New in Home Entertainment
July 8, 2014
The Raid 2
Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence throughout, sexuality and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Indonesian and Bahasa with English Subtitles
This follow-up to the hit Indonesian pic The Raid: Redemption follows the further adventures of martial arts master Iko Uwais as he goes undercover for the police force to infiltrate the Indonesian mafia. This two-and-a-half hour epic, written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans, is so ultra-violent that it is almost ludicrous. Actually, it was at first so disconcerting that it was sort of a turn off. But then I started enjoying the story and the overall production and before I knew it, I ended up a fan. I’m apparently not alone as the film has become a huge international success and even ranks in the top 200 films of all time on IMDB.com. While the story is interesting enough to keep your attention for a lengthy period, its the fighting that will impress you the most. The choreography is unique and insanely entertaining. What makes the fighting special is that instead of getting lazy like some filmmakers, the sequences are filmed where you can actually see the absolutely brutal fighting in wide shots rather than be incredibly close up where the actors can essentially fake it. B+
Bad Words
Rated R for crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity
Available one DVD and Blu-ray
Arrested Development star Jason Bateman makes his directorial debut as well as stars in this feature about a grown man who discovers a loop hole in the childhood spelling bee rules which allows him to enter and crush the competition. Similar to Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa, Bad Words shows adults behaving badly around seemingly innocent children. Just like Bad Santa, Bad Words is well-written and the acting is pretty decent as well. Bateman proves he has directing skills to match his acting and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can pull off next. Whatever it is, I hope it’s at least as edgy as this guilty pleasure. B
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Rated PG-13 for some violent and sexual images and drug references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In 1975, director Alejandro Jodorowsky, hot off the success of his cult classic hits El Topo and The Holy Mountain, began working on a movie based on Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi novel Dune. Bringing together an eclectic band of filmmakers and artists like Dan O’Bannon, Jean “Moebius” Giraud and H.R. Giger (all responsible for the Alien franchise and other sci-fi classics), signing actors Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and Salvador Dali, as well as convincing Pink Floyd to provide the soundtrack, Dune was shaping up to be a huge and important piece of science fiction. But as the project got bigger and bigger, the studios all got gun shy and the film was never made with Jodorowsky at the helm. This documentary explores what many consider to be “The Greatest Film Never Made.” It is fascinating from start to finish, even with the heartbreaking fact that the film couldn’t go into full production looming over the narrative. What is truly mind-blowing is how influential and inspirational this film became, in spite of never having a single shot put to celluloid. A
Bad Grandpa.5 Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Know what you are getting into with this new Bad Grandpa release. If you haven’t seen the film or are looking for an extended edition, then avoid. If you are wanting to see an 86 minute making of documentary, then you are in luck. Personally, I did not get a chance to catch Bad Grandpa in theaters or on DVD previously, so I was deeply disappointed that this new edition didn’t contain the original film, which I would like to have seen. This whole product feels like something that should have been merely a special feature on the original release. While interesting to see how they were able to shoot the film, this is certainly not a project that is worth purchasing unless you are an extreme fan. C-