New in Home Entertainment
September 27, 2016
Central Intelligence
Rated PG-13 for crude and suggestive humor, some nudity, action violence and brief strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%
As a younger teenager, Dwayne Johnson was an overweight bullying victim who Kevin Hart stood up for in high school. Now on the eve of their class reunion, Hart is approached by Johnson who is now a musclebound spy trying to recruit him to help with an important mission. The CIA story doesn’t really work that well but it does throw out some decent action. What does work is the comedy, especially in the first act. Both Hart and Johnson have great chemistry on screen together and I found myself laughing a lot throughout. What it lacks in credibility and authenticity, it more than makes up for in entertainment value. B
Warcraft
Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 28%
When I was playing WOW before my son was born (I had to give up my addiction in order to at least try to be an effective father) I was excited about the potential Warcraft movie on the horizon. Now, almost a decade after first hearing about, the buzz is long gone. But apparently there are still millions of Warcraft players and this movie is pretty much just for them. Following an insane plot, based mostly on the original Warcraft game than the interactive World of Warcraft, the movie follows a group of humans who must fight a group of orcs when each discovers the existence of the others’ world. While its fun to see the universe come to life, and the special effects are gorgeous, especially on a large 4K set, the movie still fails to deliver anything other than a brawny, brainless melee. C+
Neon Demon
Rated R for disturbing violent content, bloody images, graphic nudity & seven of aberrant sexually, and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%
Set in the world of Los Angeles modeling, Sixteen year-old Elle Fanning is the pinnacle of aesthetic loveliness in the ugly underworld of beautiful people. Having the looks but not the cunning, she attempts to survive in a society that wants to eat her alive. At first fascinating, by the end the film takes a perverse turn that is hard to understand and even more difficult to digest. There are scenes here that you can’t unsee, no matter how hard you try. So beware. The film was lucky to get an R and if you don’t lose sleep, you still might lose your meal. C
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including violent content, and for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Set in the New Zealand countryside, a curmudgeonly old farmer who has fostered a young troublemaker with his wife, is threatened with losing the boy when his wife suddenly passes. Through a series of comedically tragic events, the two end up on an adventure through the wilderness, putting their relationship to the test. It’s a charming and unusual film, filled with some terrific surprises and unexpected quirky humor. While the director, Taika Waititi, is not a known entity yet, he should become more of a household name upon the release his next film, the mega tentpole Thor: Ragnarok. With Thor and Hulk in his hands, you will see from this film a hint of what we should expect in 2017. B+
City of Gold
Rated R for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold loves Los Angeles and what it brings to the culinary world. This terrific little documentary follows him around LA to present the case that the City of Angels is one of the foremost dining Mecca’s in the world. But more than just a 90 minute visual buffet, the film shows what it’s like to be a journalist at the top of your game, doing something that you love, and that makes a major difference in the lives of those you write about. A