New in Home Entertainment
March 22, 2016
Brooklyn
Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This best picture and best actress nominee stars Saoirse Ronan as a young Irish girl who leaves her homeland in Ireland to make her way in America in 1950’s Brooklyn. Ronan, once again, turns in a mesmerizing performance as the young heroine and turns what could easily appear as a chick flick into a beautiful and engaging story that can be appreciated and admired by anyone. It is an absolutely lovely movie that you owe it to yourself to check out. A
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This final chapter to the popular Hunger Games franchise was met with a surprising amount of gloom as it underperformed at the box office (compared to the first three films) and received a fair amount of bad reviews. My take is that it is consistent with the other films and delivers a very passable version of the book to the screen. Yes it’s the darkest chapter of the series. Yes they probably could have made Mockingjay into one film rather than split it up to make more money. But overall, the film gives the books’ fans an excellent visualization of their beloved novel. B+
Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs
Unrated
Available on DVD
Sometimes you just gotta watch a bad movie, knowing full well that it’s gonna be bad – especially when it’s called Cowboys vs Dinosaurs. This ultra B movie finds a team of miners in Montana who accidentally allow an army of blood-thirsty dinosaurs to escape from a huge cavern beneath the Earth. As they rampage the local town, its up to a former bull rider and some scantily-clad blondes to take down the prehistoric beasts. Honestly, it might be the funniest film of the year so far but I’m guessing that that’s unintentional. Still – its horrible, awful and everything in between so enter at risk. C-
Daddy’s Home
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, crude and suggestive content, and for language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 30%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Will Ferrell is a lovable step-dad to two kids who don’t respect him when suddenly their real father, played by Mark Wahlberg, steps into their life. Competing for their attention at every turn, the two men go to war over the kids. I think two things kept this film from reaching success. First, the film relies on silly physicality for much of its humor where the big jokes are widely wasted on the trailers. Second, this could have been a more-than-decent family film but language and a bit of raunchiness keep it out of the very category it most obviously belongs in. C+