Writer/director James Gray always makes esoteric features, but often excellent ones, distancing himself from commercial success with recent efforts such as “The Immigrant” and “The Lost City of Z.” It’s rather surprising that something like “Ad Astra” even exists, but that’s the power of Brad Pitt, who’s managed to use his industry standing to help Gray get the movie made, with the lead role offering the actor a chance to play vulnerable and silent, often utilized only to react to the problems at hand. Gray isn’t making “Gravity” with “Ad Astra,” staying artful and insular with the production, which has its share of thrills, but remains meditative more often than not. It’s a stunning film, but not an easy accessible one, requiring a little more patience from its audience, giving Gray permission to gradually assemble his particular brand of cinematic concentration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After breaking through with his 2017 L.A. Riots drama, “Gook,” co-writer/director Justin Chon returns with “Ms. Purple,” which remains interested in violence, only here the struggle largely remains internalized. Observing the interplay and emotional processing occurring between two siblings dealing with their comatose father, Chon remains with a limited budget but strives to go as deep as possible, exploring pure behaviors from frustrated characters as they confront disappointment and shame, trying to keep up with the world while sinking into depression. “Ms. Purple” is a heavy picture but a satisfying one, with the production not out to deliver answers when it comes to the disappointments and mistakes of life, showing more interest in how the brother and sister process swarming thoughts, giving the feature a deeply soulful approach. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There aren’t many comedies made about cannibalism. It takes a special filmmaking touch to blend unimaginable horror with jokes, and director Patrick Brice (“The Overnight,” “Creep”) gets most of the way there with “Corporate Animals.” While there are a few macabre events in the movie, the screenplay by Sam Bain is more of a workplace comedy, tapping into office irritations and resentments as a team-building exercise turns into a lengthy challenge of survival. “Corporate Animals” might be relatable for some, but it really wants to be silly business for all, and while Bain can’t dream up interesting setbacks for the cast of characters, he scores more often than not, while Brice manages to transform a static setting into a war of quirks, personal histories, and hunger pains. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Seann William Scott’s professional output has been limited in recent years, hired to reignite dwindling interest in Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” television show, while making a few movies here and there, including the wonderful “Goon” and its less interesting sequel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers.” A newly focused actor returns with “Bloodline,” which offers Scott a rare genre outing, challenged to play a serial killer with a conscience, targeting abusers, using his education in the ways of evil to deliver his own sense of justice. Scott is a good fit for co-writer/director Henry Jacobson’s vision, playing an emotionless void with enjoyable precision, while the production itself is teeming with ugliness, but it never feels exploitative. “Bloodline” slips into a coma in its final act, but Jacobson’s opening hour is engrossing, locating neat ways to disturb the audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The war on drugs receives a B-movie audit with “Running with the Devil,” which takes a look at the supply chain for cocaine as poison is born in Columbia and slowly but surely makes its way into America and Canada. Writer/director Jason Cabell isn’t invested in the deep, dark psychological spaces of the battle, but he’s pretty good with procedure, keeping things most interesting when the feature steps away from characterization, exploring the effort required to make a fortune in the drug business. “Running with the Devil” doesn’t keep a poker face for the whole picture, as Cabell has actors that need something to do, and he tries to concoct a screenplay that delivers passable motivation for all. The helmer is less successful with dramatics (after all, Cabell is competing with television shows covering the same subject matter), but the film has enough cross-country concentration to pass, highlighting levels of profits and paranoia. