Didn’t we just do this? Eight weeks ago, there was “Summer Camp,” which detailed the experiences of four older woman working on relationships while dealing with a vacation getaway. And now there’s “The Fabulous Four,” which follows four older women working on relationships while dealing with a vacation getaway. There’s some serious déjà vu going on here, but this can all be traced back to the unexpected success of 2018’s “Book Club,” which found an audience for its sustained mildness and use of seasoned thespians. “The Fabulous Four” looks to drink from the same fountain, offering its target audience more silly shenanigans with capable actresses, but the screenplay (by Jenna Milly and Ann Marie Allison) is relentlessly awful. Hope for sharp humor is lost in the opening moments of the picture, and elements of heart are simply DOA. What’s left is a dispiriting collection of sitcom moments that’s increasingly dire to watch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been six years since the monster success of “Deadpool 2,” and it’s amazing that producer/star Ryan Reynolds didn’t immediately continue the series. There was room to grow and an appreciative audience ready for more, but Deadpool was put aside while comic book cinema worked on its blockbuster appeal, and world events certainly stopped production interest. Reynolds finally resurrects his most famous character, and he’s not coming alone, looking to conquer the box office with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” reteaming with Hugh Jackman to deliver a crazy, violent, reference-and-cameo-heavy exploration of superhero cinema via Deadpool’s insane universe of commentary and mockery. Action helmers Tim Miller and David Leitch had their way with the first two installments of the franchise, but “Deadpool & Wolverine” elects to change the approach, with Shawn Levy (“A Night at the Museum,” “Free Guy”) looking to butch up with the R-rated event, and he’s not the right person for the job, struggling with tonal balance and repetition. However, it’s hard to deny the spirit of the endeavor, which is meant to be wild and surprising, and the second sequel reaches a few highlights during its lengthy run time (130 minutes). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s summer, which means it’s shark movie season. It’s that special time of year when producers seek to cash-in on “shark week” fever and deliver some underwater horror for viewers in the mood for such escapism. “The Last Breath” sticks closely to formula, delivering a survival tale concerning five divers who shouldn’t venture deep into the ocean, facing a swift predator in the darkness when they elect to push their aquatic journey too far. Director Joachim Heden previously helmed 2020’s “Breaking Surface,” another deep sea disaster film (remade last year as “The Dive”), giving him some practice when it comes to organizing such suspense. “The Last Breath” initially presents itself as a study of financial need and dangerous diving, and it finds some momentum with the basics in risk. A shark eventually arrives to pressurize the situation, giving Heden a chance to get a little schlocky, which is far less interesting to watch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriters Greer Ellison and Alexander J. Farrell (who also directs) tease a world of horror with “The Beast Within.” It’s the specificity of this terror that’s open for interpretation in the movie, which seems more like a theatrical adaptation, keeping characters and points of pressure contained to a few settings. And perhaps the material would’ve been better off as a play, finding the intimacy of a small room potentially helping the intended creep of the story, which deals with terror both real and imagined. As a film, “The Beast Within” fails to inspire suspense, with Farrell (and 33 producers) neglecting the needs of storytelling pace to leisurely explore an arc of awareness as a young girl encounters the possibility that her father might be a werewolf. The endeavor has mood and competent performances, but there’s very little to the production that’s meant to grab the viewer, often caught struggling to find intensity with a tale of growing threat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Former actress Buffy Charlet attempts to make a comedy about pornography in “Spread.” It’s a delicate subject, with many looking to use the coarseness of the industry to inspire laughs, and Charlet is no different, mostly avoiding an original take on the business of sex to make a crude endeavor with few likable characters and a dismal appreciation for amusing moments. Director Ellie Kanner offers journeyman-like work on the feature, overseeing a tired premise built with limp gags and paint-by-numbers writing. Those hunting for cheap thrills and amusing antics are likely to come up short with “Spread,” which doesn’t do enough with its central concept of female gaze interests in the world of X-rated entertainment. There’s room for sharpness and enlightenment, but Charlet would rather play dumb instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Harry Connick Jr. seemed primed for an acting career in the late 1990s, with the lauded musician finding his way in supporting roles (“Independence Day”) before graduating to more substantial parts (“Hope Floats”). For reasons not immediately understood, Connick Jr. moved away from thespian ambitions, taking smaller roles here and there for the last 15 years. With “Find Me Falling,” Connick Jr. is front and center in a romantic comedy about an aging rock singer looking for retirement peace in Cyprus, only to get caught up in family business in a tight-knit community. While not as wacky, the production certainly wouldn’t dismiss comparisons to the ”My Big Fat Greek Wedding” series, playing up the local culture and the lone American’s response to such intensity. Writer/director Stelana Kliris isn’t pushing too hard on viewers with “Find Me Falling,” which sticks with the rom-com playbook, but she has Connick Jr., who keeps the picture at least somewhat charming, also busting out a few songs