"The Return" is a retelling of Homer's "Odyssey," only the "epic poem" has been whittled down to a more manageable size by the production, which isn't out to fully explore the fantastical elements of the story. Instead, writers John Collee, Edward Bond, and Uberto Pasolini (who also directs) search for a character-based understanding of Odysseus and his special battle against the memories of war and the ache of reunion. It's a prime opportunity to do something deep with personality, getting into the dark corners of the players as they figure out an extended game of power, but Pasolini isn't too concerned with summoning thunder for the endeavor. "The Return" doesn't take advantage of the cast or the emotional journey, remaining largely motionless for a great deal of the run time. The helmer mistakes stillness for profundity, dialing down pacing to a crawl, which doesn't help the feature reach the few moments of fury it cares to deliver along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Family ties are thoroughly knotted in 2023's "Endless Summer Syndrome." It's a French production from co-writer/director Kaveh Daneshmand, and he makes his feature-length helming debut with a specific tonal challenge, following an accusation of incest as it invades what's meant to be a bittersweet vacation for a family of four. "Endless Summer Syndrome" is provocative and somewhat mysterious, but Daneshmand doesn't turn it into exploitation. He remains committed to character and mood, maintaining elements of paranoia and resentment to make an engrossing drama with pieces of a detective story, and one offering an unusual crime up for investigation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Evil Spirits? A suicide epidemic? Haunted beepers? Surely 2000's "Dial D for Demons" is a horror film, but director Billy Tang has other ideas for the screenplay (credited to Kai Cheung Chung), intending to offer a roller coaster ride of emotions, reactions, and enemies as the story details a deadly night for five characters trying to enjoy time inside a Hong Kong vacation house. Mayhem is meant to break out in the endeavor, but such wonderful chaos doesn't arrive, as most of the feature attempts to transform a lukewarm mystery into something suspenseful, while the personalities involved are mostly generic, missing definition to help viewers get involved in the developing nightmare. Comedic touches are also difficult to digest, as the helmer isn't entirely sure what tone to go with in the picture, preferring to follow every whim. "Dial D for Demons" is more a drag than a thrilling fright film, unable to achieve much in the way of tension and characterization before unleashing a last act expositional dump that's too much for the effort to handle. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The complications of relationships and unsatisfied people are explored in 1999's oddly titled "Dogs in Quicksand." Writer/director Mike Trippiedi goes the multi-character route for the endeavor, assembling an assortment of emotionally unstable people experiencing tremendous upheaval in their lives, trying to make sense of their own desires and attraction to others. The helmer creates a cat's cradle of personalities to inspect for the run time, as each participant is facing trouble they can't process in a healthy manner, leading to a series of strange connections and desires, dusted with a little violence to help add tension to the picture. "Dogs in Quicksand" is meant to be a dark comedy, as bad things happen to bad people, and Trippiedi attempts to play the whole production with a certain snappiness, investing in dialogue and broad performances to help the offering reach a semi- farcical speed. It's a laudable effort, but Trippiedi doesn't know when to quit, pushing the feature into tedium as it tries to add turns to turns already in the plot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1995's "Fatal Delusion" is a sensitive study of wartime PTSD and the corrosive nature of violence as it penetrates mind and body, sending a simple man to extremes as he processes his time in the military. Just kidding. This is a W.A.V.E., shot-on-video production from creators Gary Whitson and Ray Longo, who use the cruelties of battle to launch another fetish video for the company, quickly returning to their love of restraint, bathing, and unspeakable violence committed against women. A serial killer story is offered in "Fatal Delusion," as Longo scripts himself a starring role as a madman with a military past, taking out his "rage" on females who vaguely resemble part of his nightmare experience in Vietnam. Perhaps there's something to follow in such a tale of insanity, but W.A.V.E. doesn't roll that way, merely using the fiendish inspiration to maintain a steady view of kinks for their customers, paying minimal attention to the basics in dramatic intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Exploitation cinema should offer a little screen energy. After all, this kind of entertainment usually deals with dangerous situations and general human ugliness, giving filmmakers opportunities to deliver at least some form of excitement to keep viewers interested. 