The world of Sherlock Holmes has never really gone out of style, but the consulting detective, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is all the rage these days, inspiring movies, television, and books that continue to mine the character’s obsession with mystery over 125 years after his introduction. “Mr. Holmes” takes a slightly different approach to crime-solving, introducing an elderly Sherlock at the very end of his days, struggling with memory as he winds down his life. Director Bill Condon (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”) remains respectful of Doyle’s creation, and purists will likely enjoy viewing a different incarnation of the famous sleuth, but this is a very deliberate picture, restrained and observant, perhaps a bit too slow for its own good. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The idea of “Lila & Eve” is often more interesting than the film itself. A look at abyssal depths of grief and a rather unorthodox method of therapy, the picture is a strange brew of screaming emotions and exploitation interests, with director Charles Stone III never exactly sure what type of feature he’s making. A strong lead performance from Viola Davis is enough to secure some realism to the effort, but the production tends to give in to B-movie hysterics, losing sight of real-world misery that informs the picture’s finest scenes. Sometimes it’s looking for tears, sometimes it’s hoping for cheers, leaving “Lila & Eve” uneven and, at times, frustratingly simplistic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Self/less” is the latest feature from director Tarsem Singh, an artful filmmaker behind “The Cell” and “The Fall,” but also someone looking to preserve industry longevity, masterminding the studios efforts “Immortals” and “Mirror Mirror.” Trying to straddle the line between spectacle and emotionality, Singh has never proven his worth with storytelling. He can shoot the stuffing out of a sunset, but give the man drama, and he’s always baffled. “Self/less” suffers the same fate as his other pictures, though it shows immense promise in its opening act, setting a fantasy mood as mad science morphs into a thriller of sorts, holding together longer than most of Singh’s work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Introduced in “Despicable Me,” the Minions were tiny, yellow, Spanglish-speaking henchmen intended to be periodic comic relief for a movie about lovable supervillain Gru and his adopted family. In “Despicable Me 2,” it became clear that the Minions were becoming a major draw for the blockbuster franchise, gifted a larger presence in the story along with substantial screen time. Now there’s “Minions,” which takes the prequel route to deliver a tale that’s concentrated entirely on cartoon mischief. Unexpectedly, Gru isn’t missed, finding Brian Lynch’s screenplay teeming with knowing jokes and sharp high jinks, keeping the spirit of the Minions alive while delivering an adventure that supports their newfound starring role. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

According the picture’s opening crawl, “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” is a film from the 1980s that was banned and destroyed by President Reagan due to its monumentally violent content. The only copy of the feature that managed to survive was a VHS tape of an early morning public access showing in Minneapolis, allowing the legend of “Dude Bro Party Massacre III” to live on once again, complete with awkwardly edited commercial breaks. At last, the public is gifted a chance to witness one of the most grotesque B-movies in cinema history, with its unrelenting terror, gore, and fraternity neuroses, stuffed into a slasher extravaganza that finally brings to the screen what the horror genre has been missing: a Larry King cameo. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In July, 2011, at the age of 27, Amy Winehouse died in her London home. A combination of a weak heart and alcoholism ultimately took her life, with frailty brought on by substance abuse, fame, and mental disorders, paving the way to the end. Her life wasn’t a mystery, encouraging attention from cameras before she was imprisoned by them, leaving director Asif Kapadia (“Senna”) with plenty of footage to work through when assembling “Amy,” his ode to her turbulent life. For fans, the documentary supplies an open-eyed look at a star who took over the world in the mid-2000s. For newcomers, it’s an introduction to a gifted singer who too easily submitted to others, with Kapadia stitching together a snapshot of her creativity and her recklessness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The summer moviegoing season of 2015 is a little light on horror films. Needing a mid-year chiller to plug a hole in the schedule, Warner Brothers picked up “The Gallows,” which was in production nearly three years ago. Hoping to make a little extra money from younger audiences on prowl for a communal scream, the studio isn’t coloring outside the lines with this endeavor, which is a straight-up, seen-it-all-before found footage terror feature starring a bunch of untested actors, directed by two men who have no interest in disrupting audience expectations. “The Gallows” is tedious and painfully conventional, with its unwillingness to try anything new more frightening than anything this achingly dull picture dreams up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The family road trip comedy takes on unusual gravity in “What We Did on Our Holiday,” which combines a sense of domestic chaos with the very real experience of death. While it traffics in combative behavior in strained relationships, there’s warmth to the film, watching directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (who also script) labor to maintain an inviting tone that doesn’t sour as the tale works through uncomfortable discoveries. “What We Did on Our Holiday” is an amusing picture with a few laugh-out-loud moments, but it’s more interesting as storytelling tightrope walk, studying the feature as it navigates troubling turns of plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you must seen one film about 17th century gardening in Versailles this year, “A Little Chaos” is the right choice. Iconic actor Alan Rickman returns to directorial duties (also co-scripting) after an 18-year-long break with this period piece, which takes a look at royal interactions and the majesty of landscaping during a time of national pride. Dramatically, “A Little Chaos” isn’t out to overwhelm, sticking close to formula when dealing with romantic interests and bottomless pain, but Rickman knows how to spin predictability in a satisfying manner, guiding a compelling journey into companionship and construction that’s boosted considerably by a gifted cast who make the mundane meaningful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Colin Jost is best known as the co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” where he also serves as head writer for the show. “Staten Island Summer” is his first produced screenplay, and there’s one thing is clear about his work: he loves “Caddyshack.” A valentine to his favorite New York City borough and a classic sports comedy, Jost fills his writing up with nostalgia and reverence, trying to maintain a decent hit ratio when it comes to laughs. He’s mostly successful, as “Staten Island Summer” is a genial viewing experience boosted by a lively cast, who manage to connect when the movie occasionally gets a little too casual for its own good. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Strangerland” looks to establish a specific mood of frustration, set during the melt of an unbearable Australian summer. Director Kim Farrant successfully squeezes the setting for everything it’s worth, delivering a feeling of lethargy and illness to a particularly piercing story of personal loss. It’s a shame there isn’t much more to “Strangerland” beyond an evocative helming job, as its tale of closeted deception and confession isn’t robust enough to carry the feature, which is frequently caught spinning its wheels instead of fully examining its conflicts. Farrant attempts to turn something primal into an actor showcase, and her permissiveness slows the movie to a crawl. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com