to add a musical mood to the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If one squints hard enough, there’s a chance the basic idea behind “Clear Cut” makes sense. Screenwriter Joe Perruccio is on a mission to make a manhunt film, and one that takes advantage of outdoor locations, allowing a low-budget production to capture some action quickly, free from outside interference. And there’s the novelty of the story, which is partially set in the logging business, which is a vocation rarely explored in features. Perhaps it’s not potential, but there’s a concept here that could use developing. Patience with it all isn’t prioritized by director Brian Skiba (“Dead Man’s Hand,” “Pursuit,” and “Beverly Hills Christmas”), who gets messy early with the storytelling particulars of “Clear Cut,” having trouble making sense of the writing’s flashback structure and primary motivations. It’s a quickie from Skiba, who’s stuck with dismal technical achievements and a limited cast, unable to conjure some B-movie magic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“My Spy the Eternal City” (which used to have a colon in its title until just this week) is a sequel to 2020’s “My Spy,” which was an overly aggressive, decidedly unfunny movie meant to soften star Dave Bautista’s screen image. It was his “Kindergarten Cop,” blending heavy violence with softer moments of child guardianship, allowing the bulky star to showcase something more than simple hostility on screen. The feature pinballed around theatrical release dates before finally landing streaming distribution during the early days of COVID-19, and a captive audience must’ve materialized for the endeavor, because now there’s more. Bautista and most of the original cast returns for another round of superspy activity, and Peter Segal once again directs. “My Spy” was a rough sit with the weirdest sense of its primary audience, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Eternal City” is more of the same, offering families(?) hard PG-13 material and a dismal level of humor as the tale travels to Italy for the same old save-the-world stuff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Oddity” is a horror movie released during a year that’s been filled with spooky stories from a variety of filmmakers and their specific interests in delivering slow-burn creep to the masses. Writer/director Damian Mc Carthy returns to the tried and true approach of ghostly experiences and unstable people with the effort, which explores the death of a woman and the different ways her loved ones react to her sudden loss, turning to the unexplainable for answers. Mc Carthy gets farther than most with his understanding of screen tension, building a suspenseful reunion situation for the characters, while adding touches of the supernatural to keep the whole thing periodically surprising. “Oddity” is strong work from the helmer, who conjures mood and does well with mystery, generating an engrossing sit with uneasy relationships and the addition of dark magic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1996’s “Twister” was a moviegoing event. A fast-paced disaster film about storm chasers pursuing deadly weather while working on their relationships along the way, the feature provided chaotic theater escapism for the summer season, giving ticket-buyers a real ride. The screenplay was simplistic and acting was loaded with hammy turns, but director Jan be Bont created a visceral picture with major technical achievements. 28 years later, we have “Twisters,” which isn’t attempting to be a sequel, but a replication of the original endeavor. The writing (credited to Mark L. Smith) traces over the same story beats as before, and director Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) is in charge of summoning big screen mayhem, but the creative team manages to revive that special blockbuster magic for what’s essentially a do-over. “Twisters” isn’t a grand reimagining of tornado alley terror, but as pure entertainment with several menacing storm and rescue sequences, it works, reviving large-scale weather nightmares for the masses. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Thomas Napper has a special creative challenge with his work on “Widow Clicquot.” The feature tells the story of Barbe-Nicole, a woman who, against all calls for her dismissal, worked to save the champagne business she once shared with her husband. It’s a tale of a vineyard and growing resentments, which doesn’t automatically translate to riveting cinema. The film is an adaptation of a 2008 “business biography” by Tilar J. Mazzeo, and the screenplay (by Erin Dignam) manages to make something vital with the story, which touches on the struggles of commerce, the reality of relationships, and the strength of a woman trying to stand alone in a world run by men. It’s elegantly made by Napper and gracefully acted by lead Haley Bennett, who offers a complex understanding of stress, adding some emotional sophistication to an interesting picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Sing Sing” takes viewers into the prison experience, but it’s not the usual offering of hard men playing games of respect and violence while behind bars. There’s a more sensitive story to be found here concerning the Rehabilitation Through the Arts organization, which offers inmates a chance to explore different sides of themselves through the stage, participating in the creation and performance of plays. Co-writer/director Greg Kwedar (who co-scripted “Jockey”) examines this odyssey of the mind and body with care for the characters, moving away from cliché to understand the people beyond the crimes, especially when placed in a situation where emotional intimacy is encouraged from participants who’ve lived most of their lives in a state of fear. “Sing Sing” takes chances with acting and tone, and it mostly hits the mark, with Kwedar (and co-writer Clint Bentley) using a real world organization, giving it dramatic highs and lows, sending viewers on a journey of profound feelings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com