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

As “Saturday Night Live” enters its 50th season, co-writer/director Jason Reitman wants to take viewers back to the beginning of television history. Although the authenticity of the story remains in question, the sheer energy of the pre-show event seems about right in “Saturday Night,” which depicts the 90-minute countdown leading to the first broadcast of the iconic show in 1975. Reitman focuses on kinetic movement of people and places, recreating the hectic activity inside Studio 8H, and the viewing experience is certainly a rush, following speeding cameras as they chase a large assortment of cast and crew, spending little bits of time on thoughts and fears. “Saturday Night” gets a little too caught up in some ill-defined relationships, but the overall thrust of the endeavor is thrilling to watch. The film also scores with its recreation of early “SNL” nerves and attitude, making for a wildly entertaining sit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2014’s “The Lego Movie” was an enormous hit, surprising many with its hefty box office take and strong reviews. The feature inspired a gold rush of sorts with the toy brand, with additional offerings made in Lego-inspired animation quickly pushed into production. However, audiences weren’t as welcoming, and by the time 2019’s “The Lego Movie 2” was released, viewers moved on to other matinee options. It’s been five years since a Lego picture was produced, making “Piece by Piece” all the weirder, as it isn’t a grand adventure with big characters and master builder action, but a documentary on the life of Pharrell Williams, directed by Morgan Neville (“STEVE! (martin) a Documentary in 2 Pieces,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”). It’s a bizarre idea, turning the days of a producer and performer into Lego-vision, offering a PG take on an R-rated life. “Piece by Piece” takes some getting used to, but there are spirited moments in the effort, and artful visuals help to support a sanitized version of the Williams experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Saoirse Ronan is an extremely talented actress who hasn’t really enjoyed a meaty part in many years. She’s been very good in terrible movies (“Foe”) and enjoyable in goofy ones (“See How They Run”), but Ronan returns to a significant acting challenge in “The Outrun,” which is an adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s 2015 memoir. It’s a tale of addiction, studying a young woman’s reaction to newfound sobriety as she tries with all her might to secure something of a future for herself after years of self-destruction. Temptation for showiness is there, but co-writer/director Nora Fingscheidt (“The Unforgivable”) strives to make this journey emotional and often internalized, giving Ronan room to feel out the prickly edges of the character as she navigates waves of disappointment. “The Outrun” is tough, dealing with hard realities and troubling relationships, but there’s a strong human side to the story, and Ronan is part of an excellent cast working to articulate delicate interactions and abyssal feelings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It hasn’t been easy for “Hellboy” to win over a mass audience. It’s more of a cult appreciation situation, but producers keep trying to make something happen with the Mike Mignola-created character and his battles with monsters and mayhem. Instead of spending (and losing) big bucks on another reboot of the series (last seen on screens in 2019), “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” goes the small-budget route, trying to pull together a reasonable adventure for Hellboy for a limited amount of money and only a few shooting locations. It’s a backyard version of a “Hellboy” movie, with directorial duties handed to Brian Taylor, who’s not an inspired filmmaker (“Jonah Hex,” “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” “Gamer”), and continues to struggle here. “The Crooked Man” looks and plays like an episode of a television series, with little excitement and a dreary story that makes the 90-minute-long run time difficult to endure, with Mignola himself (credited as co-writer) unable to breathe life into his own creation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Steven Kostanski has developed quite a filmography, working to energize cult cinema with efforts such as “The Void,” “Father’s Day,” and “Manborg.” He hit a creative peak in 2021, with “PG: Psycho Goreman” delivering big laughs and inventive visuals, skillfully balancing the absurd with the wonderfully strange in one of the year’s best movies. The helmer is back with “Frankie Freako,” and he’s not stepping away from his love of the bizarre, merging elements of “Gremlins” and “Home Alone” for this comedy, with star Conor Sweeney paired with a collection of puppets for an adventure into hardcore partying. There’s a lot to process while watching “Frankie Freako,” with Kostanski staying close to his low-budget roots, offering big imagination and entertainment value with the endeavor, delivering a textured romp with ghoulish beings and the “square” who’s summoned them. Kostanski’s vision for weirdness remains a delight in this enjoyably oddball adventure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2019’s “Joker” was meant to be a single film. The production team promised as much, working to give the Clown Prince of Crime his “Taxi Driver” moment with a psychological study of a broken man slowly losing himself to insanity. The feature wasn’t just a hit, but a phenomenon, outgrossing “Batman” movies as people lined up to watch star Joaquin Phoenix have his way with an iconic character. The picture explored a soiled world of sin and pain, ending on a note of chaos that wasn’t meant to be developed in sequels. The one-off is now a franchise, with major box office returns inspiring a follow-up in “Joker: Folie a Deux” (my French is a little rusty, but I think the title loosely translates to “big paydays for all”), with co-writer/director Todd Phillips trying to squeeze a little more misery out of this universe. Unfortunately, the teat is dry this time around, as “Folie a Deux” adds nothing to the “Joker” experience beyond musical numbers, with this round of hard stares and cigarette smoking periodically broken up by uninspired moments of song and dance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

He turned a car tire into a serial killer in 2010’s “Rubber,” tinkered with the absurdities of police procedurals in 2013’s “Wrong Cops,” and blended a study of the human condition with a “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” parody in 2022’s “Smoking Causes Coughing.” Writer/director Quentin Dupieux has always embraced his impish sense of humor, and he’s mostly successful with his wonderful weirdness, crafting dry, hilarious, and mercifully short pictures. In perhaps his greatest creative challenge, Dupieux takes on the surreal, egomaniacal ways of artist Salvador Dali, but “Daaaaaali!” isn’t a bio-pic. It’s more of a celebration of the man’s creative pursuits and childish behavior, with the screenplay toying with Dali iconography and attitude, going for a comedic take on his steamrolling ways. “Daaaaaali!” is great fun and appropriately strange, with Dupieux delivering a dream-layered understanding of artistry and impatience with palpable glee. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Arriving for Halloween is “Monster Summer,” and while most genre movies want to go for the throat with violence and gore, this feature aims for a more Spielberg-ian type of viewing experience. The filmmaker’s influence is felt almost everywhere in the endeavor, with director David Henrie (“This Is the Year”) looking to recreate the days of juvenile adventuring, when kids on bikes took on major issues in their neighborhood. The screenplay (by Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano) works to blend elements of youthful curiosity with more mysterious happenings involving a potential force of evil in the area. It’s a concoction that’s been done before (certainly the success of “Stranger Things” is an influence here), but familiarity doesn’t hurt “Monster Summer,” which remains mostly appealing due to its cast and effort to add a little spookiness for younger viewers not ready to see people turned inside out on the big screen just yet. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com