New in Home Entertainment
November 19, 2013
The World’s End
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From writer/director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, whose great teamwork brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, comes yet another terrific end of the world comedy. This time around Pegg and Frost, as well as some other wonderful British actors, attempt to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youths and are bound and determined to get to the 12th pub, The World’s End, even in light of an alien invasion serving as a blockade. While not quite as good as their other two movies, this is still an incredibly entertaining comedy with huge laughs coming off of a sophisticated sense of humor. While the characters aren’t as likable as you’d expect, you still manage to cheer for them to win out in the end. A-
We’re the Millers
Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and brief graphic nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a down-on-his-luck drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis) is forced to go to Mexico and pick up an RV full of weed and bring it back to the states, he hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston) and two teens to pose as his happy family in order to keep his cover safe and get across the border. I heard from so many people that this was one of the funniest comedies of the year, but honestly, I just wasn’t as entertained. Don’t get me wrong – its funny at times and also occasionally clever, but many of the jokes are overly contrived and some of the jokes are flat out not funny. B-
Planes
Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D
What was supposed to be a straight-to-DVD animated film from Disney ended up being released in theaters to make a quick buck before stealing more money from audiences right before Christmas. No one said Disney wasn’t smart if not a little cruel in this case. Planes is basically Cars in plane form except Pixar didn’t participate. While it’s probably meant for toddlers with weak attention spans, it failed my three-year-old’s test as he was begging to watch the Lion King 30 minutes in. Everything is lame here including the writing, directing and voice acting. The only thing of any value is the animation which manages to make the film only partly watchable. D+
2 Guns
Rated R for violence throughout, language and brief nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Denzel Washington, an undercover DEA agent, is teamed up with Mark Wahlberg, an undercover naval officer, who are both after the other until they find out they might need to collaborate in order to survive a setup. The script is good enough with an interesting plot and 2 very likable actors. Unfortunately, the amount of violence is excessive and while a lot has cooled down since the theatrical release, it’s definitely not going to be a film for everyone. Personally, my attitude toward this type of violence has changed and I am thankful that Hollywood has decided to shift away from these sorts of ultra-bloody movies over the last several months. B-