• Film Review – The Social Reckoning

    16 years ago, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin turned a book about the rise of social media titan Facebook into a movie about the battle for control of the company. Directorial duties were handed to David Fincher, who crafted a slick, sharp understanding of ego, working with Sorkin’s love of words and terms. “The Social Network” intended to identify the growing problem of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, viewing him as a villain, but one who didn’t fully understand the monster he was becoming. 16 years later, Zuckerberg is now fully established as a global menace, and Sorkin returns to the Facebook saga in “The Social Reckoning,” exploring whistleblowing efforts from an employee who understood the threat of the corporation. Fincher is now gone, replaced by Sorkin, who isn’t the same type of filmmaker as his predecessor, but he remains fired up about Zuckerberg’s reign, trying to deliver a call to arms with “The Social Reckoning,” out to dramatize the transformation of social media into a weapon. The helmer doesn’t always have the right ideas for a crowd-pleaser, but his passion for the subject is unmistakable, making sure viewers grasp the enormity of the issue. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Ueck

    When Bob Uecker passed away at the age of 90 in 2025, the world of baseball lost an absolute legend. Uecker was known for his time playing the sport and reporting on it for 54 seasons as a sportscaster for the Milwaukee Brewers, also achieving a great deal of fame through baseball-themed commercials and acting gigs over the decades. Heck, his nickname was “Mr. Baseball,” branding Uecker as a premiere personality and someone synonymous with Major League Baseball. Directors Steve Farr and Michael T. Vollmann recognize the specialness of the man and his professional mission, creating “Ueck,” which attempts to be an informational journey about the subject and his love of the game, only to become a valentine for Uecker and his longstanding dedication to the MLB. “Ueck” is built for Brewers fans, but the production makes sure everyone is welcome, presenting a warm, frequently hilarious, and heartfelt appreciation for a ballplayer who became a character, and soon an entertainment icon. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – V/H/S/Mixtape

    One year ago, the “V/H/S” franchise hoped to provide a seasonal jolt in “V/H/S/Halloween,” assembling a collection of shorts involving horrible things largely happening to horrible people, much like the rest of the series. Horror is back in “V/H/S/Mixtape,” only now genre interests take a more musical turn, with the latest chapter of anthology storytelling providing tales of singing, producing, and performing, with each story highlighting violent interactions triggered by sound in many forms. “V/H/S/Mixtape” remains in line with previous endeavors, offering a few clunkers along the way, but when it connects, there are a few nightmarish experiences to enjoy, finding bits of creativity and weirdness to help flavor another round of short-form storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – A Prayer for the Dying

    “A Prayer for the Dying” is not an easy film to watch. An adaptation of a 1999 book by author Stewart O’Nan, the story reaches plenty of bleakness as it follows the spread of sickness in a small Wisconsin town during a post-Civil War time. As the title suggests, there’s little hope for the characters involved in this quest for survival, with writer/director Dara Van Dusen taking her time detailing suffering and confusion as weeks pass. It’s not a feature for casual viewing, but for more adventurous viewers who appreciate darkness, “A Prayer for the Dying” certainly has its cinematic merits, including artful visual choices and strong performances from a cast asked to inhabit troubled people. Dramatically, it’s not the most fulfilling meal, but Van Dusen delivers an interesting picture that lingers on doom, but also tries to inspect purpose and authority in the midst of chaos. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – The Beast

    For his third release of 2026 (following “The Strangers: Chapter 3” and “Deep Water”), director Renny Harlin keeps things chaotic and professionally manageable in “The Beast.” It’s an action film set almost entirely inside a moving car, following the President of the United States as he endures a hellish 90 minute ride to an extraction point while a global conflict breaks out around him. Harlin reunites with actor Samuel L. Jackson, and the pair did well in previous endeavors such as “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and “Deep Blue Sea.” “The Beast” isn’t as lavishly budgeted or tightly scripted as past films, but there are bursts of screen energy in the offering, especially when it deals with heat-of-the-moment attacks and panicked driving. Screenwriter Umair Aleem hopes to add a deep groove of psychological torment to the picture, but Harlin remains at his best when organizing mayhem. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Misty Green

