New in Home Entertainment
January 27, 2015
The Interview
Rated R for pervasive language, crude and sexual humor, nudity, some drug use and bloody violence
Available on Netflix and VOD. DVD and Blu-ray coming February 17
I’m so relieved. I finally got to watch The Interview last night on Netflix and I’m still alive. I’m even more relieved that I liked the movie. This raunchy comedy follows James Franco and Seth Rogen as they attempt to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. A month ago the film got more press, good and bad, than perhaps any other holiday project in history. But when theater chains across the country decided to chicken out of showing the movie, Sony was forced to exhibit in smaller chains and VOD only. As of this week, the film is available for Netflix subscribers. While its not the most hilarious thing you’ll see this year, it does have some very big laughs. Sure Franco is a little miscast and many of the jokes aren’t particularly funny, but overall the movie is entertaining and politically savvy. B
The Judge
Rated R for language including some sexual references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this newest courtroom drama, Robert Downey Jr plays a big city attorney who upon returning home for his mother’s funeral, is forced to defend his father (Robert Duvall), who happens to be the town’s judge, for killing a local man. Wanting so hard to play like a Grisham movie, Judge might overreach at times, but the acting is excellent from the talented cast, and any misgivings of the script or story are ultimately forgivable. If it weren’t for the 141 minute running time, the film might have been a bigger hit than it ended up being. B
Coherence
Unrated
Available on DVD
This warped little ensemble piece follows a group of dinner guests who, on the night of a comet passing, discover that their neighborhood is full of houses full of the same exact guests, having the same dinner party. It is an unusually complex film that you just kind of try to forgo logic and just sit back, hoping you are still sort of with them at the end of the ride. At ninety minutes, the weirdness doesn’t rot your brain and honestly, its pretty fun. It might be even more fun with a couple glasses of wine on board. B+
Kill the Messenger
Rated R for language and drug content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on a true story, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) stars as Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Gary Webb, who upon uncovering CIA secrets about drugs in South America and the U.S., puts his career, himself and his family in danger for messing with the wrong people. I really loved the first half of the movie. Watching the little guy go against the powers that be and win is a rush. But then the powers that be make their move and the rest of the film gets long and absolutely depressing. It becomes such a challenge to watch that you just want to give up. While the truth can make for great stories, it can also be quite miserable as well. While I feel this story does need to be told, I have to think there is a better way to tell it. C