Early January is a strange time of year at the multiplex. Believing that certain audiences are tired of Oscar bait and blockbusters, Hollywood usually sends out a tiny horror picture to shake up the marketplace, with quality low on the list of production priorities. This year’s alternative is “The Forest,” a low-budget ghost story that gives “Game of Thrones” actress Natalie Dormer an opportunity to carry her own film. Sadly, Dormer is no match for the general lethargy and monotony of the movie, which spends half its run time trying to explain its premise, and the other half avoiding any satisfying payoff. The month of mediocrity strikes again, issuing another horror extravaganza that’s not interested in supplying real scares. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The director of “Wings of Desire” and “Paris, Texas,” Wim Wenders has kept his distance from fiction filmmaking in recent years, immersing himself in documentary work (including “Pina” and “The Salt of the Earth”) to provide artistic clarity. “Every Thing Will Be Fine” is his first dramatic effort in nearly a decade, and the feature unfortunately reflects such rustiness. Trying to capture the curvature of the Earth, Wenders gets lost in his own creation, lacking concentration on the basics of human response as gorgeous cinematography gradually becomes his only reason to keep hanging around a seriously undercooked production. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s going to be difficult for Scott Eastwood to have an acting career that isn’t always compared to his father, Clint. However, he’s not making it easy for himself by starring in “Diablo,” a modern take on a spaghetti western that finds the famous progeny brandishing guns and squints as co-writer/director Lawrence Roeck plays with his interests in the genre. “Diablo” has a few tricks up its sleeve and a familiar face in the lead role, but it doesn’t piece a convincing mystery together, sloppily revealing its hand long before the feature reaches its climax, leaving Eastwood to do all the heavy lifting with little inspiration to work with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Chi-Raq” represents a return to form for co-writer/director Spike Lee. The last decade has been tough for the once mighty helmer, with recent releases (“Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,” “Red Hook Summer”) forgotten soon after their initial release, while his last studio effort, the wretched “Oldboy,” almost killed his career. “Chi-Raq” revives Lee’s distinctive interests in social commentary and satire, taking on gun and thug culture with a blistering overview of Chicago as it slowly succumbs to brutality. Submitting his finest work since the 1990s, Lee is inspired and alert for a change, displaying renewed interest in the world around him. The mischief and outrage presented here is outstanding. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s important to note that “Yosemite” is based on a few short stories conceived by James Franco and writer/director Gabrielle Demeestrere. The picture doesn’t have shape, it has ideas and moments, with only a vague tethering of characters to help acclimate audiences to the experiences at hand. Demanding a more fluid moviegoing mind, “Yosemite” is ideal for those who enjoy atmosphere and a distant sense of conflict, with Demeestrere handling the material as test of exploration, not necessarily drama. It’s an interesting effort with a clear portrait of pre-adolescent curiosity, but it’s not something to be viewed casually, as the feature’s patience with tone takes some getting used to. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Absolutely Anything” is dripping with promise. Its main source of curiosity is a Monty Python mini-reunion, with the comedy troupe members contributing voice work to portray a race of malevolent aliens. It’s also the first feature film directed by Python vet Terry Jones in nearly two decades (1996’s “The Wind in the Willows” being his last effort). And the movie marks the final screen work of icon Robin Williams, who participates as the voice of a dog. “Absolutely Anything” has a lot going for it, including an enthusiastic lead performance from Simon Pegg, yet Jones doesn’t quite know how to manage all the quirk and slapstick of the picture, which never comes together as completely as it could, disappointing on multiple levels. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Charlie Kaufman is an acquired taste. He’s a filmmaker who loves to build puzzles out of human misery, and he’s collected a cult following with screenplays for “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” It’s been awhile since Kaufman made a movie, with 2008’s “Synecdoche, New York” (his directorial debut) his last endeavor, failing to attract much attention from understandably fatigued audiences. Kaufman returns with “Anomalisa,” but he’s moved over to the animated realm, co-helming (with Duke Johnson) a stop-motion feature that doesn’t stray far from his dramatic interests, once again boarding a downward spiral into depression and delusion, only here the characters participate in a more defined universe of unreality while Kaufman strives to keep the tale achingly authentic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com