You can pick between politics, mystery and a big action film with the DVD and Blu-ray releases for April 2.
"Vice"; 2.5 stars: The idea of making a film based on the life of former Vice President Dick Cheney resonates with all the excitement of a documentary on the history of paint drying. But director/writer Adam McKay's latest work, "Vice," ignores the potentially boring elements to examine the rise of Cheney (Christian Bale) from a political second banana to a man so in love with power he convinces George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) to give him more authority than any Veep has known.
It's as if McKay took the silliness of politics he embraced with his story for the 2012 Will Ferrell comedy "The Campaign" and used the explanatory structure of his 2015 film "The Big Short." McKay manages to make the story of Cheney, who served four Republican presidents, a slightly interesting look at the complicated world of politics, the obsessive need for power and the Shakespearean relationship between Cheney and his wife, Lynne (Amy Adams).
"Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase"; 3 stars: Sophia Lillis has stepped into the gumshoe's shoes. Best known for her work in "It," the actress stars in the film, based on the second book in the mystery series. Following the death of his wife, Carson Drew (Sam Trammell) moves with his daughter, Nancy (Lillis), from the excitement of Chicago to a peaceful existence in the small city of River Heights.
What makes this Nancy a little different is there seems to be a little more of a tomboy element. Nancy is 16 but doesn't have her driver's license, and her chief method of travel is a skateboard. She doesn't mind bending the law if it helps her quest for the truth.
Even with some major miscues, "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" works well for its target audience.
"Bumblebee"; 2.5 stars: This lighter "Transformers" story starts when Cybertron falls. Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee to Earth to be a protector of the planet. He gets some unexpected help from Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), a spunky teenager who like Bumblebee is trying to find her place in the world.
The film eventually gets around to some big battle moments, but a large part of the movie is a weird version of a boy and his dog format. Charlie happens to have the spark Bumblebee needs to accomplish his mission. Before that can happen, the pair must bond so the final act plays with more emotion than a typical "Transformers" movie.
It doesn't have the punch of a production with multiple Transformers in the mix, but it is a sweet story that puts all the pieces together well enough to be entertaining.
ALSO NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY APRIL 2
"The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot": American legend (Sam Elliott) is called on to go on one more mission.
"The Mule": Clint Eastwood plays a man in his 80s who becomes a drug runner.
"Archer: Danger Island": Ninth season of the animated series "Archer" on South Pacific island of Mitimotu in 1939.
"No Alternative": Teen drama that looks at the world of suburban American teenagers in the early '90s set against grunge and punk rock music.
"The Heart Guy, Series 3": Rodger Corser plays a brilliant but arrogant heart surgeon forced to give up his job in Sydney to work in his rural hometown.
"A Silent Voice: The Movie": Animated offering from Naoko Yamada that looks at what happens to those who are bullied and those who do the bullying.
"Ray Donovan: The Sixth Season": Ray (Liev Schreiber) is trying to rebuild his life both personally and professionally in New York.
"Patrick": Young woman's life is thrown into more turmoil when a new dog comes into her life.
"Rust Creek": Stranger is a woman's only hope when she is hurt and being chased in the woods.
"Rake: Series 5: The Final Season": Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) is a lawyer battling self-destructive tendencies who prefers to defend those who are probably guilty.
"Nazi Junkies": Documentary looks at how Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany were heavily addicted to drugs throughout World War II.
"Seven in Heaven": Simple game leaves pair in an alternate reality.
BEING RELEASED APRIL 2 ON DIGITAL HD
"Replicas": Keanu Reeves stars in this modern take on the Frankenstein story. Will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on April 16.