1986's "Abducted" (loosely inspired by a true story) initially appears to follow the norm in B-movie distractions, pitting a helpless victim against her kidnapper in the middle of nowhere, creating opportunities for visceral interactions to occur. Writer/director Boon Collins weirdly walks away from such potential in the endeavor, preferring to craft a more talkative and travelogue-y take on the central crisis, which really isn't a crisis at all. "Abducted" has a charged title and gets right to the point after five minutes of screentime, only to end up a bizarrely inert study of relationships and nature, as Collins has no imagination for active horror and desperation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The war for control of Hong Kong breaks out in 1990's "An Eye for an Eye." Director O Sing-Pui endeavors to bring a little mayhem to the clash, going into overkill mode as gun battles and chases commence in the feature, which isn't short on furious violence. However, personal relationships, unrequited love, and Triad power plays are favored in the screenplay, with melodrama tending to dominate the viewing experience. "An Eye for an Eye" remains mildly entertaining and always bizarre in its depiction of human and inhuman behavior, but it stays a little too distant from more physical activities, which end up a periodic event in this film. The production is certainly ready to rumble, yet the story's take on anguished hearts is oddly prioritized, making for an uneven effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it comes to shot-on-video productions, style isn't expected. Heck, it's amazing some of these filmmakers even know how to maintain focus, leaving actual camerawork and editing something of a miracle when technical achievements manage to survive subgenre mediocrity. 1998's "Gut Pile" is mostly notable due to its restlessness and interest in trying to bring cinematic moves to SOV storytelling. Sure, it's derivative work, as writer/director Jerry O'Sullivan is attempting to pull off an "Evil Dead" viewing experience, paying tribute to Sam Raimi with this study of malevolent spirits and growing insanity found within the woods. We've seen this before, but O'Sullivan offers a loving replication of deadite fury in "Gut Pile," which isn't a feature-length experiment in terror (running 53 minutes), but strives to contribute moments of excitement with a simplistic tale of torment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1982's "The Dark Crystal," co-director Jim Henson took a chance on fantasy storytelling, going somewhat severe in a masterfully crafted endeavor that brought out the best in his puppeteering vision. A more lighthearted take on unreality is ordered for 1986's "Labyrinth," which carries an inviting mood of adventuring and relationships to help welcome audiences to another stunning display of creature design and puppetry. The humans aren't bad either, as star Jennifer Connelly offers an earnest take on teenage combustion, while David Bowie goes all sinister and uncomfortably seductive as Jareth, a most determined Goblin King. Henson creates a musical and an odyssey, aiming for brightness in the feature, achieving such creative goals with exemplary technical credits. Perhaps "Labyrinth" isn't as commanding as "The Dark Crystal," but themes resonate and a sense of humor is welcome, turning the picture into a highly amusing viewing experience. It also provides another reminder of Henson's special brilliance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1996's "Scream" changed everything for producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. They released the movie as Christmas season counterprogramming, hoping to attract an audience looking to avoid the usual in family fare and Oscar bait, delivering a winky slasher film starring a young cast, keeping things aimed at the teen demographic. A holiday miracle occurred when "Scream" actually caught on with viewers, growing beyond its original marketplace purpose to become a major hit, and for Christmas 1997, a sequel was quickly slapped together using the same creative ingredients, resulting in another smash release for Dimension Films. A formula for genre entertainment was discovered, and the Weinsteins never turned their back on a chance to cash in on a fad, swiftly cooking up various endeavors that paired horror happenings with young thespians (using the to-do list on teen comedies as well), and "The Faculty" was soon manufactured for 1998. "Scream" screenwriter Kevin Williamson is brought in to sprinkle his creative magic(?) on the project, which reimagines "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Thing" as teen terror, following a collection of students as they battle an alien invasion occurring around their high school. Director Robert Rodriguez, fresh off the moderate success of "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," is hired to bring a bit of snap to the picture, but something is off about "The Faculty." A slam-dunk premise is left dangling by a limited cast and general sluggishness from the usually excitable helmer (who also edits the effort), who never gets the feature up to speed as a