Blu-Ray Review: SECRET IN THEIR EYES

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Dean Norris, Michael Kelly, Joe Cole, Alfred Molina. Directed by Billy Ray. (2015, 112 min).
UNIVERSAL

A remake of the Oscar-winning 2009 Argentine film, Secret in Their Eyes features a great cast, all who bring their A-game to the proceedings. Billy Ray, primarily a screenwriter known for such films as Flightplan, The Hunger Games and Captain Phillips, returns to the director's chair for the first time since 2007's Breach, which was an outstanding (and overlooked) political thriller. In my humble estimation, this one couldn't miss.

Yet somehow, it does miss. Secret in Their Eyes isn't a bad film. The basic story structure of the original sort-of remains, that of a man obsessed with catching a rapist/murderer who got away with his crime years before, with the same surprising revelation at the end. And you couldn't ask for a better cast, where you'll see Julia Roberts at her least-glamorous. The dialogue is smart and the music score by Frederico Jusid & Emilio Kauderer is suitably haunting (though occasionally derivative of the "Prophecy Theme" from Dune).

Julia learns there's no Easter Bunny.

But in updating everything for American audiences, including a wholly unnecessary romantic subplot between two main characters, a lot gets lost in the translation. It's obvious Billy Ray has tremendous respect for the original film. At the same time, this feels more like a checklist of key plot points than a truly creative reinterpretation, almost as though it exists entirely for the big reveal at the end.

Secret in Their Eyes is mildly interesting and you probably won't regret checking it out. But in the end, the original story has been simply rendered into just another standard thriller, something I did not expect considering the talent on both sides of the camera. Sure, the final denouement still works on a visceral level, but we have to sit through a lot of familiar claptrap to get to it.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Featurettes: "Adapting the Story to Today's World"; "Julia Roberts Discusses Here Most Challenging Role"
• Commentary by Writer/Director Billy Ray and Producer Mark Johnson
• DVD & Digital Copies

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEH...LIKE WATCHING THE DOG GETTING FED FIRST

Blu-Ray Review: THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Starring the voices of Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn. Directed by Peter Sohn. (2015, 94 min).
DISNEY / PIXAR

The Good Dinosaur will likely be remembered as Pixar's 'other' film released in 2015. The first, Inside Out, was such a triumphant return-to-form for the studio that this one was kind-of overshadowed and, to be honest, pales in comparison. While it isn't one of Pixar's homeruns, The Good Dinosaur hits a solid RBI double.

The initial what-if premise - an asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs actually missed - is mostly a gimmick to allow reptiles and humans to co-exist. Arlo is the fearful runt in a family of Apatosauruses, who maintain a corn field. Tragic circumstances (of the usual Disney variety) result in Argo being lost and on his own to find his way back home. He eventually befriends Spot, a feral caveboy who's also without a family. Enemies at first, these two learn to depend on each other for survival from one encounter to the next, which includes briefly falling-in with a family of cattle-herding T-Rexes.

There aren't a lot of surprises here, but the journey is entertaining enough and, as usual, the film is brilliantly animated. The Good Dinosaur might also be the only Pixar film made exclusively with kids in-mind, nearly devoid of gags or references only their parents would appreciate (save for Sam Elliott's casting as the head T-Rex). While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does automatically render the film one of the studio's lesser efforts.

Who farted?

Part of me also has to question the use of dialogue. The best scenes are those where no words are spoken, particular one near the end which is the most emotionally poignant in the entire film. Think of the heart-breaking intro to Up or the entire first half of WALL-E. They are dialogue free, yet still run us through an emotional wringer. The dialogue and voices in The Good Dinosaur aren't terrible or anything, but is it really necessary for these dinosaurs to speak? Couldn't the creative geniuses at Pixar found a way to tell the same story without words? If so, they might have had another masterpiece on their hands.

But I digress, because even with the missed creative opportunities, The Good Dinosaur is engaging, funny, suspenseful and better than a majority of the other 2015 films passing themselves off as family fare. Besides, if Pixar was to take my advice and get rid of all the dialogue, that would mean we couldn't enjoy Elliott's alligator campfire tale (the funniest scene in the entire film).

