Angel Studios is trying some interesting things with tone first with "Runner" and now "Angel And The Badman" trying to transform certain stereotype stories but with an undercurrent of faith or being good as a motif. Zachary Levi, who has had a curvy career lately, plays the lead here in Cort, a bad man who lives to steal though he seemingly makes some bad choices.

“Forgotten Island” like some of Dreamworks Animation’s recent non-franchise endeavors in that it has a neat story and fantastic possibility. It mixes different animation styles and places the film in an interesting offshore spot which is likely Indonesia or the Philippines. Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado who directed "Puss In Boots: The Laast Wish" tell the story of Jo and Raissa, two kids that find each other when both are out on the outskirts in middle school.

Brad Pitt’s new movie “Heart Of The Beast” directed by his "Fury" director David Ayer knows that the star of the film is Odin, the former solder’s combat dog. The set up has James, Pitt’s character, flying in his Cessna into the Alaska wilderness and camping with his best friend: Odin. It feels primal and calming for these combat veterans. New Zealand’s South Island stands in for Alaska and especially with some of the lakes gives it a great feeling (and some beautiful flying sequences) though most of the film takes place on the ground.

From the trailers, the bedlam of “Onslaught” seemed much more broad but director Adam Wingard, coming back to basics after playing in the big budget sandbox, makes something crisp, lean but also brutal with his new film starring Adria Arjona from A24. The film takes place in a compacted setting for a specific reason and the scope could have been much bigger but that would be much more expensive.\ Arjona is good but it is Dan Stevens hidden behind make up and prosthetics as a would-be Nazi scientist called Hans that really steps it up.

Doing a thriller/civil rights drama is always a tricky sell in terms of audiences but also an important story to tell while also making it tense and edgy and adding entertainment value....not a small order. “By Any Means” pairs Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of "Aquaman" fame as an FBI agent named Strider who returns to Mississippi after a stint in Chicago trying to some good in the Deep South in 1966. When a local black businessman named Dahmeris murdered, the Feds brings in an external consultant in tough man Greg Scarpa Jr. Mark Wahlberg takes on this character with gusto never judging him but playing him straight, warts and all with a suave streak and a nasty follow through.

Based on Virginia Woolf’s second novel, "Night And Day" follows Kit/Katherine (here played by Cyrano’s Emily Bennett) and her pursuits and pursuing education and her love of physics and astronomy while existing in a backwards world not of her choosing. Given a slightly more modern touch with a touch of subtlety including a Woolf cameo, it shows the push and pull of the time period. Like “Radioactive” in a certain way (that film starred Rosamund Pike), Bennett has the balance but also the approach needed for these kinds of hybrid-period pieces (like the more experienced Pike). Her sadness and emotions show on her face readily and yet she is still very determined.

Seeing the original version of Rene Laloux’s "Gandahar" is an interesting perspective as it was restored now in 4K. This reviewer had heard of a movie called "Light Years" which the Weinsteins picked up back in the 90s, re-edited it slight and put a new voice cast and score on. It disappeared from view and likely got caught up with rights and clearances. The original French animation film owes more to "Heavy Metal" and maybe some Ralph Bakshi though the story itself is interestingly prescient.

The mixing of the cartoon world and the real world is always an interesting cauldron because it uses both context and tone as a balance of the time it is in. “Coyote Va. Acme” exists in its own state but also the world it is currently in. “Roger Rabbit” was set in the time of the 40s with a different pair of eyes but also was the heyday of Looney Tunes cartoons. They were big stars. Today’s kids barely know them but their parents still have an idea of where they come from.

The aspect of any Ridley Scott film has to do with control, perspective and shift. Sometimes, in recent memory, his films have gone wayward losing themselves more in the concept than the arch of the story. With “The Dog Stars” there is more an efficiency of path, which was probably dictated by the novel but its efficiency and baseline element explored in the pace give it a much more organic progression than say “Gladiator 2” which was much more meandering.