New in Home Entertainment
August 25, 2015
The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
There’s a reason why The Walking Dead is still one of the most watched and most talked-about shows on television: it’s really, really good. The only thing that has truly frightened me about The Walking Dead was my fear of how the show would degrade without creator Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) at the reigns, but the quality has only increased with the drama and story keeping everyone glued to their sets. Even the one-hour talk show hosted by Chris Hardwick (The Talking Dead) is getting better ratings than most shows on cable, and rightly so. It’s safe to say the show is phenomenon. This latest season finds the crew of survivors finally living in what appears to be a nice little town. Unlike some of their earlier similar scenarios, they just might be in a welcome spot. But now they have to deal with their own personal psychological damage as well as the fact that the new town is weak and ripe for a takeover if they aren’t made stronger. Overall its a very binge-worthy season of television and I can’t wait to see the next chapter in October. A-
Disney Short Films Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Walt Disney has always been know for its short films, many of which have gone on to great acclaim. In recent years, there has been steep competition, including that from its sister studio Pixar, but Disney takes the art form seriously and keeps coming up with new and interesting stories featuring innovative animation styles and nuances. This latest collection features 12 of Disney’s latest masterpieces. While I’m not the biggest fan of “Frozen Fever,” mostly due to Frozen brain freeze, the Oscar-winning shorts “Feast” and “Paperman” are beautifully unique and 2006’s Oscar-nominated “The Little Matchgirl” is a true testament to Disney’s ability to emotionally attach its audience in only a mere few minutes. Overall this is a wonderful collection of rich and imaginative storytelling. A-
Welcome to New York
Rated R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity, a rape and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Loosely reenacting the recent events of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn controversy, Gerard Depardieu plays Mr Devereaux, a powerful French economist and political figure who rapes a cleaning lady in his hotel and then tries to use his influence and money to escape his charges. The movie definitely has authenticity written all over it. You get the sense that while the filmmakers seem a little overly careful in not using real names and titles, they most surely paint a picture of what the scenario might have been like. This reality though is not pleasant to watch and my discomfort and disgust had me exhausted and feeling pretty sick. I had to take a long, hot shower afterward just to recover. Now if only there was a decent shower for the mind. This film is going to be hard to scrub out. C+