• Film Review – Space Cadet

    Kid Koala is known for his work in music, gaining a reputation for his years as a DJ and producer. He’s also dabbled in the world of writing, creating the graphic novels “Nufonia Must Fall” and “Space Cadet.” The latter serves as inspiration for his directorial debut, going the animation route with his tale of a young dreamer who wants to explore the cosmos, and the robot guardian she leaves behind. Doing away with dialogue, Kid Koala puts his faith in the power of visual storytelling, using stop-motion-style artistry to develop a tale of a relationship and all the tender memories and feelings it triggers. “Space Cadet” is a modest production, but it’s wonderful work from the helmer, who creates an all-ages movie that appeals to young viewers with its playfulness and sense of exploration, while an older audience is treated to a sensitive understanding of the parental experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Victorian Psycho

    Virginia Feito adapts her own 2025 novel in “Victorian Psycho,” which focuses directly on acts of madness with equal parts horror and delight. It’s a tonal tightrope walk for the screenwriter, who has to pound her original work into cinematic submission, dealing with a story that dips into stretches of insanity, giving viewers exposure to a level of unreality as the tale hopes to crack open the main character’s mind and run its fingers through the messiness. Director Zachary Wigon (2022’s “Sanctuary”) arrives with an interest in generating an appropriately active visual experience for the picture, providing a full sense of disorientation and violence to keep the effort interestingly rough. “Victorian Psycho” does run into the occasional dramatic roadblock, but it mostly remains an engrossing and periodically unsettling study of a mental breakdown that finds ways to surprise its audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Ghost Soldier

    In 2023, actor Jim Caviezel scored a huge box office hit with “Sound of Freedom,” portraying a tough individual going after obvious evil. The picture became something of a phenomenon, but Caviezel didn’t take advantage of the sudden career momentum, waiting three years to return to screens with “Ghost Soldier,” where he plays a tough individual going after an obvious evil. Instead of pursuing child traffickers and sex criminals, the star now turns his squint and growl to the threat of data centers, coming after a shady corporation buying up land rights to take control of a Wyoming river. Screenwriter Chris Papasadero and director William Eubank (“Land of Bad,” “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin,” “Underwater”) have a timely enemy to help power rage in “Ghost Soldier,” but they aren’t coming armed with sharp filmmaking, going the B-movie route with a real-world issue. They also have to deal with a leading man who doesn’t exactly radiate an intimidation factor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Dead of Night

    Co-writers Eric Durham and Derek Sulek really like 1996’s “Scream.” The Wes Craven picture (and its many sequels) is a mighty influence over “Dead of Night,” which is essentially a “Scream” remake, attempting to make a mess in a California town with multiple characters, various motives, and a masked killer in a robe hellbent on slaughtering a good chunk of the local population. The film doesn’t have much imagination for the macabre, and its mystery elements are lukewarm at best, leaving audiences with a feature that’s derivative and silly, as so much of the movie desperately wants to reheat whatever appeal Craven brought to his endeavor. “Dead of Night” is a tough sit, but perhaps for those who live, eat, and breathe slasher cinema, there’s something here to embrace, as Durham and Sulek (who also directs) clearly want to celebrate the subgenre with a new round of community terror and kill sequences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – The Mangler

    Stephen King was red-hot in the 1990s, with Hollywood finding occasional box office gold with his books, working to adapt whatever they could. During this time, selectivity wasn’t exactly prioritized, resulting in projects like 1995’s “The Mangler.” King is certainly in possession of a vast imagination for the macabre, but many of his ideas are best suited for literary exploration, allowing the author to conjure wild visuals with pulpy descriptions and plotting. Bringing these ghoulish ideas to the screen is another story, and “The Mangler” certainly provides a creative challenge, with director Tobe Hooper (who also co-scripts) out to transform a tale about a possessed industrial speed ironer into a cinematic nightmare. The endeavor looks to expand King’s short story to fit a feature-length run time, but goofiness and tediousness overwhelms the offering, which hopes to get by on weirdness, but Hooper isn’t sharp enough of a filmmaker to really take this noisy effort to interesting places. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Killers on Wheels

    The lure of biker movies moves from Hollywood to Hong Kong for 1976’s “Killers on Wheels,” which examines the horror of a gang on the loose, making island life miserable for two couples simply trying to enjoy a holiday week with a little sun, sand, and sea. It’s a Shaw Brothers production from director Chih-Hung Kuei, who’s under orders to make something fun and vicious, which isn’t an easy combination of tones for any filmmaker. The endeavor is abrasive and weirdly overlong, hitting viewers with a constant barrage of destructive behavior and broad performances, but the production finds its footing on occasion, especially when it comes to escalating tensions between warring sides. “Killers on Wheels” is more exhausting than entertaining, but there’s a weird enough energy to the offering to help sustain the viewing experience, especially when it hits pacing and exploitation issues. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Macabre

