New in Home Entertainment
December 11, 2012
Ted
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane comes a terrifically outrageous comedy about a grown man (Mark Walhlberg) whose Teddy Bear came to life when he was a child and who still lives with him as an adult, drinking and partying with him every day and night. There is nothing at all cute about this seemingly innocent movie. The bear is more obscene than you could possibly imagine (and even worse in the unrated edition) and provides some of the funniest movie moments of the year. Ted certainly had the potential to be a one joke wonder, but thanks to the hilarious writing and creativity of MacFarlane, who also voices the bear, the payoff is huge. Some of the plot is fairly predictable, but it sure is a blast to watch it play out. A-
The Bourne Legacy
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action sequences
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Unable to land Matt Damon in the starring role for the fourth film, Universal recruited Bourne series writer, Tony Gilroy, to write and direct a sort of new story with a slew of talented actors (Jeremy Renner, Ed Norton and Rachel Weisz to name a few) for this franchise extension. I’ll give it credit for being slightly different than the first three (for which the latter two feel like remakes of the first one), but once you get past the extreme amount of mindless action, what you are left with is a bunch of senseless plot that sounds utterly ridiculous should you try to explain it aloud. If all you are looking for is a two plus hour action escape though, it will serve its purpose. C
Girls: The Complete First Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Almost everything about this freshman HBO series turns me off, and yet somehow I sat through every episode, some of them twice when my wife wanted to catch up. Playing like an anti-Sex and the City, the girls of Girls (and the boys for that matter) are obnoxious, lazy, self-absorbed New Yorkers with a flair for the dramatic and a sense of entitlement that is staggering. Fortunately the show is well-written and acted. Unfortunately the show is relevant. I hope that the next generation isn’t this, but I’m fairly certain it’s more common than not. B
Following: The Criterion Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Before Dark Knight Trilogy director Christopher Nolan blew our minds with Memento, he made this little black and white neonoir in 1999 about a young writer who follows strangers around London hoping to land inspiration for his new novel. It’s easy in retrospect to come to the conclusion that there is a talented filmmaker at the helm here. Try to take him out of the equation and you still have a great little indie. Put him back in and you see the early output of a genius. While not your typical classic fare from Criterion, this is definitely a worthy release with many special features you’ll want to check out. B+