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.

Making a buddy comedy in the depths of the Cold War can be a tricky sell even with someone like Ryan Reynolds headlining. Reynolds is known for his quick style but it doesn’t work in all scenarios. There has be a balance. "Mayday" is a big budget movie but is going directly to the streaming service. It is too bad some of the big set pieces won't be seen on the big screen. The best part of the film though is the inspired casting of Kenneth Branagh who doesn’t get to do this type of role often.

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.

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.

The aspect of the franchise dealing with one family in certain ways like "The Conjuring" pushed the notion of the idea of The Red Door. What "Insidious: Out Of The Further" does is open the concept up a little bit though it still uses the consistency of Claire in Lin Shaye to anchor it. "Resident Evil" coming up faces a similar obstacle to overcome but Shaye’s presence is what allows the film to bridge into itself.

Jason Statham is a chameleon of the action genre. He knows his strengths but also has enough range and charm to make any concept work. Working within his own vehicles, he has figured out the longevity of these mid range pictures that sell well internationally (and he also produces). "Mutiny" is effective and not unlike "Under Siege" in a way using a boat as a structure with a bigger foe awaiting back on land. The set up here makes sense and keys a little bit of "The Transporter" into it which is what kicked off Statham’s career.

Different variations of apocalypse in a post AI world populate the film landscape right now even more than usual since it is now undeniably part of the zeitgeist. Agnieszka Smoczyńska who as a director has made a diversified selection of genre films continues to look through her effective and specific lens in "Hot Spot", her first film released by a major US distributor in Focus Features. It very much feels like an independent approach (which reflects her well -- but with more resources).