1994’s “Clerks” had a very appropriate ending, offering a sudden resolution to a crude comedy that was more about scenes than a narrative journey. 2006’s “Clerks II” had a perfect ending, with writer/director Kevin Smith successfully creating a full circle moment for his lead characters, concluding their convenience store odyssey on a bittersweet, borderline ominous note. “Clerks III” is the unexpected third installment of Smith’s study of minimum-wage shenanigans, and it doesn’t really have an ending, reflecting a picture that spends most of the run time trying to understand why it even exists. The helmer wants another bite of the apple, continuing his recent career choice to revisit past glories (2019’s “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”), but “Clerks III” makes some strange creative moves, including Smith’s decision to turn the feature into a dramedy, looking to mine some emotions while juggling the raunchy humor he’s known for. It’s a deeper, more sensitive “Clerks,” leading to an uneven, somewhat befuddling viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s been a lot of “Pinocchio” in recent years, with various live-action and animated productions trying various ways to capture the original magic of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel. For Disney, the material represents the company’s second foray into feature-length animation, with a 1940 adaptation gradually becoming a classic to fans and film scholars, offering a brighter take on the source material, keeping up with the Disney way. To help advance their work on live-action remakes of animated endeavors, the company turns to Robert Zemeckis to help bring “Pinocchio” back to life, with the co-writer/director tasked with reviving the general mood of the 1940 picture while sprucing it up for modern audiences, mixing actors with CGI creations, also changing around some of the storytelling choices and adding musical numbers. It’s not a radically different version of an already altered take on Collodi’s work, with Zemeckis in an unusually subdued mood as he assembles a perfectly entertaining viewing experience, but nothing more. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1997, writer/director Neil LaBute made his debut with “In the Company of Men,” which studied the casual cruelty of male characters covering for their own self-esteem issues by declaring war on women. The picture created quite a stir when it was originally released, helping LaBute achieve a career that’s seen some fairly drastic differences in quality over the decades, though his obsession with heated interactions between genders has remained consistent. LaBute is back with “House of Darkness,” which also deals with growing hostilities between men and women, only this time LaBute is using genre moviemaking to help his cause, reworking a vampiric tale of gradual intimidation into an assessment of male behavior, especially when confronted by female power. Some blood flows in “House of Darkness,” but the helmer sticks with his usual presentation of conversations, which explore some fascinating areas of vulnerability, making this LaBute’s best endeavor in quite some time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2009’s “Miss March” was the last time Zach Cregger directed a feature film (sharing duties with Trevor Moore). It was one of the worst movies of the year, quickly forgotten by the public, which is likely why it’s taken him so long to make another picture. However, instead of returning to slapstick comedy, Cregger goes solo with “Barbarian,” which tries to make something happen in the world of horror. The writing has a little more on its mind than simple scares, trying to untangle the ways of predatory men and problematic choices, using the menace of subterranean terror to connect the dots on some type of gender commentary. Cregger has a stunning opening 45 minutes, offering a smooth communication of his ideas and wonderful suspense involving a disturbing situation of exploration. And then it all falls apart in a way that’s more shocking than the material’s eventual reveal of evil, with Cregger trying to be clever and surprising while he quickly loses command of his unsatisfying endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been killer house movies before, but “Margaux” hopes to update the formula with its presentation of a high-tech dwelling turning on those wishing to spend time inside of it. It’s “smart house” A.I. gone mad, with screenwriters Chris Beyrooty, Chris Sivertson, and Nick Waters cooking up ways to use fantasy technology in a slasher film premise, and, for the opening half of the feature, they manage to deliver some enjoyably wicked violence while gradually introducing the power of the home. “Margaux” gets lost trying to pursue some form of logic, afraid to simply be a picture about a residence that’s interested in destroying humans, but the endeavor gets off on the right foot, with director Steven C. Miller delivering blood and suspense, maintaining a decent pace for the B-movie, which always works the best when leaning into its wilder ideas for wonderful nonsense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

