Josh Trank

CHICAGO – Australian actor Alex Russell has a penchant for exploring the darker sides of the teenage psyche. He made his film debut as a loathsome bully in Ben C. Lucas’ “Wasted on the Young,” before landing a lead role in Josh Trank’s surprise hit, “Chronicle,” about three teens who suddenly acquire superpowers and are excited by the dangerous magnitude of their mysterious abilities.

CHICAGO – With great power comes great responsibility. Since the invention of the written word, authors have been playing with the idea that power leads to problems as it is man’s inherent nature to use that power to satisfy his own needs. Superhero fiction is based on it (good guys use their power for good, villains use it for evil). A lot of sci-fi is based on it. And the smash hit “Chronicle” (over $120 million worldwide with 10% of that as its budget), recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, cleverly plays with these themes in a way that feels new. The DVD offers nothing notable in terms of special features so one should probably expect a special edition to be released to coincide with the in-production “Chronicle 2.”

CHICAGO – “Chronicle,” which stars blah, blah and blah with a special appearance by blah (you wouldn’t know these unknowns any way), is the latest found-footage film to find itself lost, lacking purpose and devoid of a cohesive plot. This film’s fanboy ejaculate loves you short time as it spews the buildup of what could be interpreted as a “story” and ultimately ends without one.