SCHERZO DIABOLICO: Adrián García Bogliano's best yet gets VOD/Digital HD debut this week

The Spanish genre filmmaker Adrián García Bogliano -- who, a couple of years back, gave us the very interesting, low-key horror film Here Comes the Devil, and followed that up with a good episode from the horror omnibus, The ABCs of Death, then handed us a pretty crappy werewolf attempt called Late Phases -- is back this week with his latest and best endeavor so far, a dark, often surprising, and very nasty kidnap thriller called SCHERZO DIABOLICO.

Bogliano, shown at left, seems most often to deal with not-very-healthy family situations, not to mention people to whom it is rather difficult to warm. While this makes what happens to many of his characters a tad easier to accept, it can also distance us from his film's protagonists. This is very much the case with Scherzo Diabolico, the protagonist of which is a short-but-not-unattractive family man (his small fingers would not reach an octave, or so his piano teacher once told him: Listen up, Donald Trump!) whose boss refuses to pay him for overtime and whose wife is all-too-quick with the insults.

So our "hero" hatches a very oddball plot, the putting-into-action of which proves both bizarre and hugely disconcerting. Though it involves kidnapping, there's really no rape or torture included, yet so absolutely thoughtless of the mental well-being of his prisoner is our guy that what eventually happens, while it takes quite a leap of faith, is also so bizarre and joltingly effective that genre aficionados are likely remain on board right through the vicious finale.

Some kind of vengeance is on almost everybody's mind in this thriller, and Bogliano's penchant for exploring narcissistic egos and dysfunctionality is put to fine use. To go further into plot would simply spoil things. Suffice it to say that the musical score, which makes use of some good classical stuff, is top-notch, and the performances are, too -- right down the line.

Especially fine are Bogliano regular Francisco Barreiro (above and further above) as the corporate-ladder-climbing male and Daniela Soto Vell (below, and three photos up) as his "victim." Both are terrifically compelling and believable. And the filmmaker is getting especially good at bouncing back and forth between subtlety and shock, dark comedy and sheer horror. This is a wild ride, but it's one that you'll likely remember for awhile, even given our continuing glut of more-than-passably-entertaining genre movies.

Scherzo Diabolico -- from Dark Sky Films and running 91 minutes -- hits VOD and Digital HD this Tuesday, May 3, for either purchase or rental. I watched the DVD version of the film, and on the disc is a very enjoyable bonus feature in which three of the film's five good actresses talk about their roles as the strong women behind the weak men in the movie. Two of the three actresses' ideas are smart and provocative and make this maybe-20-minute "extra" very much worth watching.  

On Blu-ray/DVD/VOD/Dig: Gavin O'Connor's (very) slow-burn western, JANE GOT A GUN

Better than you may have heard (only 40% positive from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes), but nothing to get excited about, either, the would-be-home-invasion-cum-revenge western, JANE GOT A GUN, proves pretty to look at (via the scenery and the faces of its stars Natalie Portman and Joel Edgerton) as well as decently acted by its ensemble and adequately directed by Gavin O'Connor.

Mr. O'Connor, shown at right, came to the project very late, when the original director suddenly withdrew, and the screenplay he was saddled with (credited to Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis and Mr. Edgerton), while laconic enough to pass muster in the western genre, does contain a couple of roll-your-eye howlers along the way. Ms Portman (above and below) is most definitely the star, but her supporting cast is good enough to keep viewers on their toes.

In addition to Edgerton, shown below, that cast includes Noah Emmerich as Jane's wounded husband, whose initial appearance starts the ball rolling, and a nearly unrecognizable Ewan McGregor (two photos below) as the chief baddie and revenge-seeker (though this is the kind of movie in which almost everyone seems to want revenge for something or other).

It is also a very violent movie, in which torturous pain is inflicted prior to death. So this may turn off more than a few viewers. Those remaining (who probably enjoy the western genre or they wouldn't be here) can feed off the stark but lovely landscapes and the slow-burning plot, in which Jane must call upon her ex-boyfriend to help her hubby and herself survive the coming onslaught.

The plot is not all that unusual -- there's a set-up for a huge explosion that we can be sure is coming -- but there is a small surprise or two along the way (one of these is provided by a bird). By the shoot-em-up climax, we've been treated to enough of those why-the-fuck-didn't-he-pull-the-trigger-when-he-had-the-chance moments to render the film silly, which leaves (spoiler just ahead) its feel-good denouement something less than believable.

Budd Boetticher's fine B-movie westerns still remain the genre's high point. See Seven Men From Now or Comanche Station for proof -- and these are around a half-hour shorter, too. (That's Boyd Holbrook, above, as one of the current film's lesser bad guys.)

