Amanda Idoko makes her feature-length screenwriting debut with “Breaking News in Yuba County,” looking to impress with a cat’s cradle-style story of crime and punishment in small town America. The effort lifts liberally from the Coen Brothers filmography, pairing pitch-black violence with a jocular tone of dimwits falling into deep trouble with every decision they make. It’s a shame “Breaking News in Yuba County” isn’t more successful as a comedy or a crime story, with Idoko paying more attention to quirky character connections than storytelling. The picture is a painful sit, with director Tate Taylor (“The Help,” “Ma,” “Ava”) often unsure how to proceed with a violent endeavor featuring wild personalities that’s largely played for laughs, ending up with a production that often resembles a bad improv troupe’s first movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com