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

For their 55th production, Walt Disney Animation reaches for a deeper understanding of race relations via an effort that’s populated with anthropomorphized animals. “Zootopia” is actually something of a creative gamble for the studio, trusting that a thinly veiled (and sometimes offered no veil at all) depiction of interpersonal tensions in a most unusual melting pot might be of interest to younger audiences on the hunt for colorful and cute fun. To the picture’s credit, it’s ambitious and elaborate, eschewing the easy route of slapstick and songs. “Zootopia” is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to entertainment value, but for the first time in a long time, Disney’s attempting a high wire act with tone and content, making the feature intriguing but not always triumphant. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Building on her work in “Admission” and “This is Where I Leave You,” actress Tina Fey returns to her semi-dramatic side with “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” which provides the comedienne with her most challenging role to date. Based on the memoir by Kim Barker, the feature is a war story with a sense of humor, searching for the idiosyncrasy and contradictions of journalism on the front lines, using Fey’s natural timing to lift heavy material off the ground. Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Focus,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love”) don’t always have the firmest grip on storytelling needs, but they manage to find life in the middle of Hell, with “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” achieving levels of entertainment other pictures of this ilk have failed to acquire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Zoe Bell first appeared on the film scene as a stuntwoman, and one particularly favored by Quentin Tarantino, who slammed her around in “Kill Bill” and rewarded her with a supporting part in “Death Proof.” Now Bell’s developed into an appealing actress, gifted no-nonsense characters in parts that favor her natural physicality and intimidating stance. “Camino” arrives as a rare dramatic test for Bell, handed a lead role that challenges her range as much as her stamina, with the jungle adventure asking a great deal of the actress as she’s pummeled by enemies and the elements. “Camino” is solid work, with periodic highlights of suspense guided superbly by director Josh C. Waller. However, the movie is perhaps best valued as a chance to see Bell transform into a lead, handling everything thrown at her with nuance and ferocity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At this point, it’s clear that whatever writer/director Terrence Malick wants to do with his movies, he’s just going to do. There are no producers, stars, or low box office returns that can throttle his interest in esoteric journeys of sight and sound, returning to the screen with “Knight of Cups,” which resembles nearly every film he’s previously made. After years of dormancy, Malick has suddenly become the Woody Allen of impenetrable cinema, issuing odysseys into the mind and depths of space with surprising frequency, playing to his fan base with habitual interests and familiar technical achievements. On the Malickian scale of confusion and artfulness, “Knight of Cups” has a great deal of passion for itself. However, it’s not something that’s casually approached, with those unable to tune into Malick’s point of view rewarded with another wandering spirit of a feature, and one that’s content to recycle the helmer’s particular brand of soul-searching. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Not content to simply sit and watch Hollywood have all the fun, Norway elects to get into the disaster movie business with “The Wave,” working to figure out the balance between character dimension and widescreen spectacle. Mercifully, director Roar Uthaug doesn’t take the Roland Emmerich route, submitting a thoughtful take on catastrophe, using the presence of a crumbling mountain and ensuing tsunami to inspect family matters and nail-biting acts of survival. Perhaps “The Wave” is tame compared to junk food like “2012,” but its retains sincerity when dealing with characters and threat, making its harrowing vision for oncoming doom all the more chilling and, in a way, relatable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com