New in Home Entertainment
September 20, 2016
Neighbors 2
Rated R for crude sexual content including brief graphic nudity, language throughout, drug use and teen partying
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Following up on the events of Neighbors, where a young married couple (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) take on the fraternity house next door, it is now a couple of years later and they want to sell their home. With the fraternity gone this should be no problem, except now a group of rebellious girls wanting to start a sorority take over the old fraternity house. Where the first film was just a standard adult comedy, this new outing is so much more than its surface level. The girls, while making completely horrible neighbors, are also rebelling against the way girls are treated in sororities, college and life in general, making this an impactful feminist manifesto. Sure it’s raunchy, but its thoughtful at its heart which elevates it past other such films in the genre, including the original. B+
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and 4K Ultra HD
This second of the new Ninja Turtles movies finds the turtle brothers at war with a new foe while contemplating leaving their life of secrecy for a world of appreciated heroism. It’s cheesy and the plot is as ridiculous as any other Ninja Turtles movie, but if you are looking for non-stop action, this film does provide in spades. For adults, it’s not the best way I can think of to spend 97 minutes, but kids seem to like it and there are worse forms of mindless entertainment. C
Free State of Jones
Rated R for brutal battle scenes and disturbing graphic images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 46%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
You would think that when you mix famed writer/director Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) with Matthew McConaughey in a Civil War drama, you would be looking down the barrel of an Oscar. But instead, this drama about a defiant southern farmer fighting the Confederacy ends up to be a big mess. Its very downfall is its ambition, making the story more convoluted and complicated than it needs to be. Perhaps if they wanted to provide this much material, it would have been better suited as a television mini-series. The project has great potential but it falls under its own weight. C
Aliens: 30th Anniversary Edition
Rated R
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Available on Blu-ray
While 30 years old, this sequel to Ridley Scott’s masterpiece is still an amazing piece of filmmaking. It works on so many levels including sci-fi, horror, thriller and war drama. The question is, do you really need a new copy? Chances are, you probably already own a previous one. To entice you, the price point is low ($14.99 on Amazon) and it comes with both versions of the film and a terrific new interview with James Cameron about the making of the project. It also has a beautiful new collector’s book and a set of art cards. So if they hadn’t sent me a free one – I would have ordered without hesitation. A