New in Home Entertainment
August 28, 2012
Battleship
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
If you think its quite a stretch to make a movie based on the Hasbro game Battleship and throw in an alien invasion then you aren’t alone. Unfortunately, not only did they run with this idea (and spend over $200 million on it) but they decided to make the alien/U.S. military battle a turn-based skirmish and they even made the alien weapons look like the original game pieces. The film is not just dumb but unpatriotic as well. I’m surprised the U.S. Navy allowed a film to use their ships in a battle where the Americans are the aggressors. After all, the aliens only killed after being threatened and they chose not to kill unarmed citizens. Apparently we just kill and think later. Maybe that’s why the film only pulled in $65 million here and over $300 million worldwide: making fun of American policy, even in regards to an imaginary alien invasion, is an entertaining spectator sport. D
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Rated PG for mild action, rude humor and some language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
From Aardman Animation, the British animation house responsible for Arthur Christmas and Wallace & Gromit, comes the only bright spot so far in this year’s crop of mediocre animated features. Following the adventures of Pirate Captain, a kind-hearted pirate leader that dreams of notoriety amongst his peers, The Pirates provides a swashbuckling good time with a sense of humor that aims its sights more at adults than children. This is a downright hysterical movie that serves up a treasure chest worth of entertainment. I wouldn’t be surprised if at the Oscars this year The Pirates forces Pixar to take a step off the plank. A-
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Season Two
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
HBO’s series about New Jersey gangsters during the age of prohibition turned in a spectacular first season, leaving the sophomore season mighty big spats to fill. Unbelievably they came through with more surprises and plot twists than anyone could have imagined. Following the path set by season one of Game of Thrones where no character is safe, Empire created a world this past year where everyone seemed to be in real danger. I absolutely loved the extreme amount of tension built into each and every scene and the acting by the talented cast gives you an idea of what it must have been like to deal in booze during that tumultuous period. A-