Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 23, 2022

In 2020, director Tyler Cornack delivered “Butt Boy.” The cult-ready effort tracked the desperation of a man and his battle with the unholy power of his rear end, with Cornack’s production team, Tiny Cinema, creating a detective story about a most unusual event. The endeavor wasn’t without tonal and humor problems, but it managed to find ways to make pronounced oddity amusing, instead of the usual helping of obnoxiousness. Tiny Cinema is back with…er, “Tiny Cinema,” with writers Ryan Koch, William Morean, and Cornack (who also directs) creating an anthology film about the wonders of madness and the pains of trickery, sold with a defined sense of the absurd. “Tiny Cinema” is quite the viewing experience at times, mixing genuine hilariousness with a slow-burn sense of shock value, sold with lively, committed performances and a weird “Twilight Zone” vibe from Cornack, who creates consistent chapters in this tour of crazy ideas and desperate characters.

In “Game Night,” a couple welcomes friends over to their house to enjoy the evening, leading to the unboxing of a group game. During the match, the gentle use of a “that’s what she said” joke inspires a slow spiral into insanity for one of the hosts, who demands to know who “she” is. “Edna” follows a young woman (Olivia Herman) who’s grown depressed, unable to find true love. During a suicide attempt, Edna discovers a dead body in the wild, turning to weird science to make her dreams of acquiring a boyfriend come true. In “Bust,” two friends are shocked to learn their buddy, Chris (Kyle Lewis), has never ejaculated, with arousal only possible during high-pressure situations of criminal activity. The pals elect to do something about it, arranging a liquor store robbery that quickly spirals out of control. “Deep Impact” examines a meeting between a delivery man (Tyler Cornack) and a “crazy desert guy” who needs a DNA sample to prevent an apocalyptic event. “Motherfuckers” tracks the development of a seemingly harmless comment uttered about a made man’s mother during a mob poker game. And “Daddy’s Home” finds an average guy tricked into snorting the ashes of his date’s late father, sending him into a panic as he begins to transform into something he doesn’t immediately understand.

“Tiny Cinema” has a host in Paul Ford, who plays the Rod Serling part, welcoming viewers to this collection of specialized nightmares, providing a warning that the endeavor isn’t gentle or tasteful. Those who’ve seen “Butt Boy” will understand what’s coming for them, as “Tiny Cinema” is focused on crude ideas massaged into offerings of humor and horror, with the whole effort played for laughs. Tone is immediately established with “Game Night,” which follows one man’s battle with bewilderment as he’s hit with a common retort originally introduced into bro-speak by “The Office.” “That’s what she said” is a puzzle the main character must solve, sliding into madness as he digs into the identity of “she,” disturbing his wife, who doesn’t know what to do about her spouse’s melting mind. It’s a simple idea developed into a funny take on obsession, enjoying the short film format, which prevents viewer exhaustion.

Things get weirder for the feature with “Edna,” which pokes fun at romantic comedy formula, pairing a lonely woman with a dead body, inspiring a turn to science when criticisms of the corpse situation are made. “Tiny Cinema” lands some of its biggest laughs with the “be careful what you wish for” escalation presented here. “Bust” is blunt, but it also enjoys a growing sense of lunacy, finding some mild sweetness in its depiction of friendship while surveying a bad plan for sexual arousal that brings trouble to the central trio. “Deep Impact” is the most sedate chapter of the film, and while it deals with an unsavory situation of sexual dealmaking, it builds with some subtlety, keeping things interesting as it reaches an unexpected punchline.

“Daddy’s Home” is the closing chapter of “Tiny Cinema,” and it’s perhaps the most accessible of the shorts, managing a silly tale of a man out on a seemingly perfect date pulled into a scheme to change him into an old man. Baffled by a newfound appreciation for dad jokes and a loss of hair, the character goes on quite the journey, and the writing supports such a metamorphosis, coming up with every parental cliché in the book to boost the wonderful ridiculousness of it all.

Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Tiny Cinema" deals with a movie of many visual moods. It's a slightly darker visual experience, but detail is appealing, exploring textured facial particulars and interiors, which range from suburban areas to a convenience store. Makeup work is also appreciable. Colors are cranked at times, playing with unreal hues and atmospheric lighting. Primaries are solid, favoring more defined blues and reds. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, losing a little to flatter blacks at times. Compression has some issues, with periodic banding.

Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix comes alive with soundtrack selections and scoring, which offer decent low-end heft and bigger synth beats. Music also provides circular engagement, helping with immersion needs. Dialogue exchanges are clean, preserving performance choices and emphasis. Atmospherics are acceptable.

Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind-the-Scenes (17:25, HD) is a fly-on-the-wall record of the production process for "Tiny Cinema," with cameras capturing the cast and crew working out shots for the picture.

• And a Trailer (2:02, HD) is included.

Tiny Cinema Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Tiny Cinema" has plenty of performance highlights and a good sense of itself when it comes to screenwriting, never overstaying its welcome or pushing too hard with raunchy concepts. Cornack also keeps the endeavor reasonably cinematic despite dealing with juvenile antics, helping the silliness by taking it all seriously, at least visually. "Tiny Cinema" doesn't land every idea it offers, but it gets most of the way with inspired craziness and big laughs, building on the limitations of "Butt Boy" with a more focused and imaginative collection of hilarious nightmares.