In 2011, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was considered a risk by most box office pundits. Arriving a decade after Tim Burton’s financially successful but poorly received remake, it appeared as through the fire died out long ago for “Planet of the Apes” fandom. Turns out, the public was just waiting for quality damn, dirty ape entertainment, with “Rise” becoming one of the most successful movies of the year. Now there’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” a second chapter in the rebooted saga, and a sequel that is sure to please those who enjoy this premise serviced with the utmost seriousness. Captured with a refreshing patience and attention to character, not just pure spectacle, the continuation has moved beyond careful thin-ice dramatic advancement to establish itself as a powerhouse franchise that will likely inspire additional talking ape adventures to come, perhaps even rivaling the first go-around with the brand name in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2011’s “Ironclad” wasn’t an extraordinary cinematic statement, but it managed to secure the right amount of brutality to convince. Blessed with some star power (including James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, and Kate Mara) and a dusting of history (being one of the few Magna Carta-theme actioners), the feature had sword-swinging charm and a bloodlust unlike many period productions. Amazingly, someone, somewhere decided a sequel was in order. “Ironclad: Battle for Blood” attempts to cement a brand name for co-writer/director Jonathan English’s world of weary heroism, only without the same budget and number of familiar faces. Taking the low-budget route to keep his dream alive, English bites off more than he can chew with this follow-up, unable to summon the same level of excitement, despite returning to the ultraviolence that stained the previous picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Hellion” largely works due to its commitment to character. It’s a difficult picture that investigates the dissolution of a broken family, and how that separation anxiety guides the reckless actions of the participants. It’s also a juvenile delinquent story with a southern twist, supported with a steady steam of heavy metal hits. “Hellion” is a tense, confrontational drama, and while writer/director Kat Candler doesn’t know how to find a way out of it, the effort remains raw and poignant, capturing the bursting aggression of early teenage years and the mummifying trance of grief. It’s often heartbreaking and periodically frightening. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“A Long Way Down” is a comedy about suicide. It’s not the most enticing description, but blame author Nick Hornby, a man responsible for cuddlier fare such as “About a Boy” and “Fever Pitch.” It’s his material that serves as the inspiration for the feature, offering a tonal juggling challenge that director Pascal Chaumeil and screenwriter Jack Thorne have difficulty managing, looking for ways to emphasize the light and dark of a tale that often doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s messy and lays on the quirk, but “A Long Way Down” has performers gifted enough to manage the basics in characterization, and few scenes tug at the heartstrings as intended. There just isn’t enough consistency to make a substantial impression, leaving the movie insignificant, despite its emotional severity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actor Jason Momoa is perhaps best known for his work on the series “Game of Thrones” and his time as Conan the Barbarian in the ill-fated 2011 update. Searching for a little more creative control in a difficult industry, Momoa adds screenwriting and direction to his resume with “Road to Paloma,” a visually poetic on-the-run effort that showcases a great deal of raw talent from the helmer, who captures a refreshing mood of wanderlust while tending to thriller formula. It’s not the most cohesive movie, more interested in taking in a sunset than detailing nail-biting chase sequences, but it retains a rich cinematic personality and satisfying performances, keeping just enough emotion on the front burner to help follow the hunt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I’m sure the bio-pic “Yves Saint Laurent” is bound to disappoint those who follow fashion as a religion. Hoping to discover an exploration of a fiercely creative man who helped to redefine the industry, the feature has surprisingly limited interest in the subject’s talents with fabric, more obsessed with his sexual exploits. It’s a strange point of concentration from co-writer/director Jalil Lespert, who willingly leaves behind a wealth of experience, abandoning a grand opportunity to inspect the insecurity and appreciate the confusion of Saint Laurent. Instead, the picture meanders from one tryst to the next, with minimal time truly devoted to intricacies of the business he would eventually attempt to dominate. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Instead of being just another concert movie, focusing on throbbing crowds and thumping music, “Made in America” aims to celebrate and dissect what it means to achieve the American Dream these days. Director Ron Howard, a helmer not known for his experience with documentaries, takes his cameras to the 2012 Made in America Festival, where musical acts of all types joined together to rock the masses in Philadelphia, curated by the headliner, Jay-Z. “Made in America” is brimming with talent, history, and nostalgia, but at the core of the picture is a lament for a country, with its ailing ways and crunch on the working class, in dire need of a boost, with Jay-Z offering a temporary musical fix with hopes to entertain and inspire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Out of all the subcultures around, the Brony phenomenon is perhaps one of the most difficult to understand. Bronies are people who identify themselves as hardcore fans of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” a television cartoon program that successfully revived a toy line from the 1980s. These men (women tend to prefer “Pegasister”) have devoted a good chunk of their lives to fandom, celebrating the entertainment value and messages of the show, which offers escapism and guidance in a way few outlets in the real world provide. “A Brony Tale,” directed by Brent Hodge, is a documentary that sets out to explore how the subculture came to be and what it means to its participants, building up to a visit to BronyCon 2012 in New York City. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s difficult to understand what Nick Cannon is trying to achieve with “School Dance.” Co-writing and directing the comedy, Cannon masterminds a grandly profane effort that’s fueled primarily by racial slurs and stereotypes, while storytelling is generally disregarded to stuff the picture with musical performances and celebrity cameos. It’s not actually a film, but a 77-minute-long cry for help from a network talent show host and Disney personality who’s desperately trying to shed his squeaky clean image. “School Dance” is awful, but that’s to be expected from the star of “Underclassman.” The toxicity of the humor here is what’s most surprising. Cannon is clearly out to prove his street credibility, not shepherd a wily urban farce. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Part of me didn’t even want to see “Life Itself,” much less review it. What a strange experience it is to criticize a documentary about a film critic, especially one who influenced an entire generation of writers, myself included. I was concerned about the picture’s treatment of Roger Ebert’s considerable ego and its interest in his private life, avoiding sticky subjects to canonize the man as the world continues to mourn his loss (he passed away in 2013). My fears were unfounded, as director Steve James has crafted a lovely ode to a colorful, almost magical life, unafraid to approach Ebert’s unsavory behaviors and appetites. It’s a layered look at experience and acceptance from a most eloquent man, and while it indulges an inevitable sense of sadness, it manages to capture the essence of the subject in surprising ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Scott Derrickson made a name for himself with 2005’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” a thoroughly underwhelming demonic possession story that lit up the box office due to impressive marketing efforts. After stints with more horror (“Sinister”) and sci-fi (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”), the helmer returns to his first love with “Deliver Us from Evil,” another exorcism tale mixed with a dash of police procedural. Derrickson has his habits, always favoring cheap scares and iffy acting, but even his limitations can’t keep the picture away from a complete swan dive into stupidity. Overlong, underwhelming, and at times downright ridiculous, “Deliver Us from Evil” intends to find a middle ground between terror and spirituality, failing to illuminate the viewer on both fronts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2007, writer/director John Carney won over the world with his teeny-tiny indie romance, “Once.” Emphasizing music and profound romantic feelings, the picture managed to make an impression despite little dramatic urgency and low-tech cinematography. Easily identified as a superpower was the feature’s soundtrack, which was often more detailed than dialogue when it came to the understanding of interior yearn. Years later, Carney returns to the realm of performance and poetry with “Begin Again,” attempting to rework formula that served him so well seven years ago. Trouble is, sincerity is missing, replaced by routine and miscasting, and while the songs are pulled off with polish, the rest of the screenplay flounders, hunting for emotional harmony that’s never truly believable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Snowpiercer” is a film that’s here to remind weary moviegoers that the art of cinema is alive and well. Popping out during a summer season of remakes and sequels, here’s an alternative that takes its cues from a graphic novel while establishing its own identity with fierce confidence, offering adventurous ticket buyers the opportunity to be fully transported to a realm teeming with dark humor, brutal action, and genuine discovery. It’s certainly not escapist entertainment, with “Snowpiercer” intelligent and macabre, challenging the viewer with a dystopian vision of class warfare. It’s superb from top to bottom, richly detailed and harrowing, bringing Korean director Bong Joon-ho his first English-language triumph. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Melissa McCarthy is an immensely likable comedienne who has a habit of starring in movies that are well beneath her talent. Add “Tammy” to the growing pile of disappointments (including “Identity Thief” and “The Heat”), though her latest effort isn’t the typical slapstick explosion she’s known for, emerging as something approaching a melodrama, only without the guts to take emotional pain all the way to its natural conclusion. Gripping the creative reins, McCarthy trots out her moneymaking bits to secure her audience, but she’s after a slightly haunted tone with “Tammy,” trying to merge funny business with uneasy interests in alcoholism and the damage of diabetes. It’s a mess, but a periodically amusing mess thanks to a sturdy line-up of co-stars. I’ll give McCarthy this much: she knows how to surround herself with talent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Earth to Echo” is an entertaining picture, but it really doesn’t know what type of movie it wants to be. It’s best described as the first significant attempt to make a found footage family film, merging today’s tech-obsessed youth with Spielbergian awe, liberally borrowing from the “E.T.” playbook, with a dash of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” It’s a cute robot extravaganza without the cute robot, and perhaps 85 minutes of shaky cam isn’t the best idea when the material desires to create an intimate bond with its audience. Still, “Earth to Echo” is nicely performed by its young cast and features motivations that tease a compelling mystery to come. It eventually falls apart under scrutiny, but its target demographic should get a kick out of it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com