As a writer/director, Ben Affleck enjoyed an impressive streak of exceptional pictures, creating truly fantastic efforts in “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Town,” and “Argo.” He showcased a filmmaking talent unseen in his thespian pursuits up to this point, regenerating his enthusiasm for the art form with movies that were easily among the best of their respective years. With “Live by Night,” Affleck’s instincts fail him for the first time, abandoning the relative intimacy of his previous endeavors to mastermind a gangster saga adapted from a 2012 Dennis Lehane novel, giving him narrative responsibilities that quickly overwhelm him. “Live by Night” is a frustrating sit before it becomes a dull one, with Affleck unable to shake himself out of a creative coma, treating the material too preciously, refusing to give it the adrenaline shot it needs. It certainly doesn’t suggest Affleck has lost his touch, but the feature does showcase his tendency for misguided passion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jamie Foxx wants his own “Taken,” and he’s turned to 2011 French thriller to make it happen. “Sleepless” is a decidedly American remake of “Sleepless Nights,” taking the action to Las Vegas, a location that celebrates the outrageous and reckless, making it a perfect setting for the film, which starts off as an enjoyable junk food actioner and slowly transforms into a tiresome cartoon. However, it does serve its function as a vehicle for Foxx to showcase his stunt skills, tossing himself around the frame for director Baran do Odar, who sticks with the basics when it comes to coverage, editing, and general velocity. That “Sleepless” is idiotic isn’t the problem. It’s the good kind of dumb for 45 minutes. But it doesn’t sustain itself for the full feature, relying on ridiculous extremes to keep viewers awake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Horror needs inspiration to survive, delivering at least the illusion of care when it comes to the construction of frights and the identity of the villain. “The Bye Bye Man” has no real reason to be, it simply exists as a product due in multiplexes on Friday the 13th, with its original R-rated cut whittled down to a more teen-friendly PG-13. The producers erased most of the blood, but it’s debatable if they had a decent screenplay to begin with. “The Bye Bye Man” isn’t much more than a terrible title, gifting paying customers wretched performances, murky mythology, and low-wattage chills, with stupidity the dominating vibe of the picture. When it’s not in expositional hell, it comes to a complete stop, with director Stacy Title bungling even the most basic scenes in this amateurish mess. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s not been an easy road to release for “Monster Trucks.” Shot three years ago, the feature has endured several delays and bad buzz, with releasing studio Paramount basically blaming recent financial woes on the seemingly harmless family film, which wasn’t cheap to produce. Finally ready for public exhibition, and it’s easy to see why the picture was involved in an elaborate corporate game of “Not It.” Longtime animation director Chris Wedge makes his live-action debut with “Monster Trucks,” and it seems like the challenge of dealing with real people was too much for the helmer. While the effort isn’t disastrous, it’s deathly dull, scripted in Crayon, and strangely cast, hoping the central visual of a monster positioned as the engine of a truck is enough to forgive all moviemaking sins the production commits. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Originally set for broadcast in March, “Bright Lights” was intended to be a study of a mother and daughter engaged in life, love, and mega-fame. Directors Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens were only examining the dynamic between Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, offered access into both homes for years to best pinpoint their special bond, showcasing layered personalities away from movie premieres, concerts, and conventions. But now, after Fisher and Reynolds passed away within days of each other last month, “Bright Lives” takes on a different purpose. While it remains a feisty, fascinating portrait of an enduring relationship, Bloom and Stevens also provide a focal point for grieving, supplying a reminder of these unique women and their separate struggles, which only strengthened their bond. What was once a project meant to charm is now a vital document of lives lived in defiance of adversity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Claire in Motion” offers actress Betsy Brandt a chance to show her stuff on the big screen after a successful career on television, most notably on the show “Breaking Bad.” It’s a juicy part that presents a rich thespian challenge, tasked with portraying a character who’s having a psychological breakdown but doesn’t understand it, keeping a tight lid on emotions while the weight of the world just keeps getting heavier. Brandt proves herself more than capable with the role, carrying “Claire in Motion” with a sophisticated turn that showcases impressive body language and ability to communicate bits of raw feelings without pole vaulting into melodrama, keeping the feature steady and sincere, even when it teases conventional conflict and resolution. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Dramatically, “100 Streets” offers nothing new. It’s a stern look at hopelessness in London, where lost souls struggle to find purpose in a grim world, working to redirect their misery into something constructive. It’s a multi-character piece, tonally similar to a Paul Haggis picture, layered with sympathy and coincidence. Screenwriter Leon Butler falls short on satisfaction, but he does manage to find a few interesting character corners, and director Jim O’Hanlon is wise to turn most of the effort over to the cast, who generate a compelling sense of frustration before the movie decides to use behavioral extremity to solve its substantial problems. “100 Streets” looks to detail the capacity of the human heart during its darkest trials, but it only connects periodically. