2014’s “The Equalizer” was a cinematic update of a 1980s television series, with director Antoine Fuqua tasked with bringing a different kind of fury to the brand name, shaping a viciously violent revenge story that bore little resemblance to the network show that inspired it. Fuqua went for hardness to achieve his cheap thrills, and the overkill quickly transformed into absurdity. A 2018 sequel followed, offering more of the same, with Fuqua once again motivated to turn his action effort into a ridiculous trip to the gore zone, aided by meandering storytelling. He's been away for a while, but Robert McCall and his cold, dead stare returns for “The Equalizer 3,” and while Fuqua leaves no open wound behind, he’s newly committed to a somewhat intimate tale of domestic disturbance, giving the one-man-army a more direct reason to kill in a movie that does well when it dares to attempt dramatic simplicity, making for a more enjoyable ride of vengeance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2012’s “Ernest & Celestine” (released in America in 2014) was a complete surprise. The animated French picture was small, preferring delicate artistry over expensive imagery, electing to put its energy into personality. The feature was an absolute delight, one of the best films of the year, and little was expected of the movie after melting hearts and hitting the funny bone the first time around. A decade later, there’s “Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia,” a sequel from a different creative team, out to recreate the pleasures of the original picture while finding a new event for the eponymous pals to manage. “A Trip to Gibberitia” is more plot oriented than its predecessor, but the follow-up is nearly as fantastic, returning to character quirks and connections while opening up this lovable world with fresh challenges for animal friends and, now, family. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As Liam Neeson enters his eighth decade of life, some have questioned his ability to keep up his career path as an action hero, dealing with all sorts of physical challenges. “Retribution” hopes to participate in the ways of Neeson bruiser cinema, but it doesn’t ask much of the actor besides dramatic commitment to the part. The star is sitting for most of the run time, portraying a panicked man dealing with a car bomb under his seat and a mysterious antagonist making numerous demands. It’s not an especially robust acting challenge for Neeson, but there’s little human movement and a few surges of adrenaline to play, with the movie a remake of a 2015 Spanish thriller. The new version is directed by Nimrod Antal, who’s done capable work before (“Vacancy,” “Predators”), but he stumbles with the simplicity of the premise, struggling to sustain suspense and confusion while the lead actor does what he can to make emotional moments count. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Good Mother” is a film that tries to be a gritty tale of grief concerning the state of drug addiction in 2023, but it also desires to be something of a mystery thriller, with a few turns of plot to explore during the run time. The two sides of the endeavor aren’t paired especially well by co-writer/director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who often has trouble deciding what type of picture he ultimately wants to make here. There’s some power in the material’s depiction of depression and social ruin, with the movie delivering a few sharp scenes that bring a real sense of pain to viewers. But these potent moments are few and far between, with Joris-Peyrafitte more invested in a crime story involving a broken family, and that’s been done much better in other features. “The Good Mother” often loses its way, stuck with a dud screenplay and undemanding direction, leaving the effort an offering of mood without much emotion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose” isn’t a title normally associated with the claim “based on a true story.” However, the material is tied to some level of history, exploring a tale of animal communication and all the curiosity it created on the Isle of Man in the 1930s. Writer/director Adam Sigal assumes command of this strange picture, looking to generate a bit of mystery while handling an enormous amount of oddity, generally following the structure of a detective story where the main suspect is a mongoose with an English accent that delivers potent poems and triggers existential reflection. Sigal has quite the tale with “Nandor Fodor,” and for the first two acts, he does a fine job bringing viewers in close to this bizarre investigation. The last act isn’t as involving, but the feature mostly finds its way with occasional peculiarity and a puzzling story, which is supported by a capable cast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When the words “erotic thriller” are uttered, usually only one person comes to mind: Shannon Tweed. Director Anthony Penta seeks to change such conception with “We Kill for Love,” which is a documentary about the subgenre, which was developing long before Tweed was even born, and continues after her retirement from acting. There’s an entire history to explore here, with erotic thrillers developing over the decades, eventually exploding in the 1980s and ‘90s, and the helmer is determined to sniff around every corner of interpretation and thought. There’s a lot to “We Kill for Love,” which runs a whopping 163 minutes, which is a major sit for a subject that could probably be successfully examined in an hour and a half. Penta is determined to oversee a behemoth production, and he’s not having a lot of fun with it, as the endeavor is more analytical than anecdotal, going the “Room 237” route with a stern, film theory approach, which is undeniably interesting, but with this absurd run time, it occasionally feels like running a marathon with no finish line. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Adam Sandler has never been shy about bringing family members into the film business. He’s always surrounded himself with loved ones and pals, but with “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” Sandler truly makes it a domestic affair, hiring his daughters, Sunny and Sadie Sandler, to star in an adaptation of a book by Fiona Rosenbloom, while his wife, Jackie, plays a supporting role. It’s all Sandler, all the time in “Bat Mitzvah,” but director Sammi Cohen (“Crush”) doesn’t get caught up in the power play, managing to step back and form a mildly entertaining look at the horror show of adolescence, focusing on the first year of teendom and all the world-shifting nightmares it involves. The feature is obviously built for a younger audience, but the Happy Madison-ness of the endeavor offers some appeal for those far removed from middle school drama. It’s more Disney Channel than John Hughes, but the picture has its moments, especially when focused on the pressure points of adolescence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Vacation Friends” was a streaming hit for Hulu, presented as an R-rated comedy break from the pandemic blues, going blue and silly with a sitcom premise involving an uptight man trying to manage two intrusive pals he’s connected with while on vacation with his girlfriend. Co-writer/director Clay Tarver wasn’t aiming high with the material, but there was a modicum of charm to be found in the film, supplying a mild level of entertainment with slapstick misadventures. The picture didn’t need a sequel, but now there’s “Vacation Friends 2,” which returns to Tarver and the cast, only this time around, a faint sense of appealing nonsense is missing. The follow-up goes completely lazy instead, delivering lame shenanigans with no visible effort, happy to gift fans of the original endeavor a dispiriting viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For screenwriter Joachim Heden, a second chance to work with his concept for suspense has been provided. 2020’s “Breaking Surface” was a Swedish production concerning trouble in the deep waters for two sisters who don’t have anyone else to turn to when trying to survive a nightmare scenario. “The Dive” is an English-language remake, with Heden once again returning to script the endeavor, joining co-writer/director Maximilian Erlenwein for a reworking of the concept, trying to approach the same viewing experience in a different way. There’s not much to the story, which largely consists of vague relationship issues, leaving the bulk of the viewing experience to tense situations of rescue and endurance. “The Dive” mostly scores with dread, with Erlenwein providing a tense take on the central crisis for most of the run time. The effort does occasionally spin its wheels trying to come up with things to worry about, but a defined sense of claustrophobia and frustration is never far from view. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Feel-good cinema goes to the financial world in “Bank of Dave,” which explores the “true-ish” tale of Dave Fishwick, a decent man with money looking to help the residents of Burnley, a small U.K. town in need of assistance, coming up against the predatory ways of the London banking gatekeepers. It’s a Capra-esque attempt at gentle filmmaking, loaded with anti-greed messages and reminders of close-knit community power, and who better to helm the picture than Chris Foggin, who previously encouraged audience tingles with 2019’s “Fisherman’s Friends.” There are no shades of gray in “Bank of Dave,” which plays broadly for most of its run time, almost absurdly so, but Foggin and screenwriter Piers Ashworth aren’t too concerned about true grit when it comes to the David vs. Goliath story. This one is purely out to charm, and it does periodically, handed some lift by energetic performances and a buttery reminder of good people trying to do good things for one another. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com