The year of Lin-Manuel Miranda continues with “Encanto,” which follows “Vivo,” “In the Heights,” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” as the songwriter takes over big screen musicals for 2021. Offered a smaller role in this production, Miranda’s special ways remain, overseeing a roster of expressive, jubilant tunes to help the feature reach its creative goals. It’s the 60th offering from Walt Disney Animation Studios, and while they don’t stray too far from company formula, they manage to make their best film since “Moana” with “Encanto.” It’s a celebration of family and an interesting dissection of fears, also boasting an incredible lead performance from Stephanie Beatriz, who reaches impossible levels of warmth and personality in her voicework, giving the endeavor a rich sense of humanity as the animation explores some brightly colored areas of magic and music. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“A Boy Called Christmas” first appeared as a book by Matt Haig, who attempted to manufacture his own origin story for Santa Claus, creating a fantasy adventure that gradually introduced all the elements associated with the magic of Saint Nick. Co-writers Ol Parker and Gil Kenan (who also directs) are in charge of bringing such world-building to the screen, and they arrive armed with a capable cast and excellent technical achievements. “A Boy Called Christmas” doesn’t feel particularly set-bound or hostile, instead trying to work in some valuable ideas on love and loss while managing the discovery of elves and reindeer. Kenan finds the right tone for the feature, and he’s ready to be playful with the effort, creating an engaging family film that works well with the holiday spirit, approaching the Father Christmas tale from an enjoyably weird angle. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nobody likes to talk about Kevin Smith more than Kevin Smith, which makes the documentary “Clerk” a bit strange. The filmmaker, podcaster, and comedian has spent over 25 years sharing intimate details about himself on all forms of media, inviting outsiders into his private life, exploring all kinds of topics related to the business of being Kevin Smith. Close friend and documentarian Malcolm Ingram (“Small Town Gay Bar”) clearly thinks there’s more to mine when tracking the life and times of Smith, offering “Clerk,” which is more of a general overview of personal and professional difficulties endured by Smith, who’s front and center for the picture. Those new to Smith’s universe are certainly going to get more out of the movie, which offers a decent education on the helmer’s history and choices. Longtime fans are going to hear some of the same stories here, but Smith’s arc of triumph remains compelling, even in an abbreviated form. Laughs are plentiful and memories are crystal clear, following Smith as he returns to past experiences for Ingram, trying to make sense of a career that’s endured for decades. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For his second film of 2021, director Ridley Scott moves from the chilly setting of medieval France (“The Last Duel”) to the chiller setting of the fashion industry in the 1980s, tracking the house of horrors that was the House of Gucci. “Inspired” by a true story, Scott takes such permission and runs with it, working with a screenplay by Becky Johnson and Roberto Bentivegna that transforms the saga of Patrizia Reggiai and Maurizio Gucci into a Shakespearian display of power plays and escalating madness. “House of Gucci” has it all, with Scott presiding over sex, lies, and murder, but he’s not interested in keeping the downward spiral tightly organized, permitting the feature to succumb to excessive length and intensely showy performances. “House of Gucci” offers an introductory hour of compelling deal-making and subtle manipulations, but it doesn’t sustain such speed, eventually slowing a full stop to enjoy the view. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“King Richard” is designed to be loved. It’s feel-good cinema from director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Joe Bell”) and screenwriter Zach Baylin (making his debut), who bring the story of Richard Williams to the screen. Normally, the bio-pic treatment would be afforded to his daughters, tennis champions Venus and Serena, but the production isn’t quite ready to tackle the siblings, preferring a cozier story of their father and his tenacious ways, working to transform his daughters into sporting legends. The rougher aspects of Richard’s tale have been sanded down for the film, which is mostly interested in becoming inspirational cinema, simplifying the subject’s journey as a man who wanted it all for his two kids, fully recognizing the dangers of a world without such steadfast parental support. “King Richard” isn’t raw-nerve work about the subject’s life, instead concentrating on the basics of his empowerment message. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” represents a new beginning for the franchise that mostly deals with the past. Cynics will likely scoff at the screenplay’s desire to connect to the 1984 original, but such memories of what’s come before act as a way forward for the series, with the new installment working hard to revive the magic of the first feature and its underappreciated 1989 sequel. And who better to deal with “Ghostbusters” than a Reitman? Well, Jason Reitman to be exact, who takes over directorial control from his father, Ivan (who remains as a producer), teaming with Gil Kenan to script an adventure that explores the world of ghostbusting, with focus primarily placed on the family business nature of the gig. Familiar sights and sounds return in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” but so does excitement, humor, and charm, with the second sequel a wonderful realignment of the brand name, getting back to basics while the writers attempt to introduce a more emotional atmosphere to the effort, finding big heart along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As the clever main title sequence for the film hints at, Black Friday has already become a zombie apocalypse in a way. The production offers hazy imagery of masses gathered to storm into buildings, filled with dead-eyed shoppers hoping to save a few bucks on worthless items, stampeding into stores like monsters eager to kill. “Black Friday” plays up the potential for violent mayhem on the corporate holiday, exaggerating the activities of average human maniacs, transforming them into an alien menace overwhelming a toy store on Thanksgiving, threatening the terrified staff. The satiric elements of the material (scripted by Andy Greskoviak) aren’t razor sharp, but “Black Friday” has the advantage of being tremendous amounts of fun to watch, and it's blessedly short, never overstaying its welcome as director Casey Tebo arranges a clash between vicious creatures and the minimum-wage warriors not paid enough to save the store. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A few weeks ago, “One Shot” made its debut in theaters, presenting a version of “single take” cinema that followed the escalation of a military situation that could only be solved through action fantasy. “Boiling Point” is another offering of one-take storytelling, but this tale remains in the claustrophobic confines of a busy restaurant, trying to remain as realistic as possible, dealing with profound human concerns. “One Shot” was a gripping study of violence and technical tricks, but “Boiling Point” tries to do more with its gimmick. Co-writer/director Philip Barantini extracts an incredible amount of suspense from a seemingly mundane setting, using the natural tensions of the kitchen experience to successfully knot up a dramatic understanding of breaking points, making the one-shot approach invisible as he concentrates on the pressures of restaurant performance, creating fascinating characterizations and generating some nail-biting moments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was a moment in the mid-1990s when Alanis Morissette was everywhere. The 1995 release of her album, “Jagged Little Pill,” wasn’t expected to attract much attention, only to go on to attract all of the attention, sending Morissette to a level of mega-fame few artists achieve. She hit at the right time with a brilliant record, reaching an untapped audience with confessional lyrics and an unmistakable sound, transforming a 20-year-old Canadian into a global sensation. It’s been a little over 25 years since Morissette made such a mark on the world, and “Jagged” attempts to document not only the event of the album, but the experience of being Alanis Morissette during this time, when everyone was dying to understand her, consume her, and process intense feelings triggered by astronomical triumph of “Jagged Little Pill.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jane Campion hasn’t directed a feature since 2009’s largely forgotten “Bright Star,” keeping busy with critically lauded television projects (“Top of the Lake”). With “The Power of the Dog,” Campion returns to screens with an adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, playing to her strengths of character exploration and unsteady relationships, almost emerging as a companion piece to her career triumph, 1993’s “The Piano.” “The Power of the Dog” is a highly reserved look at inner thoughts and desires, also playing a larger game of manipulation and torment, with the American west becoming a battleground for emotionally wounded people toying with power. Campion doesn’t get the endeavor to a completely satisfying close, but she’s strong with actors and composition, presenting an unnerving presentation of masculinity and desperation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The creative team behind “Extinct” certainly puts the feature in a slam-dunk position. Director David Silverman and writers Joel H. Coen, John Frink, and Rob LaZebnik are all longtime veterans of “The Simpsons,” spending years on the iconic television show, responsible for delivering big laughs every week. Silverman even helmed “The Simpsons Movie,” along with many of the shorts, including the Oscar-nominated, “The Longest Daycare.” These are talented men, and their combined effort to create a different animated comedy is exciting, giving the team a new world to develop with their sharp senses of humor. Unfortunately, “Extinct” isn’t the triumph one is hoping for, dealing with pedestrian storytelling and a strange sci-fi concept, while the production’s Chinese backing keeps the endeavor away from a wilder appreciation for an adventure through time with a pair of extinct animals. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Zeros and Ones” is only notable due to its strangeness. It’s the latest from writer/director Able Ferrara, who’s been working steadily over the last decade, making movies few have seen, and usually joined by Willem Dafoe. Ferrara doesn’t aim for a wider audience with his new picture, but he does hire Ethan Hawke as his lead actor, and he talks the star into contributing a video conference intro to the picture. This is a highly unusual idea, but “Zeros and Ones” isn’t here to please anyone. Hawke details his excitement over a chance to make cinema with Ferrara, responding to the artistry of the helmer’s previous endeavors. It’s a calculated move to explain what the feature is and what kind of character he’s playing, as Hawke’s brief offering of illumination is the last bit of light to be found in this lifeless, pointless commentary on the state of politics, art, and religion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer Roger Williams and director Lee Haven Jones assess the state of the ecological world with “The Feast.” It’s a horror feature that’s about a slow-burn as they come, with the filmmakers looking to create a creeping mood of dread via a dinner party scenario, taking their time with character interactions and acts of savagery. There’s not a lot of excitement to be found in the movie, but it does go somewhere, working itself up into a frenzy with a payoff that’s not quite worth the extended time to get there. “The Feast” is atmospheric and cryptic, and Jones doesn’t extend an invitation to the viewer with the endeavor, keeping the effort distanced, and not in a way that welcomes closer attention to screen details. It’s certainly vicious, but it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm for the picture’s glacial ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com