Author: BO

“The Thicket” is a violent western created by celebrated author Joe R. Lansdale, the writer behind “Hap and Leonard” and “Bubba Ho-Tep.” It’s a rough study of survival from the author, with adaptation duties handled by screenwriter Chris Kelley and director Elliot Lester (“Aftermath,” “Blitz”), who are challenged to make something semi-approachable with a story that’s primarily about agony in many forms. It’s certainly not a friendly picture, but the rough edges of the source material are largely preserved in the feature, which tries to maintain a psychological portrait of bruised people while still participating in western traditions. “The Thicket” isn’t always successful with its storytelling, but it does create an immersive understanding of the era and its gun-toting participants, while a few casting treats certainly help the cause. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Artificial intelligence is a scorchingly hot topic right now, giving “Afraid” (unfortunately stylized as “AfrAId”) an opportunity to delve into the dangers of a life controlled by a computer entity, and one that’s been training to seem perfectly human to the world around it. Writer/director Chris Weitz (“About a Boy,” “The Golden Compass,” and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”) has a chance to craft something provocative and relevant (even if the film was shot two years ago) with the material, but this is a Blumhouse production, and they aren’t big on making statements. They want horror, and that’s something that doesn’t fit in “Afraid,” with Weitz fumbling spooky atmosphere and cheap jump scares, suffocating the few critical ideas on AI influence the writing manages to land. There’s the reality of the topic and the haunted house interests of the picture, and viewers are quickly left with a real dud. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“1992” is most notable as the final screen appearance for actor Ray Liotta, who passed away in 2022, which gives some indication how long the film has been on the shelf, waiting for release. The passing of the actor is perhaps the only memorable element of the endeavor, with screenwriters Sascha Penn and Ariel Vromen (who also directs) visibly laboring to make a decent idea for a crime picture into something more in step with social ills, especially during the time of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The feature commences with a few promising characterizations and moments of criminal thinking, but the material simply gives up in the final act, unable to really go deep with its Spike Lee-ish take on the boiling tensions of the big city, while action concepts mostly fall flat due to a limited budget and uninspired casting, including Liotta, who’s here doing his usual rabid bad guy business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sean McNamara is a film director who likes to work. He’s not one to pay close attention to quality, content to churn out movies with limited budgets, with sustained employment his career goal, not the shaping of artistic statements. McNamara tries his luck with Americana in “Reagan,” though this picture has some gray at the temples, as it was shot four years ago, newly revived to take advantage of political fever brewing during this election season. Screenwriter Howard Klausner (“Space Cowboys”) has it all here, looking to reach a specific audience with his take on the spirit of the U.S.A. as it carries one man from Hollywood to the White House, becoming a leader with help from his indefatigable love of his country and the power of acting. Perhaps there’s something to be found in a true study of ambition and power, but “Reagan” isn’t that feature. It’s a bio-pic of Ronald Reagan from the director of “Baby Geniuses and the Mystery of the Crown Jewels,” “Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite,” and “Bratz.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For 181 episodes of television, actor Gary Coleman managed to charm viewers with his cherubic appearance and comfort with comedy. He was one of the stars of “Diff’rent Strokes,” initially cast for his ease in front of a camera, only to develop into a pop culture icon, complete with a catchphrase (“What’choo talkin’ about, Willis?”) and seemingly endless energy to capitalize on such rare success. But there was a very real side to Coleman’s life, especially after his time on the sitcom, and director Robin Dashwood makes a little effort to explore his experience in “Gary,” a documentary that examines some of his highs and most of his lows. A sensationalistic tone permeates the film, as Dashwood can’t resist the ugly side of Coleman’s days. However, there’s an opportunity to understand the late subject’s perspective in life, comprehending decisions that became tabloid fodder, while his pain is made crystal clear. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“You Gotta Believe” is based on the true story of Bobby Ratliff, a Little League coach of a struggling team who was diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to balance medical demands with his desire to watch his players make their way to the Little League World Series. Screenwriter Lane Garrison has all the basics in underdog cinema to work with, and he’s done this before, scripting 2021’s “12 Mighty Orphans,” which also dealt with an unsteady Texas team of young people trying to find their way to glory. Surprises are limited in “You Gotta Believe,” but director Ty Roberts (who also helmed “12 Mighty Orphans”) at least makes an effort to energize the viewing experience with baseball action and adolescent shenanigans. The picture captures youthful activity capably, and there’s an inspiring tale of teamwork in the middle of it all, giving the endeavor some emotional power as it follows a storytelling playbook. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Trends in horror are a common occurrence, and they often result in some weird takes on the source material. 1993's "Herencia Diabolica" aims to cash-in on the "Child's Play" craze (the film is also known as "The Mexican Chucky"), bringing the nightmare of a killer doll to life once again, only without much in the way of a budget or screenwriting. It's a cheap endeavor from co-writer/director Alfredo Salazar, who doesn't have the time and patience to establish a functional genre exercise. He's more focused on filling the run time, delivering a heavily padded offering of tiny terror with "Herencia Diabolica," which is dull and generally uninterested in craziness for almost an hour, and when the effort finally gets around to macabre happenings, there's still a concerning lack of insanity to make the picture memorable beyond its severe creative shortcomings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Crow” began life as a comic book in the late-1980s, with the cult property turned into a 1994 movie starring the late Brandon Lee. The actor was killed while making the picture, giving it an unusual energy and curiosity factor that turned it into a box office hit. The brand name has been returned to multiple times over the decades, and nothing has matched the creative highs and monetary rewards of the original film, but producers keep trying. They’re back at it with “The Crow,” which is a new take on the James O’Barr literary creation, and once again the material comes up short. There is a defined change of pace for this new endeavor, which barely features the eponymous character, instead sticking with the power of love and the confusion of death to fuel a thoroughly uninspired effort from director Rupert Sanders, who’s already been responsible for two previous slogs in “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Ghost in the Shell.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s no way to touch the masterpiece that is 1989’s “The Killer.” A berserk, stylized, wonderfully melodramatic creation, the picture is rightfully considered by most to be director John Woo’s finest film. It’s a very special offering of action cinema. 35 years later, Woo returns to the material for something along the lines of a remake, with screenwriters Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell, and Matt Stuecken working to update the story with a cooler sense of personal engagement, also westernizing the distinctly Hong Kong original. “The Killer” doesn’t live up to the 1989 production, it doesn’t even try to for the most part, with Woo now an older man creating an offering for streaming audiences. However, it’s not completely subdued work, with the effort rising up to deliver some key moments of violence, giving stars Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy something to play as they bring life to a less operatic viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s hard to be a teen comedy these days. The adolescent experience has changed so radically since the subgenre’s heyday in the 1980s, and it’s difficult to understand if audiences really want to endure the troubles of being a 2024 kid. Instead of going the John Hughes route like many other moviemakers, writer/directors Dave and John Chernin retain some hard edges of tomfoolery with “Incoming,” which hopes to deliver a raucous good time to its intended audience. Sweetness is attempted, but crudeness is mostly favored in the material, which follows the exploits of four high school freshmen trying to navigate a particularly active party night. Originality is limited to a few ideas, with the rest of the endeavor sticking with ugly encounters and dim passes at humor, with the Chernins looking to create something short and broad for streaming audiences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Deliverance” is based on the story of LaToya Ammons, who claimed demons were responsible for violent behaviors involving children in her household in 2011, eventually turning to the church for help with exorcism needs. Such tales of satanic possession are popular these days, and the feature seems eager to replicate the success of “The Conjuring” franchise, once again partnering overwhelmed innocence with a God-fearing enforcer. The difference here is director Lee Daniels, the often overheated helmer of “Precious,” “The Paperboy,” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” In his hands, “The Deliverance” is stripped of spookiness and nuance, coming very close to becoming the camp classic of 2024. There’s a lot of real-world suffering involved in this story, but hope for an understanding of one woman’s pain is punted away in the final hour, which becomes like every other evil extraction movie in the marketplace. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At one point during the climax of “Between the Temples,” one character tries to decode the complex emotional experience of another by asking, “Are you laughing or crying?” This query actually represents the agitated state of the viewing experience, with co-writers C. Mason Wells and Nathan Silver aiming to flood the endeavor with nervous energy, playing with delicate feelings and puzzling responses to mental health challenges. “Between the Temples” is about the development of an unusual connection involving two different people, with Silver working through the nuances of friendship and attraction to find something special in the midst of confusion. The feature has a sharp sense of personality and a bizarre permissiveness when it comes to its filmmaking approach, and Silver has pure magic in stars Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, with the actors embracing the free range experience, landing bits of humor and heartache in a movie that wants viewers to feel everything. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com