At the very least, “The Darkest Hour” has a unique idea for its attempt at an alien invasion, imagining a world being overrun by beings of pure energy, essentially making the malevolent outer space force invisible for most of the film. To get to the creature feature basics, one must endure a full court press of ghastly moviemaking decisions, creating a dispiriting amateur ambiance with a premise that seems capable of coughing up a few easy thrills. Director Chris Gorak won’t allow any fun to peek through this defiantly lifeless motion picture, which consistently resembles a product that’s been hacked down to the bone in terms of characterizations and plot, trying to hit as many marketable alien attacks as it can over 80 minutes, taking a torch to narrative cohesion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

20 years ago, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” would’ve been a very different movie — lighter, schmaltzy, and soaring. Today, the feature represents the director’s current tastes in wartime realism and elongated emotional momentum, trying diligently to cater to the old Spielberg screen magic, only to be blocked by a matured filmmaker who’s rusty with this type of material. The two creative sides never quite settle on a consistency for this episodic adventure, keeping “War Horse” unsteady, earnest yet painfully dull. While it seems like grand slam material for the bearded maestro, the story rarely gets off the ground, lost between its dreamy storybook qualities and need to reinforce the bone-chilling tragedy of war. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To be underwhelmed by a Cameron Crowe movie feels awful. He’s a filmmaker with such an open heart, a defenseless master of the soulful ache, and it kills me to admit that I was rarely moved by “We Bought a Zoo,” painfully aware of its well-oiled mechanical parts. It’s a sweet picture, but rarely genuine, working through a formulaic journey of enlightenment and grief in a manner that recalls a particularly flaccid Disney production. Crowe tries valiantly to find crevices of authentic woe, but a few searing moments of honest pain are steamrolled by a feature that wants to be loved in a big bad way. It’s troubling to watch the desperation unfold. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Artist” is perfectly pleasant, affectionate, studied, charming, and masterfully performed. It’s a fine motion picture with an inescapable hook of nostalgia, crafted with care and attention to detail. Its artistry is never in question, and cinephiles will surely slap themselves silly with delight, standing before an affectionate resurrection of the silent film era. Appreciating “The Artist” is simple, enjoying the feature is another matter entirely. It’s tough not to come off as a Grinch with this sort of effortlessly lovable effort, but there are certain productions that wear a broad smile and carry little personality, with director Michel Hazanavicius’s valentine to moviemaking days of yore perfectly, utterly, monumentally…fine. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For most of the world, the character of Tintin is a hero, a staple of literary efforts dating back to 1929. For most Americans, Tintin is an example of stuttering. Enter director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson, who’ve partnered to produce a brand new Tintin extravaganza for the digital age, using motion capture technology to envision a vast world of ruthless pirates, endless deserts, and spunky sleuthing, giving old-fashioned entertainment a slick update. Having no prior knowledge of the character, it’s difficult for me to ascertain how faithful the production has remained to the original material. Beyond detailed comparisons, “The Adventures of Tintin” is a satisfactory but slightly poky romp, saved by marvelous, expressive animation that generates a crisp, colorful feel for the world Belgian artist Herge created so very long ago. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Albert Nobbs” is a picture designed to showcase the versatility of its lead actress. In this case, the star is Glenn Close, a highly celebrated performer who’s been tearing up basic cable in recent years during her stint on FX’s “Damages.” “Albert Nobbs” is a rare big screen outing for Close (her first in four years), and her performance as the titular enigma is extraordinary in its study and interior emotional shiver. It’s a shame there’s more to the movie than just Close, as the conventional screenwriting and distracted direction tends to dilute this powerful show of thespian control. While it never comes together is a satisfying manner, the feature contains a few scattered moments of captivating awakening from Close, making the film worth a view if only to observe the actress find her footing in a challenging, highly bizarre role. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Without causing much of a film culture ruckus, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise has grown into one of the most dependably entertaining action brand names around. Credit star Tom Cruise, who’s guided four installments to different ends of the globe, always looking to shake up the series and refresh its thrill ride allure. “Ghost Protocol” offers the brightest, boldest action sequences of the bunch, merging spotless visual effects with superb smash-em-up stunt choreography, making sure this latest installment packs the hardest punch. It’s difficult to believe that after three exhaustive efforts Cruise would have anything left to give, yet the newest challenge for the Impossible Missions Force is their fiercest, welcoming a director into the fold who knows a thing or two about flexible superheroes and colorful locations. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With the element of surprise now a distant memory, the “Sherlock Holmes” franchise elects a threatening route of sleuthing to entice fans back into multiplexes. Although never grim, “A Game of Shadows” dials down the mischievousness that defined the 2009 blockbuster, an impish quality that did an amazing job clearing away the cobwebs, nudging the Holmes brand back into pop culture consciousness. While it runs a little harsh at times, the sequel remains a sturdy vehicle for Robert Downey, Jr. to weave about with playful concentration, while director Guy Ritchie extends his period recreation further, establishing a pronounced European vibe to the adventure. As follow-ups go, “A Game of Shadows” is most certainly a part two in posture and scowl, but it’s impossible to snuff out the smirking spirit of this wildly entertaining material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Carnage” is a film of pure acid, spraying across the screen like the gush of vomit unleashed from the churning stomach of one of the lead characters (more on that later). It’s a harsh sit, watching four perfectly reasonable people slowly reveal their fractured self over 75 minutes of screen time, thrashing and bickering as a peaceful New York City apartment summit explodes into a revelation of true natures and brazen opinion. “Carnage” is uncomfortable to watch, but that’s part of the fun, observing a complete breakdown of courtesy performed by four top actors having a ball gnawing away on such meaty material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After two highly successful “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movies, it makes perfect sense that a third installment would be here in a hurry. However, I wasn’t expecting the producers to make such a shoddy, insistently mild follow-up, padded with unenthusiastic plotting and lame, moldy jokes. Even the prized musical performances have been dialed back some, making room for iffy CG-animated creatures to scurry around a desert island adventure, while the actors unlucky enough to appear in human form attempt to sell the chirpy fantasy, each cast member wearing a pronounced paycheck face. “Chipwrecked” assumes a DTV stance for this unimaginative sequel, dishing up the bare minimum to keep cashing in on the brand name. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Literary best-sellers are a funny thing. Sometimes they involve delicate tales about picturesque bridges in a place called Madison County, delighting the nation with a gentleness of spirit and fixation on rural sway, lulling fans into comfort with its anodyne dependability. Or, in the case of Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” the entire world finds itself wrapped up in a story that graphically details the particulars of torture, murder, invasions of privacy, and anal rape. Go figure. Because the author’s “Millennium Series” is so ragingly popular, moviegoers are now faced with an all-new cinematic take on “Dragon Tattoo,” a year after a Swedish production made a domestic box office dent worth noticing. While the European take on this guttural European tale was quite marvelous with its performances and frosty execution, the Swedes didn’t have David Fincher. With its isolation, rage, and penetrative possibilities, the celebrated director was practically born to helm this graphic murder mystery. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Shame” is a film that crawls under your skin, isolating a specific velocity of obsession that’s unbearable to watch, yet it’s impossible to look away. Co-writer/director Steve McQueen takes a look at the ravages of sex addiction with this uninviting motion picture, plunging star Michael Fassbender into a murky world of urges and conquests, using 100 minutes of screen time to paint perhaps the most cleanly defined portrait of an overlooked compulsion, making viewers feel the euphoria and toxicity of such volcanic sexual pursuits. “Shame” has even been allowed the prestige of an NC-17 rating, allowing it the full intensity it deserves, rare in this age of soft-peddled adult dramas. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is an immaculately crafted picture, shellacked with a sickly brown coating of English indifference, used to communicate a 1970s world of spies and paranoia, originally conceived by author John le Carre nearly four decades ago. The movie is simply amazing to study. Digesting the staring contests and tangle of last names is another story, at least for those not privy to traditional le Carre mechanics. This is an icy picture, perhaps best appreciated by those who enjoy challenges of memory and patience, who don’t require a substantial influence of personality to feel around a knotted scheme of espionage and memories, communicated in the most detached manner imaginable. Dramatically dry as toast, “Tinker Tailor” remains a potent, heroically detailed visual experience, worth a look just to linger on the background details while the characters gradually slip into comas. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com