Author: crunchonthis

New in Home Entertainment

October 29, 2013

Monsters University
Rated G
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Rather than go the sequel route which has been the norm for animated features, Pixar chose to make a prequel for their hit film Monsters, Inc.  In this new adventure Mike and Sully (voiced once again by Billy Crystal and John Goodman) meet in college where they are rivals who must become friends in order to succeed.  I was very hesitant going in since Monsters, Inc is my absolutely favorite Pixar movie and the thought of the prequel was underwhelming.  But my attention was grabbed quickly and I ended up loving it.  The writing is back to the Pixar quality we’ve been missing over the last couple of years and in spite of its G rating, the pic is easily as fun for adults as it is for children and doesn’t have to resort to going over kids’ heads with questionable jokes to do it.  A-

The Way Way Back
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, some sexual content and brief drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
After scoring an Oscar nomination for writing The Descendants, I was excited to see what actor/writer/director Nat Faxon could do with his own movie.  Set in a sort of retro yet modern time, a young teenager (Liam James) and his mother (Toni Collette) travel to a summer getaway with his mom’s new boyfriend (Steve Carell).  While temporarily living in the beach community he learns about life and love and pain while working at a water park with its crazy owner played by Sam Rockwell.  There are workable moments throughout but the film suffers from trying to be uber-clever and fails by not delivering.  Too much of the film is completely contrived and just plain nonsensical and these moments completely distract you from becoming emotionally involved.  C

R.I.P.D.
Rated PG-13 for violence, sci-fi/fantasy action, some sensuality, and language including sex references
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
When a young police officer played by Ryan Reynolds is killed in action, he is sent to the Rest In Peace Department which is ultimately responsible for getting rid of dead spirits that disturb the planet.  Joining a wild west lawman played by Jeff Bridges, the two uncover an unholy terror plot that they must foil to save Heaven and Earth.  If you think this movie looks like a Men in Black knockoff you’d be correct.  For Universal to put so much money into such a B movie seems like an insane investment.  Of course the film bombed badly simply because it wasn’t very good.  It’s not a total stinker, but its far from a quality sci-fi adventure.  Predictable and tasteless from start to finish, the film unfortunately qualifies as a must-avoid.  D+

New in Home Entertainment

October 1, 2013

This is the End
Rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson all play themselves in this end of the world comedy that takes place after the rapture has left them all behind.  I actually got some ugly emails from angry readers who felt I didn’t give a strong enough warning so let me start off by saying this is incredibly offensive material.  If you think you might be offended, you will be.  DO NOT RENT.  Everyone else – enjoy.  Easily the funniest movie of the year so far, This is the End is as hilarious as it is introspective.  While they are playing a version of themselves they are comfortable with us seeing, you can tell there is a lot of truth behind the actions (aside from Michael Cera possibly).  That being said, this is a rude and extremely crude comedy that will make you laugh right through your discomfort.  A-

The Little Mermaid
Rated G
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
In 1989 Disney began an animation renaissance with its now classic The Little Mermaid based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.  Beautifully written and stunningly drawn with some of the best music to ever come out of the mouse house, Mermaid is easily one of the greatest animated films of all time.  This new digitally restored edition is packed full of extras and even has a 3D version for those of you with the right sets.  A+

Mamas Family: The Complete Collection
Available on DVD
80’s sitcom Mama’s Family is getting the Time Life touch here with this new box set including 24 DVDs with every episode of its six seasons and tons of new extras.  What made Mama stand out was the terrific performances by Vicki Lawrence as the grandma who is forced to take in her son and grandkids when they are evicted from their home.  Serving as a link between All in the Family and Roseanne, Mama’s Family performed an important function in keeping American white trash family comedy alive and well during the Reagan years.  For now it is only available on www.mamasfamilydvds.com.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

September 24, 2013

Iron Man 3
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Robert Downey Jr is back as Tony Stark in this third and most profitable adventure in the Iron Man franchise (if you don’t count The Avengers).  This time around he is after an evil terrorist named the Mandarin who is set to destroy Stark’s whole world.  Taking over the director’s chair is Lethal Weapon’s Shane Black who does a great job of bringing a sense of humor to the film.  Unfortunately the script by Drew Pearce lacks any concept of authenticity, even in this super hero world.  Aside from the fun twist half way through the picture, the plot points are forced and frankly quite silly.  C+

