2010’s “Monsters” was an unusual feature. The directorial debut for Gareth Edwards, the picture set out to find intimate spaces of human connection while standing in the shadow of building-sized alien invaders. It was low-tech and largely uneventful, but it had imagination, with Edwards’s strange vision contributing to an unexpectedly restrained sci-fi production. Five years later, there’s a sequel, and one without Edwards, who went on to make a true monster movie with 2014’s “Godzilla” update. His touch is profoundly missed in “Monsters: Dark Continent,” which attempts to keep the aliens-as-background-noise approach, while filling the foreground with an unreasonably oppressive, generic war film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To bring the firepower of “Miss Julie” to life, director Liv Ullmann has recruited actors Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, and Samantha Morton to do the heavy lifting. It’s just these three performers for two hours of screen time, interacting with varying speeds of vitriol, playing insanely detailed mind games as one idyllic evening of celebration turns into a visit to Hell. This is not an easy film to watch but a fascinating feature to study, with Ullmann managing levels of fiery behavior as her cast bleeds through their eyes, making the viewer feel every jagged edge of misconduct presented here. While tiring, “Miss Julie” is thrillingly raw and ghoulish, making the most out of minimal cinematic ingredients with rare emphasis on pure human explosion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Summit Entertainment went hunting for a Young Adult franchise while their raging success with the “Twilight” movies was winding down. They found “Divergent,” the first book in a literary trilogy from author Veronica Roth. Released in 2014 with an omnipresent marketing campaign, working its similarities to “The Hunger Games” in full, “Divergent” went on to become one of those strange films that, while financially successful, didn’t inspire a feverish reaction with the public. Trying to extend beginner’s luck, the producers have gone ahead with the sequel, “Insurgent,” hoping that now, with introductions out of the way, Roth’s dystopian world can achieve a sense of hostility and blistering action that was sorely lacking from the previous chapter. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The title “Zombeavers” promises a specific viewing experience the production couldn’t possibly provide. A riff on monster movies, “Jaws,” and trendy zombie efforts, the picture isn’t exactly a barnstorming blend of chills and laughs, but it’s also not unpleasant, emerging as a film that’s primarily interested in meeting viewers halfway, content to provide the titular demons and an excitable cast. This isn’t fine art, folks, yet “Zombeavers” manages to deliver the goods in a perfectly digestible manner, with co-writer/director Jordan Rubin providing a reasonable sense of mayhem with his tiny, undead stars, only missing a true daredevil instinct when it comes to assembling a jokey nightmare. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A documentary almost 20 years in the making, “The Wrecking Crew” sets out to put a face to a song. It’s the story of a group of studio musicians in the 1960s who took this newfangled rock and roll thing and turned it into a series of blissful symphonies, backing up the biggest and most enduring hits of the era, often without credit for their impressive work. Director Denny Tedesco positions himself as the guardian of the gang, using screen time to refresh memories and assign recognition, with his own father, legendary guitarist Tommy Tedesco, the point of entry into this celebratory, exhaustively illuminating tale of musical achievement. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Pierre Morel is the man behind “Taken,” a massive international success and one of the best action films of the last decade. With that in mind, there’s a tremendous amount of curiosity surrounding his latest, “The Gunman,” with Morel once again orchestrating a bruising thriller with an older, refreshingly creased star. Sadly, the formula doesn’t produce a kissing cousin to “Taken,” finding “The Gunman” more dour, confused, and sluggish than the Liam Neeson smash. Perhaps direct comparisons are unfair, but established formula is clearly being exploited for another round of bullets and Euro-based brawn, with Sean Penn suitably physical in appearance but mentally checked out as he slogs through a prolonged misfire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The story of the delicatessen emerges as a surprise, simply because who knew there was a tale to tell? “Deli Man” is a documentary on the history of delicatessen culture and generational responsibility, with director Erik Anjou taking cameras into the most famous establishments remaining in America today, exploring kitchens and customers, out to understand how this tradition, rooted in an old-world sensibility, remains alive today. Obviously, there is a mouth-watering component to keep “Deli Man” in step with recent hits such as “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” yet Anjou cuts a little deeper, striving to achieve an understanding of longevity and culinary skill that gives certain delis their personality and popularity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There comes a time in every successful actor’s life when they want to break free from the norm, to stretch in some significant way, hoping to attract different attention with a movie of integrity. For Kat Dennings, “To Write Love on Her Arm” is that attempt, pushing away from her sitcom dominance on “2 Broke Girls,” and overly snarky turns in films such as “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and “Thor.” Dennings isn’t a stranger to drama, but “To Write Love on Her Arms” has all the ingredients of a career-widening role, committing to the fried life of a psychologically smashed junkie trying to piece her mind back together. Mercifully, she’s a nice fit for the part. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Taylor Lautner received worldwide fame with his role as Jacob the shirtless werewolf in the “Twilight” series. Hollywood tried to capitalize on his pop culture ubiquity with 2011’s “Abduction,” a John Singleton actioner that wiped out at the box office, slamming the brakes on Lautner’s dreams of industry domination. The actor makes a return to starring roles with “Tracers,” a fleet-footed crime movie set in the world of parkour. Making use of his natural physicality, director Daniel Benmayor is wise to let Lautner loose to flip, jump, and sprint around the frame. However, “Tracers” also endeavors to tell a story, working with a to-do list of clichés to dream up a yarn strong enough to support extensive stunt work, only to end up with a limp, tiresome film interrupted periodically by exciting footwork. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Michael Almereyda has been here before. In 2000, the helmer modernized William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” transforming the play into a scrappy indie film production, turning broad strokes of obsession and death into a commentary on corporate and consumerist culture. “Cymbeline” returns Almereyda to the Bard’s playground of tragedy, once again updating ancient drama to fit a contemporary look, bringing along “Hamlet” star Ethan Hawke for good luck. Although ambitious, “Cymbeline” doesn’t display any type of storytelling fluidity, lurching from scene to scene, barely making character connections as the production fights to preserve the iconic language while letting the rest of the effort slip into a coma. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movies focusing on the ins and outs of ballet companies and dancer ambition have become a subgenre in recent years, with “Black Swan” and the documentary “First Position” capturing audience attention, allowing the performance art to make a comeback in pop culture. Filmmakers have embraced fictional depictions of behind the scenes turmoil, but the documentary “Ballet 422” doesn’t bother with overt manipulation. Director Jody Lee Lipes simply takes his camera into the heart of the New York City Ballet to study the creative process, allowing the professionals to tell their own story through concentration and reaction, delivering a simple but effective study of these incredible shows. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The third effort in Disney’s business plan to mine their animated empire with live-action reworkings, “Cinderella” rockets to the top of the list, easily outdoing last year’s “Maleficent,” and the blockbuster that ignited this company mandate, 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Leading with heart, charm, and exquisite production achievements, “Cinderella” is the first of this new breed of upgrades to find a balance between spectacle and intimacy, while retaining its fairy tale accouterments to give the picture some much needed magic. Credit director Kenneth Branagh, who’s seasoned enough to comprehend when the movie needs the presence of anthropomorphized mice, fairy godmothers, and broad villainy, and when it simply requires time with genuine feeling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com