John Hughes brought something special to his movies. It’s a quality that’s inspired other filmmakers to replicate it, offering more sensitive tales of adolescents trying to make sense of the world they inhabit. 1985’s “The Breakfast Club” is arguably Hughes’s masterpiece, delivering rich characterizations and deep high school concerns to explore, sold with a sharp sense of humor and a wonderful handle on music from the era. It seems like such a simple recipe, but few have managed to do what Hughes did, especially with the same sterling technical credits and sense of empathy. “The Class” attempts to revive the Hughes experience as a homage to “The Breakfast Club,” though writer/director Nicholas Celozzi is basically lifting the story and character beats from the original picture. His heart is in the right place, looking to update the premise with a fresh round of aching kids and their communication issues, but “The Class” isn’t refined work, emerging as a feature about an acting class that often plays like an acting class. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Matt Eskandari is no stranger to VOD entertainment, previously helming such movies as “Hard Kill,” “Survive the Night,” and “Trauma Center.” He’s also no stranger to actor Bruce Willis, who appeared in the features, with the pair reteaming for “Wire Room,” sustaining their mutual career interest in generic thrillers largely contained to a few locations, shot in a limited amount of time. Willis doesn’t contribute much to the picture, and Eskandari isn’t putting in much of an effort either, going through the motions on a repetitive, dull thriller with a screenplay (credited to Brandon Stiefer) that contains no surprises, sharp dialogue, or interesting characterization. It’s just another forgettable Randall Emmett and George Furla production determined to simply be product, not an exciting presentation of escapism with concentration on highly cinematic twists and turns. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The workplace has changed over the last two years, therefore it’s time to update the workplace comedy. “Out of Office” is one of a few titles trying to make sense of the new employment rules, examining the screwball communication demands and strange relationships involved with the work-from-home approach, where connection is video conference-based, but the same old peculiarities and tensions remain. There’s potential for a farce, or perhaps a sharp updating of the Mike Judge classic, “Office Space,” but writer/director Paul Lieberstein doesn’t have that level of inspiration for the endeavor. He aims more for mild antics, bodily function humor, and extended improvisations, putting pressure on the ensemble to come up with silly stuff, which the talent isn’t always able to do. “Out of Office” will certainly be understood in a special way by those subjected to current business demands, but the potential of the concept isn’t met by Lieberstein, who doesn’t always know what he wants from the feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Thrillers and chillers are everywhere these days. They’re cheap to produce and don’t require star power to attract an audience. And, in these pandemic times, they don’t demand the use of multiple locations, keeping suspense needs to a few select areas. To help break free from the competition, a movie needs a little extra something to be memorable, and “I Came By” offers a bit more edge than most genre offerings. It’s a slickly made endeavor with some notable actors around to handle the writing’s unusual characterization, but co-writer/director Babak Anvari isn’t afraid to bring a little nastiness to the picture, overseeing some genuine surprises to help disrupt formula. “I Came By” doesn’t offer an eye-opening viewing experience, but it does what it does rather well, keeping viewers unsettled as the evil depicted here is genuinely wicked, securing an elevated sense of ruthlessness that makes the feature quite compelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” began life as a short film from Adamma Ebo, with the writer/director taking 15 minutes of screen time to confront certain aspects of megachurch culture and leadership, playing with a mockumentary approach to examine character insecurities and misbegotten behavior. Ebo returns to the material with a feature-length take on the topic, presenting the helmer with a different creative challenge, now tasked to expand on her ideas and generate a larger world for the characters and their raging issues. Those expecting a riff on religious predators with a Christopher Guest-ish approach would be wise to alter expectations for “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” It’s an amusing endeavor with big personalities and strange con games, but Ebo doesn’t go broad enough with the movie, working to find a middle ground between laughs and pathos, which creates interesting moments of friction in a picture that feels a little too scattered at times to hit its intended target. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com