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New in Home Entertainment

January 19, 2016

Straight Outta Compton
Rated R for language throughout, strong sexuality/nudity, violence, and drug use
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Biopics can be very hit and miss but this critically acclaimed story about the rap group NWA found a way to not only tell one of the pivotal stories of rap music, but managed to do so in a way that has the power to change the perspectives of its audience. I remember the first time I heard the song “*%^& the Police” when it was first released, and honestly I was truly offended and wondered how this kind of anti-American rhetoric could even be allowed. But then came video cameras on cell phones, recording the very acts that have been perpetrated on many black communities throughout the country and honestly, I look at the same song as an honest and powerful protest against an unjust system that at times treats minorities as sub-human. This film brings much to light that needs to be seen and in the end gives you an understanding why this band is worthy of such a well-told biographical offering. A-

The Intern
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and brief strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Anne Hathaway here plays a young woman whose internet company decides to hire local retirees in an attempt to connect with the older community. In the process, retired widower Robert DeNiro ends up with the coveted job of being Hathaway’s right-hand man. What looks on the outside like a predictable and over-sentimental attempt at sweet comedy proves to be much more thought-provoking and enjoyable than I thought possible going in. That being said, the ending makes the strong female CEO look weak as she deals with her relationship with her husband. At least her relationship with De Niro is endearing and authentic throughout. B-

Everest
Rated PG-13 for intense peril and disturbing images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
This underrated adventure tells the true story of a group of mountain climbers who try to conquer the tallest peak in the world under the worst conditions they could imagine and unspeakable tragedy. Beautifully filmed, the movie helps you understand what it is like to take on such an adventure while at the same time removing any desire to do so in real life. It’s a challenging film that goes against convention as most of it relies on man vs nature rather than forced internal struggles to bring about tension within the script. B+
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, drug use, language and drinking – all involving teens
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Taking place in the early 1970’s in San Francisco, this coming of age tale follows a young girl who explores her sexuality by sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend while documenting her various exploits on her tape recorder. The frank sexuality will be very upsetting for some audiences, but personally I found it to be a very interesting story full of brave performances by some pretty terrific actors. B
Inside Llewyn Davis: The Criterion Collection
Rated R for language including some sexual references
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The folks at Criterion picked the perfect time to re-release this 2013 Cohen Brothers musical about a young folk singer who tries to make it while struggling with personal relationships and a quest for a missing cat. I say perfect timing since it stars Star Wars Episode 7’s Oscar Isaac as the lead and Adam Driver as a fellow musician who offers him a couch to sleep on during his journey. Yes it’s an artsy, eclectic picture but between the amazing music and Isaac’s tremendous display of vulnerability, the film will seem magical to the right viewer. A

New in Home Entertainment

January 12, 2016

Irrational Man
Rated R for some language and sexual content
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Woody Allen’s latest stars Joaquin Phoenix as a burnt out writer who becomes a professor at a small college only to get a new lease on life when he toys with the idea of killing a local judge to help out a random stranger. The film starts out as a potentially sweet rom com, but turns too dark once the professor takes his eyes off of a desiring love interest (Emma Stone) and onto murder in the first degree. There are some pretty entertaining moments on occasion, but much of the plot seems too forced and the overall result is blah. C

The Look of Silence
Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving disturbing graphic descriptions of atrocities and inhumanity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Indonesian with English Subtitles
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From The Act of Killing director Joshua Oppenheimer comes this sobering foreign documentary that follows a young man who interviews several men who were responsible for brutally killing his brother (and many more civilians) during the genocide that took place decades ago in Indonesia. The perpetrators were not only left unpunished for their atrocities but they were considered heroes by many and to this day hold positions of power within the country. The film shows a sick side of humanity while at the same time examining extreme bravery as the man confronts his very neighbors who describe with a smile on their face the violent ways they killed indiscriminately. Being a subject that not many Americans know about, it brings to the forefront a desperate cry for respect for our fellow man and an empathy for those who have undergone such horrible tragedies without any way of ever exacting justice. The knowledge is only slightly helpful given the level of helplessness seen by the movie’s characters. A-