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2013’s “Her” tackled the issue of intimacy involving the presence of artificial intelligence, capturing how loneliness is tempted by emotional connection, even with a computer program. “Auggie” basically tells the same story, but in a much more realistic way, eschewing futurism to explore the average seduction of technology as it faces a newly retired man struggling to retain his identity while everything he holds dear is pulled away from him. “Auggie” isn’t profound, but it does offer a wonderful lead performance from Richard Kind, and co-writer/director Matt Kane has a few observations on marriage and companionship that support the material through times when it becomes slightly confused with tone and its ultimate assignment of guilt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While many movies go through release delays, picking up a little dust while the distributor tries to find a workable launch date, “Zeroville” has had a devil of a time seeing the light of day. Shot five years ago, the feature has struggled to lure in a company to release it, and after watching the film, it’s easy to understand why. It’s not a disaster, but this adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel doesn’t make it easy on the audience, with director James Franco trying to capture the elusive oddity of the original work by reveling in his cinematic indulgences, laboring to remain stylish and enigmatic, which tuckers out the picture in a hurry. Boasting a cast of known actors, “Zeroville” declines most opportunities to become something interesting, more concerned with satisfying Franco’s ego than examining a riveting story set during a critical time in the evolution of Hollywood. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Taking a break from being a rock star, Rob Zombie transitioned to filmmaking with 2003’s “House of 1000 Corpses.” It wasn’t exactly a stunning directorial debut, but it had plenty of style and even more Zombie-approved exploitation cinema chaos. He revisited the world of the Firefly Family in 2005’s “The Devil’s Rejects,” finding his helming groove with a spectacular ode to drive-in movies while packing in even more Zombie-fied madness, marrying real intensity to his customary dosage of R-rated, southern-fried horseplay. 14 years later, Zombie is back in Firefly country with “3 from Hell,” and the divide in time between installments shows throughout the endeavor, which doesn’t quite have the macabre highlights of “1000 Corpses” or the confidence of “Rejects.” The production has intermittent hellraising to share, but Zombie seems more fatigued for this go-around, often unable to overcome his severely limited budget and best the previous efforts with his game cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Downton Abbey” premiered in 2010, with creator Julian Fellowes attempting to return some old-fashioned class conflict to television, reviving the “Upstairs, Downstairs” formula to explore the world of the elite and those hired to serve them. The ITV series was a smash, inspiring a passionate fanbase and renewing the urgency of PBS programming in America, where the show managed to become a phenomenon. For 52 episodes, Fellowes guided viewers through the ups and down of life on a grand English estate, creating memorable characters and tastefully manipulative drama, relying heavily on refined production values and the sheer charms of the ensemble, who never failed the program. Four years after the series concluded, “Downton Abbey” is back, only now the saga of the Crawley Family has turned to the big screen for a suitable return, challenging Fellowes to pack in a season’s worth of mischief, manners, and longing into 120 minutes. He’s up for the task, and while “Downton Abbey” isn’t a revelation, it remains reliable entertainment, careful to deliver what the faithful expect from the brand name. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Lorene Scafaria previously scored creative successes with 2012’s “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” and 2015’s “The Meddler.” She handled extraordinary circumstances and intimate relationships well, getting the features past cliché to truly understand human behavior during stressful times. Scafaria has difficulty finding the same sensitivity with “Hustlers,” which is something of a true crime tale, aiming to be a “Goodfellas” for the 2008 financial collapse. It’s “inspired by a true story,” but Scafaria isn’t entirely invested in delivering real-world concerns, making this strippers-seek-revenge saga more about surface psychology and cinematic style. It’s not without a few elements that dazzle, but the production fails to rise above simplicity, struggling to define these characters as more than one-dimensional empowerment figures. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s no shortage of media dedicated to the making of the 1979 masterpiece, “Alien.” Books, T.V. shows, website articles, podcasts, and DVD/Blu-ray documentaries have all ventured into the analysis realm, finding all possible corners covered when it comes to the creation of the picture and its lasting hold on audiences over the last 40 years. Saturation is real, but that doesn’t stop Alexandre O. Philippe (“The People vs. George Lucas”), who ventures back into the blood and guts of filmmaking with “Memory: The Origin of Alien,” on a mission to not simply chart the day-by-day progress of the shoot, but grasp the endeavor’s deeper meanings, symbols, and motives, going cerebral as a way to maintain distance from the glut of BTS information out there. His quest is noble, and “Memory” is informative with certain aspects of cinematic appreciation, but this isn’t a satisfying overview of the creative process, as Philippe doesn’t have the run time or level of known interviewees to truly sink his teeth into the layers of interpretation “Alien” has to offer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

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