Emerging as the third feature about exorcisms released in the last year, “The Exorcist: Believer” is meant to be the most significant production of them all. It’s a sequel to the 1973 William Friedkin classic, reconnecting, in some ways, to the story of Chris MacNeil and her daughter, Regan, even managing to bring back actress Ellen Burstyn to reprise her role as the weary mother who’s been to Hell and back. The project is directed by David Gordon Green, a helmer with an iffy oeuvre, but he’s the guy who made Michael Myers headline news again with his popular but poorly conceived “Halloween” revival trilogy. The idea here is to return “The Exorcist” to media domination, but something went wrong along the way, primarily in the execution of this satanic possession story. “Believer” is a frightfully uninspired horror movie and a terrible “Exorcist” film, with Green making an episode of bad television instead of an intensely frightening cinematic offering, unable to match past franchise highs with this misbegotten brand name resurrection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Actress Siobhan Fallon Hogan has enjoyed a steady career in supporting parts, but she took a chance on herself with 2021’s “Rushed,” providing the screenplay for the movie, which offered her an opportunity to play the lead. And she did so wonderfully, helping to guide an unusual understanding of the mourning process that subverted expectations, making for an interesting sit. Hogan returns with “Shelter in Solitude,” which also presents an unusual view of dramatic interactions, once again creating a script that’s more interested in character than formula, which, for this endeavor, involves a relationship between a prison guard and a man dealing with his final days on death row. Director Vibeke Muasya looks to maintain some emotional intensity to the feature, also tasked with detailing a COVID-19 world, but she’s best with performances, finding Hogan once again greatly impressing with her depth and sensitivity, joined by a terrific cast that makes the little moments hit the hardest. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Television director Chloe Domont makes her feature debut with “Fair Play,” and it’s a doozy at times. It’s a look at a couple experiencing a seismic change in their secret relationship, with these hedge fund firm employees taking a direct shot to their mutual trust and attraction when the balance of power is destroyed, leaving them to deal with a situation both are unprepared for. At its best, “Fair Play” is an unusual slow-burn viewing experience, with its examination of workplace gamesmanship and domestic animosity finding ways to slip under the skin, making for a riveting sit. Domont (who also scripts) offers a sharp understanding of gender tension and she crafts an intense picture up until the last 15 minutes of the movie. Suddenly, the writing shows in the worst way, but a bum ending doesn’t deflate the endeavor, which examines psychological poisoning brilliantly, working right to the core of humiliation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The poster for “Desperation Road” has stars Mel Gibson and Garrett Hedlund holding guns, posed in a way that suggests the feature is an action film, with plenty of violence served up for viewers. It’s a strange way to promote an effort that’s not all that physically active, more interested in human sorrow than blazing weapons. I suppose this is the way of movie marketing, but the picture actually offers a more tender view of characters in pain, struggling to right themselves in a world that’s seemingly working against then. Guns are involved in the plot, but screenwriter Michael Farris Smith (adapting his own 2017 novel) tries to remain with emotions during the run time, studying lasting pain and surprising connections, aiming to make a little mournful Mississippi screen poetry with the endeavor. Director Nadine Crocker has a decent grasp on the material, overseeing a well-acted and periodically powerful study of grief. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For the sixth installment of the anthology series, “V/H/S/85” is actually just like the other pictures, with the producers gathering a small assortment of directors to share their bite-sized visions of screen horror. The last sequel, “V/H/S/99,” couldn’t get out of mediocrity despite some creative highlights, and the new endeavor is only a slight improvement, doing a little better when it comes to shock and situations of survival. Jittery visuals and human suffering returns, dialing back the clock to the 1980s, when video formats were a source of debate and handheld cameras were becoming omnipresent. “V/H/S/85” remains in line with franchise demands, concentrating on characters experiencing a great disruption to their strange lives, with some of the storytellers a bit more invested in pace and screen tension than others, making for an uneven sit with a particularly sluggish conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A case of the cutes threatens to break out at any moment in “She Came to Me,” which is a strange approach to a film that’s mostly about infidelity and legal entanglements. It’s the latest feature from writer/director Rebecca Miller, who’s done good work before (“Personal Velocity: Three Portraits,” “The