New in Home Entertainment – June 21, 2011

New in Home Entertainment

June 21, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image
Available on DVD and Blu-ray

Matt Damon is a New York politician who, upon losing the Senate election, discovers that there are men behind the scenes making sure everything goes “to plan.”  When these men attempt to keep him from the woman he is in love with (Emily Blunt), he fights back against the plan, even though it could cost him everything.  You need look no further than the source material, “The Adjustment Team” by sci-fi idol Phillip K. Dick (Minority Report, Blade Runner), to understand that this is going to be a trippy story.  While it’s not as crazy as some of his other work, the religious twist will keep the tale somewhat familiar to most audiences.  It’s no theological breakthrough, but it is a lot of fun to watch and the chemistry between Damon and Blunt is remarkable.  A-

The Eagle
Rated PG-13 for battle sequences and some disturbing images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray

Channing Tatum is the son of an infamous Roman soldier who gained his notoriety for taking his army into Northern England, never to be heard from again.  With the help of his slave, played by Jamie Bell, Tatum travels to the North to discover what happened so many years ago and to reclaim the  lost eagle, the golden emblem of the Roman Army.  Tatum and Bell give a fine enough show, but between the bad acting from the likes of Donald Sutherland and the larger part of the cast, as well as the overall lack of excitement bring this film down.  It doesn’t help that the PG-13 rating severely hurts the film.  This new version comes with an unrated cut, but it still lacks the integrity of its peers Gladiator and HBO’s Rome.  C