Experimental filmmaker Guy Maddin has spent his career creating peculiar movies for art-house audiences. He’s in love with the dreamlike possibilities of cinema, maintaining a sense of humor and bold visuals to bring his creations to life. He’s been away from screens for quite some time (2017’s “The Green Fog” was his last project), and he returns with perhaps his most accessible undertaking yet in “Rumours,” examining the strangeness of an apocalyptic event occurring during the G7 gathering of world leaders. Maddin doesn’t come alone, joined by collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson, and the trio is out to craft a disorienting journey into ego, power, and panic with the effort, which also aims to be a comedy, at least for the most part. “Rumours” is a little bit of everything, and while it does get a tad fatigued, it remains a periodically hilarious and fantastically performed offering of oddity from a helmer who just loves the stuff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been several cinematic examinations of fraternity life over the last decade (including “Haze,” “Goat,” “Pledge” and “Burning Sands”), with most putting emphasis on the violence of hazing and how it connects to the college experience for some intimately involved in the process. “The Line” inspects such ugliness and physical harm, but there’s more to the endeavor than a simple show of cruelty in the name of brotherhood. Co-writer/director Ethan Berger looks to delve a little deeper into frat house life, following one young man’s experience with routine and isolation as he tries to achieve a brighter future through connections, not necessarily relationships. “The Line” doesn’t go to expected places until the final act, leaving the rest of the feature an intense, interesting character study about denial, supported by a cast immersing themselves in complex parts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are zombie movies for every occasion, and writer/director Lowell Dean is taking his shot with “Die Alone,” mixing elements of pandemic life and a depiction of a monstrous threat. Dean is the mastermind behind the “WolfCop” saga, but he sobers up in his latest endeavor, shying away from any kind of silliness. Instead, it’s a dire tale of desperation set in a ruined world, becoming a sort of “Memento”-ish take on memory and confusion, and a little horror is periodically tossed into the mix. “Die Alone” gets a bit too wrapped up in its mystery of clarity, leading to some storytelling inertia, but Dean is generally dedicated to landing his overall idea. There’s a satisfying payoff for all the bewilderment that comes along during the viewing experience, which helps the picture capture emotions and provide answers while the helmer toys with the details of this mixed up sense of reality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Ant Timpson delivered a charmingly oddball picture in 2019’s “Come to Daddy,” willing to explore dark material and a sense of humor, also giving star Elijah Wood something to play in a particularly anxious character. Timpson and Wood reteam for “Bookworm,” which is more of a family film that tries very hard to avoid becoming a Taika Waititi production despite sharing many similar qualities and quirks with the “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” helmer. The movie offers a mild adventure instead, with Timpson and screenwriter Toby Harvard setting up a hunting mission for the main players, spending more time exploring their emotional states and the strengthening of their bond, and that doesn’t always result in the most engrossing study of understanding. “Bookworm” has its charms, and a few turns of plot are welcome, but it’s not a lively examination of connection, as Timpson is content to bring the endeavor to a slow boil instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While primarily valued for her work in intense dramas, Laura Dern gets a chance to enjoy her time with cinematic fluff in “Lonely Planet.” It’s the new film from writer/director Susannah Grant, who hasn’t made a movie since 2006’s middling “Catch and Release,” and she’s not taking on a major creative challenge with the feature. It’s vacation destination time for the cast and crew, with the material exploring the magical ways of Morocco, which carries a special influence over the lead characters as they engage in the slow simmer of mutual attraction. There’s little in “Lonely Planet” that thrills, with Grant going for an easy lay-up with the picture, as it primarily deals with easily solvable problems facing people who seem to lack basic human understanding at times. But there’s Dern, who tries to bring some feeling to the endeavor, and her effort is appreciable in an otherwise bland offering of romance and pretty views. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Brad Anderson has made some interesting pictures during his career, collecting a cineaste following with his work on 2004’s “The Machinist” and 2001’s “Session 9.” He’s known for more thoughtful storytelling with heavy emphasis on mood, but Anderson goes the B-movie route with “The Silent Hour,” which borrows elements from “Die Hard” to explore a panicky afternoon for a cop and the witness he’s trying to protect. It’s a study of survival that almost entirely takes place in an empty apartment building, and the screenplay by Dan Hall offers something a little different, adding hearing impaired characters to the situation. Anderson and Hall provide a blessedly simple take on chase cinema with “The Silent Hour,” and it scores with moments of suspense and intimidation. Acting is also strong, with leads Sandra Mae Frank and Joel Kinnaman (who played a mute man in last year’s “Silent Night”) delivering intense performances to help sell the pressure of the violent hunt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Apprentice” is trying to create some noise during an already noisy election season, but one has to ask: who is