    1980’s “Macabre” is “based on a true story,” following the strange ways of a woman destroyed by traumatic experiences, refusing to give up on love in the process. It’s billed as a horror film, but it’s not a production that’s concerned with building suspense, with the screenplay basically sticking with one major reveal and some climatic antagonism, while the rest of the feature sits around, waiting for a moment when it can expose its ghoulishness to viewers. The endeavor is the directorial debut for Lamberto Bava, who would go on to helm “Demons” and “Demons 2,” and for his initial outing, he’s challenged to make an engrossing movie that’s primarily filled with padding. “Macabre” eventually gets to ghoulishness, but it’s a long sit to more active encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – The School Duel

    “The School Duel” welcomes viewers to “the near future,” with “the free state of Florida” organizing a celebration of violence to make sure the citizens don’t actually do anything about violence. Writer/director Todd Wiseman Jr. has something to say about the state of the nation in the picture, pulling inspiration from “The Purge” and “Hunger Games” franchises to form his story, which observes the recruitment and organization of a game involving the death of children. Passion is there for the premise, but the helmer doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, which keeps “The School Duel” limited in its visual reach. Wiseman Jr. can’t always sell the enormity of what’s happening, but some of his ideas remain potent in a feature that’s never quite as haunting as it hopes to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Godzilla Minus Zero

    While riding on the pop culture dominance of the “Godzilla” brand name, 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One” was still something of a surprise when it debuted in theaters. Writer/director Takashi Yamazaki managed to find freshness in the saga, returning it to its roots as a tale of postwar Japan terror, reinstating the main kaiju as a fearsome beast of destruction, born from human folly. The feature became an unexpected hit, and Yamazaki showed he could do so much with a limited budget. Three years later, “Godzilla Minus Zero” arrives to plenty of expectations, and the helmer seems to understand the position he’s in. Yamazaki looks to sustain the momentum of the initial picture, carefully escalating the conflict in the sequel, which merges the gritty fear factor of “Minus One” with more of a giant monster direction, supported by elements of agony and melodrama as Godzilla returns to screens. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – A Dog’s Perfect Christmas

    For a few years just under a decade ago, there was a rush on movies that explored the rascally and healing ways of dog companionship. In 2017, there was “A Dog’s Purpose” and 2019 saw the release of “A Dog’s Way Home” and “A Dog’s Journey,” which tried to work with dogsploitation moviemaking to provide candy coated entertainment for canine devotees. The films were based on books by W. Bruce Cameron, who amassed a fortune writing about pets and their special relationships with humans. While box office returns dropped significantly from “A Dog’s Purpose” to “A Dog’s Journey,” Cameron isn’t ready to give up, turning to a streaming audience for “A Dog’s Perfect Christmas,” which isn’t a sequel, but remains in the author’s universe, once again creating a tale of strife, shenanigans, and familial connection while making sure a pooch is always around to comment on the action. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Cat in the Hat (2026)

    One of the most popular books created by author Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, 1957’s “The Cat in the Hat” has managed to charm generations of readers with its playful mischief, detailing the shenanigans of the eponymous feline and his desire to bring chaotic fun to those in need of it. The source material has been adapted for television on a few occasions, and Hollywood tried to go the blockbuster route with a 2003 live-action film that few enjoyed. “The Cat in the Hat” returns with a new animated offering from co-writer/directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni (“Kung Fu Panda 3”), trying to turn the book into the beginning of a universe for the character, working overtime to pack as many subplots and busy business into the feature as possible. The endeavor is not without a few charms, but it’s mostly overwritten and labored, weirdly scraping out the Dr. Suess-ness of it all to give viewers as formulaic a viewing experience as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Hen

    Co-writer/director Gyorgy Palfi has an animal tale in mind with “Hen.” However, he’s not going the Disney route with the endeavor, keeping his distance from cuteness and animation. Instead, the helmer favors slightly harder edges to his offering, which follows the experiences of a chicken who’s managed to escape factory farm life, ending up on an adventure into the wilds of Greece, experiencing multiple encounters with those looking to help the creature, and those out to cause it harm. There’s a sense of humor to the picture, but also reminders of reality, and Palfi mostly sticks with a spare narrative as he follows the feathered star around. “Hen” is actually quite remarkable in how compelling it is, tracking the chicken’s view of the world as it handles survival situations and the ways of birth, with Palfi making an involving study of existence in the midst of all the bird behaviors. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Last Temptation of Becky

    “The Last Temptation of Becky” is the second sequel to 2020’s “Becky,” which delivered solid B-movie goods concerning a 13-year-old girl out to defend her home against an invasion of white supremacists. The picture contained some hard hits and wild behavior, unexpectedly launching a franchise. The main character returned in 2023’s “The Wrath of Becky,” which wasn’t as successful with its smashmouth entertainment, showing a few signs of struggle from the production as it attempted to keep an idea created for a single film warm enough for a second outing. And now Becky rises again, with screenwriters Matt Angel and Jenn Wexler (who also directs) heading to campiness to power another chapter, keeping the character in beast mode as she takes on another wave of neo-Nazis, handed a slight James Bond-like spin as the production tries to make a bigger, badder “Becky.” Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Being Heumann

