Alexander Payne has an incredible track record as a director, overseeing a list of amazing pictures during his time, including 2011’s “The Descendants” and 1999’s “Election.” His streak was broken with 2017’s “Downsizing,” unable to find a proper mood for the misguided comedy, though it was hardly a disaster. Payne is back on his feet with “The Holdovers,” where he reunites with his “Sideways” star, Paul Giamatti, with the pair once again examining the life of an arrogant man facing the cold reality of his personality, trading the sloshed battleground of wine fields for a private school for boys. Scripted by David Hemingson, “The Holdovers” is completely dedicated to the examination of its characters, putting these nuanced people in a variety of situations that test their resolve and break through their defenses. And it’s a wonderful film, carried by pitch-perfect performances and gorgeous cinematography by Eigil Bryld, putting Payne back on track with another human tale of connection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Gabe Polsky achieved some critical acclaim in recent years as a documentarian, exploring the oddity and askew glory of Russian sporting achievements in 2014’s “Red Army” and 2019’s “Red Penguins.” He returns to dramatic interests with “Butcher’s Crossing,” adapting a 1960 novel by John Edward Williams, which examines the hardship of the frontier experience in 1874. It’s a tale of survival and mental illness, detailing a young man’s odyssey into a world he doesn’t understand, learning more about the ugliness of humanity in the process. Polsky hopes to work in an understanding of bison population decimation while in the process of crafting a slow-burn descent into insanity, and this strange balance of history and psychological horror keeps “Butcher’s Crossing” involving despite its grim premise. It also helps to have Nicolas Cage around, who seems to be enjoying the acting assignment, going raw and bald with his take on a hunter’s blinding obsession for prey. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Martin Scorsese is in the business of epics these days. He’s spent the last decade of his career aiming to make gigantic films about personal passions and lifelong commitments, keeping run times inflated to explore every inch of his material. After going back to his mafia roots with 2019’s “The Irishman,” Scorsese (along with co-writer Eric Roth) delves into America’s dark past with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which adapts a 2017 book by David Grann. The feature runs 206 minutes, giving the production plenty of time to inspect every step of this journey, which takes viewers through the extreme details of the Osage Indian Murders that occurred 100 years ago. “Killers of the Flower Moon” is like every Scorsese picture, with impeccable technical achievements, thorough performances, and a story that explores the pure darkness of the human experience. Much like the helmer’s recent output, it’s an endeavor to be admired and studied, but it's not always a riveting sit, with editing (by longtime collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker) more of a suggestion than a reality as Scorsese tries to get his arms around the scope of the effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Nyad” is the first feature-length dramatic effort for directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, with the pair previously winning an Oscar for their rock climbing documentary, 2019’s “Free Solo.” They return to the world of intense physical endeavors with “Nyad,” which details the experience of distance swimmer Diana Nyad as she, at the age of 60, mounted a fresh attempt to swim solo from Cuba to Key West. Screenwriter Julia Cox has Diana’s own perspective to work with, adapting the athlete’s 2015 autobiography, “Find a Way,” and she has an advantage with the subject matter, which examines the power of endurance and the dangers of the swim. The production also has Annette Bening in the eponymous role, with the seasoned actress hitting all the areas of Diana’s personality, joined by Jodie Foster, who brings outstanding intensity to the part of the swimmer’s coach. There’s a lot to support “Nyad” through some choppy storytelling waters, giving the picture a special screen power. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Longtime casting professional Jennifer Cram makes her debut as a writer/director with “Sick Girl,” and she’s selected quite a tonal challenge for her first at-bat. Here’s a story about a self-absorbed woman pretending to have cancer to help win back attention from her friends and family, embarking on a journey of lies to maintain her extraordinary ruse. It’s a dark comedy with the bleakest of premises, but Cram is on a quest to make the endeavor not only funny, but sensitive, looking to understand the main character’s motives as she embarks on the worst idea of her life. Mercifully, “Sick Girl” is mildly amusing, with Cram keeping the mood light enough to make some silliness happen. Not everything works here, but the production manages to survive such a study of unforgivable behavior and, true to form, Cram has a strong eye for actors, filling the feature with spirited performers who help to capture the extremity of the writing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1978’s “Skateboard” (a.k.a. “Skateboard: The Movie”) is a production trying to capitalize on a trend. The world of skateboarding is explored here, with co-writer/director George Gage bringing viewers to Los Angeles, where the kids are showing off their moves on four wheels, while a desperate man with an enormous debt hopes to exploit such talent for his own financial gain. “Skateboard” is a quickie production, offering a threadbare plot and sketchily drawn characters, but it’s not meant to be much more than a showcase for the sport, captured here during its 1970s heyday, with subculture superstar Tony Alva claiming a supporting role. Skateboarding footage is key here, adding a sense of excitement and showmanship to the endeavor, which noticeably struggles with anything that isn’t about following sporting accomplishments. It’s not