New in Home Entertainment
June 14, 2016
10 Cloverfield Lane
Rated PG-13 for thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
A young woman is kidnapped by John Goodman after a car crash in rural Louisiana, but discovers that his intentions might not be evil when he explains that a war has destroyed the planet and the only safe place for them is inside their underground bunker. The whole film is a tense nail-biting experience, with the mood largely provided by Goodman in possibly my favorite of his many tremendous performances. So what does it have to do with Cloverfield? You’ll have to wait through it to find out but you will definitely have fun trying to figure it out. A-
The Young Messiah
Rated PG for some violence and thematic elements
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on the book by Anne Rice (yes the vampire lady Anne Rice) comes this story of seven-year-old Jesus as he and his family try to both keep him safe from Herod and help him come to terms with his divinity. The filmmakers did a smart thing adding an actor of Sean Bean’s talent as the Roman guard trying to find and kill the young Messiah, but the script and acting are a bit stale at times making the experience not as great as it could have been. Still, the production is solid and you can quickly tell that this is not your average faith-based film. In fact, it has some nice goosebump-inducing moments throughout. B
London Has Fallen
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 25%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This sequel to 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen brings back Aaron Eckhart as the president and Gerard Butler as his secret service sidekick who both get into the middle of a major war when a group of radical terrorists attack London during a state funeral for the British Prime Minister. The whole story seems forced to say the least and the perfect planning needed for such a farce is beyond fantasy. The action is big, as you’d expect, but as a political thriller it is reckless and dangerous as it feels like it is an excuse to just watch Americans kicking Muslim butt. When the film was originally released it was met controversy due to its timing around the 10th anniversary of the 2005 London attacks and with the recent events in Orlando, its DVD release is just as unfortunate in timing. C-
45 Years
Rated R for language and brief sexuality
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In the week before her 45th wedding anniversary, Charlotte Rampling (nominated here for an Academy Award for her performance) learns that her husband’s first love was discovered, frozen and preserved in the Swiss Alps. While the film was highly praised by critics, I honestly found little of value here. Rampling is a tremendous actress but the story was not nearly convincing enough for me to care about her plight. I found more empathy for her husband who is justifiably distracted than I did for the jealous wife who just wants to think that she was the only thing in the world he had ever loved. C