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Crash” isn’t very good at predicting the future. Shot nearly four years ago, the picture imagines a tomorrow that takes place in 2017, where the world is besieged by cyber terrorism and America is commanded by Hillary Clinton. Sadly, iffy forecasting isn’t the worst of the feature’s ills. Writer/director Aram Rappaport (“Syrup”) has much more difficulty trying to sell the hysteria of online horror with a limited cast and budget, working overtime to create excitement where there isn’t any. “The Crash” concerns a modern version of doomsday, where terror emerges from hacking, not bombs, but it’s a remarkably silly take on the end of the world, and the more Rappaport tries to pull urgency out of thin air, the harder the movie flounders, finding its title more descriptive of production ambition than dramatic content. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s rare to encounter such an intentionally odious picture like “Arsenal.” It serves no purpose, showcasing inept filmmaking skills that keep it miles away from its thriller intentions, while its celebration of violence is cranked all the way to 11, enjoying the spilling of blood and the snapping of bones. Director Steve C. Miller has no real idea what’s he doing with the feature, but coming from a helmer with such nondescript B-movie projects like “Marauders,” “Submerged,” and “Extraction” on his resume, it’s easy to understand why “Arsenal” doesn’t inspire anything but an immediate need to do something else with your precious time. Even with the wonders of thespian paydays in play, the effort is disastrously executed bore, slogging through the burnt ends of society to celebrate the ways of crime and punishment in the most moronic manner possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Unnecessary sequels aren’t anything new. We ended up with three “Toxic Avenger” follow-ups, three “Wild Things,” and a second “Road House,” so the appearance of “Bad Kids of Crestview Academy” isn’t completely surprising. It’s a continuation of “Bad Kids Go to Hell,” a 2012 chiller that I’m not sure anyone actually watched, but apparently some degree of success was reached, spawning a new adventure in the world’s least secured school with a fresh group of obnoxious characters. The material is based on a graphic novel, giving it a shot at irreverent fun, playing with slasher film conventions and teen sarcasm, but the finish product is strangely sedate, unable or unwilling to snowball into a macabre take on mischief and murder. It’s restrained work from director Ben Browder, who strives to treat the screenplay carefully, respecting the source material, only to end up with a lethargic second round of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Martin Scorsese is a globally renowned director with a diverse filmography, but he’s always had a soft spot for the challenges of faith. Some explorations have been subtle, while others, including 1997’s “Kundun,” are more outward in their heavenly search. “Silence” is an adaptation of a 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo, but it plays like a follow-up to Scorsese’s 1988 masterpiece, “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Again asking questions of belief and showcasing nightmarish physical endurance, the helmer strives to understand the power of religion, especially when it meets a determined opponent. “Silence” is easily Scorsese’s most grueling picture, using a nearly three-hour run time to explore absolute suffering and a gradual swelling of confusion. It’s accomplished work, as to be expected, but it’s also a moviegoing test of patience only reserved for Scorsese’s most devout fans. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What “Hidden Figures” offers is a depiction of empowerment, showcasing the perseverance of three women who were constantly rejected by a government system that barely tolerated their skin color and gender. It’s not a groundbreaking movie, but it provides an examination of prejudice without slipping into hysterics, which is a rare event. Directed by Theodore Melfi (“St. Vincent”), “Hidden Figures” is a perfectly serviceable tale of individuals challenging oppression, hitting all the expected audience-baiting moments of hate and victory. However, underneath convention is an inspection of tremendous intelligence finding its place in the world, with the production valuing education and problem solving, which doesn’t come across the screen nearly enough. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The “Underworld” franchise has never provided consistent entertainment, but the last installment, 2012’s “Underworld: Awakening,” was genuinely fun. It turned the somber war between Lycans and Vampires into a proper monster movie, adding big action to break up the ongoing streak of exposition required to keep this horror mythology afloat. The party’s over in “Underworld: Blood Wars,” which returns to steely stares and breathless paragraphs of explanation, finding the core battle between sworn enemies almost an afterthought as the production uses this chapter to refresh possibilities for future sequels, working to keep star Kate Beckinsale interested with new character dimensions. Action is replaced with world-building, keeping the fourth sequel to the 2003 original more about course-correction than promised combat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com