BONUS FEATURES:

• Featurettes: "The Filmmakers' Journey" (arguably the most comprehensive of the bonus features); "Hide and Seek"; "True Lies About Dinosaurs"; "Recyclosaurus"; "Every Part of the Dinsaur"; "Following the T-Rex Trail" (a real life family of Oregon Ranchers who inspired the T-Rex family in the film)
• Deleted Scenes
• Short Film: "Sanjay's Super Team" (which is cute, but not one of Pixar's best shorts)
• DVD & Digital Copies

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

Blu-Ray Review: 99 HOMES

Starring Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Noah Lomax, Clancy Brown. Directed by Ramin Bahrani. (2014, 112 min).
BROADGREEN PICTURES

Michael Shannon has always looked like an evil bastard...his hardened face, those leering eyes and snake-oil smirk that simply screams "don’t trust me." While I'm sure he's probably a great guy in reality, I'm equally sure I'd root against him even if he were playing Atticus Finch. Shannon just has one of those faces you feel like punching.

Meaning he's perfectly cast in 99 Homes as Rick Carver, an amoral, unscrupulous real estate operator who specializes in being the first to pounce on properties in foreclosure and mercilessly kicking out the occupants. Carver makes Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko look like the poster boy for empathy, showing zero remorse for his actions (legal or otherwise). In other words, it's a role Shannon was born to play, and he succeeds magnificently, sucking all our attention away from anybody else onscreen at the time.

If Carver is this film’s Gordon Gekko, then Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is its Bud Fox. Nash is a struggling construction worker trying to support his son and mother (Laura Dern) when the bank forecloses on their home. The next day, Carver and the police arrive with eviction papers. Forced to move to a seedy hotel, Nash is unable to find steady work until, ironically, Carver himself offers some quick cash for a clean-up job of another property he just foreclosed on. Nash’s skills and smarts quickly prove to be an asset, so Carver takes him under his wing and starts paying Nash handsomely to do a lot of the dirty work (which eventually includes evicting others the same way he was).

It’s a classic deal with the devil. Despite being lured by sudden wealth and a lavish lifestyle, guilt begins to weigh Nash down. His initial goal was to simply get back the house he grew up in, but instead, he finds himself turning into the very man he hated the most, alienating his mother and son in the process.

"This is my DC contract. A lot more zeroes than your Marvel one, huh?"

Unlike Wall Street, which reveled in glorious 80’s era excess, 99 Homes hits far closer to the bone. I don’t claim to know the ins-and-outs of the real estate business, nor the legalities involved in evicting financially-helpless people from their homes, but the film totally convinces us this shit occurs every day by assholes just as soulless as Carver. Victims left in his wake are rendered suddenly homeless, driven to desperation and no one seems to care. So even though we understand Nash’s decision to fall in-league with Carver in order to buy-back his old house and provide for his family, we get no joy out of his victories because he doesn’t either.

Hence, 99 Homes is by-no-means a fun film. But it’s truly compelling and darkly intense, buoyed by outstanding performances by both Shannon and Garfield (who proves he’s capable of a lot more than donning a Spidey suit). I don’t know how often anyone would ever want to revisit this story, but in the moment, one can’t help but be morbidly fascinated.

And yes, you'll want to repeatedly punch Shannon in the face.

BONUS FEATURES:
Audio Commentary by Writer/director Ramin Bahrani (includes a Deleted Scene)

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

(though sometimes cats don't appreciate TOO MUCH scratching)

Blu-Ray Review: PRESSURE POINT

Starring Sidney Poitier, Bobby Darin, Peter Falk, Barry Gordon, Howard Caine, Anne Barton, James Anderson. Directed by Hubert Cornfield. (1962, 89 min).
OLIVE FILMS 

Watching 1962's Pressure Point for the first time, I was often reminded of 1998's American History X. Both films tell a similar tale (how a young man evolves into a hateful neo-Nazi) and share the same narrative structure (the bulk of the story to told in flashback). But while American History X is already considered a classic, Pressure Point has largely been forgotten. Too bad, really, because it's dark and fairly disturbing in its own right, with social commentary on racial tensions as relevant today as they were five decades ago.

