Category: Film Review

“Verity” is the fourth chapter in the Colleen Hoover Cinematic Universe, with the author’s imagination for longing, pain, and endurance fueling previous endeavors, including “It Ends with Us,” and last year’s “Reminders of Him.” The film is an adaptation of Hoover’s 2018 novel, with screenwriter Nick Antosca setting out to make a cinematic event out of rough material concerning the possible murder of a child, following the writer’s love of extreme situations populated by unstable characters. Director Michael Showalter (who’s played in this beach read sandbox before, helming 2024’s “The Idea of You”) sets out to preserve the Hoover-liciousness of it all, keeping up with clunky dialogue and strange thriller plotting. “Verity” has the gas to go all the way with its dark trashiness, but Antosca doesn’t want to mess with the book conclusion, which is troublesome enough to suck the fun out of the entire picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Clark Duke was once an actor handling supporting roles in comedy films, working to brighten up pictures such as “Hot Tub Time Machine” and “Kick-Ass.” He’s refocused his efforts to directing in recent years, with his last endeavor, 2020’s “Arkansas,” failing to do something interesting with its story of backwoods crime and all the messiness involved with it. Duke is back behind the camera with “Stranglehold,” and he’s not venturing far from his comfort zone, returning with another study of backwoods crime, this time inspecting a showdown inside a strip club filled with trigger-happy criminals and a couple trying to pull themselves out of poverty by stealing a load of money. There’s a strong first half to “Stranglehold,” as the writing (credited to Duke, Billington Garrett, and Chandler Duke) is clearly having fun creating colorful characters, building trouble with a sense of humor. The rest of the movie isn’t as successful, but Duke improves on “Arkansas,” getting most of the way there with a violent examination of desperation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Once upon a time in Hollywood, director Bassam Tariq was planning to join the Marvel Studios movement, hired to return the vampire hunting character Blade to the big screen, joined by star Mahershala Ali. The project never made it out of development, but the general genre fury has been transplanted to another endeavor, with “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” losing Blade, but keeping some level of action and examination of cult activity. Tariq isn’t fully committed to an action movie plan with the project, more interested in the struggles facing the main character, who’s juggling family needs and criminal interactions while striving to keep his head above water. “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” offers an enormous amount of internalized feelings and patience with its dramatic interests, which creates a few sequences of power. The feature isn’t as dynamic as hoped for, showing more life with parental challenges than physical ones. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Throughout his career, writer/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has set out to make challenging movies about unusual subjects and characters. He hit it big at the box office with endeavors such as 2015’s “The Revenant” and 2014’s “Birdman,” proving he could find an audience for his artful, idiosyncratic ways. Such a mission might be a little more difficult in the case of “Digger,” which looks to be incredibly obnoxious and broad throughout much of its run time, only to hide its true ideas deep within the folds of an abrasive viewing experience. Perhaps a few will find the genius once again, but “Digger” doesn’t make it easy, with the picture an intense study of excess from every conceivable angle, pushing down hard on the audience with volcanic thespian energy. It’s more of an endurance test than a film, but Inarritu is after something with the offering, though he doesn’t make it easy to follow him to the end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Romain Gavras (“The World is Yours,” “Athena”) is looking to make a statement on celebrity and environmental activism in “Sacrifice,” and doing so through the wily ways of a dark comedy. At least for about 30 minutes. And it’s a good 30 minutes, working with well-trodden topics such as the cluelessness and insecurity of famous people, and the emptiness of galas that use excess to spotlight urgency. Gavras finds amusing caricatures to play with, locating a few laughs while setting up insanity to come. However, the rest of “Sacrifice” isn’t quite as inspired. Gavras and co-writer Will Arbery struggle to turn broadness into something dramatic, losing their nerve with satire as they begin to take the central crisis seriously, trusting the audience has grown attached to shallow characters and their various battles with self-esteem and mythical purpose. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To film fans, Dolph Lundgren has been part of action cinema history, cementing his screen legacy with turns in “Rocky IV,” “Masters of the Universe,” and “Universal Soldier.” He was never a mainstream icon, but a star of a different kind, offering a bold presence and capable physicality to deliver all the hits when necessary, developing as an actor along the way. “Dolph: Unbreakable” is a documentary exploring Lungren’s life and times, getting past his thespian stoicism to understand the man that found his way into acting after enduring a rough childhood and unusual adolescence. Director Andrew Holmes doesn’t have the drive to really slice into Lundgren’s personal history, but he provides a fascinating overview of professional achievement, also acquiring intimacy with the details of a cancer battle that threatened to take the subject’s life not too long ago. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director J. Davis (“Manson Family Vacation”) is taking a risk with his latest endeavor. The title alone is probably going to be a tough sell for any audience, as “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” doesn’t exactly promise a bright and inviting viewing experience. The material doesn’t help the cause, trying to find the lighter side of suicide with a depress character who’s attempting to end it all one sunny afternoon in his home town. It comes as some relief to find the effort actually quite approachable, at least for those with a darker sense of humor. “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” scores many laughs along the way, with Davis attentive to the strange struggles of life and the odd comfort that comes with community, even with those who aren’t welcome. There’s a life-affirming message in here, and the helmer wisely keeps his picture short enough to find it, delivering an unusual offering of comedy that’s engagingly acted and charmingly irritable at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The release of “April X” is going to work extremely hard to utilize the success of its star, Connor Storrie, who rocketed to online superfame with his work on the 2025 television series, “Heated Rivalry.” The movie was shot before Storrie showed his stuff on the show, and the producers are happy to use his name to attract viewers to an endeavor they wouldn’t otherwise pay attention to. Co-writer/director Michel K. Parandi is attempting to make a mind-blowing dystopian noir with fantasy touches and plenty of futurism in play, providing a knotted tale of cloning, organ harvesting, and memory recording, out to generate his own take on “Blade Runner”-esque happenings with glum, angry characters. “April X” wants to be smart and visually sharp, but execution is severely mangled in the offering, which puts together baffling writing and performances, making for a long sit as Parandi stumbles with his world-building. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Bloody Tennis” is a strong, direct title. It’s not explicitly a sports picture, but it’s not entirely a horror film either, with writer/director Nikias Chryssos trying to get very strange with an endeavor that appears to be primarily inspired by Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” minus the overt dips into witchcraft. The tale concerns the arrival of a young woman at a remote tennis academy, fighting the competition and her own sanity to survive various tests of endurance. Chryssos isn’t fully committed to the dramatic possibilities of the premise, going more for the freak-out, getting gory and bizarre with the effort, which never passes on a chance to gift most of the cast opportunities to get weird. “Bloody Tennis” isn’t for everyone, but for those who are capable of sticking with a chiller that’s definitely out there, the movie has its moments of intensity and unpleasantness, making for a decent sit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The life and times of Ted Kaczynski is not something that’s been hidden from view. There’s plenty of media out there for anyone looking to understand how the man orchestrated the deaths of innocent people during his time as a serial bomber. Screenwriters Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves are in the mood to turn the capture of Kaczynski into a thriller, which has been done before, but also examine the man’s early years at Harvard, where he volunteered to join a special psychological study, only to have the program change him in many ways. “Unabomber” isn’t the most informative understanding of insanity, but as an overview of mind-bending frustration, the picture manages to unearth compelling areas of pain to explore. The rest of the feature doesn’t share the same intensity, but director Janus Metz (“All the Old Knives,” “Borg vs. McEnroe”) gets halfway there as head games tend to dominate more physical law enforcement work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Deputy” is an adaptation of a 2009 Victor Gischler novel, and director Matt Sukkar makes his feature-length helming debut with the picture. He has a lot to manage with the material (scripted by Carlo Bernard), which explores a part-time deputy’s experiences during an evening of active law enforcement events. Sukkar is mostly interested in a Coen Brothers-type of tone for the movie, which plays with dark comedy and heavy violence, and the tale gets a major charge out of unexpected discoveries made by a character who can’t always process what’s happening to him. “The Deputy” doesn’t win on energy, as the production goes slow-burn for the most part, which doesn’t always encourage suspense. However, performances are largely where they should be, and turns of plot are handled well, giving viewers a maze to navigate as bad things happen to troubled people. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Some films have crazy origin stories. For “The Love Hypothesis,” the project originated in the mind of author Ali Hazlewood, who wanted to do something with her “Star Wars” fandom, electing to feed into the “Reylo” craze and create an offering of fan fiction that brought the sequel characters of Rey and Ben Solo into the world of graduate school. Hazlewood eventually went on to rework her writing to fit fiction needs, ending up with a more traditional, less Sith-infused story of romance and high-pressure academic performance. Such an industry journey isn’t unheard of (“Fifty Shades of Grey” began life as “Twilight” fanfic), but it remains an interestingly bizarre origin story for material that’s no longer weird, but a fairly standard romantic comedy. “The Love Hypothesis” is now a movie, and it doesn’t have lightsabers, but there’s charm from stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman (who, amazingly, is married in real life to Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the sequels), who help to elevate a formulaic but occasionally involving story of deception and burgeoning feelings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director David Ayer has been focused on adrenalized storytelling for as long as he’s been making movies. He’s addicted to the rush of violence, exploring big hurt in pictures such as “End of Watch,” “Fury,” and “The Beekeeper,” so it comes as something of a surprise to see Ayer calm down for a change with “Heart of the Beast.” Written by Cameron Alexander, the film is mostly about a battle for survival involving an ex-military man and his specially trained dog as they try to find safety after being stranded in the wilds of Alaska. It’s reminiscent of 2000’s “Cast Away,” only instead of Wilson, there’s a pooch serving as companion and mental health protector as the dangers of the world come for the characters. “Heart of the Beast” is terrific when Ayer trusts in spare suspense and natural elements, creating some incredibly tense scenes of endurance. Such confidence and quiet doesn’t last all the way through the endeavor, but the production gets most of the way there with this tale of partnership. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Primetime” isn’t the complete story of the “To Catch a Predator” television series. It’s a slice of lurid activity concerning the actions of the production team, who worked hard to expose dangerous men to viewers, while also enjoying the ratings such confrontations triggered. The screenplay (by Ajon Singh) adapts a 2007 magazine article about host Chris Hansen and his unusual relationship with fame, which resulted in the suicide of a suspect as he hunted for more powerful targets. Director Lance Oppenheim (“Some Kind of Heaven”) doesn’t stick to the facts of the case in full, preferring to use the troubling situation to launch a bizarre understanding of Hansen’s mind and actions, bringing in commentary on the T.V. business, the world of acting, and the evil around us to help bring texture to a darkly comedic endeavor that’s out to surprise viewers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Ken Carter was a Canadian stunt driver who wanted to taste glory by making himself known as the world’s greatest daredevil. His white whale was a super jump over the St. Lawrence River, with the planned act of automobile flight repeatedly delayed and disturbed by monetary, safety, and mental health concerns. Carter’s life was previously explored in the 1981 documentary, “The Devil at Your Heels,” with director Robert Fortier offered intimate access to the subject’s planning and concerns. Writer/director Michael Dowse (the excellent “Goon,” but also “Stuber” and “Coffee & Kareem”) looks to dramatize the movie with “The Stunt Driver,” adding bits of fiction to fluff up Carter’s battle with his self-esteem as he hopes to overtake Evel Knievel as the premiere man of action. The offering hits most of Carter’s highlights, likely reaching an audience that knows little about the man, giving star Jay Baruchel a chance to shine with his excellent performance, which gets the endeavor to dramatic places Dowse’s writing can’t reach on its own. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After spending time guiding a disappointing actioner (“Wildcat”) and a weak horror film about killer hippos (“Hungry”), director James Nunn is back in familiar cinematic territory with “One Last Shot.” It’s the second sequel to “One Shot,” a 2021 endeavor that combined B-movie action with the gimmick of a single, unbroken take to help bring something different to the usual in conflict and choreography. The picture was entertaining, and the creative team (including screenwriter Jamie Russell and star Scott Adkins) reunited for 2024’s “One More Shot,” which also delivered decently compelling tension and moviemaking trickery. “One Last Shot” carries a title and tone of finality, and while the future for the franchise is unclear, the latest installment isn’t quite as interested in excitement as the previous offerings, with Nunn showing signs of fatigue as he tries to summon passable threat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jake Ryan has been a working actor since he was a child, gaining notice for his collaborations with Wes Anderson, appearing in such pictures as “Moonrise Kingdom,” “Isle of Dogs,” and “Asteroid City.” He receives a chance to show his stuff in “Lemonade Blessing,” with writer/director Chris Merola providing an interesting acting challenge for Ryan, who’s tasked with playing a teenager going through significant psychological trouble while handling various challenges in life and love. The endeavor also has the weight of religion to carry, with Merola using faith to add pressure to the players, taxing their already overwhelmed minds. “Lemonade Blessing” is a comedy, albeit a dark one, but it’s not the usual in tiresome R-rated shenanigans featuring adolescents. Merola enjoys taboo humor and boundary pushing, but he’s also out to general a humane understanding of confusion with kids and adults, locating fascinating areas of distress during the journey. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Tiny Fugitives” is co-produced by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who enjoyed some success with 2019’s “Good Boys,” finding an audience for the raunchy picture, which used little kids in R-rated situations to help tempt moviegoers with a taboo good time. Rogen and Goldberg repeat the formula for a new endeavor, which examines the struggles of children feeling neglected by their families, working out a plan to remain at summer camp for the rest of their lives. It’s a story with promise, toying with the innocence of childhood and the open world fun of a camp setting, but screenwriters Jacob Kaplan and Michael Lewen (who also directs) are under orders to keep things edgy. “Tiny Fugitives” wrestles with its one-note sense of humor, believing in the power of cursing kids to cover for a mostly lame screenplay, which jerks back and forth between silliness and sincerity too many times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a video game series, “Resident Evil” has managed to sustain fanbase interest since the release of its first installment 30 years ago. The movie business has also enjoyed the success of the brand name, launching many pictures based on the gaming world, including a long run with star Milla Jovovich that managed to make a fortune with international audiences, while a 2021 do-over (“Welcome to Raccoon City”) struggled to find ticket-buyers. The features led with horror and action, attempting to keep up with the spooky game, getting grisly and crunchy with endeavors that hoped to bring thrills to the big screen. Enter Zach Cregger, fresh off his work on 2025’s “Weapons,” now taking on this universe of eerie investigation, desperate survival, and monstrous encounters. Naturally, he turns the offering into…a comedy? The old “Resident Evil” saga lost the war with creativity, but they were stern, violent events. The new “Resident Evil” brings the blood and the ghoulishness, but also hopes to be hilarious, putting Cregger’s filmmaking habits to the test as he tries to get away from scary business, trying out silliness at times to take the series into a new direction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The last “Shaun the Sheep” movie, 2019’s “Farmageddon,” was a complete delight, mixing Aardman Animation wit and artistry with a tale that brought real heart to the franchise. The gang is back with “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom,” which follows 2005’s “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” with another examination of Halloween happenings going on in a colorful stop-motion animated world. Directors Steve Cox and Matthew Walker look to meet expectations for cuteness and cleverness with the feature, which pairs slapstick comedy with horror homages and general hairy tomfoolery. “The Beast of Mossy Bottom” isn’t interested in sustaining the sweetness of “Farmageddon,” but it’s another humorous and satisfying offering of farmland happenings with beloved characters and their love of mischief. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com