this film really for? It’s reminiscent of the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when moviemakers were determined to create tales of sickness and woe when viewers already had plenty of that in their lives. Is there anything left about the world of Donald Trump that needs illumination? For screenwriter Gabriel Sherman (“Independence Day: Resurgence”), the answer is yes, working with director Ali Abbasi (“Holy Spider”) to create a portrait of Trump’s formative years in the 1980s, where, under the tutelage of lawyer Roy Cohn, he went from a pushover man of business to a show of force as a celebrity and real estate overlord. The details aren’t new, as Trump has enjoyed sustained media coverage for the last 45 years, but the execution is a little wobbly. “The Apprentice” is a bizarre picture, and not a particularly inviting viewing experience, with Abbasi teetering on the edge of making a “Saturday Night Live” short with the endeavor, though he is supported by committed performances from the cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s a quick way to describe what kind of viewing experience “Caddo Lake” provides: it’s produced by M. Night Shyamalan. A filmmaker with a profound love for twists, turns, and behavioral oddity is here to support writer/directors Celine Held and Logan George as they attempt to generate their own journey into the knotted ways of time. The story follows two characters as they fight to understand a different sense of reality found in local swampland, and the helmers are surprisingly patient while building this world of relationships and private pain. It takes some time for the material to find its way to its first major disorientation challenge, slowly creating a sense of time and space before attempting to rattle viewer minds. The reward for such patience is a decently compelling ride of panic and mystery, with “Caddo Lake” (which was shot three years ago) certainly attempting to generate a brain-bleeder with a bit more emotional pressure than what’s usually found in this type of tale. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Mr. Crocket” is Halloween entertainment that uses the world of children’s television from the 1980s and ‘90s to inspire a special kind of creepy for the spooky season. Co-writer/director Brandon Espy has an idea for something wicked with the material, looking to twist the innocence of such VHS distractions into something malevolent, and with an ample backstory. “Mr. Crocket” has its highlights, including some displays of puppetry, animation, and gore, and there’s a demented performance from Elvis Nolasco as the eponymous character to give the endeavor something to sink its teeth into. It’s the rest of the feature that’s not as energized, as Espy struggles with pacing issues and plotting, running out of steam about halfway through the picture. The movie only really comes alive periodically, leaving viewers with a half-baked understanding of VCR-powered horror and messages on the state of parenting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director J.C. Lee makes his debut with “Bad Genius,” which shares a story about a grand plan for test cheating organized by a handful of students caught between their own vision for a future and tough parental expectations. It’s not handed the solemn treatment, getting into the desperation required to pull off such a scheme and how such troublemaking is processed along the journey. Lee and co-writer Julius Onah try to turn the story into a heist thriller, giving the material an “Ocean’s Eleven” spin as the characters deal with near-misses and high pressure, even indulging in a few chases along the way. “Bad Genius” is far from perfect, and Lee doesn’t exactly know how to get out of the feature smoothly, but he has a sharp lead in Callina Liang, who delivers a fascinating take on desperation and academic authority, carrying the picture through some iffy turns of plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Heather Graham has been acting since 1984, and she’s worked with plenty of talented directors. She’s made movies with David Lynch, Paul Thomas Anderson, Gus Van Sant, and Frank Oz, so one would think Graham would push a little harder when it comes to her own helming efforts. She did okay with 2018’s “Half Magic,” finding a bit of fun with the cast while dealing with some thematic reach. For her follow-up, Graham goes right to Hallmark Channel territory with “Chosen Family,” which contains no style and very little substance. It’s a messy film about one woman’s quest for love, finding herself in competition with a handsome man’s daughter for his attention, and while the premise is ready for silliness, Graham’s screenplay can’t decide if it wants to be wacky or sincere. There are incredibly dark feelings in play in “Chosen Family,” making the lighter touch of the endeavor extremely confusing, creating a disappointing viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“It’s What’s Inside” is a brain-bleeder from writer/director Greg Jardin. It’s a puzzle about personalities and identity, also dealing with the sharp edges of relationships that have exhausted their purpose, carrying on out of habit and a little bit of cowardice. It’s also a sci-fi tale of sorts, eventually becoming a game of “Guess Who” in a way, making for an interesting cinematic stew Jardin looks to spice up with tributes to his favorite filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick and Gaspar Noe. It’s a wild ride for the most part, with the writing throwing viewers into hostile territory featuring characters gathering for a celebratory wedding weekend, only to be confronted by a chance to exit their bodies, generating all new opportunities for mischief and self-destruction. “It’s What’s Inside” has its storytelling issues, especially in the final act, but it remains a memorable depiction of chaos as experienced by people who welcome danger. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com