Sidney Poitier is a prison psychiatrist assigned to treat a troubled inmate (Bobby Darin) suffering from sleeplessness and hallucinations. The prisoner also happens to hate blacks & Jews, and is reluctant to open up at first. However, he does relent and, through flashbacks, we learn of his terrible childhood (an abusing, drunken father and sickly mother), troubles in school and inability to maintain any steady relationships or hold down a job. Eventually, he falls in with an American neo-Nazi group and becomes a prominent member before being incarcerated. While there are times when we, as viewers, are tempted to empathize with what he's had to endure, we're snapped back to reality whenever he attempts to bait the psychiatrist with racist rhetoric. Unlike Derek Vinyard in American History X, this man ultimately feels no remorse for the things he's done.

"Be honest, Doc...do these pants make me look fat?"

For a film that is essentially a series of sessionss between two people (with highly artistic and bleak flashback sequences detailing past events), this is a tension-filled, cynical look at race relations of the time. The brilliant decision to shoot it in stark black and white could be perceived as symbolic. But even if that wasn't the intention, from a narrative standpoint, it's hard to imagine Pressure Point being nearly as effective if shot in color.

Of course, any film of this nature depends largely of the performances. Poitier is always a pleasure to watch, and he's once-again terrific here, torn between being the consummate professional and giving in to the rage he feels when listening to the unrepentant hate spewed by his patient. But the real star here is Bobby Darin, who turns in a remarkably complex performance...hateful yet charismatic, like most real-life psychotics who somehow get others to follow them. The tic-tac-toe scene alone makes this distressingly apparent.

Being a product of its time, Pressure Point doesn’t have quite the visceral impact of a film like American History X, but is still an emotionally intense treasure waiting to be rediscovered. And, in a small way, its resolution might be even more unnervingly pessimistic.

BONUS FEATURES:
Original Trailer

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

Blu-Ray Review: CODE 46

Starring Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Togo Isawa, Natalie Mendoza, Nabil Elouahabi, Om Puri. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. (2003, 93 min).
OLIVE FILMS

Another oddity rescued from obscurity by Olive Films, Code 46 is a stylish-but-slow piece of sci-fi noir which is more successful in creating a mood than an intriguing story.

In this dystopian future, genetic compatibility is mandatory for a man and woman to have a physical relationship (violation of this law is called a Code 46...you know, the number of chromosomes in our DNA). The borders of cities such as Shanghai are also designed to keep the undesirables out, who are forced to live in the surrounding deserts. Papers are required for travel and entry in to the city. William Geld (Tim Robbins) is a government investigator trying to find who’s forging such papers. Since he’s ‘infected’ with something called the Empathy Virus, he’s quickly able to discover a young woman, Maria (Samantha Morton), is behind it all. However, William ends up falling in love with her and doesn’t turn her in. Later, her mind is erased, but he’s able to rekindle their relationship soon afterwards, even after he learns the somewhat shocking reason why they are genetically incompatible.

Despite roaming the hotel for hours, William still can't find his damn room.

On the surface, Code 46 appears to have something important to say about genetic manipulation and its societal ramifications. But ultimately, it’s essentially a doomed love story which will either suck you in right away or bore you to death, depending on your expectations. The film is visually arresting, using some exotic locales rather than special effects to depict this world. Overall, the performances are good (especially Morton), even though few of these characters are particularly interesting. Code 46 might also be a bit too deliberately-paced for its own good, leaving less patient viewers with the impression the same story could have been more effectively told in half the time.

The film doesn’t really dive too deep into the provocative ideas suggested by its premise. But strictly as a mood piece, Code 46 sort of works. It’s pleasant to look at and the music, while not your typical sci-fi score, somehow fits perfectly. This may or may not be considered praise, but it’s the perfect movie to unwind and fall asleep to.

BONUS FEATURES: None

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW (or catnip)

Blu-Ray Review: ESTRANGED

Starring Amy Mason, James Cosmo, Craig Conway, Nora-Jane Noone, Eileen Nicholas, Ben King. Simon Quarterman. Directed by Adam Levins. (2015, 92 min).
WELL GO USA

Though I personally didn't enjoy Estranged, I was compelled enough to see it through to the end, which I suppose can be seen as a positive.