    Chris Rock doesn’t do much acting these days, and it’s been a long time since he directed a film, with his last effort, 2014’s “Top Five,” failing to grab much attention from ticket-buyers. He’s back on both sides of the camera with “Misty Green,” and he’s in a more indie mood with the offering, also claiming screenwriting duties with this examination of an actress’s life as she endures professional and personal trials during a seven-day-long countdown to homelessness. Rock has a lot to work through his system with the endeavor, which takes on the horrors of Los Angeles living and the brutality of the movie business, especially when it involves performers who can’t sustain their past success. “Misty Green” hopes to be a ‘70s-style understanding of a self-destructive character, and grittiness is intermittently present in the picture, but storytelling consistency isn’t quite there for the feature, which eventually wears out its welcome. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Bugie Rosse

    1994’s “Bugie Rosse” looks to join the erotic thriller gold rush of the decade. However, instead of making another “Basic Instinct,” writer/director Pierfrancesco Campanella is out to generate another “Cruising,” taking viewers into a world of obsession, temptation, and murder involving a journalist and the exploration of his own sexuality. “Bugie Rosse” has plenty of heated encounters, and a few disturbing ones too, but Campanella comes up short when it comes to suspense in the picture. Thrills and chills aren’t found in the offering, finding the helmer laboring to find his way through an uninspired screenplay, unsure what he really wants from an endeavor that’s tonally all over the place. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Murder in Blue Light

    1992’s “Murder in Blue Light” is billed as a thriller, and it involves the actions of a serial killer on the loose in New York City, targeting people for death while decorating crime scenes with grenades. It’s an invitation to suspense and the basics in detective cinema, but viewers are offered more of a fetish film with the endeavor, which spends a large portion of its screen time on the experiences of a prostitute and all the men (and their fantasies) she encounters. “Murder in Blue Light” isn’t chilling in the least, and it’s not a tightly scripted effort, but for fans of oddball Italian offerings with a light coating of sleaziness, it could be entertaining. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Blu-ray Review – Pools

    Writer/director Sam Hayes investigates the troubled heart of a wayward college student in “Pools,” which represents his feature-length filmmaking debut. He’s not breaking new ground with the endeavor, following the low impulse control of a young woman going through plenty of things as she seeks to cool off during an impossibly hot day without access to air conditioning, seeking relief for more than just heat-related issues. The material is something of a “Breakfast Club” riff in the way it investigates a group dynamic of characters attempting to communicate with one another, but Hayes remains a tad livelier with the offering, which utilizes snappy moviemaking and an occasionally broad sense of humor. “Pools” isn’t profound, but it sustains interest in emotional lives and strange encounters, and Hayes mostly keeps the picture moving as he looks to depict the frustration of a person who feels trapped in their own life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • 4K UHD Review – Arco

    “Arco” represents the feature-length directorial debut for Ugo Bienvenu, also co-scripting the offering with Felix de Givry. The pair take on a science fiction tale of time travel, but they don’t obsess over the fine details of such adventuring, preferring to examine a more human response to unexpected friendship, and all the support it entails. It’s an animated picture working with a limited budget, but the production puts in great care when it comes to beautiful imagery and mysterious happenings, keeping viewers of all ages engaged while following the troubles facing a young boy from the future and the girl he befriends in a city of tomorrow. “Arco” is wonderful work from Bienvenu, who puts real care into the production, offering a tender understanding of emotional states and strong future world imagination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Beware Boiuna

