this movie to death.The acting could have used a little help. There is nothing particularly special about any of the characters when it comes to acting. Nothing shouts great acting, as it is mostly drowned out by the action and violence. However, what is lost with the acting is gained by the character in general. There is a reason why this was made into a remake. The character of Judge Dredd is incredibly memorable. The filmmakers were somehow able to grasp the positive features of the original and translate it into this version.This film is not for the viewer with the weak stomach. While the gore is slightly unrealistic at times, it is still gore, and you get the idea in gruesome detail. For everyone else, this film is fun and exciting. It is a reminder of what made older films a joy to watch, while taking out what maybe made it ludicrous. It is the best of both worlds, if you can call it that. Yes, it has its issues, but nothing an audience member won’t be able to look past.

Movies newsletter

Every month, we are offered a wide variety of DVD and Blu-Ray releases that we are sure to either look out for or avoid. However, some of us don't really know what some of the movies are about or if we should even pay them any attention. In the month of January, we were offered twenty-six movies on DVD and Blu-Ray, and those movies were (in alphabetical order):

Related topics

Advertisement
  1. 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity
  2. All Superheroes Must Die
  3. Branded
  4. Cold Light of Day
  5. Compliance
  6. Cosmopolis
  7. Dredd
  8. End of Watch
  9. For a Good Time, Call
  10. Frankenweenie
  11. Game Change
  12. Guns, Girls & Gambling
  13. Hit & Run
  14. Hotel Transylvania
  15. House at the End of the Street
  16. Nature Calls
  17. Nobody Walks
  18. Paperboy, The
  19. Paranormal Activity 4
  20. Possession, The
  21. Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden
  22. Seven Psychopaths
  23. Stolen
  24. Taken 2
  25. The Awakening
  26. Won't Back Down

So in this wide range of movies, what were the top five movie releases that we should definitely check out? This list offers a good idea of movies to look out for the next time you are at a DVD rack.

