New in Home Entertainment – September 24, 2013

New in Home Entertainment

September 24, 2013

Iron Man 3
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D

Robert Downey Jr is back as Tony Stark in this third and most profitable adventure in the Iron Man franchise (if you don’t count The Avengers).  This time around he is after an evil terrorist named the Mandarin who is set to destroy Stark’s whole world.  Taking over the director’s chair is Lethal Weapon’s Shane Black who does a great job of bringing a sense of humor to the film.  Unfortunately the script by Drew Pearce lacks any concept of authenticity, even in this super hero world.  Aside from the fun twist half way through the picture, the plot points are forced and frankly quite silly.  C+

Room 237
Not Rated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray

I’ve always enjoyed Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of Stephen King’s The Shining, but I had no idea how much thought might have went into making it.  This documentary by Rodney Ascher explores many of the possible hidden and subliminal meanings behind the film and although they are sometimes very far-fetched, they are still very believable.  My favorite is a mind-blowing segment on the connection between Kubrick and the Apollo 11 moon landing.  As crazy and even demented as these conspiracies seem, I reached a new level of appreciation and enjoyment for this classic horror film.  A

South Park: The Complete Sixteenth Season

Available on DVD and Blu-ray

I still can’t believe South Park is still this funny and this relevant, considering that most people think of it as a cartoon with potty humor.  So there is a fair amount of potty humor, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone, fresh off their Tony win for The Book of Mormon, are still creating fresh and hilariously timely tales with the gang of kids that doesn’t seem to grow up.  The season hits a high point with the hilarious “Sarcastaball”, which exposes the fear of head injuries in football and scores a low point with “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” which is an obvious attempt to make fun of a not-so-fun vacation the writers must have went on.  A-

China Beach: The Complete Series
Available on 21 DVDs

I hate to admit it, but I learned much of what I know about the Korean War watching MASH and the Vietnam war by watching China Beach.  This classic late 80’s/early 90’s drama about the nurses and doctors of the “Five and Dime” 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R Center is as well-acted and  fantastically produced as it is enlightening.  This new humongous set by Time-Life contains all episodes, 10 hours of extras, a book and even a pair of dog tags.  A-