New in Home Entertainment
April 4, 2017
Rogue One
Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Phase one of Disney’s Star Wars spinoff movies is this story, mentioned in the crawl of A New Hope, about a group of heroes who go in, under certain peril, to deliver to the rebellion the plans for the Death Star. With an exceptional cast, including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen, and my favorite go to villain Ben Mendelsohn, the film doesn’t lack in talent in any aspect. Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) was an excellent choice and in spite of its very dark nature, it represents sacrifice and bravery in a way that is surprisingly okay for children. If Disney keeps doing the right thing by these new projects, then I expect big and exciting things to come from the Mouse House. A-
Office Christmas Party
Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, drug use and graphic nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 41%
Jennifer Aniston and TJ Miller are siblings who own a company in bad need of a break, so against his sister’s command, Miller throws a party, with the help of Jason Bateman, to lure a key customer. Of course this turns into something worse than an out of hand fraternity party. As far as stories go, this one goes a little far, but if you are in the mood for a bunch of bad behavior from a talented cast of comedic actors, it might give you what you are looking for. It did have me laughing at times, but a classic Christmas comedy it is not. C
Why Him?
Rated R for strong language and sexual material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
Yet another raunchy comedy that landed with a lukewarm thud is this take on bringing home the parents to meet the boyfriend. In this case, Bryan Cranston is the uptight dad who must meet his daughter’s crazy and unfiltered millionaire boyfriend played by James Franco. While it’s no Get Out (wrong genre I know, but it does star Keegan-Michael Key so it is related in more way than one), it is a surprisingly sweet movie, that while completely predictable, serves up some very funny jokes to make up for its lack of nuance. All of the characters are likable, although I can’t imagine a father being this overprotective in such a situation. So while I did not love it, I did find it mildly entertaining, which is something I didn’t think I would say given its critical and box office reception. B-
Paterson
Rated R for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Adam Driver (Silence, The Force Awakens) stars in this indie Jim Jarmusch film about a bus driver named Paterson, who lives in Paterson, NJ and who likes to write poetry. The movie takes place over a week and has almost zero in plot, but due to the likability of the characters and its gentle nature, the lack of story seems almost forgivable. You sit in his driver’s seat and listen to the conversations, watching him listen to other peoples’ stories rather than living out his own. If it sounds dull – well it is. It’s sweet, but quite boring. And like all of Jarmusch’s films, it is art house fare with no disguise. C+