View the list
  •  Dave’s 3-Word Review:Violent and ExcitingWe live in a world of sequels and remakes, and for a good majority of these films, the reception turns out pretty harshly. This is probably because a remake will lose what everyone loved about the original. However rare it may be, a remake may come along that people will enjoy more than the original. One such film is “Dredd“, a film that has been recognized by many critics as better than the original. How true is that though?It a futuristic world, there is a fine line between order and chaos. There is one system of justice in the world, and that is the judges. Each judge has the power of judge, jury and execution. Our story follows Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), one of the most popular judges in the whole pool. An extremely addicting drug called Slo-Mo has made its rounds around the city, slowing down the perceptions of its user to 1% of normalcy. This drug is manufactured in a slum tower block known as “Peach Trees” headed by Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a common criminal. Dredd, along with a psychic rookie judge, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) head to the tower to put an end to the madness. The only problem is that the tower is locked down by indestructible blast shields. It is up to Dredd and Anderson to ascend the tower, taking out whoever crosses them.Already we know a monumental fact. This is a completely different story than the original film. Those of you who have seen the film “Judge Dredd” starring Sylvester Stallone are already aware that the film centered around Dredd as he is framed with murder. Some people are offended at such a shift in story, but it shouldn’t be the same, if we wanted the same we would see the original. It has plenty of homage to the original film, and plenty of originality accompanying it.The story itself feels like a classic. It feels like a classic because it is incredibly simple and it is something that we have actually seen quite a few times. It’s a very simple idea. Have the main hero start at the bottom level moving up until he reaches the boss. It is in every single video game, so gamers will love this film. The same can be said for a few other movies like Bruce Lee’s famous “Tower of Death” or even last years Indonesian hit, “Raid: The Redemption“. It is one of those incredibly simple storylines that are a blast to watch, and a good vacation from the long list of complex storylines that are equally as great.3D is implemented in this film, so you can expect to find some stunning visuals involved. For the most part, there are extremely vivid colors and slow-motion magic attributed to the Slo-Mo drug that never gets tiring to look at. It’s beautiful, even when people are getting their heads blown off. So be prepared to have conflicting emotions concerning the visuals. Apart from that, there is a lot of action, violence, and gore throughout. From start to finish, the action is unrelenting, so fans of action-flicks will also love this movie to death.The acting could have used a little help. There is nothing particularly special about any of the characters when it comes to acting. Nothing shouts great acting, as it is mostly drowned out by the action and violence. However, what is lost with the acting is gained by the character in general. There is a reason why this was made into a remake. The character of Judge Dredd is incredibly memorable. The filmmakers were somehow able to grasp the positive features of the original and translate it into this version.This film is not for the viewer with the weak stomach. While the gore is slightly unrealistic at times, it is still gore, and you get the idea in gruesome detail. For everyone else, this film is fun and exciting. It is a reminder of what made older films a joy to watch, while taking out what maybe made it ludicrous. It is the best of both worlds, if you can call it that. Yes, it has its issues, but nothing an audience member won’t be able to look past.
  •  Dave’s 3-Word Review:Flawed, but RealisticIf you are a fan of reality television, then at some point in your life you have probably caught sight of the famous show, “C.O.P.S“. Even if you have never watched the show, most of you will probably already have a good idea of how the show operates. Some of the television show is actual footage used from the on-board patrol car camera. The rest of it is mainly shot from a documentary crew following the police around on their daily endeavors. Jake Gyllenhaal‘s latest film, “End of Watch” follows the same concept…to a degree.Officer Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) works for the Los Angeles police department. He had the idea to document his life as an officer with cleverly placed video cameras on his pocket, as well as his partner, Mike (Michael Pena). While out on a routine patrol, these officers stop a car, only to find guns and a load of cash, which inevitably puts a hit out on their life from a serious drug cartel. Ever since this happens, Taylor and Mike continually run into truly shocking scenes that seemingly deepen in seriousness. It’s a fight for their lives in this dramatic action flick.While this film has the initial feeling of another found-footage film, that’s not entirely the idea. The view itself does switch to our antagonists here and there, as well as having the typical establishing shot. No matter how much the perspective changes, it continues to feel like found-footage, as if our key characters are following around these gangsters with their video cameras while somehow managing to stay out of their line of sight. It may be an overall feeling of the film, but it does mix with the officer’s footage, giving this idea of consistency the feeling of inconsistency. The question emerges of what purpose there really was using home video-style with the police if they were going to do the same thing with the opponents without them even having a camera. They should have instead only used found footage for the police, and used a different perspective for the antagonists for a more complete and satisfactory result.The other problem you may find with this film was how convenient can it really be to be an officer for the LAPD? There was a scene where the police literally picked a police report at random to investigate, resulting in bodies and decapitations. The audience may feel as if the movie took the believability slightly too far. There should have been some kind of other minor scenes to dull it back down to believability, because if this is what every cop in LAPD is going to be dealing with on a daily basis, it may be a better idea to let the FBI take a look at the city in general, because something has to be wrong. This does not