the most electric offering of drama, with Gage and co-writer Richard A. Wolf (the future king of television, Dick Wolf, making his professional debut) struggling to pour some foundation for a feature that’s best with pure physical activity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director/editor/star Andrew Bowser is an internet personality, building a fanbase with his “Onyx the Fortuitous” character, achieving some social media popularity with his version of a virginal goth kid and his extreme awkwardness. It seems to be the routine for this type of performer, joining the likes of Fred Figglehorn and Miranda Sings, who also built empires with ridiculously broad characters, using bite-sized bits of comedy to win over viewers before dreaming bigger with longer starring vehicles. Bowser tries his luck with “Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls,” which is his attempt to celebrate his Tim Burton fandom, trying to recapture the zany tone and practical effects magic of “Beetlejuice,” only without the budget or creative impishness. “Talisman of Souls” is aimed directly at Bowser’s admirers, who will have a lot more patience for his exaggerated performance, but playfulness is missing from the picture, along with editorial judiciousness, which takes short-form video content and brings it to a taxing 110-minute-long run time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Burial” is a 2023 film set in 1995 and it plays like a movie from 1988. It’s an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser of a picture, going big as a legal underdog story that’s filled with terrific performances and snappy scenes of personal engagement. It’s based on a 1999 New Yorker article that explored the story of lawyer Willie E. Gary and his battle against the Lowen Group, a “death care industry” leader accused of trying to delay a contract signing to help destroy a rival in Mississippi. Co-writers Doug Wright and Maggie Betts (who also directs) jettison the dull shuffle of realistic courtroom happenings, preferring to launch a more colorful overview of law battles featuring lively characters. “The Burial” is certainly broad, perhaps too much so at times, but it’s also an immensely appealing feature, encouraging viewers to dig into this tale of justice and warming relationships. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Conference” is a Swedish production that brings slasher happenings to a workplace environment. It’s not exactly a novel idea, but director Patrik Eklund has some nastiness and humor to share with the endeavor, which is bloody enough to satisfy horror fans. The picture isn’t a satire, but a more direct pantsing of office politics, playing around with feisty personalities as a group of employees gather for a team-building trip, only to encounter ultraviolence in a camp setting. There’s a masked killer and an assortment of characters who refuse to understand the danger in front of them, but “The Conference” is certainly an entertaining sit, supported by engaged performances, snappy editing, and Eklund’s love of the game, handling the B-movie event with care for bodily harm and scenes of people being hunted. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagine if Stephen King wrote “The Outsiders,” with the film adaptation turned into a “Purge” sequel. That’s the general atmosphere of “Dark Harvest,” which is actually based on a 2006 novel by Norman Partridge, with Michael Gilio handling screenwriting duties. It’s a grim story of small-town tradition and mass death, glazed with fantasy elements to downplay everything that doesn’t make sense about the material, and the feature’s direction is handed to David Slade, who once tried to charm moviegoers with dark visions for “Hard Candy” and “30 Days of Night,” burying suspense under style overkill. He returns to unfortunate cinematographic habits here, but “Dark Harvest” is already in trouble by the time Slade lubes up his shaky-cam interests, finding the story itself difficult to buy and performances are mostly unaware of what kind of picture they’re making. It’s a rough viewing experience for the spooky season, and Slade’s general disinterest in securing a decent story or suspense only makes the endeavor harder to endure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The war between science and religion is the dramatic foundation for “In the Fire,” which takes audiences to the early days of psychology as it develops in a land largely ruled by God’s laws. Co-writer/director Conor Allyn (“No Man’s Land,” “Java Heat”) has a sophisticated idea for the picture, examining the will of a woman devoted to the understanding of the human mind and the mob mentality of faith, with this collision of righteousness promising a heated study of certainty. “In the Fire” doesn’t end up chasing such conflict, with Allyn sticking to a more simplistic understanding of character and contentiousness. Some passion does emerge from performances, but wilder swings of condemnation, along with romantic entanglements, take material that initially feels invested in reality and turns it into a soap opera. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Dangerous Waters” is a forgettable film, but it will be remembered as the feature actor Ray Liotta was working on when he passed away in 2022. He doesn’t have a major part in the picture, showing up in the movie for a single scene, and fans of the star should be aware of this situation, as Liotta is prominently billed in marketing materials, even appearing on the poster. “Dangerous Waters” isn’t exactly boosted by Liotta’s appearance, with the effort largely underwhelming, established as something of a crime thriller before it takes a lengthy detour into a survival story. Guns and bad guys are present in the tale of a young woman facing the fight of her life while stuck on the open water, but director John Barr (“Blood and Money”) can’t tap into a rich sense of suspense, with the endeavor too slack when it comes to pressurized moments of conflict, and his casting isn’t strong enough deliver a more physical understanding of danger. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com