January (Amy Mason) is a young woman recovering from a terrible accident which has left her a wheel-chair bound amnesiac, remembering nothing about her life before the crash. Her boyfriend, Callum, takes her to her family's home, a run-down old mansion in the woods, none of whom she's seen since acrimoniously taking-off six years ago. The reasons why are never made clear, but this family, led by malevolent patriarch Albert (James Cosmo), is a strange clan who appear happy she's home one minute, verbally & physically abusive her the next. After Callum disappears, she's trapped and forced to uncover her family's secrets (they aren't quite who they seem...duh) while simultaneously trying to escape from them.

Estranged is not quite the horror film we're led to assume from the Blu-Ray box art and summary, though it is plenty dark. In fact...the overall tone is really oppressive. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, for a film which paces itself so deliberately, we're made almost immediately aware this family is a few cans short of a six-pack, and now just waiting for them to snap. When they finally do, all the efforts to create tension during the atmospheric first half is negated when the film descends into mild torture-porn, with January as the sole object of torment. We're simply marking the time after that, slogging through scene after scene of physical & psychological abuse.

No way is that intimidating.

The problem is most of the plot turns (not matter how lurid), aren't enough to counter the fact that Estranged is an unpleasant chore to endure. Even a film like Hostel, which is far more graphic, twisted and disturbing, manages to create a certain level of rousing fun for the audience. By the time Estranged reaches its final act, we're sick of its arty pretensions, scenes which go nowhere and ambiguity for its own sake. At this point, all we want is some kind of satisfying payback by January as a reward for the previous 85 minutes we've endured.

Still, Estranged was just manipulative enough that I just had to see how things turned out. While I personally found the film - and its ultimate denouement - to be an unsatisfying waste of 90 minutes I’d never get back, it’s just as easy to imagine other viewers extolling these very same shortcomings as virtues. As such, I’d advise one to proceed at their own risk.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Making-of Featurette
• Trailer

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEH...THOUGH SOME OF YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY LIKE THIS FOR THE SAME REASONS WE HATED IT.

Blu-Ray Review: MI-5 (aka SPOOKS: THE GREATER GOOD)

Starring Peter Firth, Kit Harington, Jennifer Ehle, Elyes Gabel, Lara Pulver, Tim McInnerny, Hugh Simon. Directed by Bharat Nalluri. (2015, 104 min).
LIONSGATE

Spooks was a television series about a British counter-terrorist organization (MI-5) which ran for about ten years on BBC, so despite the derivative box cover art, this is not a Mission: Impossible rip-off. I’ve never seen the series, but if this theatrical film is any indication, the concept and execution is more like 24, only without any characters as intensely compelling as Jack Bauer.

At the start of the film, the MI-5 is headed by Harry Pearce (Peter Firth, reprising his role from the series), but when apprehended terrorist Adem Qasim (Elyes Gabel) manages to escape custody, Pearce is disgraced and turns renegade in order to, not only catch Qasim before he carries out a terror attack on London, but uncover a traitor inside MI-5 who made the escape possible. Meanwhile, recently discharged agent Will Holloway (Kit Harington) is recruited to find Pearce and bring him back. Though Holloway respects Pearce, he doesn’t particularly like or trust him, especially since Pearce was responsible for his discharge.

MI-5 is reasonably entertaining, with an intricate plot (though not difficult to follow), some interesting characters and a few well-executed action sequences (the airport chase in particular). Storywise, prior knowledge of Spooks isn’t a prerequisite, though I think Pearce’s actions (both good and bad) would mean more to those already familiar with the character. Harington is biggest name of those new To the cast and does a serviceable job in his role. One also gets the impression his inclusion is an attempt to establish MI-5 as a theatrical franchise with Halloway as its own Jack Bauer.

"Okay! Okay! Take the remote!"

