New in Home Entertainment
October 7, 2014
Million Dollar Arm
Rated PG for mild language and some suggestive content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on a true story, Jon Hamm is a sports agent who travels to India to find cricket players who might be potential MLB pitchers. Honestly, the trailers for this one didn’t excite me and I skipped it in theaters. I now regret that decision. I thoroughly enjoyed this Disney family sports pic from start to finish. Sure its predictable and maybe a bit too long, but it is very lovable. Hamm is completely believable as the agent and the whole project had an authentic feel about it that I didn’t expect. For family-oriented live action features, it doesn’t get much better than this. A-
Live. Die. Repeat./ Edge of Tomorrow
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
What a conundrum Warner Brothers has had with this latest Tom Cruise sci-fi adventure. First it was called All You Need Is Kill, then in theaters it went by Edge of Tomorrow and now finally it is being called Live.Die.Repeat for its home entertainment release. I’m not sure if it was Warner Brother’s lousy marketing or simply the fact that America is tired of Cruise, but the film was a bust at the box in spite of its stellar reviews. The pic follows Cruise in the middle of an alien attack where he relives the same day over and over again after he is killed. It’s like Ground Hogs Day meets Independence Day, except for that its not named after a holiday (or at least not yet – they may change the name again). It is a blast to watch if you like action sci-fi and truly one of the better films made this year. So if you can stomach its egomaniac star, you might just have a fun and unexpected adventure. A-
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, language throughout, some violence and drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Yet another release this week that got slaughtered at the box office is this long-titled western comedy by writer/director/star Seth MacFarlane about a sheep farmer that wants to win back his love (Amanda Seyfried) with the help of a beautiful stranger (Charlize Theron). The difference between this title and the other two previously discussed is that this one really stinks. The comedy is stale and the performances flat, as if everyone knows the material is lame but they really want to help out their friend Seth with his project. Overall its a pretty miserable experience. D
The Wonder Years: The Complete Series
Available on DVD exclusively from Time Warner
The only thing more awesome than this eighties/nineties drama is the packaging for the box set itself. From 1988 to 1993, I didn’t have time to watch many shows, but I always found room for the Wonder Years, which followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) as he survives his teenage years. Its like Harry Potter with a different kind of magic. Amazingly written and as funny as it is warm, the show is one of the greatest to grace the boob tube and Time Warner’s new release gives it the honor it deserves. A
Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
To prepare the way for its November 4 DVD release of Angelina Jolie starrer Maleficent, Disney is finally releasing its classic animated film Sleeping Beauty in high def. This new transfer is absolutely stunning and comes with some great new features including scenes originally conceived for the film but dropped in the process. A