New in Home Entertainment
May 31, 2016
Race
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The story of famed olympian Jesse Owens comes to life in this biopic that follows Jesse from his days as a college athlete to the point when he shocked the world at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There’s no doubt that there is a great story here and with a supporting cast including Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons and William Hurt you’d think that this could be an Oscar-bound pic. But Stephan James is just too dull in his representation of Jesse, even if Jesse might have been a dull personality. In addition, the pic has a movie-of-the-week quality, making it impossible for it to elevate to greatness. It’s a bronze level performance belonging to a gold story. B-
Triple 9
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and some nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this Michael Mann wannabe crime drama, a group of dirty cops from Atlanta are blackmailed by the Russian mafia to execute an impossible heist. In order to distract the cops that are sure to be hot on their trail, they decide to manufacture a “999” police code by killing a cop on one side of town while staging their heist far away from the certain action brought on when calling in “officer down.” The movie has a lot going for it. The cast is phenomenal with Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus, who I’m sure were all attracted to the idea of working with director John Hillcoat (The Proposition). Unfortunately the film is just too dark in both tone and aesthetic. The story tries to draw you in to care about good cop Affleck and criminal Ejiofor who while maybe a bad guy, is just trying to get his son back. But the weight of evil just seems to be too much and thus loses its ability to entertain. C+