“The End of the Tour” isn’t a bio-pic of the late author, David Foster Wallace. Instead, it strives to find a way to communicate his soul through conversation, dramatizing a few days in his life that reveal more than he was expecting. Screenwriter Donald Margulies and director James Ponsoldt treat the subject with extreme care, balancing the troubled side of Wallace’s life with his intricate personality and reliance on defense mechanisms. “The End of the Tour” is a verbose but intimate study of intelligence and vulnerability, offering a special perspective on a writer adored by critics and readers, but a man few understood in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Samba” is the latest film from directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. The pair’s previous effort was “The Intouchables,” a 2011 production that took most of the world by storm, performing like an art-house “Jurassic World,” only really missing its full financial potential in America, where audiences showed little interest in the French comedy. Handed a golden opportunity to make any type of movie they wanted, the team instead returns to intimate character-based concerns with “Samba.” Lightning doesn’t strike twice for the helmers, who force whimsy into a stark assessment of corrupted behavior and daily survival. Although it tries to put on a happy face for mass consumption, the picture isn’t built for cheeriness, ultimately more compelling with troublesome events. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“I Am Chris Farley” doesn’t approach the late comedian’s legacy with journalistic intentions. Instead, directors Brent Hodge and Derik Murray prepare a valentine for their subject, warmly recalling his professional triumphs and personal intentions. It’s a sentimental documentary that raises more questions than it answers, but “I Am Chris Farley” isn’t built to inspect the man’s darkness and final days. It’s a mournful remembrance piece that’s teeming with famous faces and provides a swell of appreciation for Farley’s explosive sense of humor, physical gifts, and a sensitive side few were permitted to see as he burned through his career at top speed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Created as a sort of Hail Mary pass, a let’s-see-if-anybody-still-wants-these-movies production, 2011’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” ended up becoming the highest grossing installment of the “Mission: Impossible” film franchise, revitalizing the brand name and infusing the ongoing narrative with renewed outlaw vigor. “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” is the payoff punch, and while it doesn’t reach the thrills of “Ghost Protocol,” the latest chapter in the Ethan Hunt saga remains secure with enormous stunts, blazing chases, and needlessly convoluted villainy. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie isn’t known for spectacle, but he manages an impressive fireworks display here, delivering a first half that frequently bests previous sequels. It’s the second half of “Rogue Nation” that’s worrisome. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1983’s “Vacation” wasn’t exactly a family friendly movie, but its pursuit of R-rated humor was always balanced with smart screenwriting (credited to John Hughes) and marvelous direction (from the late, great Harold Ramis). It’s a bona fide classic that’s stood the test of time, displaying Chevy Chase in top form as lovable lump Clark Griswold, who simply craves a family experience, dragging his wife and children across America to see the sights and visit theme park Walley World. There were sequels, two of them not exactly living up to the brand name, but they remained in step with a sense of humor that was never mean-spirited, just silly. 2015’s sequel/reheat “Vacation” doesn’t bother with taste or spirit, embarking on a long ride of poo-poo, pee-pee humor that’s pure punishment to sit through. It’s a new dawn for the Griswolds, and this time they’re making the journey to family bonding covered in human waste. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it could easily read as career repetition, “Irrational Man” returns writer/director Woody Allen to a moral void he once investigated to great success in 1986’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” His aim isn’t quite a sharp the second time around, and his timing is a little slack, but Allen has a special perspective when it comes to acts of violence and pangs of guilt. Coming after last year’s dispiritingly shapeless “Magic in the Moonlight,” it’s encouraging to see Allen bare his teeth again, and the picture, while deeply flawed and periodically meandering, does a successful job grasping the art of justification, turning superiority into an aphrodisiac, which creates an interesting air of discomfort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Boulevard” represents the final onscreen appearance for Robin Williams, who passed away last August. While the role doesn’t provide a moment of comedy for Williams to work his customary charms, it does display his range as an actor, portraying a tortured man mummified by his own life. It’s a low-key turn from Williams, who barely raises his voice here, but his command of introspection, isolating a specialized pain that’s muffled by social obligations, is precisely what “Boulevard” requires to find meaning. Director Dito Montiel almost ruins the somber ambiance with hysterics, but it’s Williams (and co-star Kathy Baker) who hold interest, portraying a complex study of self with exceptional humanity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The actual Stanford Prison Experiment has inspired a few post-mortem documentaries and dramatic endeavors over the last four decades, most notably the 2001 German production, “Das Experiment.” It’s a scenario that’s built for screen exploration, offering actors juicy parts to play as average men are lured into extraordinary responses to a pressurized situation. For a director, the premise is thematically rich and wide open for suspenseful extremes, also challenging visual skill with its claustrophobic setting. “The Stanford Prison Experiment” is handled well by helmer Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“Easier with Practice”), who extracts enough tension and bizarre behavior to keep hostilities and cruelties compelling, though the inherent limitations and repetition of the Experiment retains its unsatisfying influence over the entire movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last year’s “The Lego Movie” was a glorified commercial for the globally beloved toy line, but it was handled with care, emphasizing the magic of the plastic bricks and their broad, multi-generational appeal. “A Lego Brickumentary” has the unfortunate position of being the follow-up to a story already told, though filmmakers Kief Davidson and Daniel Junge appear to understand the redundancy of their documentary, trying to find fresh avenues to explore when it comes to a toy that’s been around for over 60 years. “A Lego Brickumentary” isn’t stunning stuff, but for those in the mood for heartwarming stories of achievement and concentration, the effort isn’t hard on the senses, working overtime to be accessible to viewers of all ages, which successfully covers the Lego demographic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet doesn’t work very often, but when he ultimately winds himself up into production mode, his output is usually filled with substantial cinematic artistry, dark comedy, and flashes of tart whimsy. Responsible for “Amelie,” “The City of Lost Children,” and “A Very Long Engagement” (his lone dip into poisoned Hollywood waters, 1997’s “Alien: Resurrection,” remains woefully underappreciated), Jeunet doesn’t make lazy movies, but he doesn’t always make precise ones either. “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is a head rush of big screen detail and beauty, but as a story, it’s something of a mess, trying to focus on profound pain while the production arranges all types of widescreen minutiae. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com