mean that there was no positives in this film, because there absolutely was.Regardless of its flaws, the movie had a remarkable sense of honesty that accompanied it. While police may not go through these types of ordeals daily or as often as they did in this film, it is possible for police to run into grisly scenes, and the way that they handled the situations and reacted to them feels real. It also relayed the trust and love that police have for each other and how they see each other as family. So in some respects it does feel inconsistent and unrealistic, but in other cases it feels intense and realistic, more so for the latter.The actors were able to portray each scene as it should have been portrayed. For example when they wanted a scene to come off as shocking, that’s how it was portrayed. When they wanted a scene to feel funny, it was funny, and when they wanted it to feel lighthearted, that’s exactly what came off. The acting was stellar, as Gyllenhaal has consistently proven his abilities throughout the years.“End of Watch” really is a thrill, and as an audience we want to know what happens next, and if these two will make it out alive. With films that try to involve as many realistic scenarios as possible, you really don’t know how it will end up unless it is actually based on a well known true story. For that, the film is unpredictable, which is almost always a joy to watch.Overall, yes the film had flaws, primarily speaking with it’s decision on how to deal with the visuals, and how those blended in together. It also had issues with realism, but at the same time had a realistic aspect as well. It’s a great film and should be watched for a number of reasons. If you don’t have it already, this film may win your respect to local police officers everywhere.
  •  Dave’s 3-Word Review:Seinfeld, but DarkYou have got to love a movie that separates itself from the tiring stereotypes of virtually every other film like it. Sometimes it is simply too easy to pick overused ideas and change into your own creation. We like to see original works of art from people that are willing to go that extra mile to be unique, to be special. One way that comedies tend to do this is by making a movie ridiculous, which is a huge risk; they would have to get everything right. “Seven Psychopaths” is one of these unique films that deserve to be seen at least once.Colin Farrell plays an alcoholic screenwriter named Marty. Marty has been struggling with his latest screenplay called “Seven Psychopaths” He mostly struggled on trying to create these psychopaths that don’t fall into the category of stereotypical Hollywood garbage, but rather are unique and different, something people might actually like. So he and his friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) brainstorm different ideas for these psychopaths. All the while Billy and Hans (Christopher Walken) run a business of kidnapping dogs and acting innocent as they return the dogs for a cash reward, one day they kidnap the wrong dog from the wrong owner. Charlie (Woody Harrelson) loves his Shih Tzu Bonnie, and when she is kidnapped, he vowed to kill her captors.What’s so interesting about this film is that before seeing it, you think these seven so-called psychopaths are what this movie is about, but there are two main stories at play. The first being the story about Marty and the other is his screenplay. Both go hand in hand, because unbeknownst to Marty; his book is loosely based on a true story, thanks to the input that his friends have given him. You know what else? You get a good idea of how the whole movie will play out by the end, and it’s not too shabby of a film on its own. In that regards, the movie is actually pretty smart.It is also pretty smart because it took a monumental risk that most filmmakers are too cowardly to try. They gave a comedic film ridiculousness and it held up. A lot of the movie is nonsense as these people just ramble on about random things that don’t seem to do with anything else, but it makes sense in a way. Remember the entire premise of “Seinfeld”? It was a television show about nothing, and each episode included a number of actors rambling on about nothing that danced to the tune of an episodic arc. The same can be said here. The overall arc was about this villain trying to get his dog back, because he loves that dog. It’s so ridiculous, but it fit the overall vibe the film gave off. Then these friends try to complete the screenplay before they all end up dying in an end-of-the-movie shootout. Again, completely bonkers, but it matches the vibe.The comedy in the movie is only hilarious if you are a fan of random and dark humor. The look and the feel of the movie is lighter, but all of the jokes tend to revolve around death. Basically, if you were a fan of “Seinfeld” and tend to like dark humor, then there is a good chance that you are going to have a great time watching this film. If not, you could still enjoy it because the movie does have a lot to offer, but it still isn’t for everyone.Visually speaking, there isn’t a ton of gore throughout the film, but when it happens, it really happens. Imagine a young child that only has a red crayon coloring in a person in a coloring book, and that person was cut out and brought to life, you would get a good idea of how one victim in the film looked like.
  •  Dave’s 3-Word Review:Good Solid PlotTim Burton is no stranger to stop-motion animation. We all know of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Corpse Bride“, even “James and the Giant Peach” which Burton worked on as a producer. His latest film, “Frankenweenie” does not lack in what you would come to expect from a Tim Burton stop-motion film. It does come to a surprise, however, that the film is not a musical as his other stop-motion animation films have been. Did it really even need to be a musical to feel like a Tim Burton stop-motion work of art? Not at all.Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) had the best dog in the world. His name was Sparky, and he would do anything for that dog. Victor and his family liked to make their own monster movies starring Sparky himself, but when Sparky is hit by a car while the family is off at a baseball game, Victor loses it. Inspiration sets in when his scientist teacher presents what happens to muscles after death when they come in contact with electricity. So off to the pet cemetery Victor left, and exhumed Sparky’s mangled up corpse to attempt to bring it back from the dead. It worked, but who can keep  a zombie dog secret for too long? Yes, before too long, hunchback Edgar ‘E’ Gore (Atticus Shaffer) finds out, and that is when things worsen.You see, Edgar ‘E’ Gore was a blabber mouth, and because the entire class was assigned a science project, every one of the kids decided that necromancy is a good enough theory to win the project. Only none of the other kids had the heart or passion that Victor had, so without that love, you can only imagine what happens. It was that love and passion that created a scientific variable that couldn’t be repeated, at least not the same way. However, this film portrayed a snowball effect. You do one bad thing with disastrous implications, bad things are sure to follow.This movie, first of all, is in black and white, as the original 1984 short film was (also a Burton flick). This was a brilliant move, because there is just no other way you can see “Frankenweenie” portrayed. This isn’t just a re-telling of the “Frankenstein” story, this is a parody on a number of other horror films with references to such films as “Frankenstein“, “Bride of Frankenstein“, Steven King’s “Pet Sematary” “The Mummy“, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds“, “Godzilla“, and “Gremlins“. There is also shout-outs to classic Tim Burton films such as “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas“.  Also feel free to put this into the category of parodies done right. Good parodies are allowed to have a plot for a majority of the film, and this film had a good, solid plot.It does take a second to get to the point, at least more than what you would expect from it. Once it does, however, you will be pleasantly surprised at how heartwarming the film is. It shows a good amount of respect to classic horror films while not distracting from the main story. This is a story of loss and acceptance, with that all-too-familiar Tim Burton twist. For those of us that have lost loved ones or pets, who wouldn’t have wished to bring them back from the dead? This film is both satisfying and important to those that have lost loved ones. If you take a deeper look into the film, it might even be telling you that death is not the end, it will happen, sure, but don’t fear it. You may not see this message, but is it possible that they may have been shooting for that at some point while filming? Sure, anything is possible.You may not be a fan of Tim Burton films, and that is fine. There are a lot of people that can’t stand nor understand his stuff. There are others, however, that would never miss an opportunity to see what else he has come up with, and is planning to in the future. This film is for the Burton fans and those looking to see if they could one day be a fan. For those that aren’t fans, just know one thing, you don’t have to worry about Johnny Depp making a cameo. We all know that can be a bit exhausting.
  •  Dave’s 3-Word ReviewPowerful and UnsettlingToo often, we are offered a film that is based on a true story or true events that is so loosely based on the “truth” that it really doesn’t matter. Other times, the true story in question is such a powerful and odd one that removing from what really happened would remove from the film itself. “Compliance” is one such film, where the details involved are so out of the ordinary that you wouldn’t think them to be true, that maybe we are smarter than that as human beings.Becky (Dreama Walker) is a regular girl working for a fast-food restaurant known as ChickWich. She is just trying to get by like everyone else. She is good friends with everyone that works there, except for Sandra (Ann Dowd), her manager, who suspects her of leaving the freezer open the night before. When Sandra gets a call from a police officer known as Officer Daniels (Pat Healy), he lets her know that Becky is being investigated of theft from an accusation made by a customer. Officer Daniels instructs Sandra to strip search Becky, and leave her clothes in her car for them to inspect later when they were done inspecting her house. Here’s the thing: It is a prank call. Because it was an extremely busy day at work, Officer Daniels instructed Sandra to get to work, and leave a male in charge of watching the suspect. She complies, and this is where it gets tense. Officer Daniels continues to instruct different males to sexually assault Becky because she is being disobedient, and they do, not wanting to get in trouble with the law. All of this happening behind Sandra’s back, who just thinks they are guarding her.This film is incredibly captivating, and the level of awkward tension in it is mind-blowing. If this were any other film, it would start to delve into the category of going too-far and being unbelievable. However, this is a true story, and if you took the time to research the true events behind everything, you would realize that this film captured what truly happened extremely well, and it is inconceivable to think that over 70 almost identical situations took place around our country.There is not a single performance in the film that lacked. You can tell the actors as well as the characters were both extremely uncomfortable with everything, and presenting it in such a way that they did in turn makes the audience uncomfortable. You will love to hate this movie, because there is no way you can look away, it is thrilling, it is captivating, and it is beyond belief. If ever you wanted a film to evoke such an emotional response from you, this would be it. It shows just how imprisoned we are when offered ultimatums. Caught up in the midst of a busy day at work and the unsettling nature of the strip search, they didn’t even think to double check the supposed cop’s credibility.One thing, this was not man versus man, self, or nature. Unless by nature you are referring to the nature of the wickedness of a man’s heart. It’s hard to sense the direction of the film. As a viewer, we have to know at some point they will have to figure out the caller isn’t who he says he is, but the journey to the end is brilliant. It continues to build unrelenting tension until finally, it closes, leaving the audience something to think about.“Compliance” is not a film to see if you are offended by nudity. There is a mild amount of nudity used in a disturbing manner, so if you think that will distract you, this may not be a movie for you.  Instead, the film tries to evoke its audience to be appalled at the inhumanity and cruelty that one man is willing to cause just for kicks. If you are willing to be sickened by the dark nature of humanity, then “Compliance” is right for you.
View the list
Suggested by the author:

, South Bend Movie Examiner

David Gilleand (24) is a film enthusiast and an established movie critic that has been featured on video sites such as Veoh.com and Nudia.tv. He has directly worked with names like Clifton Armstrong who worked as an Assistant Editor for "Jon & Kate Plus 8" as well as Jay Glatfelter from the...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...