New in Home Entertainment
November 8, 2016
Captain Fantastic
Rated R for language and brief graphic nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Viggo Mortensen and his six children live off the grid in Oregon, where he educates and trains them to be truly independent adults without the use of modern conveniences. Upon news that their mother has died, the family decides to re-enter society and attend her funeral in New Mexico. As smart as it is engaging, the film stays on course for two hours to deliver one heck of a great family road trip movie. Mortensen is the perfect actor for a project such as this and he is sure to receive some attention come award season. Overall, I ended up loving almost every happy and sad minute of this family’s transformative journey. A-
Star Trek Beyond
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
In this latest Star Trek adventure, the crew goes on a rescue mission only to discover a trap set by a new alien villain set on destroying the Federation. So the plot is just like almost every other Star Trek movie and television show. Fortunately the writing and directing are strong enough to make the journey an enjoyable one. With J.J. Abrams switching sides to Star Wars, Fast and the Furious director Justin Lin takes the helm and the action is almost as strong as the eye-popping visuals. B
Imperium
Rated R for language throughout
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Daniel Radcliffe stretches his acting muscle here in this drama about a young FBI agent who shaves his head and goes undercover to infiltrate the white supremacist movement. The film is as timely as it gets considering the attention these groups have received during the current election, and the threat of domestic terrorism here far overshadows that of the Muslim extremists we tend to spend most of our time worrying about. Radcliffe turns in a convincing performance, although his introduction into the world of skinheads and nationalists seems a bit too simplified. B
Anthropoid
Rated R for violence and some disturbing images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
Based on a true story, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan are two Czech spies who sneak into their homeland at the beginning of WWII in order to assassinate the man believed by many to be Hitler’s third in command, Reinhard Heydrich. It’s a dark and obviously perilous journey of two friends on a suicide mission, but despite its bleak undertones, the film is well-enough produced that it doesn’t become too depressing of an experience. When all is said and done, you feel more educated than downtrodden. B-