New in Home Entertainment
February 10, 2015
Nightcrawler
Rated R for violence including graphic images, and for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When you are young, sick, twisted and entrepreneurial, the world is your oyster. That’s what young Jake Gyllenhaal discovers when he comes upon the promise of a new profession offering fame and fortune to freelance camera crews who capture crime and accident scenes, as they happen, to sell them to the highest bidding news station. While Jake has done some good work in the past, nothing comes close to his performance here. Gritty and more than ethically dubious, the movie will have you feeling repulsed, appalled and drawn in at the same time. It’s the closest thing to a modern-day seventies film we’ve had since, well, the seventies. A
Laggies
Rated R for language, some sexual material and teen partying
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Keira Knightly stars in this dramedy about a 28 year old girl who was the life of the party in high school but who has gone nowhere since. With one week to go before her wedding, she decides to lay low by moving into the house of a high school girl she buys beer for at the liquor store (Chloe Grace Moretz). What could have been a nice coming of age, what will I do with my life kind of movie, is lazily converted into a romantic comedy that you unfortunately see coming a mile away. While I love the actors, and even the acting, I could care less for the script. I almost wish they would have focused more on the relationship between Knightly and Moritz rather than horning in on the dad. Either way, the film has some nice moments, but there’s not enough here to interest most audiences. C+
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Rated PG for rude humor including some reckless behavior and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Young Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) is in the middle of a life crisis where everything goes wrong that can while his parents (Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner) and siblings are enjoying their perfect lives. After making a wish for a reversal of fortune, his luck changes, as does theirs, creating an eventfully awful experience for everyone associated. One thing Disney has always succeeded at is the family-friendly comedy and this one is par for the course. While predictable and cliched, it is fun to watch for kids and adults alike and will help you appreciate a lack of drama in your own life. B+
Force Majeure
Rated R for some language and brief nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In Swedish and English with English subtitles
This Canne Film Festival award winner follows the life of a young family on a ski trip where the father undergoes a serious analysis of his priorities, courage and very manhood after being exposed to a deadly-looking avalanche. The film plays like a psychodrama, but due to the very nature and discomfort of all involved, it ends up being a wildly funny comedy through its effective use of supreme discomfort. The acting is seriously good by the small but talented cast and I really enjoyed the presence of the creepy but caring ginger-bearded friend played by Game of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju. A-