    Director Mike P. Nelson earned a lot of faith from film fans with his last two pictures. Faced with the unenviable task of reviving DOA franchises, Nelson managed to make an interesting movie out of 2021’s “Wrong Turn,” and an enjoyably gonzo one with 2025’s “Silent Night, Deadly Night.” Nelson steps away from remake duties, kind of, with “Beware Boiuna,” which is a production that certainly wouldn’t mind if the audience recalled the B-movie thrills of 1997’s “Anaconda” (not the goofiness of 2025’s “Anaconda”), but it generally tries to do its own thing. Trouble involving a humongous snake in the Amazon is once again the story, with another collection of overwhelmed characters forced to battle their way out of nature as a monstrous creature comes for them. It should be fun, but Nelson and screenwriter Alan B. McElroy (“Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever,” “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers”) don’t trust the inherent fury of the concept, struggling to create characters and generate intensity with a lukewarm offering of survival cinema. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

    For his third movie of 2026, writer/director Tyler Perry is looking to step away from his previous efforts that celebrated wild comedy (“Joe’s College Road Trip”) and anarchic relationship dysfunction (“Why Did I Get Married Again?”). He hopes to get small and sensitive with “Doing Life,” which examines the developing trust and romance between an ex-convict and a single mother who’s been burned by life too many times. It’s a traditional Perry-branded melodrama featuring broad characters and strained communication issues, lubed up with a few turns of trauma to keep audiences involved in the strain of such a union. Simplicity is the goal here, but Perry loses his way with the crudeness of the script, basically filming a middle school play with the endeavor, which fails to connect as a heartening tale of bonding and responsibility. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Verity

    “Verity” is the fourth chapter in the Colleen Hoover Cinematic Universe, with the author’s imagination for longing, pain, and endurance fueling previous endeavors, including “It Ends with Us,” and last year’s “Reminders of Him.” The film is an adaptation of Hoover’s 2018 novel, with screenwriter Nick Antosca setting out to make a cinematic event out of rough material concerning the possible murder of a child, following the writer’s love of extreme situations populated by unstable characters. Director Michael Showalter (who’s played in this beach read sandbox before, helming 2024’s “The Idea of You”) sets out to preserve the Hoover-liciousness of it all, keeping up with clunky dialogue and strange thriller plotting. “Verity” has the gas to go all the way with its dark trashiness, but Antosca doesn’t want to mess with the book conclusion, which is troublesome enough to suck the fun out of the entire picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Stranglehold

    Clark Duke was once an actor handling supporting roles in comedy films, working to brighten up pictures such as “Hot Tub Time Machine” and “Kick-Ass.” He’s refocused his efforts to directing in recent years, with his last endeavor, 2020’s “Arkansas,” failing to do something interesting with its story of backwoods crime and all the messiness involved with it. Duke is back behind the camera with “Stranglehold,” and he’s not venturing far from his comfort zone, returning with another study of backwoods crime, this time inspecting a showdown inside a strip club filled with trigger-happy criminals and a couple trying to pull themselves out of poverty by stealing a load of money. There’s a strong first half to “Stranglehold,” as the writing (credited to Duke, Billington Garrett, and Chandler Duke) is clearly having fun creating colorful characters, building trouble with a sense of humor. The rest of the movie isn’t as successful, but Duke improves on “Arkansas,” getting most of the way there with a violent examination of desperation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

    Once upon a time in Hollywood, director Bassam Tariq was planning to join the Marvel Studios movement, hired to return the vampire hunting character Blade to the big screen, joined by star Mahershala Ali. The project never made it out of development, but the general genre fury has been transplanted to another endeavor, with “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” losing Blade, but keeping some level of action and examination of cult activity. Tariq isn’t fully committed to an action movie plan with the project, more interested in the struggles facing the main character, who’s juggling family needs and criminal interactions while striving to keep his head above water. “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” offers an enormous amount of internalized feelings and patience with its dramatic interests, which creates a few sequences of power. The feature isn’t as dynamic as hoped for, showing more life with parental challenges than physical ones. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Digger

