Writer/director Martin McDonagh typically makes very small pictures about darkly comedic events, embracing opportunities to surprise viewers with deep character work. His last feature turned out to be a very big deal, with 2017’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” overcoming indie film expectations to become one of the best movies of the year, eventually riding success to major box office and Oscar gold for two of its actors. Suddenly, McDonagh was exposed to the bright industry light and all the temptations that come with it. It’s heartening to see the helmer refusing to give in to big-budget ideas with his follow-up, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” with his latest perhaps his grimmest effort yet, asking audiences to be patient with a tale of a broken friendship and the unusual forms of violence it generates. It’s a small-scale understanding of troubled relationships, brought to life with exemplary performances and sharp screenwriting, keeping the bleak tone of the endeavor approachable in a way that’s pure McDonagh. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Two years ago, director Lorcan Finnegan and screenwriter Garret Shanley collaborated on “Vivarium,” putting together a highly weird picture that handled with “Twilight Zone” energy, exploring a special unreality tied to the demands of domesticity and relationships. It worked to a certain degree, with the duo putting together an unusual feature with a distinct visual approach, enjoying the creation of a cinematic puzzle for more adventurous viewers. Shanley and Finnegan are back with “Nocebo,” and they haven’t shaken their storytelling interests, returning with another mystery of motivation and possible insanity with this tale of a medicinal journey involving two shattered women. “Nocebo” shares many of the shortcomings that kept “Vivarium” from greatness, but there’s much here to appreciate, including an original take on menace and discomfort, and performances are always compelling, adding to a sense of threat the production occasionally struggles to maintain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Mel Gibson’s career as of late hasn’t inspired a lot of faith in his ability to pick scripts tailored to his talents as an actor. There was one notable exception in 2020’s “Fatman,” but the last few years have been strange for the performer, as he’s mostly pursuing forgettable parts in mediocre-to-terrible films, looking to make big bucks for a minimal amount of effort. There’s nothing technically wrong with paycheck gigs, but it’s been disheartening to watch Gibson flounder with crummy projects. “On the Line” initially promises to be more of a thespian challenge for the star, tasked with playing a curdled radio host dragged through a torturous evening by a mystery tormentor, and the first hour highlights an alert and eager Gibson, who seems invested in the material. Writer/director Romuald Boulanger doesn’t reward such dedication, pursuing a specific conclusion to “On the Line” that’s guaranteed to irritate most viewers, offering little reward after a reasonably tense introduction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2020’s “Enola Holmes” became a big hit for Netflix, entertaining family audiences with its semi-spirited take on the YA book franchise by author Nancy Springer. Cinema history is packed with detective stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, but Enola permitted the production to approach sleuthing from a younger POV, with “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown accepting the challenge of portraying a wily teenager trying to find her own way as a detective, looking to get out of her older brother’s sizable shadow. “Enola Holmes” had issues with pace and overlength, but it did eagerly launch a franchise, and now there’s “Enola Holmes 2,” which continues the story of the kid detective, giving her a new case to solve and personal relationships to sort out. Nothing has been radically altered here, as the sequel is built to delight the same viewers who approved of the first chapter, delivering a serviceable game for the eponymous character and her more famous sibling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Daniel Stamm has made this movie before. In 2010, Stamm guided “The Last Exorcism,” a low budget found footage picture about demonic possession, with the helmer trying to make something terrifying out of a format that generally repels scares. “The Last Exorcism” was a box office hit, preparing Stamm for bigger things in the industry. There was a thriller in 2014’s “13 Sins,” but nothing else of note, inspiring Stamm to return to the genre that provided his greatest success, delivering “Prey for the Devil” (shot over two years ago), which is another round of innocent things being tormented by the Devil and his dirty tricks. It’s not exactly a creative challenge, but Stamm strives to make a more emotionally grounded, character-based take on the violence of the situation and how it touches on the lives of those committed to the mission to cast out Satan whenever he appears. Unfortunately, “Prey for the Devil” is more of a T.V. pilot than a cinematic event, with Stamm keeping the endeavor in neutral, skipping chances to make this dull effort more frightening, or at least more gripping. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As the Halloween experience comes to a close, it’s now the Christmas season, and what better way to celebrate than time with a picture about a tree that becomes possessed by the spirit of a dead serial killer, allowing the murderer to resume his rampage. Indeed, “The Killing Tree” is literally about a malevolent plant hoping to make Christmas miserable for the person who finally put a stop to their carnage, with writer Craig McLearie and director Rhys Frake-Waterfield (the upcoming “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey”) presenting a highly amusing idea in search of a watchable movie. “The Killing Tree” has the foundation for a camp classic spotlighting a wonderfully bizarre screen menace, but the production strangely avoids any sort of spirited engagement, lumbering along as a half-speed chiller that’s weirdly focused on characterization, and not the engrossing kind. Tree activity almost becomes an afterthought for the feature, which is certain to gift disappointment to anyone electing to spend time with a seriously unadventurous endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Tobias Lindholm made a name for himself as the helmer of “A Hijacking” and “A War,” working with a restrained yet powerful sense of emotion while exploring the procedural experience of terrorism and military combat. They were excellent features with outstanding performances and a rich sense of tension, and now, after years working in the Danish film industry, Lindholm goes Hollywood with “The Good Nurse,” where he teams up with stars Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne for another suspenseful understanding of character and mystery. Screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917,” “Last Night in Soho”) adapts a true crime book by Charles Graeber, endeavoring to transform the details of possible murder and an ensuing investigation into more of a human story while still tending to the tightness of discoveries and suspicion. “The Good Nurse” isn’t quite as gripping as Lindholm’s previous efforts, but it remains deeply compelling as it finds its way through a disturbing story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The story of “Call Jane” would be of interest anyway, but the timing of the feature is fascinating. Reaching screens in 2022, the film shares the tale of the Jane Collective, which, in its early days, provided safe abortions for women hoping to find some help during dark times of legality and gender equality. The screenplay, by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, returns viewers to the pre-Roe v. Wade time of 1968, following the main character as she moves from the numbness of domestication to the awareness of liberation, embarking on an eye-opening, life-changing education when a pregnancy threatens to end her life. Director Phyllis Nagy (who wrote 2015’s “Carol”) handles the sensitive subject carefully, making sure to keep “Call Jane” approachable for a wider audience, but she doesn’t sacrifice complexity. It’s not always an easy sit, but “Call Jane” delivers a potent reminder of fear and empowerment during a time when women began to comprehend and gradually reject a feeling of disposability. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Neil Marshall’s career took a major hit when his do-over of “Hellboy” attracted disdain from the critical community, while audiences also maintained their distance from the picture (a film even Marshall would eventually disown). He’s retreated to the ways of low-budget productions, working exclusively with his girlfriend, Charlotte Kirk, and their first endeavor, 2020’s “The Reckoning,” didn’t inspire much of a reaction outside of hope they wouldn’t team up again. Marshall continues his Kirk collaboration with “The Lair” (a third movie from the pair is due out next year), which is basically a remake of James Cameron’s “Aliens,” only without the style, acting, and ferocity. Marshall can’t do much with his limited resources here, occasionally working up some monster mayhem in small settings while also managing a cringe-inducing screenplay (co-written by Kirk) that leaves no cliché behind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1980, “Terror Train” was released during the Halloween season, and it was…okay. The Roger Spottiswoode-directed picture did moderate business, attracting audiences with the strange visual of a Groucho Marx mask used by the killer, and there was the appeal of Jamie Lee Curtis, who spent the year building on her “Halloween” success and cementing her reputation as cinema’s most recognizable scream queen (also appearing in “Prom Night” and “The Fog”). The feature wasn’t big on frights, but it had mood and an unusual location for slasher movie activity. It took 42 years, but a remake has finally materialized, with “Terror Train” returning to life, out to capture attention from older genre completists and younger viewers who have no clue there was an original version of this story. The 1980 offering was no great shakes, but it was odd enough to pass. The 2022 take is a faithful remake, only lacking a more tempting sense of mystery to successfully keep fans and first timers invested in rail-based terror. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As Bruce Willis winds down his acting career, he still has a few more duds to share with the world as predatory types hope to make a few bucks off his waning marquee value. For “Detective Knight: Rogue,” Willis makes occasional appearances in a weird crime movie that hopes to transform into an epic as it unfolds. Such ambition is not going to happen under co-writer/director Edward Drake, who’s been in the Willis business for the last few years, guiding bottom shelf offerings such as “Apex,” “American Siege,” and “Gasoline Alley,” and his habitual blandness returns in “Detective Knight: Rogue,” which is yet another cop vs. criminal tale of murky morality, though Drake and co-writer Corey Large do manage to sneak in one bizarre turn of plot before succumbing to the punishing sameness of all these Willis-branded VOD time-killers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com