Marketplace expectations were muted before the release of 2013’s “Frozen,” with Walt Disney Animation Studios trying to build on the success of 2010’s “Tangled” by ordering up another fairy tale musical, only with a more pronounced sense of family ties and empowerment. “Frozen” didn’t simply dominate the box office for weeks, it became a cornerstone of Disney entertainment, transformed into video games, theme park attractions, short films, toys and games, and, in 2018, a Broadway musical. The picture became an omnipresent event, with the anthem “Let It Go” becoming the most played song in the history of minivans. Now Disney wants another bite of the apple, delivering “Frozen II,” which doesn’t need to accomplish much to connect to its target demographic, but returning directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee aren’t interested in a cheery return visit to Arendelle, going darker with a sequel that’s trying to age-up with its audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the release of 2018’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” documentary, it’s clear we’re in the midst of a “Fredaissance,” with renewed interest in the life and teachings of Fred Rogers returning to view. Solidifying such a welcome movement is “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which isn’t a Mr. Rogers bio-pic, but a profound understanding of his mission to identify emotions and celebrate people. There’s no schmaltz here, as screenwriters Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster approach the Rogers universe carefully, remaining respectful but honest about the PBS star, while showing precise attention to what turned him into a source of comfort for millions of viewers. There’s feeling flowing throughout “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and there’s Tom Hanks, who ascends to new professional heights by playing Fred Rogers not as an icon, but a being of immense compassion and curiosity, avoiding caricature to absolutely nail the essence of a seemingly simple, but decidedly complex man. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Charlie’s Angels” has been banging around pop culture for the last 43 years, and will probably continue for another century. There’s something about the mix of female spies and costuming potential that keeps producers coming back for more, and now the brand name returns to the big screen after a 16-year-long absence, with writer/director Elizabeth Banks trying to reignite the flames of fandom with…well, “Charlie’s Angels.” It’s a new world of big missions and bad men for the Angels to conquer, and Banks is an unlikely choice to guide a mid-budget actioner. She aims for expected style and attitude, but whiffs big time with the rest of the endeavor. Instead of a rousing bruiser that pays tribute to those who’ve Angel-ed before, the production offers a wooden empowerment experience with the kind of drab cinematic chaos one might expect from the helmer of “Pitch Perfect 2.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Steven C. Miller hasn’t enjoyed the most creatively fertile career, recently managing a string of VOD projects with basically the same title (“Submerged,” “Marauders,” “Arsenal,” “First Kill”), while his last endeavor, 2018’s “Escape Plan 2: Hades,” was recently disowned by its star, Sylvester Stallone. Excitement isn’t really Miller’s specialty, but he does have an interest in violent encounters, finally connecting to a story in “Line of Duty” that demands a little more emphasis when it comes to bodily harm. Miller (not to be confused with colleague Brian A. Miller, who gifted the world “Vice,” “Backtrace,” and “Reprisal”) seems alert with “Line of Duty” (which, amazingly, doesn’t star Bruce Willis or Nicolas Cage), assembling a slightly energizing bruiser that’s heavy on the stunt work and blessedly limited in scope. It’s not a career rejuvenator, but it has a pulse, and that’s good enough to pass. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Now that 2003’s “Elf” has become a holiday classic and a merchandising behemoth, Disney has finally come around with their own version of the elf-out-of-water tale. With “Noelle,” writer/director Marc Lawrence is determined to follow the “Elf” structure, constructing a holiday odyssey where a marginalized member of the North Pole community is tasked with entering human society, experiencing all possible awkwardness and cultural collisions. Instead of Will Ferrell, Lawrence brings in Anna Kendrick, eager to use her chirpy personality to embody the Christmas spirit as it’s newly challenged by family fear and Phoenix heat. “Noelle” is harmless fluff, but it’s definitely no “Elf,” missing any sizable laughs and delightful mischief, with Lawrence missing opportunities to craft a blazing comedy, electing to make a bland one instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Whatever happens in “The Good Liar,” it always has the skill of master thespians Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren to support through anything the plot delivers. It turns out, the story delivers quite a bit, but the film waits patiently to unleash its bizarre turns of plot, with director Bill Condon providing a solid hour of character work and intriguing clues before he’s forced to truly attack the structure of Nicolas Searle’s book, adapted here by Jeffrey Hatcher. “The Good Liar” is about the gamesmanship of secrets, and the picture does an impressive job hiding its true form, taking things one way when it ultimately heads in a completely different direction. This curveball is too ambitious for the scope of the movie, but, again, there’s the magic of McKellen and Mirren, with the pair making the material absolutely soar at times, often more interesting than the feature they’re starring in. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Disney’s interest in creating live-action remakes of animated classics isn’t dissipating any time soon, especially after last summer’s “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” do-over collected a fortune at the box office, inspiring the company to crank out more of these problematic productions. Their latest offering is “Lady and the Tramp,” which updates the beloved 1955 original, aiming to hook a modern audience with a CGI-enhanced event that basically replicates the previous feature, but loses troubling racial stereotypes and dynamic hand-drawn artistry. While it refuses to be anything more than a copy of what’s come before, “Lady and the Tramp” plays more like a “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” sequel, presenting a lifeless adventure that doesn’t take any chances or offer much personality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Ben McPherson is trying to put his own stamp on the end of the world, with “Radioflash” examining the power of analog life when the digital universe ceases to exist. It’s not really a horror movie, but the helmer does try to inject some fright into the endeavor. It’s not exactly a thriller, but a few chases and heated showdowns remain. As a relationship picture, McPherson has something compelling with his overview of a family fighting to stay together during a troubling time. “Radioflash” wants to be a lot of things, but never really comes together, with McPherson overwhelmed by his subplots, struggling to find a story here worth following from start to finish. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it’s been in the tabloid business since 1953, only now is a moviemaker brave enough to assemble a documentary on the ways of the National Enquirer. Mark Landsman (“Thunder Soul”) steps up to examine just how the publication came to be, tracking the rise of its influence and the depths of its reporting, presenting a film about unscrupulous behavior in a day and age when such a thing has become daily bread for us all. Mercifully, “Scandalous” comes prepared, with Landsman assembling an impressive roster of interviewees and visual evidence to help fill out what’s really a string of political and pop culture highlights, following the paper’s efforts to be valued as entertainment and as an example of journalistic integrity. The picture is a bit wobbly when it comes time to challenge these personalities, but Landsman constructs a reasonably smooth ride of outrageous events and professional exposure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director James Mangold has spent a substantial amount of time on comic book-inspired cinema in recent years, finding success with 2013’s “The Wolverine” and 2017’s “Logan,” which also represented a special kind of victory, managing to turn a hard R-rated superhero endeavor into a major hit. While “Ford v Ferrari” returns Mangold to reality, approaching the story behind the 1966 Le Mans race, it also keeps him in the realm of super-powered people, dealing with larger-than-life personalities and their roaring automobiles, communicating a sense of scale that rivals most MCU or DCEU productions. “Ford v Ferrari” isn’t built for nuance, Mangold wants a full-throttle viewing experience with broad highs and lows instead, achieving a major crowd-pleaser that’s packed with amazing actors and brought to life with extraordinary technical skill. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Paul Feig is an earnest filmmaker, often in charge of crowd-pleasing entertainment, managing broad performances, juicy themes, and general wackiness. He took a break from intentional comedy with last year’s “A Simple Favor,” trying to steady himself with a tale of murder and obsession, but he couldn’t mute his bad instincts in full, remaining in a heightened state as he toyed with camp, showing little command of genres. He’s back in big eye mode with “Last Christmas,” which merges the demands of a feel-good holiday picture and the threat of a jukebox musical, with the screenplay (credited to Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings) adapting the lyrics of Wham’s 1984 hit, “Last Christmas,” into a feature-length endeavor, also employing tunes from George Michael, even if they don’t fit the yuletide mood. Feig has his work cut out for him with such a wafer-thin concept, but he’s never one to embrace subtlety, going full gush with habitually ridiculous “Last Christmas.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com