Daisy Ridley has been doing interesting work this year. A few months ago, she was immensely appealing in “The Young Woman and the Sea,” adding pep and feeling to the terrific underdog sports drama. She plays a much darker part in “Magpie,” offering her take on a mother of two being slowly driven insane by the realization that her husband is looking to cheat on her. Ridley gets to show off more of her range, going for intensity in the new picture, which is scripted by her real-world husband (and longtime actor) Tom Bateman, with this his first produced screenplay. “Magpie” isn’t flashy, hunting for a more intimate examination of betrayal and seduction, and it’s nicely portioned out by Bateman, who creates defined characters and problems to explore for 90 minutes. Director Sam Yates (a theater veteran) also understands the assignment, giving “Magpie” moments of intensity as a troubling situation unfolds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Your Monster” delivers a version of “Beauty and the Beast” that’s lighter on romantic connections and a little harder with violence. It’s an unusual picture from writer/director Caroline Lindy, who makes her feature-length helming debut with the endeavor, which is an adaptation of a 2019 short. One can vaguely detect some stretchmarks on the material as it aims to broaden character conflicts and showcase Broadway atmosphere, and Lindy has a little trouble with tonal stability as the effort moves from dark comedy to mental breakdowns. “Your Monster” remains an imaginative take on relationship woes and empowerment, and leads Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey contribute amazingly fiery performances. Their passion helps Lindy reach a few of her dramatic goals, getting into the depths of hurt people processing humiliating situations in both the fantasy realm and the real world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There are many talented individuals contributing to the making of “Brothers,” yet the film, shot three years ago, goes wrong in a hundred different ways. Chief among the professionals is director Max Barbakow, who acquired a lot of industry and viewer goodwill with his 2020 time-travel romantic comedy, “Palm Springs.” Much of it is burned off in his latest effort, which tracks the itchy relationship of twin brothers returning to a life of crime they once shared. Perhaps it’s meant to be a Coen Brothers-type of offering, as screenwriter Macon Blair certainly pushes hard on silliness and strangeness. What “Brothers” truly becomes is a mighty test of patience, as Barbakow seems to be making a live-action cartoon with the endeavor, while Blair attempts to add some emotional weight to relationships. Nothing connects as it should in the movie, and it quickly snowballs into one dud scene after another. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Classified” is a superspy thriller that will likely qualify as one of the most uneventful films of 2024. It’s unclear what kind of screenplay was originally submitted by Bob DeRosa, but he delivers a strange game of stillness and feeble turns of plot to fuel this actioner, which features very little in the way of physical entanglements. Director Roel Reine isn’t known for refined work (previous offerings include “Hard Target 2,” “The Condemned 2,” and “The Man with the Iron Fists 2”), but he’s positively asleep on this production, barely making an effort to move things along as the characters sit and contemplate their next moves. And they don’t have next moves. “Classified” is meant to be a hard study of confusion and survival, but it doesn’t go anywhere of interest, also taking a hit with casting, finding leads Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin sharing zero chemistry as they’re forced to make sense of a picture that has no creative gas. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2017, Hallie Meyers-Shyer made her directorial debut with “Home Again.” The daughter of filmmakers Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, Meyers-Shyer elected to follow the family way, making a droopy romantic comedy. There was room to grow, to develop her own voice as a helmer, but she returns to the same vibe in “Goodrich,” which details the life of a workaholic getting a full gulp of fatherhood for the very first time at an advanced age. Meyers-Shyer (who also scripts) has star Michael Keaton, who does a magnificent job communicating a range of feelings as his character is hit from all sides by life. Those expecting something of a sequel to “Mr. Mom” are sure to be disappointed with “Goodrich,” but Shyer-Meyers doesn’t have any distinct vision for the material, once again trying to mimic movies made by her parents, unable to make the material feel real in the process. A true Jack Butler reunion would be more appealing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Only in the strange film year of 2024 would a story about an assortment of cardinals in Rome gathering to vote on the next pope become one of the most suspenseful movies of the year. Of course, “Conclave” has help, as it is an adaptation of a popular 2016 novel by author Robert Harris, who labored for over 400 pages to create a charged situation populated with stubborn and secretive characters. The material also has the benefit of exploring the little-seen world of Vatican hierarchy and power plays, making it unique to a certain degree. Director Edward Berger, following up his breakthrough hit, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” and screenwriter Peter Straughan (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) create an icy yet riveting understanding of conflict in the feature, boosting Harris’s plotting through exceptional technical credits and some of the best ensemble acting of the year. “Conclave” surprises with its potency, and it has a few ideas to share about the human condition and the state of God’s influence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2022’s “Smile” has an interesting release history. Originally created for streaming audiences, the movie managed to knock ‘em dead at test screenings, forcing the suits at Paramount Pictures to take the feature seriously, granting it a theatrical release. “Smile” went on to become the third highest grossing film of the year for the studio. Naturally, now there’s “Smile 2,” with writer/director Parker Finn and his production team returning to see if there’s truly franchise life in the brand name. The helmer doesn’t take any bold creative risks with the follow-up, committing to what’s essentially a remake of the previous offering, returning to the creeping madness of a young woman encountering a force of evil she doesn’t understand, ruining her life in the process. “Smile 2” is much too long and repetitive, quickly becoming a series of jump scares in need of a better script. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Anna Kendrick has certainly made an effort to try different things in recent years. She pays the bills in movies about singing and dancing trolls, but she’s also branching out dramatically, giving one of her finest performances in 2022’s “Alice, Darling,” a tale of domestic abuse, and she returns to the dangers of predatory men in “Woman of the Hour.” Kendrick assumes control of the endeavor, making her directorial debut with this tale of serial killer Rodney Alcala and his obsession with making his female victims suffer. It’s a true crime tale given many interesting angles in Ian McDonald’s screenplay, while Kendrick offers a confident study of unusual menace and Female Experience frustration, doing particularly well during moments of suspense. “Woman of the Hour” isn’t graphic, but it’s strong stuff, summoning genuine cinematic horror as it details the real-world tale of a vicious man and his smooth-talking ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

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