New in Home Entertainment
August 30, 2016
The Jungle Book
Rated PG for some sequences of scary action and peril
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Now that technology has somewhat caught up with their imaginations, Disney is able to make some fantastic live action recreations of their classic masterpieces. While not a direct remake of their 1967 animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s iconic book, the story, about a young boy raised by wolves and left to fend for himself against an evil tiger determined to kill him, is a clever mix of their previous film with more traces of the original prose thrown in. I loved that they used the best songs from the animated film, written by the legendary Sherman Brothers, while still keeping the film largely dramatic rather than musical. It’s a really beautiful film that, while family-friendly, gives everyone an adventure they can truly enjoy. A-
Me Before You
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some suggestive material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 58%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Me Before You, based on the best-selling novel by Jojo Moyes, follows a young girl (Emelia Clarke, aka Mother of Dragons) who takes a job assisting a young quadriplegic man (The Hunger Games’ Sam Clafin). When she discovers that he intends to be euthanized in Switzerland, she attempts to convince him that his life is worth keeping. While the first act is a contrived mess, the movie evolves into a lovely story, determined to make you use up an entire box of tissues in one sitting. Sure it’s manipulative, but it’s also a gutsy risk by the studio to make a film that doesn’t contort to Hollywood’s typical standards. B-
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Super hero team-ups are all the rage right now and CW’s new DC show is there to capitalize. While they don’t have any heroes or villains I’ve ever heard of, and the plot is convoluted and repetitive, the cast sure is a doozy. Victor Garber splits time with his other CW hit The Flash, while Brandon Routh (Superman from 2006’s Superman Returns) as well as Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller (both stars of Prison Break) join in the fun. I’m not a huge fan of the storytelling, and there are way too many episodes, but the show is watchable if you’re busy multitasking between Clash of Clans and Plague Inc. on your iPhone. B-