That said, MI-5 works fairly well as a stand-alone story, though nothing especially memorable (the film never quite escapes its TV origins). There’s also a nifty, vengeful twist in the final scene which provides a healthy dramatic punch. The scene also suggests, if MI-5 does indeed become a born-again franchise, it’ll be business as usual.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Featurette: “The Making of MI-5”
• Deleted Scenes

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW

Blu-Ray Review: CRIMSON PEAK

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman, Leslie Hope. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro. (2015, 119 min).
UNIVERSAL

Though the story is often perfunctory, Crimson Peak is dripping with atmosphere, as one would expect from director Guillermo Del Toro. It's also a welcome return to the type of gothic horror which first made him famous. As such, this is the kind of film where you turn out all the lights, nestle-in and let it slowly envelope you, logic be damned.

Mia Wasikowska plays Edith, an aspiring 19th Century novelist haunted by the ghost of her mother with a dire warning: "Beware of Crimson Peak". When she's courted by English aristocrat & inventor Thomas Sharpe, Edith's father, Carter (Jim Beaver), tries to prevent this, suspecting Thomas and his sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain), aren't quite who they seem and have ulterior motives. He turns out to be right, but is brutally murdered before he can really intervene. Edith marries Thomas and relocates to England with him and his sister. Crimson Peak, the nickname of their mansion, is architecturally-elaborate but rapidly decaying because, despite their aristocratic status, the Sharpes are actually broke. Meanwhile, other ghosts show up to warn Edith of the horrors ahead, while Thomas & Lucille’s motives (and icky relationship) soon become apperant. Still, Edith continues to stick around because Lucille’s been slowly poisoning her.

Yes...there's a spider on the ceiling.

Storywise, Crimson Peak travels a familiar path, and few of its plot-reveals are particularly surprising or original. Not only that, it heavily relies on Edith stupidly remaining at the house long after it becomes obvious everyone's out to get her (one would think numerous warnings from her dead mother would convince her to get the hell out of there). However, the film makes-up for lapses in logic with atmospheric dread, technical virtuosity (much like Dario Argento’s early classics) and great performances. Crimson Peak establishes a dark, foreboding tone from the very first scene and seldom lets-up. Despite its deliberate pace, we never escape the feeling that something awful will happen at any given moment. The film is also visually arresting. The mansion is a triumph of production design (practically a character itself) and the cinematography finds morbid beauty in even the bleakest imagery. Del Toro masterfully immerses the viewer in this world much like he did with Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.

Along with terrific performances - especially Hiddleston & Chastain - and some well-timed moments of jarring violence, Crimson Peak is a superlative example of style over substance, helmed by a director who’s been away from the genre far too long. It didn’t really connect with audiences in theaters, which is too bad because that’s arguably where it would be best appreciated. Still, any longtime Del Toro fan will find a lot to love.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Featurettes: "I Remember Crimson Peak"; "A Primer on Gothic Romance"; "Hand Tailored Gothic" (costume design); "A Living Thing" & "Beware of Crimson Peak"
• (both of them detail the impressive set design of the house); "Crimson Phantoms" (ghost design...mostly not CGI!); "The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak"
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary by Guillermo Del Toro
• DVD & Digital Copies

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...LIKE A GHOSTLY SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

Movie Review: HAIL, CAESAR!

Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Emily Beecham, Alison Pill, Max Baker, Christopher Lambert (really!), Fisher Stevens, Fred Melamed, Clancy Brown, Dolph Lundgren (seriously!). Directed by Ethan & Joel Coen. (2016, 106 min).
UNIVERSAL PICTURES

I'll say this much...you'll know Hail, Caesar! is undoubtedly a Coen Brothers film within the first few minutes, which is a good thing. Their movies are a genre unto themselves, and those who appreciate the Coens' creative sensibilities know it's essentially pointless to compare one of their films to anything else but other Coen films. Even then, they've cut such a wide swatch through so many genres that you can't simply examine The Big Lebowski in the same light as No Country for Old Men.

For the sake of simplicity, there are the 'serious' Coen films (which get all the Oscar nominations) and the 'playful' Coen films (where everyone involved seems to be having a great time), and it never ceases to amaze me how adept they are at both. Hail, Caesar! is definitely one of the playful ones.

