Not every book needs to be a movie. I’ve written that before and I’m repeating myself when it comes to “The Goldfinch,” which is an adaptation of a 2013 novel by Donna Tartt. It was lauded work, and it makes sense that Hollywood wanted in on it, as it explores the saga of a broken young man who grows into a corrupted adult, interacting with other lost souls as he tries to maintain stability through the comfort of lies and the use of drugs. It’s Oscar-bait right there, but in the hands of director John Crowley (“Brooklyn”) and screenwriter Peter Straughan (“The Snowman”), “The Goldfinch” falls asleep fairly quickly, not exactly working up the energy to transform Tartt’s work into a high drama. Tech credits shine, but there’s no urgency to the storytelling, which doesn’t communicate what seems to be an emotional viewing experience, rendered flat by ponderous subplots and messy editing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Edie” has the appearance of a softer picture for an older audience. Indeed, it does have its soaring moments, hoping to extend some sense of joy and accomplishment to ticket-buyers, but simple triumphs aren’t the only thing the screenplay (credited to Elizabeth O’Halloran) is hoping to offer. There’s a deeper emotional current running just under the surface of the feature, with the writer touching on difficult concepts of regret and denial, instantly making the endeavor a bit more enlightened than many of its ilk. “Edie” has a firm grasp on kindness and delivers the occasional corny turn of character, but there are a few raw nerves worth paying attention to, giving lead actress Shelia Hancock something substantial to play as she works to the keep the effort from becoming a forgettable senior empowerment movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alexandra Daddario hasn’t experienced a box office breakthrough, but her 2019 resume has been reasonably interesting, contributing fine work in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” and she was frequently the highlight of the muddled thriller, “Night Hunter.” But she’s chasing a hit, returning to the realm of the romantic comedy with “Can You Keep a Secret,” which is an adaptation of a 2003 Sophie Kinsella novel. Daddario doesn’t sleep through the picture, endeavoring to be as animated as possible to support the material, and while her performance is likeable enough, “Can You Keep a Secret” struggles to come together as something sweet and silly, with director Elise Duran too dependent on improvisation and contrived screenwriting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The screenwriters of “A Quiet Place,” Scott Beck and Bryan Woods hope to preserve their directorial careers with “Haunt,” which continues their fascination with scary business, this time using the rise of the “extreme haunt” business to create their own Halloween offering. It’s a tempting setting, providing an atmosphere of aggression and confusion, but Beck and Woods don’t pull out all the stops with their fright film, throttling “Haunt” with crude attempts at characterization and motivation, trying to fashion a substantial lead character when the picture really needs more madness. The feature deals mainly with formula, but the helmers don’t choose to combat predictability, delivering a “Saw”-like jaunt into the business of evil, serving up six young things for the slaughter. Your patience is required. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Larry Clarke is a longtime character actor, working his way around the industry for the last two decades, appearing in such shows as “The Shield,” “Bones,” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” Perhaps searching for a little more control in his career, Clarke makes his debut as a writer/director with “3 Days with Dad,” which takes a look at the whirlwind of family issues that arises when a tolerated patriarch is about to die. Clarke doesn’t arrive empty handed, calling in favors to make his first feature something special, and he’s quick to offer the spotlight to other thespians who don’t normally receive opportunities to shine in major roles. Chaos mostly drives “3 Days with Dad,” but Clarke achieves a lived-in feel to the dramedy, doing well with his talented cast and observations of household antagonisms. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

World cinema focus turns to Mexico City for “This is Not Berlin,” which tracks the development of two teenagers trying to grow up too fast, too soon. To help soften the blow of technology, co-writer/director Hari Sama dials the clock back 35 years, returning to a time when innocence was attacked by specific forms of influence. It’s a coming-of-age drama with a keen sense of the city, delivering a specific place and time that’s periodically more interesting than the characters. Sama can’t push the material over troubling road blocks of melodrama, but “This is Not Berlin” is evocative and intermittently emotive, locating the heart of adolescent pain and the difficulties of finding one’s way in a predatory world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it deals with feelings of isolation and disillusionment, “The Harvesters” is immediately striking due to its setting, bringing viewers to the world of Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, where cultural pressure and changing times are making it difficult for families in a troubled part of the world. Writer/director Etienne Kallos isn’t making a political picture, but he doesn’t exactly ignore the cultural strain, which helps the film to tighten its grip as it explores the difficulties facing a young man caught in a troubling position of guardianship while working through his own