“Frankenstein” has been done to death. Originating as an 1818 novel from author Mary Shelley, the tale of creation and revenge has been resurrected in all forms of media for over a century, finding its greatest popularity in the world of cinema, where the darkness of the story is allowed to be explored in full. There’s been no shortage of adaptations and general riffs on Shelley’s creation, but such well-worn artistic terrain doesn’t deter writer/director Guillermo del Toro. The man in love with monsters, del Toro finally gets a chance to play with The Creature in his own production of “Frankenstein,” going the big-budget route that emphasizes cinematic scale and texture. The picture is something to see, offering exquisite moviemaking craftsmanship, but like a lot of del Toro’s work, “Frankenstein” struggles to connect on a soulful level, remaining much more interesting on a technical one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Making his feature-length directorial debut is comedian Aziz Ansari, who looks to “Good Fortune” (also claiming a screenwriting credit on the project) as a way to address the woes of life, especially for those struggling to survive financially in a world that’s happy to leave people behind. Ansari brings in a heavenly touch to play with some religious magic, and borrows a bit from 1983’s “Trading Places,” which offered a comedic take on the story of “The Prince and the Pauper.” “Good Fortune” looks to offer humor and sweetness as it examines the frustrations of class inequality, but it’s hard to understand exactly what Ansari wants his audience to feel when he’s stuffed the movie with weak jokes and unlikable characters. The film is a bit of a mess, at least tonally, and reveals Ansari’s weaknesses as a helmer, never quite grasping how little heart there is in this picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Mary Bronstein aims to cinematically communicate the pressure cooker experience of being a mother in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” There have been a number of slightly similar endeavors in recent years (including “Tully” and “Nightbitch”), exploring the psychological fragility of women who are doing their best to keep it together as pressures, real and imagined, build up around them, causing a temporary break from reality. Bronstein goes to a much darker place in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” reaching into the main character, who’s handling too much and all at once. The helmer offers a powerful examination of helplessness, and actress Rose Byrne shakes off the sameness of recent performances to vividly portray an emotional meltdown leaking out of a tightly wound person, getting to the core of a fantastically complex living experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Interest in the world of author Roald Dahl has certainly increased in recent years, inspiring a fresh round of literary adaptations including “Matilda the Musical,” “Wonka,” and “The Witches.” Even Wes Anderson has joined in, helming the short “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” for a streaming audience. Now there’s “The Twits,” which is based on a 1980 Dahl children’s novel, putting director Phil Johnston (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”) to work bringing the author’s unusual, somewhat gross ways to the screen, also sharing credit for the screenplay with Meg Favreau. “The Twits” has been handed a modern kids film makeover, with its original oddity softened in the hunt to bring a substantial story to the offering. Weirdness remains, and there’s entertainment value in Dahl’s world, but formula threatens to overwhelm the viewing experience, as the uniqueness of the book has been watered down to make a sellable movie out of it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2022’s “The Black Phone” was an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story. And it definitely played like one, with screenwriters C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson (who also directed) straining to turn a small idea for suspense into a feature film. And one that had a pretty definitive conclusion. However, definitive conclusions are no match for box office profit, and now we have “Black Phone 2,” with Cargill and Derrickson returning to expand Hill’s concept for a sequel that’s not necessary, and doesn’t invest in originality. The writers clearly turn to Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” for inspiration and direct lifts, looking for a way to return The Grabber to action without fully erasing his fate in the previous picture. “Black Phone 2” sticks with dream logic and cheap frights, and the offering takes its time to get where it’s going, aiming for a more emotional, family-oriented scare zone in a decidedly ho-hum movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Jess Varley is after something specific with “The Astronaut,” but she doesn’t have a clear idea how to get there. It hopes to be a chiller, at least until it isn’t one, but the material doesn’t have much appreciation for originality, delivering the usual in terms of tight psychological spaces and perceived physical threats around an isolated setting. But there’s noticeable drive to make this endeavor snap to cinematic life, watching Varley oversee music and editing achievements that hope to sell the intensity of a picture that’s mostly flat. “The Astronaut” is headed somewhere, hoping to give viewers a ride of mystery that takes everything all the way to the final shot. The effort is appreciated, but the offering just isn’t very compelling, looking to pull off a major misdirect that lacks a more meaningful payoff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Other” is a small-scale horror movie from writer/director David Moreau, who’s been faithful to the genre over the last two decades, including work on 2006’s “Them,” 2008’s “The Eye,” and, more recently, 2024’s little-seen “MadS.” Moreau’s latest keeps him in the shadows, this time examining the psychological melting of a middle-aged woman reconnecting with her past after the death of her mother, soon recognizing the true depth of trauma she suffered at the hands of her parent. “Other” has a therapeutic level to the writing, getting into hidden spaces of pain as the main character returns to the life she left behind. And there’s something of a creature feature angle to the story, putting Moreau to work organizing nasty things that only move in the dark. “Other” has the goods to become a striking short film, but the helmer is undertaking a feature-length journey here, and there’s far too much dead air in the endeavor to really rattle the senses. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Mastermind” is often identified as a heist movie, and perhaps there’s some truth to that label. It deals with a man attempting to organize the theft of four paintings from a local museum, handling the planning and execution of a crime that means more to him than simple financial gain. While thoughts of near-misses and scheming come to mind, the feature is the latest from writer/director Kelly Reichardt, and she’s not one to indulge the simple pleasures of flashy filmmaking and furious pacing. The helmer of thoughtful endeavors such as “Wendy and Lucy,” “Certain Women,” and 2022’s little-seen “Showing Up,” Reichardt mostly deals with screen stillness, looking to examine unique characterizations and quiet spaces. This creative approach doesn’t bring much intensity to “The Mastermind,” but those in tune with Reichardt’s work might find something to savor in this muted offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Woman in Cabin 10” is an adaptation of a 2016 novel by Ruth Ware, who’s enjoyed a successful career as an architect of literary mysteries, often compared to the writings of Agatha Christie. She’s new to the realm of cinematic interpretations, with the book handed over to director Simon Stone, who contributed solid work in features such as “The Dig” and “The Daughter,” also sharing a screenplay credit with Joe Schrapnel and Anna Waterhouse. The team is ready to scramble viewer minds with this study of growing confusion and paranoia onboard a yacht filled with billionaires, following the sleuthing skills of a journalist who believes she’s witnessed a murder. The set-up is solid, the stuff of a classic whodunit, but “The Woman in Cabin 10” gradually falls apart as it goes, indulging in growing ridiculousness before it reaches pure absurdity in its final act. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Kiss of the Spider Woman” began life as a 1976 novel by author Manuel Puig, who was interested in exploring the pains of reality involving political torment and the liberation of the mind as fantasy takes hold. It was turned into a 1985 film, directed by Hector Babenco, with the little feature snowballing into an art-house hit, even scoring four Academy Award nominations and an Oscar win for co-star William Hurt. In 1992, the material was reworked into a musical from John Kander and Fred Ebb, which went on to collect multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical of the Year. That stage endeavor serves as the inspiration for a new “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” with writer/director Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls,” 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast”) attempting to bring the sharp divide between grime and glamour to the big screen, putting his faith in Jennifer Lopez to carry most of the effort’s song and dance. Technical credits are impressive, and the story finds moments of intimacy, but the production also battles a level of theatricality that doesn’t translate to riveting cinema, making the offering feel sluggish and flattened. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Disney elected to return to their past with the 2010 release of “Tron: Legacy,” giving the 1982 cult classic an event movie makeover, looking to compete in the blockbuster marketplace with a high-tech take on computer program wars and family ties. The endeavor did good business, but not “Avatar” business, shutting down corporate interest in maintaining franchise momentum on the big screen. “Tron” continued in video games, an animated series, and even a Disney Parks roller coaster, and now time comes for the company to try again. “Tron: Ares” is the second sequel, and while it offers ties to the previous picture, screenwriter Jesse Wigutow is tasked with finding a new rhythm for the series, which updates tech and characters, and even purpose as war is raged in the real world and on the grid. “Ares” comes loaded with chase sequences and incredible visual effects, and while it doesn’t quite reach the wonderful scale of “Legacy,” director Joachim Ronning (“Kon-Tiki,” “The Young Woman and the Sea,” but also “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) makes a proper thrill ride with the offering, which remains immense fun as it figures out a new way forward for the saga while playing with its past. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

John Candy passed away 31 years ago, and in a remarkable display of professional longevity, he’s never faded away. Candy has remained in the hearts and minds of comedy fans since he departed, with new generations introduced to his special charisma and screen presence, keeping his legacy alive. “John Candy: I Like Me” is a documentary about the actor and his unique personality, with director Colin Hanks (2015’s “All Things Must Pass”) launching an effort to collect information and memories about the star, looking to create a portrait of a complicated, somewhat gentle man who managed to make his dream of performance a reality, even achieving a level of fame few have experienced. “I Like Me” is meant to be an emotional event, and interviewees are tasked with providing warm memories of Candy, with Hanks attempting to identify the subject’s emotional complexity and career frustrations with a noticeably softer approach. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was once a time when sword and sorcery movies had their moment in the sun. It was an era long ago, known as “the eighties,” when producers, hungry for easy profits and small budgets, tried to match the success of 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” and rising commitment to role-playing games, offering their own take on weapon-wielding brawn and adventuring. 1983’s “Deathstalker” is one of the more famous titles of the trend, eventually conquering the home video market and spawning numerous sequels. And now it’s been brought back to life courtesy of writer/director Steven Kostanski (“Psycho Goreman,” “Frankie Freako”), who loves a monster mash, bringing his vision for practical effects and tomfoolery to “Deathstalker,” which offers a fantasy saga update that focuses on the fun factor of the subgenre. It’s a new take on an old story, with Kostanski using his remarkable imagination for gore and creature effects to successfully revive the brand name with this mostly lively display of action and evildoing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com