When one encounters a title like “Eat Pray Bark,” a certain type of movie immediately comes to mind. And co-writer/director Marco Petry is perfectly happy to deliver such a viewing experience, going big hearted and puddle deep with the offering, which follows the concerns and confusion of travelers looking to make sense of pet behavior with help from a special trainer. The picture intends to be a comedy, soaking up character quirks and strange situations in the Tyrolian mountains, but the German production isn’t fully prepared to deliver laughs. Petry offers a lighter touch instead, going very easy on the senses with mild dramatic entanglements and personal issues. “Eat Pray Bark” isn’t something that demands attention, but for viewers interested in a gentle distraction partially highlighting the world of canine behavior, this is at least a capably acted feature, and some of the open world locations can’t be beat. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s evidence in “Wardriver” that screenwriter Daniel Casey (“Kin,” “F9: The Fast Saga”) is greatly inspired by the films of Michael Mann and the surprising success of 2011’s “Drive.” He’s created another criminal creature of the night, and one who’s skilled in the way of computer crimes, using his car as a kind of hacking station, putting the character on the move as he goes about his dirty business. The writing looks to provide a bumpy road of lustful interests and underworld entanglements, putting director Rebecca Thomas (a television vet) to work generating a cool sense of mystery and movement for the picture. It’s all been done before, but “Wardriver” handles well during its first half, creating a tight space of trouble for the players in the game, and technological additions are interesting, providing a fresh reminder that online security is often no security at all. The endeavor loses a lot of potency as it unfolds, but Casey and Thomas get halfway there with the film, generating proper mood and threat before most of it melts away. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Mukunda Michael Dewil specializes in low-budget filmmaking, previously helming pictures such as “The Immaculate Room,” “Vehicle 19,” and 2024’s “Prey.” He returns to limited scope and low stakes in “The Patient,” challenged to make a thriller that takes place almost entirely inside a single hospital room. There’s potential in close-quarters tension, especially when elements of confusion are introduced via a character’s brain injury, sending him into war with his own mind as Dewil explores the messiness of memory. “The Patient” doesn’t aspire to reach Hitchcockian highs with its premise, and while Dewil scores some early interest in the central medical bed crisis, he doesn’t sustain it past the opening act, running out of things to do before the effort reaches an anticlimactic ending. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Sylvain Chomet is best known as the writer and director of the French animated film, “The Triplets of Belleville,” which managed to charm art house audiences in 2003. He’s returned on occasion, with 2010’s “The Illusionist” and he tried live-action moviemaking on for size in 2013’s “Attila Marcel,” but Chomet falls back into animation with “A Magnificent Life.” And it’s a personal story as well, using colorful artistry to bring the life and times of French playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol to the screen. It’s an usual choice for a bio-pic viewing experience, but Chomet has his passion for the subject, endeavoring to push past reputation and work to better understand the man’s drive to create and endure adversity. “A Magnificent Life” is a gorgeously crafted effort, but it’s extremely specific in its fandom, with Chomet charting the growth of creative expression and emotional challenges, but he struggles to get his arms around the “true story,” offering a picture that’s always appreciable but only periodically illuminating. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Just last week, there was “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” which followed a desperate character as she spends an evening trying to escape a building filled with Satanists who want to murder her. And now there’s “They Will Kill You,” which features basically the same premise, once again tracking the progress of a reluctant warrior facing waves of Devil-worshiping aggressors around a contained setting. Co-writers Alex Litvak and Kirill Sokolov (who also directs) don’t score points for originality, and their execution is all out of whack, launching a hyper-violent actioner that’s more about video game-inspired conflicts and missions than a cinematic ride of survival. “They Will Kill You” gets old quick, with Sokolov putting his faith in overkill to make a distinct impression with the picture, coming up short with chaos and character as the endeavor labors to find a single moment of true invention. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Longtime actor Rick Gomez makes his feature-length directorial debut with “She Dances,” sharing a co-writing credit with star Steve Zahn, who also makes his screenwriting debut. The pair call in a few favors to help add familiar faces to the picture, but they don’t need much assistance with the endeavor, which touches on family communication and support, also offering at least some understanding of dance competition atmosphere. “She Dances” isn’t a major dramatic event, but it retains a lot of heart, giving Zahn one of his most appealing roles in a long time, playing with levels of silliness and solemnity as the writing inspects the fragility of feelings during a father’s journey to confront his strained relationship with his daughter. And there’s nobody better to play the part than Audrey Zahn, Steve’s real-life daughter, who brings her history of dance and a natural comfort with the camera to help secure the careful tone of the dramedy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Pretty Lethal” is the latest co-production from 87North, the company best known for their work in the action genre, bringing such endeavors as “The Fall Guy,” “Nobody,” and “Bullet Train” to life, while their origin story is tied to the industry-changing ways of the “John Wick” franchise. Writer Kate Freund sets up a proper physical challenge for the stunt team with the story, which concerns an American ballet squad caught up in vicious gangster business in Hungary, forced to battle their way to safety. Director Vicky Jewson (“Close”) isn’t dealing with the most original filmmaking assignment, but she’s up for keeping things hostile, guiding the material through a few set pieces that make use of balletic moves and Central Europe-style intimidation. “Pretty Lethal” is reliable entertainment with a handful of highlights, reaching its potential when it finally gets around to creating panicked scenarios for the main characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” is a crime story that recalls the heyday of Quentin Tarantino knockoffs during the mid-1990s, where other filmmakers, chasing a trend, offered their take on fast-talking hoodlums and their often violent problems. New to the mix is an element of time travel, giving writer/director BenDavid Grabinski an interesting angle to work with as he tries to disrupt the usual in tough guy activity with a sci-fi twist. It’s something of a surprise to watch “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” fail to build up much in the way of excitement and laughs, especially when it has certain conflicts that could be more combustible in the right hands. Grabinksi (who did okay with 2021’s “Happily”) goes the wrong way with the endeavor, which struggles with its low-energy approach and hackneyed way with action sequences. What should be an insane feature bursting with surprises ends up far sleepier than expected. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Jenna Milly and Ann Marie Allison explore the dangers of love and commitment with “You’re Dating a Narcissist,” which attempts to resemble an anti-romantic comedy while actually becoming one. It’s Hallmark Channel-style entertainment, delivering all kinds of wish-fulfillment elements and vacation spot glory. However, it stars Marisa Tomei, who’s usually good for wonderfully spirited acting, this time portraying a mother trying as hard as she can to prevent her own daughter from falling in love too quickly. Milly and Allison (who also directs the feature) make an unusual picture here, and one that tries to play into formula and somewhat subvert it at times. Such unexpectedness should result in a more engaging endeavor, but “You’re Dating a Narcissist” isn’t sprightly enough to truly charm. Tomei has her moments, but she can’t carry an unfortunately leaden movie on her own. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

An actor for some time now, Matthew Shear makes his directorial debut with “Fantasy Life,” and he’s trying to keep the feature as small and contained as possible. It’s a film about a handful of characters going through a rough, confusing time in their lives, with mental health issues providing an unexpected connection over the course of a year. Shear (who also scripts) doesn’t add anything explosive to the material, offering a mild take on developing anxieties and strange responsibilities, always putting focus on relationships and personal problems. “Fantasy Life” opens like a Woody Allen tribute, but it develops its own personality as it unfolds, and Shear has a cast capable of mastering small moments and delivering some internalized intensity as well. It’s not an overwhelming viewing experience, but for those who can appreciate a picture of modest intentions boosted by terrific performances, it’ll scratch a few indie film itches. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The state of young American males is explored in “Our Hero, Balthazar,” with co-writer/director Oscar Boyson hoping to crack open fragile mental states and dig around strange behaviors and buried feelings. In many ways, it’s a deeply unsettling picture, examining impressionable young men who have nothing but social media and toxic influences to rely on as they figure things out in all the wrong ways. Boyson tries for a little black comedy along the way, sniffing around for small hits of humor while examining character reactions and impulses. However, most of “Our Hero, Balthazar” is pretty severe, taking a look at an unlikely bond developing between two people who need more help than they could possibly imagine. Boyson (joined by co-writer Ricky Camilleri) doesn’t stick the landing, but this tale of trouble has its moments of disturbing behavior and commentary on adolescent issues. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s important to note that “Forbidden Fruits” is an adaptation of a stage play by Lily Houghton (titled “Of the women came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die”). The picture isn’t a sprightly understanding of Mean Girl attitudes and games of social sabotage, but something more character-based and expository, focusing on extended conversations among the characters as they experience a mall-based crisis. Houghton shares screenwriting duties with director Meredith Alloway, attempting to find some cinematic emphasis to enjoy, but the pair maintain contact with the material’s theatrical roots, keeping the feature involving with personalities but static in staging. “Forbidden Fruits” is being sold as a genre offering, but it’s not exactly that, taking time with interpersonal issues before bloodshed arrives, and even violence is muted in this strange and well-acted film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Veteran actress Nat Boltt (“District 9,” “Riverdale”) makes her feature-length directorial debut with “Holy Days,” also handling screenwriting duties with this adaptation of Joy Cowley’s 2000 novel. The story is a step back in time, following three nuns and their young charge in 1974 as they attempt to save their convent from land developers and the destructive ways of a wrecking ball. It’s an audience-pleaser from Boltt, who understands the tonality of such a tale, capably blending a few stretches of broadness with plenty of tenderness, examining the fragile mental state of a boy who’s lost his mother and nuns about to lose their home. “Holy Days” isn’t big on surprises, but it offers time with fantastic actors who capably deliver nuanced emotions and bits of humor as Boltt creates a consistently entertaining road trip movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Giallo cinema is generally beloved by horror fans, celebrated for its ways with violence and reality-bending atmosphere, also providing mysteries to solve for those interested in puzzling. It’s a secret-handshake subgenre for those in the know, and one fan of it all is certainly writer/director Josh Heaps, who doesn’t have any money or interest in working with HD gear, out to craft his own little homage to giallo events in “City Wide Fever.” It’s a low-res valentine to the brain-bleeding aspects of European storytelling, with Heaps placing attention on the seductive qualities of the unknown and the hunt for information. The picture isn’t going to win hearts and minds from a technological standpoint, but for those who really enjoy filmmaking that’s in love with filmmaking, “City Wide Fever” has its highlights, with genuine enthusiasm for the storytelling mission, even during its most underfunded scenes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2019 seems like such a long time ago, and the film year was brightened by the arrival of “Ready or Not.” It offered directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet a chance to upgrade their fondness for genre entertainment, working with a decently twisty script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, which embraced ghoulish fun with its macabre take on relationship issues and the game of hide-and-seek. The filmmakers (a.k.a. “Radio Silence”) used their hit movie to jump to the big leagues, eventually taking possession of the “Scream” franchise (helming sequels in 2022 and 2023), and they went deep into blood and guts in 2024’s “Abigail,” which failed to attract much of an audience. Looking to regain career momentum, Radio Silence returns to “Ready or Not” with a sequel to a feature that enjoyed a mostly definitive conclusion. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” reopens old dramatic wounds and shouts at the devil once again, and while a few enjoyably grisly moments remain, the sequel doesn’t have much in the way of freshness, acting more as a remake than a continuation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Inspired by a true story,” “Tow” finds screenwriters Jonathan Keasey and Brant Boivin out to turn the saga of Amanda Ogle and her lengthy battle to get her car back from a towing company into a dramatic study of persistence. There are a lot of layers to Ogle’s experience, and the writing respects most of them as it hunts for a way to merge the power of personal difficulties with the more audience-pleasing elements of underdog cinema. Grittiness isn’t tested with the picture, but director Stephanie Laing does a capable job working through characterization, getting a sense of life out of the players in this game of frustration, and emotional intimacy is protected. Laing also has star Rose Byrne, who contributes another excellent performance as Ogle, working with a nuanced dramatic arc that gives her plenty to play while surrounded by a colorful supporting cast. “Tow” is a little unusual as it straddles the line between mainstream and indie moviemaking, but it delivers heart and significance with its unusual understanding of persistence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com