    The opening scene of “Being Heumann” follows the eponymous character as she navigates her wheelchair around New York City streets. The year is 1972, and the world as we know it today wasn’t the world back then, leaving the physically disabled with no options when it came to sidewalk accessibility, keeping Judith Heumann in competition with vehicle traffic as she attempts to arrive at her destination without getting run over. It’s an eye-opening understanding of challenges and determination, with co-writer/director Sian Heder (who broke through with her last endeavor, 2021’s “CODA”) capturing a moment without much dialogue, relying on visual communication to understand the struggle. It’s the best part of “Being Heumann,” which is as well-intentioned as a movie can get, but doesn’t return to the same level of cinematic language, preferring to use speeches and showy performances instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – La bola negra

    There’s a lot of life and hurt wrapped up inside “La bola negra,” which is overseen by directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. The duo (who also co-write the picture with Alberto Conejero) launch what’s been referred to as a “queer epic,” following multiple timelines and connected characters on the hunt for relief they can’t possibly receive from a world of judgment and horror. The feature is a juggling act, and an extremely artful one at that, moving around people and dates as history merges with intimacy, giving viewers a real journey to process at times. “La bola negra” carries a substantial run time (about 160 minutes), which isn’t always earned, but passion from the production is hard to deny, as the helmers pour their soul into the endeavor’s command of longing and tragedy, making an offering that’s profoundly felt and richly constructed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

    After scoring a minor hit with his oddball take on 1980’s “Popeye,” director Robert Altman retreated to more manageable professional opportunities, spending a chunk of the 1980s bringing stage plays to the screen. 1982’s “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” is part of this career redirection, reuniting Altman with his Broadway staging of Ed Graczyk’s 1976 play. The original theatrical production didn’t find a sustained audience after it debuted, but the material is an interesting fit for a cinematic adaptation, with the helmer managing to preserve the atmosphere of the stage while intensifying dramatics, taking viewers on a strange journey of relationships and revelations during a particularly lively reunion of James Dean fans in small-town Texas. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Teddy

    Writer/directors Zoran and Ludovic Boukherma look to have their way with werewolf cinema in 2020’s “Teddy.” The feature isn’t really a monster movie, with the filmmakers taking inspiration from 1986’s “The Fly” for their version of horrific and mysterious body horror, paying attention to a gruesome transformation instead of focusing on a fear factor. The French production has a lot of oddity and no real build-up to suspense, but the helmers manage to create a memorable evolution with the endeavor, playing with weird interactions and adolescent woes as they look to approach a fright film from an unusual angle. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Alpha

    Writer/director Julia Ducournau has built a career on provocative pictures, and while she doesn’t work often, she’s managed to capture attention with her first two features. 2016’s “Raw” stirred up film festival hype with its gruesome imagery, and 2021’s “Titane” turned Ducournau into a force of nature, delivering a wild examination of murder and sex that also burned brightly in pre-release circles. “Alpha” is her latest endeavor, and one can sense Ducournau struggling to produce something to compete with her previous work, looking to meet expectations with a surreal story of relationships and viral fears, returning to her love of body horror. “Raw” and “Titane” were bizarre offerings, but they remained interesting due to Ducournau’s strange ways and general storytelling fearlessness. “Alpha” doesn’t offer such a thrill, remaining limited in its emotional reach and characterization, making for a cold, sluggish viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Night Patrol

    Co-writer/director Ryan Prows (“Lowlife,” “V/H/S/94”) attempts to go ambitious with “Night Patrol,” which initially presents itself as a corrupt cop saga before transitioning into a genre film, blended with a tale of tribal purpose. The movie is all over the place, and that messiness seems to interest Prows the most, delivering what’s meant to be a wild ride of action, heart, and horror for those who enjoy some aggression and confusion with their daily dose of cinema. “Night Patrol” has a lot of elements speeding around the picture, making focus difficult for Prows, who chases numerous ideas without much editorial and thespian support. It’s a big swing from the helmer, which is also welcome, but also mostly a whiff, as the feature lacks enough structure to help support a commanding viewing experience, often going noisy instead of interesting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of

    When it comes to the history of the television show “SCTV,” a documentarian is going to need a lot more than 90 minutes to take it all in. Director Jason Hehir (“Andre the Giant”) doesn’t do himself any favors by making such a short movie, trying to pack in basically nine years of life into a single flow of information and interviews. “SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of” is a decent reminder of the sly comedic splendor the original series produced during its years of production, hitting viewers with intelligent writing and full commitment from the brilliant cast. Many of these actors reunite for parts of the feature, offering recollections and analysis of the program and its delightfully strange ways. Hehir catches the spirit here and there with “The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of,” but the endeavor is not made for die-hard fans of “SCTV,” with lots of information missing or untouched, but there’s joy to be found when the documentary highlights incredible talent finding their way through a very special show. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com