Ballad of Jack and Rose”), but hasn’t been seen in a while (2015’s “Maggie’s Plan”), with her latest feeling like an opportunity to try some funky tones out while feeling around for dark comedy and deep drama. “She Came to Me” is a handful at times, but Miller’s commitment to character is involving, exploring semi-unwell people hunting for control and opportunities in their sad lives. It’s a fascinating study of ego as well, nicely propped up by the cast, who secure distinct personalities in the haziness of Miller’s screenplay. Wackiness and anguish don’t mix as well as the helmer hopes, and the endeavor is often unsteady, but there are ideas that connect here, making for some interesting conflicts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There wasn’t much excitement surrounding the release of 2019’s “Pet Sematary,” which offered an updated take on the Stephen King novel, trying to compete with a previous film adaptation from 1989. However, profit is profit, and the feature did small-time business on a minimal budget, inspiring the producers to try and milk the brand name once again, this time going the prequel route with “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines,” which examines the horrors of Ludlow, Maine in the 1960s. The story for the picture is actually part of King’s book, but here, it’s the whole show, with screenwriters Jeff Buhler and Lindsey Anderson Beer (who also directs) on a mission to make something out of this small piece of local history, hoping to resurrect some of the dark “Pet Sematary” magic for another round of small-town violence involving the newly reanimated. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sean McNamara makes a lot of movies, already onscreen this year with last spring’s “On a Wing and a Prayer.” The “Bratz” and “Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite” helmer isn’t one to worry about the fine details of filmmaking, with production speed his primary motivation. This creative approach is easily identified in “Vindicta,” which looks to combine the pressurized experience of being a paramedic in the big city with a horror story about a masked killer looking to destroy anyone involved with the history of a burned building in Seattle. “Vindicta” is a low-budget offering of suspense, and McNamara’s clumsy approach to everything in the endeavor doesn’t inspire a rich ride of genre entertainment. It’s confused work, never quite settling on a cohesive tone as it goes from vocational stress to family woes to blood-spurting bodily destruction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sean McNamara makes a lot of movies, already onscreen this year with last spring’s “On a Wing and a Prayer.” The “Bratz” and “Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite” helmer isn’t one to worry about the fine details of filmmaking, with production speed his primary motivation. This creative approach is easily identified in “Vindicta,” which looks to combine the pressurized experience of being a paramedic in the big city with a horror story about a masked killer looking to destroy anyone involved with the history of a burned building in Seattle. “Vindicta” is a low-budget offering of suspense, and McNamara’s clumsy approach to everything in the endeavor doesn’t inspire a rich ride of genre entertainment. It’s confused work, never quite settling on a cohesive tone as it goes from vocational stress to family woes to blood-spurting bodily destruction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Saw” was released nearly 20 years ago, and sequels offered an annual celebration of death for quite some time. It became an event series for horror fans, who refused to ditch the franchise, even when it repeatedly played with retconning and logic-bending to take an idea for a single film and stretch it out over nine films. “Saw X” is the tenth chapter of the saga, with the production determined to win fans back after recent revivals of the brand name (including 2017’s “Jigsaw” and 2021’s “Spiral”) were met with a shoulder shrug. Director Kevin Greutert returns to duty after time on “Saw VI” and “Saw: The Final Chapter,” and he’s working with something the production has never managed to offer before: a somewhat interesting script (by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg). Blood, guts, and loud suffering returns to “Saw X,” but also moments of basic humanity and motivation, giving lead Tobin Bell a little more to do than glare and growl, while the revenge plot definitely drives an involving study of pain, building a much more potent “Saw.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Gareth Edwards has only made a few films, and they’ve been very good, but none of them have been truly great. It’s this closeness to excellence that’s been difficult to watch, with Edwards managing to create interesting tales of large-scale problems in “Monsters,” 2014’s “Godzilla,” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (he actually had plenty of help on the latter effort). He generates incredible visuals and has a passion for genre storytelling, but the helmer usually manages to underwhelm at all the wrong moments. “The Creator” is another mild success for Edwards (who co-scripts with Chris Weitz), manufacturing a future world of runaway artificial intelligence, and how some seek to work with it, while others strive to destroy it. It’s a timely study of machines, with “The Creator” pulling from a long list of sci-fi classics to build its world, and Edwards has an endless appetite for scenes of destruction. It’s the rest of the picture that’s a little less inviting, as the production stumbles with a few clunky performances and a general commitment to repetition that takes the grandeur out of the epic Edwards is looking to make. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For most of his filmmaking career, writer/director John Carney has been obsessed with music. It’s become a focal point for nearly everything he’s done, with songs often becoming a lead character, usually guiding people in and out of love. He’s made “Once,” “Sing Street,” and “Begin Again,” and now “Flora and Son,” which also tracks the healing power of music as it finds its way into the hearts and minds of emotionally wounded people. In many ways, Carney is repeating himself with his latest endeavor, but peaceful feelings are welcome in the picture, which reaches intended intimacy and atmosphere, also becoming a showcase for lead Eve Hewson, who delivers an outstanding performance of prime itchiness and concern, handed a shot to really show her stuff as Carney crafts a gentle study of relationships soothed by musical expression. It’s nothing radical, but the feature is suitably heartening. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2001’s “Paw Patrol: The Movie” was an attempt by the producers to bring the popular animation franchise from T.V. to the big screen, giving kids raised on the adventures of these rescue dogs and their indefatigable dedication to helping those in need a proper cinematic extravaganza. Such a business move was complicated by a general release during miserable pandemic times with hesitant ticket-buyers, but “The Movie” did well, reinforcing the popularity of the brand name and the promise of feature-length storytelling to come. Two years later, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” hopes to keep momentum going, with the heroes of Adventure City back to take on evil, newly armed with superhero powers but still interested in a slightly more explosive take on family entertainment, with action sequences once again capturing attention while the script for this follow-up is a little less thrilling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The worlds of art and crime connect in “The Kill Room,” which is largely being promoted as a reunion for stars Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson, who last acted together in 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” A lot of time has passed since the release of the Quentin Tarantino film, but not everything has changed, as “The Kill Room” has Thurman portraying a rattled woman turning to drugs and dangerous men to keep herself distracted, while Jackson once again inhabits the part of an easily agitated, profane man caught up in a criminal situation that slips out of control. Slightly fatigued Tarantino-isms are certainly present in the screenplay by Jonathan Jacobson, intended or not, but the story launches with compelling oddity, highlighting the strange ways of art appreciation and manipulation, which is far more interesting than underworld entanglements that come to claim the effort’s second half. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Spanish production “Nowhere” is certainly not a film for those who are easily troubled by onscreen horrors. It’s a survival feature, primarily remaining on a single character as she battles to stay alive while trapped in a shipping container that’s been dumped into the middle of the ocean, left only with some supplies and her inner drive to live. It’s primarily a single-space study of endurance, with lead Anna Castillo pretty much the only actor in the endeavor, tasked with sustaining suspense as she portrays a desperate person stuck in an impossible situation. “Nowhere” doesn’t have a grand political statement to make about the refugee experience, with director Albert Pinto more about a growing sense of despair silenced by ways of empowerment, looking to take viewers on a rough ride of danger and panicky problem solving. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s been a very strange experience to watch Andrew Dice Clay take on more dramatic parts over the last decade. The profane comedian, one of the more controversial people in the entertainment business during the late 1980s and early’90s, Clay is not typically known for his seriousness, generally pursuing funny business with previous acting work. “Warrior Strong” adds to the thespian rebuilding of Clay, who returns after parts in “Blue Jasmine” and “A Star is Born” to participate in a sports underdog picture, which is unlike anything he’s done before. And Clay is appealing in the feature, which doesn’t take many chances in the screenwriting department, but the movie has its heart in the right place, hoping to bring some feelgood storytelling to family audiences trying to find something suitable. It’s a nice turn for the once and future Diceman, who’s joined by a lively supporting cast aiming to make formula palatable in this study of high school basketball leadership. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com