    Throughout his career, writer/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has set out to make challenging movies about unusual subjects and characters. He hit it big at the box office with endeavors such as 2015’s “The Revenant” and 2014’s “Birdman,” proving he could find an audience for his artful, idiosyncratic ways. Such a mission might be a little more difficult in the case of “Digger,” which looks to be incredibly obnoxious and broad throughout much of its run time, only to hide its true ideas deep within the folds of an abrasive viewing experience. Perhaps a few will find the genius once again, but “Digger” doesn’t make it easy, with the picture an intense study of excess from every conceivable angle, pushing down hard on the audience with volcanic thespian energy. It’s more of an endurance test than a film, but Inarritu is after something with the offering, though he doesn’t make it easy to follow him to the end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Sacrifice

    Co-writer/director Romain Gavras (“The World is Yours,” “Athena”) is looking to make a statement on celebrity and environmental activism in “Sacrifice,” and doing so through the wily ways of a dark comedy. At least for about 30 minutes. And it’s a good 30 minutes, working with well-trodden topics such as the cluelessness and insecurity of famous people, and the emptiness of galas that use excess to spotlight urgency. Gavras finds amusing caricatures to play with, locating a few laughs while setting up insanity to come. However, the rest of “Sacrifice” isn’t quite as inspired. Gavras and co-writer Will Arbery struggle to turn broadness into something dramatic, losing their nerve with satire as they begin to take the central crisis seriously, trusting the audience has grown attached to shallow characters and their various battles with self-esteem and mythical purpose. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Dolph: Unbreakable

    To film fans, Dolph Lundgren has been part of action cinema history, cementing his screen legacy with turns in “Rocky IV,” “Masters of the Universe,” and “Universal Soldier.” He was never a mainstream icon, but a star of a different kind, offering a bold presence and capable physicality to deliver all the hits when necessary, developing as an actor along the way. “Dolph: Unbreakable” is a documentary exploring Lungren’s life and times, getting past his thespian stoicism to understand the man that found his way into acting after enduring a rough childhood and unusual adolescence. Director Andrew Holmes doesn’t have the drive to really slice into Lundgren’s personal history, but he provides a fascinating overview of professional achievement, also acquiring intimacy with the details of a cancer battle that threatened to take the subject’s life not too long ago. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – I Hate Myself and Want to Die

    Writer/director J. Davis (“Manson Family Vacation”) is taking a risk with his latest endeavor. The title alone is probably going to be a tough sell for any audience, as “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” doesn’t exactly promise a bright and inviting viewing experience. The material doesn’t help the cause, trying to find the lighter side of suicide with a depress character who’s attempting to end it all one sunny afternoon in his home town. It comes as some relief to find the effort actually quite approachable, at least for those with a darker sense of humor. “I Hate Myself and Want to Die” scores many laughs along the way, with Davis attentive to the strange struggles of life and the odd comfort that comes with community, even with those who aren’t welcome. There’s a life-affirming message in here, and the helmer wisely keeps his picture short enough to find it, delivering an unusual offering of comedy that’s engagingly acted and charmingly irritable at times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

  • Film Review – Atonement (2026)

    There have been many features exploring the lasting violence of the Iraq War. It’s a moment in history that’s loaded with troubling experiences and furious emotionality, giving filmmakers a chance to construct high drama with nuanced reactions to trauma in many forms. “Atonement” is another chapter in this story of woe, with writer/director Reed Van Dyk (making his helming debut) adapting a 2012 New Yorker article by Dexter Filkins, which detailed the experiences of a soldier trying to make sense of his time in combat, out to meet with the Iraqi family he forever changed during a day of duty in 2003. “Atonement” isn’t pursuing a plot-heavy picture, electing to concentrate on character reactions to horrible situations of guilt and personal loss. Van Dyk has the right tone for the offering, which focuses on turbulent feelings churning within those involved in the situation, following them as they process all that’s happened while hoping for some type of contact in the pursuit of forgiveness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com