New in Home Entertainment
July 19, 2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
PG-13 for intense sequences and action throughout and some sensuality
Extended Cut Rated R sequences of violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 27%
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and 4K Ultra HD
With the huge success that Marvel has had with their Avengers franchise, DC has moved into that space with this new Justice League intro that poses an angry Batman who sees a threat in the newest disasters surrounding Superman – and thus tries to put an end to the alien hero. It’s a great idea for a story, but it is so poorly executed and so excessive that it becomes tedious rather than fun. This version goes even further with a redundant 3 hour long extended cut topped off with an R rating, as if the original wasn’t enough. Perhaps they should have given us a 2 hour version instead with a tighter, more coherent story? C
Elvis & Nixon
Rated R for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
One of the most iconic photos from the White House is that of Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon from 1970. Since all that is known of the visit is that Elvis just showed up one day, this movie makes up a scenario where a somewhat unstable King shows up offering to help Nixon put an end to the drug war. It’s a crazy, somewhat silly story that is entertaining for sure. It has some big laughs and some great performances by Kevin Spacey as Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis. B
Van Gogh
Rated R for sexuality and nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
French with English Subtitles
This early 90’s biopic about the famed impressionist by iconic French director Maurice Pialat follows the artist in his last 60 days before his tragic death at the age of 37. Vincent Van Gogh lived a hard life and you can’t expect a movie based solely on his life to come off as beautiful as his paintings. That’s why it’s up to to the filmmakers to present the beauty. And here they just didn’t do that. Pialat’s story is dry and lacks the very artistic vision you would expect from a project such as this. Overall it’s just a long, disappointing portrayal of a man who deserves so much more. C-