If comparisons must be made, I suppose Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou? and the woefully underappreciated Hudsucker Proxy would immediately come-to-mind. Set in 1950's Hollywood, studio bigwig Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) oversees the actors in his stable, mostly making sure their questionable exploits don't hit the tabloids. Then the studio's biggest star, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), is kidnapped from the set of their latest biblical epic (Hail, Caesar) by a group of disgruntled communist screenwriters and held for ransom. While trying to keep the production on schedule and the incident from leaking to the press, he also has to deal with an unwed pregnant starlet (Scarlett Johansson) and a disgruntled art-film director (Ralph Fiennes), angry from being forced to work with an imbecilic singing cowboy (Alden Ehrenreich). Meanwhile, Mannix is mulling over an enticing job offer from airplane manufacturer Lockheed, an escape from the constant madness of his profession.

After all these years, George Clooney finally sits down to watch Batman and Robin.

That's the story in a nutshell, but if you're at-all familiar with the Coen Brothers in 'playful' mode, you know the plot itself takes a backseat to eccentric characters and the various vignettes in which they appear. Hail, Caesar! sports such a huge cast that most of them are relegated to just a few scenes, yet none are gratuitous cameos where we say, "Hey look! It's Jonah Hill!" No matter how brief their screen time, everyone disappears into their roles. I was especially amused by Channing Tatum's performance in what begins as a high-falutin' 50's era musical number, only to lapse into hilarious homoeroticism (the best scene in the entire film).

Channing doesn't appreciate this extra's brand of method acting.

Most importantly, Hail, Caesar! is very funny, though it helps if you have an appreciation for the Coens' brand of playfulness. The laughs come more from the overall tone, situations & characters (Clooney's facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission) than clever one-liners and punchlines. While it may not go down as one of their stone cold classics, Hail, Caesar! is sharply-written, unpredictable and full of laugh-out-loud moments. It's the Coen Brothers' most consistently amusing film since O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR...A GOOD, FAMILIAR SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS FROM THE COEN BROTHERS.

Blu-Ray Review: FREAKS OF NATURE

Starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Joan Cusack, Bob Odenkirk, Keegan-Michael Key, Ed Westwick, Patton Oswalt, Vanessa Hudgens, Denis Leary. Directed by Robbie Pickering. (2015, 92 min).
SONY

Sometimes patience is a virtue...

Freaks of Nature is the kind of horror comedy we've been getting a lot of lately: an outrageous premise, self-aware humor, over-the-top performances, cartoon-level gore and, of course, zombies. But not just zombies...vampires, werewolves and aliens are also thrown into the mix for a movie mash-up where we're certain screenwriter Oren Uziel gave himself a big, congratulatory attaboy for his own cleverness.

Indeed, during the first act, Freaks of Nature seems extremely impressed with itself. The premise - a small town where humans, vampires & zombies have managed to peacefully co-exist before aliens suddenly show up - is introduced in the prologue before flashing back to earlier that day. This is where we meet all the characters, mostly high school kids you’ve seen before: the insecure nerd, the dumb jock, the hunky stud, the high school slut, etc. A majority of the adult roles are filled out by the likes of Denis Leary, Joan Cusack, Keegan-Michael Key and Bob Odenkirk, but are little more than glorified cameos.

The first 30 minutes are terrible, more like a series of unfunny sketches created to showcase the comedic ‘names’ in the cast. From the dialogue to the performances, everything simply smacks of ‘look how goofy & outrageous this is!’ All those involved on both sides of the camera appear to be trying way too hard to make this film an instant cult classic.

But believe it or not, it gets better.

Black Friday at Walmart.

Once it dispenses with all the heavy-handed schtick, focusing on the story and three main characters, Freaks of Nature’s whacked-out premise actually becomes interesting, even funny at times, with several clever ideas and plot developments (like the notion that zombies regain more humanity & intelligence when they refrain from eating brains). Despite our first impression, we even start to like some of these characters enough to care about their fates once the fight against the aliens begins. And though it occasionally threatens to descend into pure parody, Freaks of Nature never quite crosses that line, which is a good thing. We've got enough of those anyway.

Ultimately, Freaks of Nature is worth checking out for fans of this kind of stuff. All you gotta do is suck-it-up and endure the blatantly-pandering first act. If you’re able to do that, you might find some of its rewards are worth the effort.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Gag Reel
• Alternate Opening (which is actually better)
• Deleted Scenes

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW