“The Strangers: Chapter 1.” Do you remember that movie? It was released in May 2024, part of a new revival of “The Strangers” brand name, which previously died after the limited box office take of 2018’s “The Strangers: Prey at Night.” Producers wanted more “Strangers” and in a hurry, shooting an entire trilogy of films at once, with initial plans to release them all within 12 months. Well, after the public largely ignored “Chapter 1,” such lofty exhibition dreams were dashed, and now, 16 months later, “The Strangers: Chapter 2” has finally been brought to screens, clinging to the hope that improvements can be made after the first installment failed to catch fire. Director Renny Harlin and screenwriters Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland actually don’t have anything to offer in the sequel, which doesn’t move what little story is present here forward, merely offering the same old chases involving the usual in masked killers. “Chapter 2” is a bore, and one that doesn’t do anything with hindsight, preferring to serve up lame chills as routine commands the viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a filmmaker, Alex Winter is perhaps best known for his documentaries, including “Zappa,” “Downloaded,” and “Deep Web: The Untold Story of Bitcoin and the Silk Road.” He’s been curious about the world and its underpublicized dangers, also offering an overview of creativity and media influence. Winter puts his concerns aside for a moment to make “Adulthood,” which plays into his love for dark comedies, originally on view in 1993’s wholly bizarre “Freaked.” One might expect the helmer to go crazy with this examination of tensions and troubles with a pair of siblings who discover their parents may have been responsible for a murder committed 30 years ago. The premise has tremendous potential, and screenwriter Michael M.B. Gavin (“Fat Kid Rules the World”) offers a few portions of insanity as the main characters sink deeper into trouble. But there’s something a little bit off about “Adulthood,” which feels muted at times, finding Winter unable or unwilling to reconnect with his anarchic side and really go crazy with the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A lot of pre-release buzz for “One Battle After Another” has labeled the endeavor an “action movie,” marking the first time writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson has gone the genre route after three decades of making highly idiosyncratic features about the private lives of broken people. The new film (his first since 2021’s sensational “Licorice Pizza”) has its moments of brutality and a few pursuits, but it’s not really a picture that uses violence all that much. “One Battle After Another” remains more in line with Anderson’s previous efforts, returning to the wily ways of determined characters and the obstacles that remain in their way. It’s a needlessly long journey (clocking in a 162 minutes), but it contains some appealing insanity and the usual cinematic buzz of Anderson’s work, rolling along with a worsening situation that commands the attention of an assortment of characters, often reflecting the madness we’re all living with these days. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Roofman” marks the moviemaking return of director Derek Cianfrance, who hasn’t made a film since the 2016 misfire, “The Light Between the Oceans.” It’s been a long time away from the big screen for the “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines” helmer, but the wait has certainly refocused Cianfrance’s storytelling interests, making arguably his best picture with the “true story” of Jeffrey Manchester, a criminal who, in 2004, managed to escape from prison and create an unusual life for himself while secretly living inside a Toys “R’ Us store. The tale seems impossible, but Cianfrance and co-writer Kirt Gunn attempt to stick with the outrageous reality of the situation, gracefully creating a strong emotional core for this examination of well-intentioned deception. The feature also gives star Channing Tatum a chance to showcase some dramatic weight, delivering one of the best performances of his career as a man making all the wrong choices for mostly the right reasons, helping to add dimension to a surprisingly fantastic film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Scarlett Johansson has been acting for over 30 years, achieving incredible success and accolades during her time, becoming one of the most in-demand talents in Hollywood. It comes as something of a surprise to learn that “Eleanor the Great” is actually her feature-length directorial debut, finally stepping behind the camera to guide an understanding of coping behaviors and grief, with screenwriter Tory Kamen also making her debut. “Eleanor the Great” is a small picture about feelings and relationships, giving Johansson some breathing room as she deals with tone and the cast, making things a little easier for herself with a starring turn from June Squibb. Coming off her marvelous performance in 2024’s sublime “Thelma,” Squibb returns with another complex part, this time portraying a person attempting to manage her sadness through accidental lying. Johansson keeps her camera on Squibb for as long as possible, and the pair make a terrific team, finding the heart and soul in this lovely film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Emma Thompson certainly seeks out acting challenges. She always enjoys varied work and unique characters, looking to challenge herself, especially in recent years, playing villains (“Matilda the Musical”), sensitive souls (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”), and even an animal (“Dolittle”). And now Thompson really takes a chance with “Dead of Winter,” finding the thoroughly English thespian looking to portray a native Minnesotan locked in the fight of her life as she discovers something wicked brewing in the woods. Thompson has one wild accent, but she commits physically to the part, and director Brian Kirk (“21 Bridges”) does a commendable job maintaining suspense as the screenplay (credited to Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb) cooks up survival challenges for the lead character. “Dead of Winter” isn’t exactly a nail-biter, but it delivers with its frigid setting and violent entanglements, providing an unusual actioner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While he’s developed a Hollywood career with thrillers and franchise employment (including three Jason Bourne sequels), director Paul Greengrass typically does his best work in the world of true life stores. He’s brought incredible intensity to offerings such as “Bloody Sunday,” “22 July,” and especially 2006’s “United 93,” and he returns to screens with “The Lost Bus,” which dramatizes the events of the 2018 Camp Fire, focusing on one school bus driver’s efforts to deal with all of his personal problems and save a group of kids from a rampaging wildfire. It’s an adaptation of a book, and Greengrass is certainly capable of summoning tremendous suspense with the chaos of the event, following various sides of the disaster as time ticks away. It’s the screenplay (credited to Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby) that’s surprisingly clunky, finding the writers laboring to add characterization whenever possible, making sure everything is nicely spelled out for viewers instead of delivering something more primal to fit a survival picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One doesn’t have to be familiar with the intricate details of the television show “Gabby’s Dollhouse” (which debuted in 2021) to enjoy its feature-film debut, but it probably helps. However, co-writer/director Ryan Crego is making an effort to help with accessibility, bringing in a roster of comedians to help those unfamiliar with this world of toys and magic find some humor in the middle of all the animated adventuring. “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” isn’t stunning, but it remains appealing, with Crego putting together a colorful journey into the wilds of imagination, adding musical numbers and comedy bits along the way. “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” is obviously made for fans of the original program, but parents might find themselves suitably entertained for most of the picture, especially when Crego dares to get a little silly with the material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Stolen Girl” is “inspired by a true story.” The picture actually lists this claim twice in the film, but screenwriters Kas Graham and Rebecca Pollock never share what the true story actually is that inspired the production. What’s here is more of an action movie, putting director James Kent (“The Aftermath,” “Testament of Youth”) to work finding aggression in strange places, looking to bring out a bit more than conversation when detailing the team involved in the “child recovery business,” including one mother’s battle to find her missing daughter. “Stolen Girl” has a very delicate tale to offer about emotional devastation and prolonged torment, but the production would rather become a generic B-movie instead, and Kent isn’t up to the task of creating a gripping, thrilling offering of askew heroism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2020, William Bridges and Brett Goldstein created the television series “Soulmates,” which ran for a single season. It offered a look at a future world where true love could be determined by a test, giving patients an opportunity to achieve perfection in the messy game of human relationships. Apparently, the premise was just too good to simply throw away. Bridges and Goldstein return with “All of You,” which continues the “Soulmates” journey without being an official spin-off, adding a new chapter of trouble for two people who understand they’re meant to be together, only to have science disagree. “All of You” is a soap opera, and a slightly frustrating one at that, but the writers try to generate a tortured existence for the main characters, and this intensity has its moments while stars Goldstein and Imogen Poots do a satisfying job creating chemistry as two characters facing constant separation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Afterburn” is the third film from director J.J. Perry, who tried to make his mark with adrenalized endeavors such as “Day Shift” and “The Killer’s Game,” offering mid-budget spectacle. The features weren’t finely crafted, and the case of “The Killer’s Game,” were almost completely ignored by audiences, but Perry remains employed, reteaming with star Dave Bautista for a post-apocalyptic adventure story that can’t exactly afford to really show off a devastated Earth. Instead, the effort offers small bites of action and conflict, putting Bautista to work with physical business as the screenplay (which is an adaptation of a comic book) tries to make an interesting plot and characters passably compelling. “Afterburn” has the foundation to launch a successful B-movie, but the picture rarely gets out of first gear, stuck with uninspired writing and performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To help sell “Him” to the masses, Universal Pictures has been plastering the name of Jordan Peele all over marketing materials. However, the “Get Out,” “Us,” and “Nope” filmmaker is only involved as a producer, not a writer or director, though one could be forgiven for thinking Peele played a major role in the making of the offering, as it closely resembles his vision for suspense and commentary. Co-writer/director Justin Tipping is the credited leader of the pack here, and he’s ambitious with the project, which means to explore the cult-like fame and fandom of professional football, following the torturous experience of a rookie trying to take advantage of interest one of the greatest athletes in the game is showing him. “Him” could be sharp critique of NFL excess and the meat grinder experience it offers most players, but Tipping would rather make a horror movie, and a particularly clumsy one at that, gradually losing control of the endeavor’s insanity to a point where it all just becomes white noise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Francis Ford Coppola isn’t afraid of having his moviemaking experiences documented. He welcomes the attention, becoming the focus of many fascinating studies of creative drive and its inevitable slide into madness. Perhaps most famously there was “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” a 1991 release that explored the pained process of bringing 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” to life. Various video releases have included behind-the-scenes journeys as well (including an excellent one for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”), helping to remove the mystery of Coppola’s process for those interested in filmmaking achievements. “Megadoc” is the latest offering of observance, but this time the subject is “Megalopolis,” which debuted in 2024 to great hype and low box office, representing the end of a long filmmaking odyssey for Coppola, who poured his life and fortune into the bewildering endeavor. Director Mike Figgis was invited to capture the craftsmanship and camaraderie, and “Megadoc” provides a fascinating look at the experience of “Megalopolis,” where excesses clashed with ego, putting Coppola in the middle of another production whirlwind where his vision didn’t always mesh with reality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Seth Reiss (“The Menu”) asks a lot of the audience with “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.” It’s a study of fantasy, heartache, and love, using the ways of magical realism to provide an odyssey for viewers, with hopes to sweep them up in a strange adventure. Director Kogonada is also committed to the cause, striving to supply a sense of the bizarre and the painfully real, overseeing a mission of reawakening as two strangers experience a return to their heaviest days to help inspire a brighter tomorrow. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” intends to provide a warm viewing event highlighting two characters who learn to need each other over the course of the run time. Such sensitivity is difficult to buy in the picture, which is too twee to really sink into the system, and stars Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie aren’t a particularly well-matched pair, straining for chemistry in a feature that assumes it has a great deal more appeal than it actually provides. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a horror classic, and a feature that’s never been forgotten. The picture returns to pop culture power every year, most notably around the Halloween season, retaining generational fandom as the brand name is examined in sequels, remakes, video games, toys, and other media and products. It’s hard to recall any time when the movie wasn’t in film appreciation conversation, and now director Alexandre O. Philippe hopes to have his way with the movie in “Chain Reactions,” which is part documentary, part visual essay, putting the “Memory: The Origins of Alien” and “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill” helmer to work placing Tobe Hooper’s creation up for analysis with help from five interviewees who share the same reverence for the iconic offering. “Chain Reactions” isn’t out to understand behind-the-scenes accomplishments, more interested in the wonders of memory and the adventure of interpretation, looking at the world of Leatherface from personal places as each participant articulates their love for the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Waltzing with Brando” is “based on a true story,” which was documented in Bernard Judge’s 2011 book, “Waltzing with Brando: Planning a Paradise in Tahiti.” Judge (who passed away in 2021) led a colorful life, and experienced a relationship with the reclusive movie star, befriending Marlon Brando during a special time in his life, catching the actor as he worked to remove himself from Hollywood interests. Writer/director Bill Fishman (“Tapeheads,” 1994’s “Car 54, Where Are You?”) has a bizarre tale to share about an unlikely connection, and he has the natural wonders of Tahiti to use as a location, working to create a type of seduction meant to tempt the characters into submission, along with viewers. Such environmental splendor certainly has its appeal, and there’s Billy Zane, who does an impressive job inhabiting Brando, managing to elevate the feature with his graceful commitment. “Waltzing with Brando” has its issues with some casting choices and a general dramatic slackness, but pieces of this behavioral puzzle snap together easily enough, making for an acceptable viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com