Meanwhile, Jane Got a Gun -- from The Weinstein Company and Anchor Bay Entertainment and running 98 minutes -- hits the street on Blu-ray (in a nice transfer), DVD and VOD this Tuesday, April 26, after being available on Digital HD since April 15 -- for either purchase or rental.

Time-waster worth watching: WILD CARD -- West & Goldman's ode to addiction & justice

The first thing you may notice about WILD CARD is how leisurely it rolls along, especially considering that it stars Jason Statham in another of his many action-hero roles. Never uninteresting -- not for a moment -- the movie still ambles and zig-zags blithely on its way, stopping now and again for one those expected action set-pieces, each of which is very nicely done, though no more or less believable than any other action-heroics of recent times. Yet the movie works pleasantly and smartly enough to qualify as decent entertainment, thanks mostly to Statham's grace in both action (below) and repose (at bottom: he's quieter and more thoughtful here than I've seen him in some time) and to a more unusual screenplay than we are used to getting in this genre, by a fellow named William Goldman.

Mr. Goldman, a rather famous screenwriter (Butch Cassidy..., The Princess Bride and author of that immortal line about the industry, "Nobody knows anything"), has here written a journeyman screenplay filled with interesting characters and situations that wax and wane with a different rhythm than usual for this genre and allow for some good actors to register strongly in a bunch of nearly-throw-away roles.

These would include the likes of Hope Davis (below, as a casino dealer); Jason Alexander (above), as a helpful friend;

Anne Heche, below, right, as a friendly waitress (Ms Heche gets two scenes in the film);

Stanley Tucci (below, in a terrific hairpiece), as a casino owner (of possibly gay predilection) called Baby;

and a interesting young actress named Dominik Garcia-Lorrido (below, who spends most of the film looking very beaten-up and who, according to the IMDB, turns out to be the daughter of Andy Garcia) in the pivotal role of an abused prostitute who wants vengeance.

Directed professionally and economically by Simon West, the film's plot takes in themes of addiction, con games, justice, and finding oneself -- and if it does not deepen these to any extent, it at least gives them a decent hearing, while providing a nice forum for Statham's abilities as action star and actor-in-progress.

That's Sofia Vergara, above, looking as beautiful as ever, but this time in a role in which she seems sweeter than usual. (Most of these actors have but a single scene, yet, together they register as an enjoyable group.)

Also in the starry cast is Michael Angarano (above) as a young man who hires the Statham character as a protector/guide, and as usual Angarano proves equal to the task while adding extra interest to the proceedings.

No great shakes, of course, and yet, while been-there-done-that would seem to hang over this movie, by the end, it has become something a little different -- and pleasantly welcome. Wild Card, from Lionsgate and run-ning 92 minutes, is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and digital platforms.

Blu-ray/DVDebut: the Teplitzky/Boyce/Paterson adaptation of Eric Lomax's THE RAILWAY MAN

"The Japanese: such a cruel race." That line from the film version of Bridget Jones' Diary, spoken by Gemma Jones with utter panache and impeccable breeding, immediately entered my pantheon of hilarious movie moments. The line came to mind again, for very different reasons, during my viewing of THE RAILWAY MAN, the screen adaptation of Eric Lomax's popular book about his own experiences in WWII, directed by Jonathan Teplitzky from a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson. What a story here unfolds: the war, specifically the war in the Pacific, together with the imprisonment, torture and killing inflicted by the Japanese on, in this case, some young and not-so-young men in the British military.

Not having read the book, I can only comment on the quite lovely-to-look-at movie that has resulted, featuring fine performances from the always exceptional Colin Firth and the almost always good Nicole Kidman, and excellent ones, too, from Stellan Skarsgård and, as the fellow who pays the younger version of Firth, the well-chosen Jeremy Irvine. As directed by Mr. Teplitzky (shown at right, who directed 2011's interesting Burning Man), the film begins very well, as it moves back and forth in time from WWII to several decades later, during which the post-traumatic stress endured by the characters played by Firth and Skarsgård becomes nearly unendurable.

The film works so well in its initial stages, as Lomax and his wife-to-be (above) meet, fall in love and marry, and we learn of the dreadful things that happened to the younger character and his comrades (below) in the war, that the movie builds beautifully a real head of steam that eventually takes us to a place where we begin to understand why some ex-soldiers can never talk about what they went through in wartime, for fear of complete collapse into horror and madness.

The movie eventually reaches the point that we've been waiting for, in which Lomax has the opportunity to meet again, after all these decades, the Japanese man who helped instigate and facilitate his torture. What will happen -- retribution, reconciliation, redemption?