New in Home Entertainment

January 5, 2016

Infinitely Polar Bear
Rated R for language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Mark Ruffalo plays a man suffering from bipolar disorder who attempts to rebuild his family as he gets the opportunity to take care of his two young daughters while their mother, played by Zoe Saldana, goes to business school. With almost any other actor this would be considered movie-of-the-week material at best, but with Ruffalo as the lead, the movie is upgraded to so much more. His performance goes beyond quirky. You actually feel like you know the character and while annoying, you can even stand to be around him by the end. Honestly, I’m not sure I would have watched the film had Mark not been nominated for a Golden Globe for the role, but I’m glad I did as the movie is entertaining and a great showcase for a true talent. B

Experimenter
Rated PG-13 for thematic material and brief strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In 1961, Yale professor Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) conducted a controversial experiment that showed how obedient ordinary people could be, even when they think they could be harming a fellow subject in the experiment. This movie explores that case and its long-term ramifications. When the film is showing us Milgram’s life and his contributions the film is fascinating. When the fourth wall is completely disassembled and it gets too artsy, the film loses focus. In spite of its occasional distractions, the film is entertaining, informative and at the same time very frightening when you think of how it explains modern-day headlines. B-

The Visit
Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 64%
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan was in great need of a hit after his run of failures including The Last Airbender, The Happening and After Earth. Instead of keeping at the big-budget thriller game, he went with the low-budget, found footage approach with this film about a young girl who records she and her brother’s trip to visit the grandparents they have never met. While there, they discover that grandma and grandpa carry a dark and disturbing secret. While not the scariest film of the year, the story ends up being effective and refreshingly funny due to a twisted sense of humor and some great acting from the mostly unknown cast. And since the film cost relatively nothing to make, it ended up being Shyamalan’s first hit in over a decade. B

New in Home Entertainment

December 22, 2015

War Room
Rated PG for thematic elements throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From the makers of the smash faith-based films Fireproof and Courageous comes their biggest film yet, War Room, which focuses on a 30-something couple who are having troubles with their marriage and careers when a wise old woman enters their lives to teach them the power of prayer. Overall, the film still has the same big problem as the other films mentioned: it’s a Christian film built for Christians to watch. I can’t see anyone outside of the faith that would get anything out of the message. In addition, there is so much cheese here that it gets distracting. Whether its the 50-something actress playing a senior citizen like she studied under Tyler Perry, or the weird jump rope contest at the end of the film, there are some quirks that keep this film from being a really great movie. That being said, the script here is much more focused than their other scripts and the acting isn’t as lousy as what we’ve seen in the past. But all of this doesn’t matter. The audience aimed for here went to see the movie in droves (it made $68 million at the box office) and I’m sure that the blu-rays will end up in tons of stockings this year as well, in spite of what any “critic” has to say about it. B-

Pan
Rated PG for fantasy action violence, language and some thematic material
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
One of this year’s biggest disappointments at the box office was Pan from director Joe Wright. This prequel to the Peter Pan story features Peter and Captain Hook teaming up to fight the ominous Blackbeard, played here by Hugh Jackman. As you’d expect the production is fantastic and there are some really incredible set pieces, but the script is a bit too unconventional and there are some rather bizarre idiosyncrasies that distract from what could have been a really good film. I especially had problems with the inclusion of modern songs, sung or chanted by the cast throughout the film. It’s an artsy touch that should have been rethought. But even with its peculiarities, I still found the film enjoyable and can tell you that it’s worth the rental. B-

Wolf Totem
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images and violence involving animals and for brief sexuality
Available on DVD and Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D combo
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Director Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear) is a master at telling stories with animals and here he presents a famous Chinese novel about a group of nomadic Mongolians, industrialized Chinese and a pack of wolves who all struggle to find their place in a rapidly changing world. What drove me to want to watch the film though wasn’t the subject or the director, but rather the fantastic score which is one of the last pieces of music composed and conducted by the late James Horner. The film is surely beautiful to look at and while Annaud lays it on way too thick with the Earth day message, there is real artistry at play here and there are some incredibly majestic moments to be taken in when the sights and sounds come together. B

New in Home Entertainment

December 15, 2015

Ted 2
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use
Available one DVD and Blu-ray
Seth MacFarlane’s fowl-mouthed teddy bear is back with Mark Wahlberg and this time Ted is trying to prove to the courts that he should have the same rights as a person in order that he can stay married to his human wife. While any social commentary is largely missed and many of the jokes land with a thud, the film does provide a ton of laughter amidst the disgusting sense of humor that you’d expect from the sequel. Once again, the cast looks like they are having a blast while filming, and we get to at least smile while watching them enjoy themselves. B-

