New in Home Entertainment
September 30, 2014
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Certainly one of this summer’s most anticipated films was the latest entry from the Transformers saga. Many folks have blamed the lame plot for not meeting its box office expectation, but I beg to differ. All of the Transformers films have had bad plots and this one is no different. The story revolves around new baddies teaming with old to bring on the end of humans. Whatever. Where the film really failed is in the Godfatheresque running time. The special effects are once again phenomenal, as are the battle sequences. Also – there are dinosaur transformers! But no one can take 164 minutes of metal crashing into metal. It just get boring. Director Michael Bay needs to reassess his need for such lengthy material and get to the point where he can tell a story and entertain in two hours or less. Then he just might win the summer box office again. C
Chef
Rated R for language, including some suggestive references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director/Actor Jon Favreau (Swingers, Iron Man) goes back to his indie roots with this pic about an award winning chef who loses it all and decides to go it alone in a food truck with his young son to help. I absolutely love food movies and some of the imagery in this one had me salivating to the point where I was actually angry at my popcorn and junior mints for being such a disapointment. And when they pulled into Franklin Barbecue in Austin and grabbed several briskets for the truck, I was insanely jealous, especially considering I have never been able to score a bite. But for me the film is an absolute lazy let down at the end. It’s almost as if Favreau couldn’t figure out how to end it so he just went straight to the aftermath. B-
Ivory Tower
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive and partying images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This doc from CNN Films discusses one of this country’s biggest white elephants: is college worth the cost in this day and age? It’s a tough question that I think is kind of skimmed over here for the most part. The film does a very decent job at showing examples of alternative education and ways to achieve success without college. It also shows many experiments with higher education, how they failed and the lessons learned. I really wish it could have gone deeper and given us some suggestion on how to fix the deepening and maddening issue. Or maybe that’s the point – there isn’t a fix yet. B+
Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition
Not Rated but would be a strong R
Available on Blu-ray
This legendary anime film about a futuristic world where humans and robots are basically conjoined is getting a fantastic new release on blu-ray with tons of special features. While the story is a little far out there for me (I’m still not sure what its really about), and the nudity is just plain distracting, its fun to examine the influence this film has had on our pop culture over the last 25 years. B
Daniel Boone: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
Daniel Boone was a man, yes a big man! I can still hear the men’s chorus singing this song right before watching my namesake take on his wilderness adventures. Sure the show is dated, but it is still a fun trip down memory lane. While I’ve only made it through 180 of its 8150 total minutes, I still recall the joy I got as a little kid watching the show in syndication in my childhood. This is a great collectors set that I’m thankful they finally released! A