These three "re" words are quite popular with moviemakers these days, and for good reason. Two of them provide the kind of feel-good experience many audiences dearly love, while the third -- retribution -- offers the vengeance other audiences crave. (Often it's the same audience: We can love revenge and forgiveness, too!)

The Railway Man appears to be offering all three of these pleasures, but it pulls its punches on each. Without giving away spoilers, I'll just say that, for me, the movie simply withered, the closer it came to its final resting place. It begins to plod, just when it needs to soar.

This is because the filmmaker has not found the specific filmic vocabulary for reconciliation and redemption. He's filled his film with great natural beauty, but this isn't enough. He and his screenwriters have not given the actors the specifics required via dialog and visuals to make the huge but necessary leap required.

We understand what is happening, all right, but it's all too easy and obvious. The depth of feeling, of experience, of understanding, is still missing. Which is too bad because there is still much to love about The Railway Man, which is worth a watch if you'll just tamp down those expectations. Unless, of course, you are one of those for whom redemption and "redumbtion" are a little too closely related.

Meanwhile, you can see the movie, running 116 minutes, in a sterling Blu-ray transfer or on DVD this coming Tuesday, August 12, when its hits the street via TWC and Anchor Bay Entertainment. 

Blu-ray/DVDebut: Jeremy Saulnier's smart, thought-provoking vengeance tale, BLUE RUIN

One of the most oddball, funny and smart/sleazily enjoyable slasher comedies TrustMovies has seen -- the 2007 Murder Party -- suddenly popped up when I clicked to see the IMDB profile for Jeremy Saulnier (shown below), director, writer and cinematog-rapher of the generally well-received BLUE RUIN. Murder Party was an original -- a comic tale of "art," life and the mayhem that ensues when a fellow is invited to said party as the "guest of honor." It's been seven years since that film made its debut, and we've still seen nothing quite like it. Now we have Mr. Saulnier's latest endeavor to consider and content us. Again, it's an original.

This time, however, Saulnier is every bit as serious about his characters and events as he was lighthearted about those in his earlier piece. And though his movie is indeed original, its genre -- the vengeance thriller -- is anything but. Yet how this talented filmmaker approaches his story, how he parcels out information so that both we and the characters we're watching learn more about what is really going on and why makes for a much more thoughtful and problematic tale than we initially expect.

Who actually initiated the killings that began the tale and will continue, as well as who in the two families involved decides to keep the revenge going: These are things we learn along the way that stop us short and make us re-consider.

Saulnier tosses us into the middle of things immediately, in the person of Dwight (Macon Blair, in an unforgettable performance), initially hirsute, wide-eyed and looking like a crazy man (two photos above) then later, clearn shaven and more more "together" (just above) That he is not as crazy as might have imagined is quickly brought home by the kindly woman cop who alerts Dwight to some unsettling news.

I don't want to give much more away regarding plot twists and turns. I'll just say that every last one of these is believable and adds to the complexities on view. Along the way, we meet Dwight's sister (Amy Hargreaves, above), his old high school friend (Devin Ratray, below), and finally members of the, well, "opposing" family.

How it all is resolved should leave you satisfied, but not in the usual, vengeance-is-mine manner. When Blue Ruin made its theatrical debut a few months back, some critics remarked that, really, it was just another revenge tale. But it is not. It's a lot deeper and problematic that that. On the basis of Saulnier's two full-length films, I'd call him a very accomplished young filmmaker, one whom I will follow wherever he chooses to go.

Meanwhile, Blue Ruin -- from Anchor Bay Entertainment and Radius-TWC and running just 90 minutes -- appeared on DVD and Blu-ray yesterday, July 22 (the Blu-ray transfer, by the way, is smashing), for purchase or rental.

Don't pass on PARKER: Hackford/McLaughlin/ Westlake's good-old-fashioned vengeance tale

Sometimes you've really got to marvel at what mainstream audiences allow to get by unseen. Along comes a smart, slick, glossy entertainment like PARKER -- a tale of heists and revenge that gives Jason Statham another good role and Jennifer Lopez the best of her career since Out of Sight -- and just about nobody goes to see it. Well, that can be remedied now, as the movie has hit Netflix streaming, where its action, thrills, surprises and crackerjack cast combine for pure, old-fashioned pleasure.

The film's director, Taylor Hackford (at right) -- from An Officer and a Gentleman to Ray -- is no slouch when it comes to glossy entertainment, and the screenplay by John J. McLaughlin (from the novel by Donald E. Westlake) is better-than-average, with a plot that tosses us into the middle of things, backtracks so we get our bearings, and then rumbles along smartly toward the inevitable. And there is also a lot of good, crisp, pointed dialog that whisks that plot forward while providing some occasionally succulent repartee.