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt finds his agency on the verge of extinction while at the same time trying to take down a huge international crime ring known as the Syndicate. I really hate promoting Cruise, simply because every dollar the man makes means we are supporting a different crime syndicate in Scientology, but I can’t deny that this is a really good film. In a year where 007 really missed the mark with Spectre, this American knock-off gave us the Bond film we didn’t get in the fall. A-

Jellyfish Eyes: Criterion Edition
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This Japanese import from Criterion is possibly one of the weirdest films I’ve ever seen. If you’ve ever been subjected to your child’s Pokeman cartoons, or any of its copycats, imagine that but come to life. Here a group of elementary school kids in Japan all have a cell-phone controlled battle pet called a F.R.I.E.N.D. and a secret agency is trying to control the world through these creatures. The film’s budget was very low but you wouldn’t know it from the special effects utilized. The eye candy doesn’t take your mind off of the fact that the film is just too strange to be palatable and the unfortunate result is pure, unadulterated annoyance, followed by a huge headache. C-

New in Home Entertainment

December 1, 2015

Cooties
Rated R for horror violence and gore, language including sexual references, and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Twisting the horror sub-genre once again is Cooties, a film about grade schoolers who eat tainted chicken and become zombies. The cast, including Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson and Alison Pill as school teachers trying to survive the epidemic, add a surprising amount of credibility and skill to what would normally be a cheesy b-movie. Unfortunately, the cleverness wears off as you get tired of little children meeting their demise in horrible yet funny ways. Ultimately the film is a comedy more than a horror film and the comedy gets too thin long before the third act. C

Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
We are starting out December with a lot of zombies apparently. This spin-off to the uber-popular AMC series The Walking Dead moves us to sunny Los Angeles as the outbreak is just getting started and a new cast of characters are struggling to survive the scourge we all know is coming. While not quite as riveting or violent as the The Walking Dead, this show works. The writing is strong and they got some terrific actors to tell the story. The smartest part of all is that the movie is not about zombies. It’s about people put into an impossible scenario and we around the fishbowl get to watch what they do. I can’t wait to see what comes next. A-

The Stanford Prison Experiment
Rated R for language including abusive behavior and some sexual references
Available on DVD (Blu-ray will be released on January 12)
Based on one of the craziest true stories you’ve ever heard of, this movie follows an experiment where a psychology professor at Stanford (Billy Crudup) places a group of men in a made-up prison, half as prisoners, half as guards, just to see what happens. It’s an amazing and sickening display of the abuse of power, even in a made-up scenario. The movie itself is incredibly uncomfortable to watch and yet you can’t take your eyes off it. I never want to watch it again, but it is definitely worth experiencing one time. A-

New in Home Entertainment

November 24, 2015

Shaun the Sheep
Rated PG for rude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From the creators of Wallace & Gromit comes this fantastic little stop-motion animated film about a family of sheep who inadvertently give their owner amnesia while trying to take a day off, and then go on an adventure to recover him. Told without spoken dialog, the film is a creative and fun story with great imagination and big belly laughs. While technically a flop (the film only made 19 of its 64 million dollars in the U.S.), it was a critical smash, garnering a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Whether or not you have kids, you owe it to yourself to check this one out as it will bring a huge smile to your face and give you a great film to suggest to your friends who I can almost guarantee haven’t seen it yet. A-

Ricki and the Flash
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Everything about this film says it should have been a hit. The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme was at the helm and Juno writer Diablo Cody wrote the script. The greatest actor of our time, Meryl Streep, was the star. The film even had my favorite rock star, Rick Springfield, in a large starring role. But this film about an aged rocker wannabe who tries to rekindle her relationship with her family falls very flat. The movie has its moments but so much of it seems inauthentic that it becomes a hard pill to swallow. C

American Ultra
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
American Ultra asks the question “what if Jason Bourne was stoner?” It’s a question that only a stoner would ask, but enough talented people put their time and money into it to really come up with a solid answer. In this case Jesse Eisenberg is just a loser pothead who suddenly realizes that he is a butt-whooping secret agent capable of taking on whatever the US government can throw at him. Along with his girlfriend, Kristen Stewart, the two try to stay alive long enough to figure out what is going on. Eisenberg and Stewart are actually somewhat likable heroes here and some of the film is fun to watch. The plot is ridiculous and contrived, but the acton is extreme and the violence has a twisted sense of humor to it that makes it less real and less offensive. Still, the film has a very limited audience and it justifiably flopped at the box office. C+