It’s been a rough road to release for “Magic Camp.” The feature was actually shot three years ago, stuck in limbo ever since, bopping around release dates and corporate plans before finally being sent to Disney+ to help beef up content requirements for our quarantine times. It’s a smart play by the company, though it’s easy to see what they originally envisioned for the picture, which attempts to be a new variation on the world of Harry Potter, only without a sense of wonder, dramatic stakes, or, well, magic. It’s a connect-the-dots Disney endeavor that’s perfectly harmless and aimed directly at pre-teens, but there’s little enthusiasm from director Mark Waters (“Bad Santa 2,” “Vampire Academy”), who puts in a minimal effort when exploring the shenanigans and competitive escalation of life at a sleepaway camp for magically inclined children. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With the “X-Men” universe on a break after the poor box office performance of 2019’s “Dark Phoenix,” and the spin-off “New Mutants” playing a game of tag with release dates, it’s up to “Project Power” to meet any demand for superhuman action. There are no mutants in the movie, which details the spread of a special drug capable of turning the average user into a superhero or a supervillain for five minutes. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (“Nerve”) are typically drawn to such an adrenalized event, laboring to make “Project Power” stylish, violent, and aware of some social and political issues of the day. There’s plenty to enjoy about the endeavor, and while it’s deeply flawed, the helmers do put on quite a show at times, bringing out the fury of the central premise in a way that would make Professor X proud. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Sputnik” is an unsettling picture. It’s a Russian production that’s out to challenge expectations for an alien invasion story, providing a more sinister ride of paranoia and panic without expanding to epic size. It also marks the return of actress Oksana Akinshina to American screens, having made her breakthrough in 2002’s “Lilya 4-Ever,” a shattering feature about human trafficking that promised great things from the young talent. While she made an appearance in “The Bourne Supremacy,” Akinshina has largely remained in Russian films, returning to western view in “Sputnik,” where she delivers a commanding performance as a medical mind put into contact with an extraterrestrial experience that overwhelms her before it begins to threaten her. Akinshina’s part of a strong cast who give director Egor Abramenko a firm dramatic foundation while the tale explores close encounters and government control with sharp cinematic highlights. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A former music video director, Scott Speer has been on a professional tear recently, helming four movies over the last two years. He brings the features in for a low price, and the efforts are generally aimed at social media-savvy pre-teens looking for entertainment that fits their needs. Joining the likes of “Midnight Sun,” “Status Update,” and “I Still See You” is “Endless,” which moves Speer to the realm of Netflix filmmaking, in charge of a strange reworking of 1990’s “Ghost,” only without the charm, heart, or Swayze. Speer doesn’t have much style to share with the minor offering, and screenwriters Andre Case and Oneil Sharma head in the wrong direction with their work, sweating to bend the story into a tearjerker about the afterlife when it’s much more intriguing as a study of guilt. “Endless” is more of a promise than a title after the opening act, taking on some substantial feelings of loss with all the dramatic weight of a television pilot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While “An American Pickle” is the latest comedy from Seth Rogan, gifting himself a dual role of a man out of time and his distant relative, the picture also represents the first solo directorial outing for Brandon Trost, a gifted cinematographer (dislike Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” all you want, but that movie looks amazing) who’s put in command of a film that’s semi-serious about religion, but semi-farcical about everything else. As expected, Trost has some definite visual ideas for the feature, which looks interesting and does well with twin Rogens. He’s a little bit shakier when it comes to balancing tone, as “An American Pickle” has some difficulty moving from dramatic interests to broadly comedic sequences. It’s definitely funny in spots, working with a nutty idea from writer Simon Rich (who adapts his own short story). Consistency isn’t dazzling, but Trost gets the material most of the way there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