issues. “The Harvesters” is an unsettling feature at times, but also intensely atmospheric, as Kallos often shows more interest in the cinematic qualities of his endeavor than he does characterization, which grows choppier as the movie unfolds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many filmmakers have attempted to adapt the essentials of the 1818 novel, “Frankenstein,” trying to remain respectful of author Mary Shelley’s original work while embarking on narrative detours to best fit their movie’s mood or setting. The basics are nothing new, but writer/director Larry Fessenden attempts to achieve a modern understanding of Shelley’s nightmare, going the low-budget route with “Depraved,” looking to pull together a gothic chiller with limited resources. The effort is commendable, and Fessenden has something to say about the human experience as it exists today in a cruel world, but he certainly takes his time to say it, working very deliberately with a picture that could use a few boosts of urgency, giving the central crisis a real cinematic grip. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2017’s “It” (now known as “It: Chapter One”) surprised a lot of people by becoming such a smash success, ruling the box office, dominating pop culture, and transforming September into a viable release month for blockbusters. The movie had plenty of momentum, arriving as an adaptation of a 1986 Stephen King novel, which already inspired a television mini-series from 1990, but director Andy Muschetti worked very hard to make his “It” something special, giving “Chapter One” expected lashes of horror, but also high adventure, coated in the warm glaze of childhood heroism. The picture was wonderful, but left itself open for a continuation, and now “It: Chapter Two” is here to finish off the tale, reuniting with the Losers’ Club as the now-fortysomethings make their last stand against evil. Muschetti returns as well, cooking up another high-energy, heavy-heart funhouse tour of clown-based terror and troubled minds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1982’s “The Dark Crystal” is a masterpiece. It’s fantasy filmmaking on a whole different level, with co-director Jim Henson (sharing duties with Frank Oz) digging deep into his bag of tricks to test the art of puppetry, creating a world out of strange creatures and hostile encounters without a single human character to be found. It was a tremendous achievement at the time, but only a middling box office performer, taking years to develop a loyal audience who’ve remained at the ready for a sequel, feeling disappointment when The Jim Henson Company couldn’t get a production off the ground after multiple attempts. Enter Netflix and their deep pockets, spending a small fortune to revive the brand name with “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” which is actually a prequel to the original movie, embarking on a ten-episode mission to widen the world of Thra, replacing Henson’s sorely missed creative bravery and heavenly sense of screen artistry with Louis Leterrier, the man who gave the world “Clash of the Titans,” “Now You See Me,” and “Grimsby.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Vita & Virginia” strives to bring a directness to the mental health issues that swarmed around writer Virginia Woolf. While it’s not a bio-pic, the feature is enlightening when it comes to an understanding of what drove the literary titan during her most creatively fertile period, tracking the inspiration and development of her 1928 novel, “Orlando,” which, according to the screenplay by Eileen Atkins and Chanya Button (who also directs), was born from an ill-fated love affair that, while profound, never quite took flight in the way Woolf wanted. An adaptation of a 1992 play by Atkins, “Vita & Virginia” tries to get to the core of obsession and motivation, arranging a reasonably fascinating understanding of Woolf’s compulsions and how they disrupted her life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It takes something special to compete in the world of criminal entertainment. Television has the market covered, delivering shows of extreme quality or, when that fails, impressive repetition. For a movie to even approach the genre, it needs an irresistible hook, something to offer audiences used to a certain formula of cops vs. bad guys. “Night Hunter” doesn’t have such a fingerprint, but writer/director David Raymond (making his helming debut) has his moments with the material, masterminding a mild rhythm of violence that promises possible greatness ahead. Unfortunately, editing has crippled the screenplay’s grand vision for its characters, and Raymond can’t resist complete stupidity for his finale, giving in to a level of ridiculousness the rest of the picture is actively trying to avoid. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Satanic Panic” is a film that’s all over the place when it really doesn’t have to be. Screenwriter Grady Hendrix attempts to blend extreme horror with silly comedy, aiming for a darkly hilarious take on black magic, offering bits of shock and slapstick to help swat down expectations for a simple genre ride. Trouble is, the picture is certainly gross at times, but never funny, flailing whenever it feels the need to be wacky to help settle an audience that might not be so welcoming to a feature that’s solely interested in horror. “Satanic Panic” isn’t a mess, but it’s mostly uninspired, and from casting to one-liners, it falls short of its potential to be a brutal B-movie that’s willing to go to some strange places when detailing the ways of a coven on the prowl for their virginal sacrifice. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com