chiller or thriller, taking his time with material that's best played as fast as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Joseph Cates is primarily known for two things: being the father of actress Phoebe Cates and maintaining a steady career in television, largely focused on game and variety shows. Cates offers a dramatic detour in 1965's "Who Killed Teddy Bear," which explores the roughness of a mind destroyed by trauma and the woman caught in the violence of obsession. The screenplay by Leon Tokatyan and Arnold Drake tries to push the material as far as possible for the decade, getting into the burning ways of fixation and the pressures of paranoia. It's a noir-ish take on all kinds of dangers and troubles, finding Cates trying to bring moments of style and restless energy to the feature, which works best when handling unhinged characters unable to cope with the world around them. "Who Killed Teddy Bear" has its shortcomings when it comes to editorial tightness, and the conclusion of the endeavor is too clunky, but the picture is memorable in the way in handles unsavory material, watching Cates lean into sexuality while still organizing a chiller of sorts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Movie trailers. They used to be a special thing. While I risk coming off as a grumpy old man by criticizing the state of film marketing these days, it's hard to ignore the past, when studios would often go to great effort to craft a preview that successfully sold the title to the public, but also delivered its own magic. We're talking idiosyncratic clips, wildly entertaining "special shoot" announcements, and epic overviews of sometimes disappointing pictures. It's not all gone now, but movie trailers have mostly lost their edge, diminished by annoying trends and suits who are terrified to put a feature out in the wild that maintains the slightest bit of mystery. Perhaps I'm ready for my ice floe, but the folks at the American Genre Film Archive aren't going down without a fight, assembling "The Cult of AGFA Trailer Show," which offers a "mixtape" presentation of previews and theater commercials that have been lost to time. Some of the viewing experience is devoted to deep dive titles few are probably even aware of, while the rest is an entertaining reminder of marketing oddity and enthusiasm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While firmly committed to taking fat paychecks to star in mediocre thrillers and actioners, Liam Neeson has recently detoured into more interesting work, portraying a conflicted assassin in the Irish film, "In the Land of Saints and Sinners." The picture presented his best performance in years, offering Neeson a chance to do something a bit different in a more character-based part. He continues this thespian journey in "Absolution," which reunites Neeson with his "Cold Pursuit" director, Hans Petter Moland, tasked with portraying an aging enforcer suffering from a brain injury confronted by all the mistakes in his life, attempting to find a way to do some good again. "Absolution" has a few moments of violent confrontations, but it's mostly about a psychological and emotional odyssey, giving Neeson room to feel out all the pain and confusion in screenwriter Tony Gayton's flawed but reasonably detailed study of regret. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

If you wanted to make one of the strangest movies of the 1970s, I suppose there's no better creative team to do it than director William Castle and star Marcel Marceau. One is a practiced salesman of genre entertainment, creating a long list of B-movies that occasionally employed gimmicks to help boost box office fortunes. The other is perhaps the most famous mime artist in history, charming audiences for decades with his extraordinary bodily command. 1974's "Shanks" is a collaboration between the men, who labor to find ways to bring Ranald Graham's screenplay, "a grim fairy tale," to life. In a way, Castle and Marceau are wildly successful, generating an unnerving feature that achieves some of the dark whimsy it's hoping to find. Dramatically, the material isn't quite as commanding, losing a sense of storytelling hustle as it goes. It's certainly a memorable viewing experience, hitting a few peaks of insanity while highlighting outstanding mime work from the cast, making for a supremely bizarre effort for more adventurous audiences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alexander Payne has an incredible track record as a director, overseeing a list of amazing pictures during his time, including 2011's "The Descendants" and 1999's "Election." His streak was broken with 2017's "Downsizing," unable to find a proper mood for the misguided comedy, though it was hardly a disaster. Payne is back on his feet in "The Holdovers," reuniting with his "Sideways" star, Paul Giamatti, and the pair once again examined the life of an arrogant man facing the cold reality of his personality, trading the sloshed battleground of wine fields for a private school for boys. Scripted by David Hemingson, "The Holdovers" is completely dedicated to the examination of its characters, putting these nuanced people in a variety of situations that test their resolve and break through their defenses. And it's a wonderful film, carried by pitch-perfect performances and gorgeous cinematography by Eigil Bryld, putting Payne back on track with another human tale of connection. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There have been several cinematic examinations of fraternity life over the last decade (including "Haze," "Goat," "Pledge" and "Burning Sands"), with most putting emphasis on the violence of hazing and how it connects to the college experience for some intimately involved in the process. "The Line" inspects such ugliness and physical harm, but there's more to the endeavor than a simple show of cruelty in the name of brotherhood. Co- writer/director Ethan Berger looks to delve a little deeper into frat house life, following one young man's experience with routine and isolation as he tries to achieve a brighter future through connections, not necessarily relationships. "The Line" doesn't go to expected places until the final act, leaving the rest of the feature an intense, interesting character study about denial, supported by a cast immersing themselves in complex parts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director/actor Seth MacFarlane has built an empire with his hit cartoon "Family Guy," so one can hardly blame the creator when his debut feature as a filmmaker, "Ted," resembles an episode of the beloved series. Raunchy and ridiculous, "Ted" is an easy transition for MacFarlane, who brings to the screen a succession of gross-outs, non sequiturs, and pop culture references, used to buttress a simple story of a magical wish gone horribly wrong. It's a funny picture, never quite as sweet as MacFarlane imagines, but still generous with the silly stuff and captivatingly bizarre. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With a title like "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," one expects to learn something about the subject. The 1993 endeavor isn't interested in providing a thorough investigation of the media star and martial artist, preferring to explore the cinematic ways of his life. Co-writer/director Rob Cohen creates a bit of a hagiography with the film, carefully sanding down Lee's rough edges, making his story palatable to a wide audience as the writing primarily focuses on bigotry and response to adversity. It's a commercial for Bruce Lee, which adapts his wife Linda Lee Cadwell's 1975 book, "Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew," and she's extremely protective of his reputation and legacy. "Dragon" is sanitized and filled with fantasy, but Cohen (in what's easily his finest movie) crafts an engaging picture, best digested as entertainment that features reminders of Lee's philosophy, passions, and physical abilities, sold through a sensational lead performance from Jason Scott Lee. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

How desperate does a toy company have to be to reach out to Troma Entertainment for inspiration? 1984's "The Toxic Avenger" wasn't a movie for children, filled with all kinds of violence and crudeness that Troma loves to deliver. But, somehow, this feature and its many sequels found its way to the realm of kids T.V., transformed into 1991's "Toxic Crusaders," turning the "superhero from New Jersey" into an environmental warrior, joined by his "tromatons" evil sense, a sentient mop, and a gang of mutants looking to stop Dr. Killemoff and his Radiation Rangers from their repeated attempts to poison Tromaville. Created during the days of R-rated influences and pollution fears (emerging a year after "Captain Planet"), "Toxic Crusaders" is a big swing in terms of functionality, and the producers do what they can to retain Troma's strained silliness while still making something for the little ones and their merchandise-buying parents. Only 13 episodes were produced, with the show trying to become the next "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," but, understandably, the program didn't last. It's not unappealing work, but it's not terribly exciting, and tired shtick (such as breaking the fourth wall) tends to smother the heroic elements that do manage to connect. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Yes, 1987's "Delirium" is a giallo. There's a mysterious killer on the loose. Victims die in increasingly elaborate ways. The filmmakers invest in color and style to bring the feature to life. That's all well and good, but the production doesn't seem thoroughly invested in the process of bringing suspense to life. What "Delirium" primarily becomes is a showcase for star Serena Grandi's physical appearance, as director Lamberto Bava is mostly focused on getting the actress out of her clothes as much as possible. Sure, danger is out there, and business affairs to tend to. But there's time for sheer outfits and nudity as well, and the supporting cast also contributes bareness to this sexploitation endeavor. The film isn't the greatest example of thriller moviemaking, but it has the one goal in mind, impressively making sure this display of flesh is handled with care. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com