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-