New in Home Entertainment
May 23, 2017
Get Out
Rated R for violence, bloody images, and language including sexual references
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Key and Peele’s Jordan Peele writes and directs this gigantic hit of a horror film about a young black man going home to meet his girlfriend’s family for the first time. Rather than taking it in an overtly racist and stereotypical direction, Peele here chooses to throw in some incredible surprises as he shocks the audience into feeling comfortable with the racism on display while waiting for the right moment to pile on the discomfort and soon thereafter the sheer terror. You know it’s coming, but you don’t expect what lurks around the corner and the scares are unsettling, as you try to laugh through the awkwardness. While 2017 hasn’t been a stellar year for films so far, Get Out proves that terrific movies might be lurking around where you least expect them, just waiting to pounce on you. A-
The Great Wall
Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy action violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 35%
Hero and House of Flying Daggers director Yimou Zhang brings in Matt Damon to help a group of super fighters take on a dragon invasion with the Great Wall of China being the only thing that can save humanity from the beasts. While all of the elements are there, including a top notch production team, wildly visionary director and an excellent cast of both Hollywood and Foreign actors, the film just never seems to ignite and the whole thing just sort of collapses under its own ambition. This is a movie I was incredibly excited to see, but the excitement quickly turned to disappointment. C
Dheepan: The Criterion Edition
Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
In French and Tamil with English Subtitles
This winner of the 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or tells the story of three strangers from Sri Lanka pretending to be a family in order to escape their war-torn nation for a chance to immigrate to France. While their very presence in the country is a lie, they attempt to contribute with integrity in spite of dangerous challenges within the community they are placed. It’s a tough film to watch at times, but it is beautifully told by an amazing director and an extremely talented cast. When I see films like this and the recent Sin Nombre, it really challenges me to rethink the narrative I have assigned (or perhaps ignored) pertaining to immigrants in my own region and beyond. I really loved the quiet power of this movie. A-
Rock Dog
Rated PG for action and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 39%
Wishing to escape his destiny as a Tibetan sheep herder, a young Mastiff escapes to the city to take up guitar in his journey to become a rock god. With stale animation and a lousy plot, the film is another crappy attempt at filling in the gap when parents really want to take their kid to the movies and nothing else appropriate is showing. Kids might find it an acceptable diversion, but their parents will be less than enthused. D+