Month: September 2015

New in Home Entertainment

September 29, 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and some suggestive comments
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
This second Avengers movie finds the group at war with an artificial intelligence robot named Ultron, built by Tony Stark/Iron (Robert Downey, Jr.), who, instead of protecting the world decides to destroy it instead. While very fun at times, it also becomes trying at others as the story becomes increasingly more preposterous. And while I can definitely appreciate the aggressive ambition of tying together an entire universe of movies, I have found myself forgetting past plotlines that I am certain will be important to remember once this whole cosmos gets pulled together in the next Avengers film. That being said, there is no doubt that this is an entertaining enough picture that will keep your teenagers (and younger) out of your hair for more than two hours at a time while they study it instead of their schoolwork. B

Entourage
Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content, nudity and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Vinnie Chase and his band of brothers leave the small screen for the big in this single entity adventure that takes place not too long after the last episode of their last season of the hit HBO television show. In this storyline, Vinnie gets the chance to direct and star in a new film while Ari is forced to defend his choice of allowing it to happen. The whole thing feels like a condensed version of one of their seasons, which is better than stretching the whole thing out over 3 months. The story isn’t horrible, but the acting isn’t great by any member of the cast and the cameos only make it worse. While I used to enjoy peeping in on their bad behavior, I wish now that they would just grow up. C

Cop Car
Rated R for language, violence and brief drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Kevin Bacon stars in this indie thriller about a small town sheriff whose cop car is stolen by a couple of pre-teen runaways. Of course the sheriff is up to no good when the car is stolen, and the events that transpire, while simply plotted, are hard to take your eyes off of. This is a well-crafted little film with a lead actor that gives it credibility. And while its hard to like any of the characters, including the kids, you still can’t wait to see what happens to them. B

The Bear: 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
Rated PG for violence
Available on Blu-ray
With the help of computer animation, this film would be fairly easy to make now, but twenty five years ago that wasn’t the case. Following the life of a young bear and a wounded Kodiak who are being hunted by humans, the movie uses amazing wildlife footage to tell a story that actually makes it look like the bears are a couple of cooperative actors. While the film is essentially a nature film, it is far too dark for young children due to the extreme amount of realistic violence contained. A-

New in Home Entertainment

September 22, 2015

Pitch Perfect 2
Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In a world where A Capella singing is more important than football, the girls from Pitch Perfect are back and performing for the president. When a severe wardrobe malfunction occurs, they are banned from recruiting or competing unless they can happen to beat the Germans in a world-wide competition. What is surprising here is how awfully random the story is. The filmmakers put together some pretty impressive song arrangements and performances, but every bit of dialog in between is filled with nonsensical silliness. While I didn’t care for the first Pitch Perfect, at least it had a bit of a story. This poor excuse for a plot is insulting to the audience, even if they just want to enjoy the music. D+

Saint Laurent
Rated R for graphic nudity/strong sexual situations, substance abuse throughout and some language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In French and English with English subtitles
The life of the famous French designer Yves Saint Laurent is explored in this graphic but beautifully produced biopic. After spending almost three hours watching this film, I must admit that I am not even close to being the target audience. While I’ve seen the initials YSL in high end stores, I didn’t even know what it stood for. And while I’m no longer shocked at graphic homosexual material, it isn’t something I find enjoyable to watch. On the plus side, the film gave me a better take on the man behind the label and it is a well-crafted project aesthetically, as you could imagine. But given the subject matter, it’s not something I found to be deserving of this kind of epic treatment and I was easily bored and distracted. I can see how, for the right audience, this could be an inspiring and satisfying project. C+

Jumanji
Rated PG for menacing fantasy action and some mild language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Twenty years have now passed since Robin Williams brought us with him into this grand adventure about a board game that brings the jungle into your living room. At the time, the graphics and special effects were mind-blowing, but twenty years later, the film does look old. That being said, the story is a blast and extremely well-crafted. There is a sense of sadness as you watch the brilliant Robin Williams doing what he did best while listening to the score by the late James Horner which was much better than a film like this usually gets. Were this the eighteenth anniversary edition instead of the twentieth, this might have been a much less sobering experience. B+