Room 237
Not Rated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I’ve always enjoyed Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of Stephen King’s The Shining, but I had no idea how much thought might have went into making it.  This documentary by Rodney Ascher explores many of the possible hidden and subliminal meanings behind the film and although they are sometimes very far-fetched, they are still very believable.  My favorite is a mind-blowing segment on the connection between Kubrick and the Apollo 11 moon landing.  As crazy and even demented as these conspiracies seem, I reached a new level of appreciation and enjoyment for this classic horror film.  A

South Park: The Complete Sixteenth Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I still can’t believe South Park is still this funny and this relevant, considering that most people think of it as a cartoon with potty humor.  So there is a fair amount of potty humor, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone, fresh off their Tony win for The Book of Mormon, are still creating fresh and hilariously timely tales with the gang of kids that doesn’t seem to grow up.  The season hits a high point with the hilarious “Sarcastaball”, which exposes the fear of head injuries in football and scores a low point with “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” which is an obvious attempt to make fun of a not-so-fun vacation the writers must have went on.  A-

China Beach: The Complete Series
Available on 21 DVDs
I hate to admit it, but I learned much of what I know about the Korean War watching MASH and the Vietnam war by watching China Beach.  This classic late 80’s/early 90’s drama about the nurses and doctors of the “Five and Dime” 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R Center is as well-acted and  fantastically produced as it is enlightening.  This new humongous set by Time-Life contains all episodes, 10 hours of extras, a book and even a pair of dog tags.  A-

New in Home Entertainment

September 17, 2013

World War Z
Rated PG-13 for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
I don’t typically read books destined for theaters simply because it is rare for a movie to match up to the written word.  In the case of World War Z I made an exception and honestly, I’m not tremendously offended that the material didn’t match up.  They both tell the story of a world war vs a “zombie-like creature” but the monsters in both are very different as is the way they kill them.  The movie though is effective and there’s no doubt that Brad Pitt is perfect for the role and put his heart and soul into it.  Personally, I didn’t find the movie as scary as I had hoped and there were some really stupid scenes (such as the video of the WHO scientist handling the virus without protective gear), but the story worked for the most part and made for a nice thriller.  B

Behind the Candelabra
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Director Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon wasn’t originally destined for HBO but was found to be “too gay” for any of the distributors to take a risk with and thus ended up heading straight to television.  Of course now it’s been nominated for 15 Emmys, but what do the distributors know?  Sure it’s pretty eccentric but it’s also immensely interesting and the performances are off the charts.  Douglas is perfect as the fabulous piano virtuoso and Damon is scary good as his boyfriend.  And talk about a great script with tremendous production values.  If you don’t mind the subject, you’ll probably enjoy this little indie quite a lot.  A-

New in Home Entertainment

September 10, 2013

Star Trek Into Darkness
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
J.J. Abrams’ second outing in the Star Trek universe did reasonably well at the box office but failed to woo the hard core fans, and in turn probably has many folks worried about what he will do to the Star Wars universe in 2015.  So what went wrong here?  Personally, I think the story is fine but there was too much stupid suspense built up around the villain, played by Benedict Cumberbatch.  For months it was rumored that he would play Khan, but those rumors were squelched by the studio and by the time the revelation is made you simply don’t care.  Had they just called him Khan from the beginning, there would have been a completely different buzz on the film and probably more enjoyment.  After all, the film is as much action as it is trippy sci-fi and there are some really fun moments and big set pieces.  The story is a bit predictable and formulaic, but still effective enough.  Unlike some of the earlier Trek films, these new additions are much more accessible for the non-Trekkies out there and while this one couldn’t match the first, or even its own hype, it is still enjoyable.  B-

Frankenstein’s Army
Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
At the tail end of WWII a group of Russian soldiers with a nice video camera discover a secret Nazi laboratory where an evil scientist has built a huge army of pseudo-mechanical humans that act as all sorts of nasty weapons.  The movie has the look and feel of a modern version of Castle Wolfenstein but grows old quickly, largely due to trying too hard to be a ghastly B-movie.  Disturbing, gross, and disgusting aren’t nearly good enough adjectives to describe what is seen here.  I’m sure there is an audience for this kind of film, but for me the carnage was too distracting although the imagination was intriguing.  C-

La Cage aux Folles: Criterion Edition
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
French with English Subtitles
When this comedy was released in 1978 I’m sure it was very controversial, but the story of a gay couple who must put on a show for their son’s new future in-laws is still unforgettable and seems rather tame by today’s standards.  Nominated for three Academy Awards (Directing, Writing and of course Costume Design), and then spawning a huge Broadway show and an even bigger remake in 1996 with The Birdcage, it’s easy to see why a film like this is considered such a classic.  Overall it’s a tremendously entertaining foreign film.  A-