Author: BO

It hasn’t been easy for “Hellboy” to win over a mass audience. It’s more of a cult appreciation situation, but producers keep trying to make something happen with the Mike Mignola-created character and his battles with monsters and mayhem. Instead of spending (and losing) big bucks on another reboot of the series (last seen on screens in 2019), “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” goes the small-budget route, trying to pull together a reasonable adventure for Hellboy for a limited amount of money and only a few shooting locations. It’s a backyard version of a “Hellboy” movie, with directorial duties handed to Brian Taylor, who’s not an inspired filmmaker (“Jonah Hex,” “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” “Gamer”), and continues to struggle here. “The Crooked Man” looks and plays like an episode of a television series, with little excitement and a dreary story that makes the 90-minute-long run time difficult to endure, with Mignola himself (credited as co-writer) unable to breathe life into his own creation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Steven Kostanski has developed quite a filmography, working to energize cult cinema with efforts such as “The Void,” “Father’s Day,” and “Manborg.” He hit a creative peak in 2021, with “PG: Psycho Goreman” delivering big laughs and inventive visuals, skillfully balancing the absurd with the wonderfully strange in one of the year’s best movies. The helmer is back with “Frankie Freako,” and he’s not stepping away from his love of the bizarre, merging elements of “Gremlins” and “Home Alone” for this comedy, with star Conor Sweeney paired with a collection of puppets for an adventure into hardcore partying. There’s a lot to process while watching “Frankie Freako,” with Kostanski staying close to his low-budget roots, offering big imagination and entertainment value with the endeavor, delivering a textured romp with ghoulish beings and the “square” who’s summoned them. Kostanski’s vision for weirdness remains a delight in this enjoyably oddball adventure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2019’s “Joker” was meant to be a single film. The production team promised as much, working to give the Clown Prince of Crime his “Taxi Driver” moment with a psychological study of a broken man slowly losing himself to insanity. The feature wasn’t just a hit, but a phenomenon, outgrossing “Batman” movies as people lined up to watch star Joaquin Phoenix have his way with an iconic character. The picture explored a soiled world of sin and pain, ending on a note of chaos that wasn’t meant to be developed in sequels. The one-off is now a franchise, with major box office returns inspiring a follow-up in “Joker: Folie a Deux” (my French is a little rusty, but I think the title loosely translates to “big paydays for all”), with co-writer/director Todd Phillips trying to squeeze a little more misery out of this universe. Unfortunately, the teat is dry this time around, as “Folie a Deux” adds nothing to the “Joker” experience beyond musical numbers, with this round of hard stares and cigarette smoking periodically broken up by uninspired moments of song and dance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

He turned a car tire into a serial killer in 2010’s “Rubber,” tinkered with the absurdities of police procedurals in 2013’s “Wrong Cops,” and blended a study of the human condition with a “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” parody in 2022’s “Smoking Causes Coughing.” Writer/director Quentin Dupieux has always embraced his impish sense of humor, and he’s mostly successful with his wonderful weirdness, crafting dry, hilarious, and mercifully short pictures. In perhaps his greatest creative challenge, Dupieux takes on the surreal, egomaniacal ways of artist Salvador Dali, but “Daaaaaali!” isn’t a bio-pic. It’s more of a celebration of the man’s creative pursuits and childish behavior, with the screenplay toying with Dali iconography and attitude, going for a comedic take on his steamrolling ways. “Daaaaaali!” is great fun and appropriately strange, with Dupieux delivering a dream-layered understanding of artistry and impatience with palpable glee. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Arriving for Halloween is “Monster Summer,” and while most genre movies want to go for the throat with violence and gore, this feature aims for a more Spielberg-ian type of viewing experience. The filmmaker’s influence is felt almost everywhere in the endeavor, with director David Henrie (“This Is the Year”) looking to recreate the days of juvenile adventuring, when kids on bikes took on major issues in their neighborhood. The screenplay (by Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano) works to blend elements of youthful curiosity with more mysterious happenings involving a potential force of evil in the area. It’s a concoction that’s been done before (certainly the success of “Stranger Things” is an influence here), but familiarity doesn’t hurt “Monster Summer,” which remains mostly appealing due to its cast and effort to add a little spookiness for younger viewers not ready to see people turned inside out on the big screen just yet. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Wonder” was a 2017 adaptation of a YA novel by R.J. Palacio. The feature was modestly budgeted and promoted, but it found an audience, turning it into one of the biggest hits of the year. It was a story about the pains of bullying and the power of kindness, created for younger viewers who could use reminders of positive behavior in a harsh world. The film moved on to healthy returns on home video, and remains in circulation with school screenings, keeping its core message alive. Palacio set out to create a “WonderVerse” of sorts, offering additional books for the brand name, including a prequel/sequel in “White Bird,” which returns to Julian as he endures more harsh lessons on the power of compassion. Director Marc Forster looks to tap into the “Wonder” world with a cinematic interpretation of “White Bird” (which was shot three years ago), but there’s a darker path of doom with this World War II tale. While the screenplay (by Mark Bomback) accepts certain realities concerning European conflict, the material is also out to be uplifting in a way, creating two sides to the endeavor that rarely gel. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Radleys” began life as a 2010 book from author Matt Haig. The release is generally classified as a YA reading experience, but the film adaptation, scripted by Talitha Stevenson and Jo Brand, is a decidedly adult affair. A choice was made to turn the material into an R-rated viewing experience, with the production trying to drill a little deeper into the sexualized yearning of repressed vampires finally released from their own inhibitions. It’s a curious creative choice for a movie that seems as though it wants to follow teenage concerns involving monstrous changes, but director Euros Lyn (“Dream Horse”) gives the offering his full commitment. “The Radleys” endeavors to be sensual and threatening, perhaps a little cheeky as well, and it’s a mostly satisfying effort trying to do something a bit off beat with vampiric happenings, blending fanged violence with the battles of domestic living and secret lives. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Budget-minded, small-scale scenes of survival make up the basic idea of “Take Cover.” Screenwriter Joshua Todd James (“Pound of Flesh”) is out to create a thriller without spending too much money, mostly containing the tale of a sniper being targeted by his employers to a single hotel suite, trying to stretch dramatic interests as long as possible while the action remains stationary. It’s a B-movie concept handed to director Nick McKinless, a seasoned stunt performer making his directorial debut with the endeavor, which takes advantage of his years of physical work as small battles break out in a limited space. “Take Cover” lacks bigness, which limits the impact of the violent picture, finding James focusing on filling as much of the feature with dialogue, and that has a shelf life. Helping the cause is star Scott Adkins, who provides authority in the lead role, making a desperate night of endurance feel somewhat real, also handling the film’s determination to sell characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Hold Your Breath” brings genre interests to a dust bowl setting in the 1930s. It’s the feature-length directorial debut for William Joines and Karrie Crouse (who also scripts), and they turn to impossible elements and broken dreams to fuel a different kind of nightmare scenario. It’s a semi-fresh take on the usual in haunted happenings, with the writing looking to achieve a grim psychological portrait of a mother trying to raise children alone in remote Oklahoma, losing her sanity while facing punishing conditions and dangerous people. “Hold Your Breath” has the challenge of turning dust into a villain of sorts, and the helmers come armed with striking imagery and a furious sound design, creating a visceral sense of pressure on the lead character. The picture isn’t always a tightly constructed study of strain, but frightening moments are present, creating plenty of suspense along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Another Happy Day” is a story about motherhood, but not a gauzy kind of parental experience. Writer/director Nora Fiffer tries to cut a little deeper with the material, examining the stress of postpartum depression on a young woman who’s just had a baby and doesn’t exactly know what to think about the situation beyond a desperate need for sleep and support. Fiffer goes the microbudget route with this indie feature, leaving behind glossy emotionality and wild swings of drama to make a movie that’s perfectly comfortable with silence and stillness, also offering a limited reach when it comes to a dramatic arc for its main character. “Another Happy Day” is perhaps too slight to really hold viewer attention, but there are relatable moments of anxiety for the target demographic, and star Lauren Lapkus receives a rare shot to show off her range, presenting a compelling understanding of a quiet unraveling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2020’s “Blow the Man Down” was a pleasant cinematic surprise released right before the world entered COVID-19 darkness. Writer/directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy pulled off a Coen Brothers tribute with the effort, pairing an evocative location with a unique crime story, and one filled with dimensional characters and outstanding performances. Their follow-up attempts to examine a different kind of violence, with “House of Spoils” offering a more psychological take on the pressure of performance, exploring the dangers of the culinary industry. Cole and Krudy hunt for a mysterious atmosphere of dark magic with the material, which touches on horror elements without really committing to the presence of evil, real or imagined, in full. A bigger idea is in play in “House of Spoils,” and the helmers struggle to land it, but there are positives to embrace here, including a nicely rattled lead performance from Ariana DeBose, who sells the air of unease Cole and Krudy occasionally fight to communicate. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “V/H/S” series previously petered out after three installments a decade ago. Revived in 2021, the franchise has enjoyed real momentum this time around, with “V/H/S/Beyond” the fourth chapter of the reboot saga (and seventh overall). As with many horror series, quality ranges, but the concept and execution of it all stays relatively steady in “V/H/S/Beyond,” with general fright interests paired with sci-fi touches. Aliens are primarily the focus of the offering, with another batch of filmmakers using small budgets and big imaginations to generate horrific meetings with the unknown and the unexpectedly threatening. The segments vary in quality and intensity, but the latest adventure in fears and dangerous situations scores more than it misses, with a few chapters displaying some terrific skill and vision when detailing close encounters of the bloody kind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Megalopolis” has often been described as a dream project for writer/director Francis Ford Coppola, who hasn’t made a film since 2011’s “Twixt.” The iconic helmer puts everything on the line for his newest cinematic creation, taking a creative and financial gamble few would dare to match. What he ends up with is a bold idea buried under five miles of excess, looking to challenge viewers with a study of a utopian dream that’s gradually torn apart by an overstuffed screenplay and indecisive editing. There certainly isn’t anything like “Megalopolis” in the marketplace, and while Coppola often swings big, he doesn’t have critical coherency to really sell the head-rattling messages on life, love, and society the material contains. It plays like a 138-minute-long trailer for a 10-hour-long feature, and while ambition is certainly valued, the execution of this cross-eyed epic is troublesome and tiresome. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Killer Heat” is an adaptation of a 2021 short story by author Jo Nesbo, the Norwegian writer behind the popular Harry Hole crime novels. Screenwriters Matt Charman and Roberto Bentivegna have the creative challenge of turning a brief tale of suspicion and investigation into a story worth a feature-length exploration. It’s not an easy task with this material, as thrills and chills are limited in a tale that’s mostly interested in limp confrontations and uneventful dialogue. “Killer Heat” strives to summon a noir mood with its study of potential murder and simmering jealousy, but there’s not much to dig into with this flat endeavor. Director Philippe Lacote doesn’t push the urgency of the central mystery, and performances are limited, dealing with uninspired casting. But hey, everyone gets a paid vacation to Greece here, and that seems to be the primary goal of the offering, as locations are often more appealing than the story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you’re a fan of horror and novelist Stephen King, you’ve probably made the trip to “Salem’s Lot” before. Adaptations of the 1975 novel have been plentiful, including a 1979 miniseries that managed to scar young viewers. In 1987, director Larry Cohen tried to concoct a sequel of sorts with “A Return to Salem’s Lot,” doing so without material written by King. And in 2004, another miniseries was released, this time putting Rob Lowe in the middle of a small town vampire mess. And now Hollywood tries again, with writer/director Gary Dauberman working to sustain his current hold on genre entertainment (having scripted the “It” series, also contributing to the “Annabelle” and “The Nun” franchises) with his take on “Salem’s Lot,” which plays to his interests in spooky events and empowered characters. The helmer goes for a more menacing vision of vampiric control in the endeavor, but doesn’t make too much time for personality, looking to grab viewers with direct shots of action and suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If there’s supposed to be something explosive happening in “Paradox Effect,” the production forgot to include it. Director Scott Weintrob is in charge of a thriller, and one that tracks the increasing desperation of a woman trying to reclaim custody of her daughter while trapped in a dangerous situation with an unhinged man. There’s parental protection, shoot outs, chases, and threatening characters. And yet, the film falls so utterly flat, seemingly incapable of raising a fine ruckus despite access to the usual in B-movie ingredients. “Paradox Effect” has the gift of simplicity, but Weintrob and his writers don’t run with an opportunity to raise some hell, getting stuck with an inert picture that can’t muster a single scene of intimidation. And that’s with Harvey Keitel in a supporting role, with the famous tough guy mostly regulated to sitting and monologuing in this snoozer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com