Why do movie studios keep modernizing classic novels? Seriously, I'm getting sick and tired of it. Then, again, at least it isn't another straight-up remake. Despite my dislike for this trend, I put aside my bias and watched Twist on Blu-ray a few nights ago. As you might have guessed by the title, it's a modern reimagining of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. 

There are way too many getting VOD and direct-to- Blu-ray releases and about 95% of them go under my radar. Occupation: Rainfall (R; 128 minutes) happens to be one of these films. It's an Australian science fiction sequel to 2018's Occupation, with Luke Sparke returning as writer and director.

I wouldn't have even known about The Green Knight (R; 129 minutes) if it wasn't for a YouTube recommendation for the trailer. A24 distributed it to USA theaters on July 30th, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UK theatrical debut moved from August 6th to September 24th. Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on October 12th.

If you haven't heard of the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (R; 99 minutes), there's a reason why. It came out in the summer of 2021 when hardly anyone was going to theaters in fear of the pandemic. The film came and went as fast as it could, grossing only $70.3 million against a $70 million budget. 

Never say never when it comes to horror sequels, especially when Blumhouse is involved. The Purge franchise should have ended with the third film, Election Year, in 2016. There's a rule in Hollywood that if a sequel makes money, then another cash grab sequel is almost always guaranteed. The prequel The First Purge, which nobody wanted, made over $137 million against a $13 million budget. It was supposed to be the final film of the series. That was back in 2018, the same year the horrible The Purge television series debuted on USA. It wasn't popular with the fans and got canceled after season two. Did the franchise end there? The answer is hell no!