This takes place between everyone from Statham (below right, with Lopez),

to the fine supporting cast that includes Nick Nolte (below, right) as Statham's soon-to-be father-in-law and Patti Lupone, as Lopez's funny, surly mom.

As the quartet of bad guys (shown from left to right, below), Wendell Pierce, Michael Chiklis, Micah A. Hauptman and Clifton Collins, Jr. do a bang-up job of being so juicily bad that you don't care a fig what happens to them.

You expect the best (or pretty near it) from this roster of support, and while Staham continues to grow as both an actor and a charismatic screen presence,

the real surprise of the movie is Ms Lopez, an actress who usually sets my teeth on edge with her smarmy cutesiness and pretend proletariat leanings. Here, however, she's got a role into which she can and does sink her own teeth: an approaching-40 real estate salesmen with few prospects and not much of anything to offer save her pretty-good face and body. She is remarkably believable and winning, handling everything from her most dramatic scenes to her throwaway lines with aplomb. If I hadn't seen the actress previously and had to suffer through dreck like The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan and Monster-in-Law, I'd be yelling, "When can we see this woman in something else?" Maybe it's the difference in directors, but, boy, there is a difference in the level of her performance here!

All by saying, you should give this movie a chance. It's got a real knack for separating the better criminals from the worse, and it treats its audience as adults who can understand that, just because you have two hot stars in the leading roles, their characters do not have to be romantically linked. In fact, it's all for the better that they already have significant others: the lovely Emma Booth for Statham, and just possibly the wonderful Bobby Cannavale for Lopez. Oh, yeah -- one more thing: Is it likely that you'll ever again get to see Mr. Statham playing a kindly, helpful grey-haired priest?

Parker is available now via Netflix streaming, on DVD --  and elsewhere, I'm sure.

DVDebut: Oscar L. Costo's SHANGHAI RED proves juicy, intelligent, moving melodrama

TrustMovies had never heard of the Cuban-born producer, director and (more recently) writer Oscar L. Costo before seeing this guy's movie SHANGHAI RED, but he was impressed enough with that film to try to find out more about Mr. Costo -- who has had, it turns out, a fairly prolific career making movies for TV. Costo has clearly been learning on the job over the decades (he turns 58, I believe, this July 11 -- if anyone wants to send a birthday card), but if this latest concoction is any indication, the recent addition of screenwriting to his resume may be a very good thing. Shanghai Red, a revenge melodrama filmed and set in its titular city, is an almost shockingly enjoyable ride -- at once dreamy and deadly, cold and calculating, and finally surprising and moving in about equal proportions. Oh -- and it is completely involving, too. Paying attention proves easy here.

Careers such as that of Mr. Costo often, I suspect, go unremarked upon, mostly because they take their time to build and do not appear to come out of nowhere and jolt us critics into paying attention to the newest and latest "thing." Shanghai Red, as a matter of fact, compares well with a number of good films that have come out of Hong Kong, while maintaining its own pedigree and distinction. It is the first film that Costo has also written; his second such, Shanghai Blue, has not been released yet, and it will be interesting to see where the filmmaker, apparently using the same stars and vengeance theme, goes this time.

It's been a full eight months since TrustMovies has seen Shanghai Red, so I may be remembering it in flawed fashion. But it left a strong enough impression on me that I want to bring it to your attention. It stars two smart and appealing actors: Vivian Wu (above, from The Joy Luck Club, Heaven and Earth, The Pillow Book and The Soong Sisters) and Richard Burgi (below, mostly from TV roles, but also In Her Shoes and the Fun With Dick and Jane remake). Both actors prove very good as characters that remain mysterious for quite some time. Who are these people? To the film's credit, you'll care enough to stay and find out.

In addition to the revenge plot, there's a family saga, a little charming comedy of Chinese manners (too many cats,  and a scene about a math problem), and enough travelogue-style beauty to have you watching for the scenery alone.

We've got interesting cultural exchanges, an assassin who's also a terrific therapist, and mostly just a great melodrama. If the pieces sometimes seem to fit too neatly together, as often happens with melodrama (that's one of the characteristics that makes it melo-drama, right?) within the movie's framework lies enough life and truth to offer a journey toward revelation that is quite worthwhile.

Shanghai Red, has I think, completed its own theatrical journey around the country, and is (or soon will be) out on DVD.  I was originally told by it's distributor, Indican Films, that it would be available this week, but now, it seems, the release has been delayed three weeks until July 12. You can SAVE it now on Netflix or Blockbuster, or order it from Amazon. Redbox is considering stocking the title, and it will be available via iTunes sometime in September. Give the film a try, readers. It's fun -- and shows a lot of talent both behind and in front of the camera.