New in Home Entertainment

September 15, 2015

Love & Mercy
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This extraordinary biopic tells the story of The Beach Boys’ brilliant singer-songwriter Brian Wilson and his struggle with the depression and adversity that came with his genius. With great performances by Paul Dano as the young Wilson and John Cusack as the aged version, the film flawlessly moves back and forth between decades without losing its audience and it really makes you feel like you are there watching the creation of the legendary music come out of his brain. Whether or not you like The Beach Boys, this is an incredible and enjoyable story that is memorably told. A

Cinderella
Rated PG for mild thematic elements
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Disney’s latest live-action remake of its animated classics brings the story of Cinderella to life in a magnificent way. Lilly James is quite good in the starring role but it’s Cate Blanchett as the evil Stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother who steal the show. Behind the reigns is Thor Director Kenneth Branagh who is better known for his Shakespearean productions than family fare. But he did a surprisingly good job here creating a movie that can be enjoyed by all ages and not at all targeted for just the young ones. B+

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This six-part HBO documentary looks at the life of New York real estate scion Robert Durst who was thought to have killed several people, including his wife, but who had possibly escaped justice due to an incredibly expensive legal team. As the documentary is being made, many items surface and the filmmakers find themselves acting as detectives, uncovering incriminating evidence that they get to ask Durst about in the interview sessions. This is as chilling and engrossing as a movie or television show gets. Most documentaries explore things that have happened in a piece of time that has already occurred. To watch this one unfold and then to be able to follow it afterward makes it a project not to be missed. A

Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Walt Disney loved nature documentaries and for years the studio produced amazing nature stories, some of which went on to win Oscars. So I am very glad that they have shown a newfound commitment to bring this tradition back. This eighth film from Disneynature follows the lives of a small group of clever and resourceful monkeys living in the ancient ruins of South Asia. Narrated by Tina Fey, they manage to create an entertaining narrative out of their lives. Although not as compelling as Chimpanzee or Bears, Monkey Kingdom is still a great little nature doc with some terrific surprises. B

Furious 7
Rated PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
In this seventh installment of the street racing franchise, the entire gang is back and under threat from Jason Statham who is determined to get revenge for the death of his brother who apparently died in a previous installment (I’ve seen them all but I honestly can’t remember a single plot line). The film has a tremendous amount of stunts that I have to admit make for impressive set pieces. Unfortunately the whole movie feels like a team dreamed up these feats and then put dialog in at the last minute. Almost every word of the screenplay is horrible. That being said, the tribute to Paul Walker, who died while they were making the movie, is touching and professionally done, even if the rest of the film feels like a battering ram to the brain. C

New in Home Entertainment

September 8, 2015

The Age of Adaline
Rated PG-13 for a suggestive comment
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Blake Lively stars in this sci-fi-ish romance about a young girl who, after what should have been a tragic car accident, survives with the curse of never growing older. The movie does a very good job at pulling you in to the young Adaline’s tale but the sequence editing is so peculiar that it distracts you from what is most important – the story. But then the meat of the movie hits as Harrison Ford comes into the picture and the dynamic of the film changes entirely, in a very nice way. So while much of the film is poorly put together early on, half-way through it metamorphosizes into a lovely and compelling romantic movie, making the whole journey worth the taking. B

Dressed to Kill: The Criterion Collection
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I’m guessing that with the whole Caitlyn Jenner story eating up the press, Criterion decided it was time to jump in with Brian De Palma’s 1980 sex thriller about a cross-dressing killer starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson and Nancy Allen. Everything about this film is completely over-the-top including the violence, sex/nudity, music and especially the acting. While the story could have actually made for a decent movie, here we get a huge pile of excess. That being said, Criterion tries to give the film a credible backing with this new 4K digital transfer and a huge body of special features attempting to prove why the film belongs in its library. In my opinion, this “classic” is just 105 minutes of schlock. C-

Supernatural: The Complete 10th Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this newest series about two supernatural crime-fighting brothers, they literally enter a war between heaven and hell. In season one I would have given this series maybe six years before the ideas would dissipate and the quality took a turn south. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, the writing has improved, as has the chemistry between the Winchester brothers, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. While the storylines here are darker, and that’s saying a lot, the show is still as fun as it was in the beginning. B+