New in Home Entertainment
February 28, 2017
Moonlight
Rated R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
It’s difficult to pin down the story of Moonlight and describe it to someone, especially if you want to give them cause to check it out But after Sunday night’s monumental Oscar win, a bunch of folks who might not have been interested before, are suddenly going to want to see the picture that took on – and beat – the seemingly unstoppable La La Land. In a nutshell, Moonlight tells three stories about one person. The first act is about a young child in dire need of supervision and guidance, who finds it in the most unconventional of places. The Second act sees the same boy as a teenager, trying to find friendship and connection in a harsh place where anyone who acts different can be pushed to the edge. In the third act, the boy is now a man who, while tough on the outside, is in desperate need of a friend who he can relate to on an intimate level. My fear is that someone will not watch because it is a “gay” film or a “black” film. I would propose that if that is you – you are the main audience for this movie. Far from the way it looks on a surface level, this is not about a gay black child growing up in urban America. It goes far deeper than that, with characters that demand empathy and understanding. Characters that strive for you to see the human in them and not the color of their skin or the preference of their partner. It is a beautiful film, uniquely told – and very deserving of its big night and the attention it is about to receive. A
Doctor Strange
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Having been a fan of the comic as a teenager, I really didn’t see much of a chance for success for this Marvel movie, but I was holding out hope. Luckily, some wildly creative filmmakers took a relatively obscure super hero and gave him a convincing genesis story with an insanely talented cast and some of the craziest special effects you’ve ever seen in a hero flick. Benedict Cumberbatch plays the once-talented neurosurgeon who loses the ability to operate after a brutal car crash, only to find the ability to manipulate the world around him with the help of some time and space bending monks in Asia. It’s an extremely fun and creative ride that tells a complete story while at the same time setting up further adventures that will have a new audience of fans impatiently waiting. A-
Allied
Rated R for some violence, some sexuality/nudity, language and brief drug use
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star in this big-budget WWII drama from director Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump) about two spies who fall in love with each other after their mission, only to face problems once home. The first half of this film, where the two are spies on a dangerous mission, really works. It is exciting and thought-provoking, providing an intriguing look at a part of the great war that is rarely shown in film. But when the second act hits, it really misses, giving the audience a dull and overly long narrative that ends with a flat thud. The film is beautiful to look at with spectacular production values, but the way it transforms into a lifeless drama makes it rather difficult to watch. C+