In 2014, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong participated in the making of “The Armstrong Lie.” A documentary about his life, love for the sport, and his addiction to performance-enhancing drugs to help secure cycling glory, “The Armstrong Lie” managed to crack open the famously defensive subject, exposing his lies and bitterness, with Armstrong’s interview a fascinating window into the mind of a diseased man. “The Program” is a dramatization of the same story, with director Stephen Frears using a brief summary of temptation and ego to capture Armstrong’s eventful career arc, keeping star Ben Foster front and center as the stained athlete. “The Program” is not without its heated confrontations, but it feels unnecessary, working to depict the downfall of a man who’s beaten them to the punch in terms of addressing his own self-destructive tendencies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Bob Nelson enjoyed critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for his work on 2013’s “Nebraska,” attracting attention for his rich characterizations and understanding of Middle American personalities. For his directorial debut, Nelson tries to sustain the same atmosphere of bruised nobility with “The Confirmation,” which almost, if one squints hard enough, resembles an Americanized version of a Dardenne Brothers drama, exploring the plight of the working class during a specific journey of redemption or, at the very least, acceptance. Although “The Confirmation” strives to create warmth through personal discoveries, it’s not the most reassuring feature, successfully depicting abyssal dives into poverty to go along with its tale of askew parenting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Creative Control” brings the audience into a futureworld that’s similar to today, amplifying a tomorrow of omnipresent connectivity and confusion to motivate a standard tale of isolation, desire, and betrayal. Co-writer/director/star Benjamin Dickinson has a vision of loneliness colliding with technological ubiquity, but he doesn’t have an appealing sense of humor, preferring icy emotions experienced by unpleasant characters to something more alert and satiric. Swallowing an entire bottle of Kubrick pills to inspire this black and white voyage into psychological hell, Dickinson doesn’t have anything profound to share in “Creative Control,” which is handsomely made, but lacks grit and knowledge, recycling tired relationship woes and chemical excess other, more inventive features have explored to greater success. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2008, “Cloverfield” rocked the box office, doing so with an air of secrecy and marketing restraint unheard of in an industry that frequently favors complete awareness as a key to success. In the care of producer J.J. Abrams, the feature provided an experience of cinematic exploration, aided by alternate reality games and buzzy trailers to work the audience into a lather before the picture was ready for mass consumption. Eight years later, Abrams and Company have finally worked up the nerve to try again, returning to the famous brand name with “10 Cloverfield Lane,” which isn’t a sequel to the earlier film, but merely shares the same straw when sucking down cryptic revelations and low-budget tension. As with its predecessor, what one brings to the viewing experience is likely going to be the lasting appeal of the effort, which feels uncomfortably twisted into a franchise experience, better off in its own corner of paranoia and discoveries. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sacha Baron Cohen has built a career on his ability to transform into multiple characters. These colorful personalities are often lethal comic weapons, deployed by Cohen to shred pop culture, social disease, and political buffoonery. Think Borat, Ali G, and Bruno. Perhaps he's never been one to pursue classy material, but Cohen's skewering of world ills has been pretty consistent in the laugh department. This level of invention makes an abrupt stop in “The Brothers Grimsby,” which is by far the worst film Cohen has ever been involved with. That he also produces, scripts, and stars in the feature showcases a newfound lack of judgment from the actor I fear he'll take as a personal challenge to top. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As Studio Ghibli ends operations, one of their earliest efforts finally makes it to American theaters. Better late than never. 1991’s “Only Yesterday” is the company’s fifth feature and, for an animation house known for creating faraway lands and fantastical creatures, it’s also one of their most human, turning to memory and regret to inspire an emotional journey of a woman who yearns to reclaim and reassess an earlier, simpler time in her life. Gorgeously animated in the distinct Ghibli style, director Isao Takahata manages to understand the erratic flow of childhood impulses and curiosity, while pinpointing the moment when nostalgia transforms into personal need. “Only Yesterday” is 25 years old, but it remains surprisingly relevant, warmly conceived and executed from beginning to end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Making his feature-length directorial debut, actor Robert Carlyle takes on a story that’s as grim as anything he’s been previously involved with. A tale of serial killing, accidental and otherwise, “Barney Thomson” is a darkly comic take on post-murder panic and criminal investigation, with Carlyle trying to juggle locations and psychology with sillier forays into panic and family ties. It’s not entirely successful, but “Barney Thomson” enjoys a great deal of oddity, with the helmer successfully communicating character discomfort as a simple act of manslaughter spins into exposed secrets and a sizable body count. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The War in Afghanistan has been fodder for countless movies, most recently serving as the setting for the Tina Fey dramedy, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” “Hyena Road” seems to be aware that the subject matter is nearing exhaustion, striving to offer audiences already numbed by military conflict something with authenticity and a unique cultural viewpoint. It’s the Canadian military versus radical Islamic forces in “Hyena Road,” which works to deliver nail-biting conflict, maintaining the stranger-in-a-strange-land atmosphere with complete commitment to procedural authenticity. While hardly escapism, writer/director Paul Gross manages to craft a feature that’s horrifying and strangely inviting at the same time, delivering solid characterization to go with all the chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Three years ago, “Olympus Has Fallen” was supposed to be the lesser of the two “Die Hard in the White House” movies, released in the spring to little acclaim, trying to sneak in before Roland Emmerich’s “White House Down” destroyed the competition. But something strange happened. Audiences showed up for “Olympus” instead, drawn to its hard R-rated action and liberal pilfering of “Die Hard,” not just its formula. It was a surprise smash, leaving the arrival of a sequel, “London Has Fallen,” completely expected. The producers aren’t about to disturb the chaotic tone of the franchise at this point, leaving the follow-up just as noisy and ugly as its predecessor, only changing the location and limiting a clear view of the central fight. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com