David Ayer likes to make one kind of movie, and he keeps doing so repeatedly. He’s a fan of gangland violence, establishing his career with L.A. tales of masculinity run amok (“Harsh Times,” “Street Kings”), and recently exploring fantasy worlds (“Suicide Squad,” “Bright”) that promise to take his vision into a fresh direction, but he ends up with the same hard poses and acts of intimidation. Ayer tries to marry the two tones for “The Tax Collector,” which initially appears to be an assessment of organized crime in California before it goes off the deep end, trying to transform a botched cautionary tale into a franchise. In an extremely underwhelming filmography, “The Tax Collector” distinguishes itself as the worst picture Ayer has ever made, repeating himself with an obnoxious offering of underworld bravado and lame stylistics, once again asking audiences to invest in odious characters involved in cliched criminal entanglements. It’s 90 minutes you’ll never get back. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Waiting for the Barbarians” is an adaptation of a 1980 novel by J.M. Coetzee, which has already inspired a stage play and an opera by Philip Glass. Coetzee handles screenplay duties for the material’s cinematic debut, largely protecting a core story of colonialism that made the book highly regarded in literary circles, carefully bringing a tale of governmental madness and corruption to audiences inundated with the stuff on a daily (hourly?) basis. Pacing is very deliberate here, but Coetzee doesn’t lose control of the tale, doing a commendable job building a sense of horror with the period picture, offering a spare but compelling study of demoralization. “Waiting for the Barbarians” is chilling at times and never strays far from its thematic points, while the cast assembled to portray all manner of evil, shame, and fear contribute excellent performances, always keeping the feature fascinating. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The trials of a single, childless woman pushing forty is not particularly fresh ground to cover, but screenwriter Jennifer Deyell tries to bring something different to what’s become a subgenre for basic cable channels. With “Spinster,” Deyell sets up a typical situation of romantic hopelessness and social paranoia facing a character who’s trying to avoid defining herself by certain standards, tackling cliché with a refreshingly honest understanding of personal perspective, delivering an appreciation of bruised dignity and individualism. “Spinster” is smart and real, and often quite funny, giving star Chelsea Peretti a starring role that fits her deadpan delivery while pushing her as a dramatic talent. She’s sharp in a feature that attempts to be wise about wants and needs, with director Andrea Dorfman crafting a memorable picture about an often uncomfortable topic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s been an influx of actors turning to direction in recent years. Just last month, Romola Garai found a spot helming the horror film “Amulet.” And now there’s James D’Arcy, who enjoyed roles in “Cloud Atlas,” “Dunkirk,” and Madonna’s “W.E.” The thespian makes his directorial debut with “Made in Italy,” a dramedy about a father and son and their life-changing trip to Tuscany to deal with family business. D’Arcy claims a screenwriting credit as well, putting his heart and soul into the effort, and his commitment to the sincerity of the picture is commendable, dealing with deep-seated emotions and assorted matters of life and love. It’s not a movie with dramatic sweep, but as something easy on the senses, “Made in Italy” is approachable, with some genuine humor and concern for its characters as they confront old business with fresh eyes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Kris Rey (formerly Kris Swanberg) had something to say about the motherhood experience in 2015’s “Unexpected,” coming up with lived-in dramedy that successfully avoided cliché. She has a little more trouble getting out of the way of predictability with “I Used to Go Here,” which tackles the quicksand feeling of failure and aging, with more emphasis on funny business. There’s a lot of charm floating around the picture, which features a fine cast skilled at making little moments matter, but the overall push of profundity is missing from the endeavor. There are laughs and some relatable moments of disappointment and heartbreak, by Rey isn’t as focused for her latest helming adventure, which has enough personality to pass, but not much else. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When one thinks of the quintessential rock magazine, Rolling Stone immediately comes to mind, with its enduring popularity and cultural reach lasting for decades. Director Scott Crawford (“Salad Days”) wants to challenge such a notion with the documentary “Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine,” which offers the tale of the Detroit-based music publication and its efforts to upend the industry with bluntly written coverage and semi-satirical takes on the players in the game. Crawford assembles a wide range of personalities to share their thoughts and feelings about Creem, including writers from the magazine, who provide an inside look at the madness of the monthly, with its stable of ornery journalists and desire to celebrate the rock universe while pantsing it at the same time. It’s not an especially deep dive into the working parts of a dream, but “Creem” is a fun ride to the bottom. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I believe the idea behind “Paydirt” is to replicate the Guy Ritchie experience. The plot involves a hidden fortune, with the collection of morally dubious types searching for a large payday. The loquacious players also have cutesy nicknames, joined in a web of criminal activity that offers some double-crosses and violent outbreaks. Writer/director Christian Sesma doesn’t have the budget to generate a proper reworking of Ritchie-branded mischief, ending up with a pale imitation instead, and one that could use a few more rewrites and some critical recasting. For this type of impish entertainment, “Paydirt” is surprisingly lethargic, coming up short with surprises and amusing antics among underworld figures, while its central mission isn’t compelling enough to power the caper. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com