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New in Home Entertainment

 

November 4, 2014

 

Maleficent
Rated PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
I expected the worst when seeing this new Disney spinoff starring Angelina Jolie as the popular Sleeping Beauty villain. To me the idea felt more like a gimmick then a story I wanted to see. Once again, I love being wrong. Turning Maleficent into a hero turned out to be a fantastic idea for Disney and Jolie is perfect in the starring role. Sure the king comes off as a tad too evil and young Aurora as almost a simpleton, but the story is interesting and the special effects and overall pacing add to the enjoyment. I especially loved the lush score from James Newton Howard. B+

Planes: Fire and Rescue
Rated PG for action and some peril
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Another Disney film that I had the lowest of expectations for is the newest pic from the Planes franchise. Unfortunately, the film met them. I’ll admit that this is a better project than their initial outing, which just seemed like the same old race picture we’ve gotten too much of. But even though the setting is different and the story is somewhat novel, the jokes are still stale and the whole project seems like more of a money grab than the typical Disney storytelling we know and love. C-

Hercules: Extended Cut
Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences, violence, suggestive comments, brief strong language and partial nudity
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D
This Hercules for the next generation stars Dwayne Johnson as the legendary hero who is more of a smart salesman than a supernatural demigod. Selling his services to whoever can pay for them, he and his crew must fight their way out of cruel trap. The plot is interesting at least and has its fun moments throughout. Johnson is at his charismatic best and even his henchmen (and woman) are entertaining. Unfortunately the script is weak and the dialog is laborious when it shouldn’t be. Had the adventure been better written, this could have been a much better film than what is seen here. C

A Most Wanted Man
Rated R for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In one of the final projects we’ll get to see from him, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a German secret service agent who tries to thwart an attack from a potential Islamist threat that has just entered Hamburg. Based on the John Le Carre novel, the film is intricate in plot and extremely well written. It’s also incredibly relevant and even eye-opening. Hoffman’s performance is brilliant and the rest of the talented cast follow suit just fine. It never pretends to be a Bond film, but rather it’s more of a thinking man’s spy thriller. A-

The Dog
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This fantastic new documentary from Drafthouse Films follows the life of John Wojtowicz, the real-life inspiration for Al Pacino’s character in Dog Day Afternoon. When you hear the phrase “it takes all kinds” this guy now comes to mind for me. While I would never want to meet him, he certainly is an interesting and peculiar little dude who comes off here as more of a freak show than the anti-hero Pacino portrayed in the 1975 Sidney Lumet classic. And while I was deeply disturbed by most of this guy’s life, I also couldn’t stop watching it. Almost like a perverted and criminal version of Honey Boo Boo. A-

New in Home Entertainment

 

October 21, 2014

 

Mad Men: The Final Season Part 1
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I still don’t know why Mad Men doesn’t just claim that this as two separate seasons or maybe release the entire final season together rather than giving us this shortened 7 episode package, but regardless, this second to last edition of the hit AMC show hits like a whopper and is full of great surprises. As advertising moves through the progressive part of the 60’s, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and his crew of marketeers throw themselves right in with it without trying to get swallowed. The old guard is dying off and the new is pushing forward. It’s a fun-filled set of episodes and every bit as good as any of the other seasons we’ve seen previously. The groovy thing is that just like the era they are living in, the show is constantly changing. A-

 

The Last Sentence
Unrated
Available on DVD
In Swedish with English Subtitles
This 2014 black and white Swedish export tells the tale of a WWII-era Swedish journalist who takes on Hitler’s Germany in his newspaper while fighting his own demons at home. Beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, the movie is nice to look at and at times engaging, but it does move along much too slowly throughout. I wish the focus could have been more on Sweden’s struggle with Germany rather than on his personal issues as I feel the filmmakers selected the wrong A-story for this narrative. But for a different sort of WWII film that gives an interesting point of view, Jan Troell’s saga is an intriguing watch. B-

 

Mobilize
Unrated
Available on DVD
Blissful ignorance could be a good excuse not to watch this documentary about cell phones and the radiation they omit causing cancers from head to toe (or at least waist). While its not a very well-made film (it feels like a movie made by people who don’t know how to make movies), the information is scary and potentially life changing. I say potentially, because try living without a cell phone now that you are almost physically connected to one. Are the cellular companies hiding something? Most likely. Would it change anything if exposed? Not sure. C+

 

La Dolce Vita: Criterion Collection
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This nearly three hour Fellini masterpiece that follows a journalist in his fruitless quest for “the sweet life” through the streets of Rome is one of the most celebrated Italian films of all time and is getting the extreme Criterion treatment here with a new 4K restoration on blu-ray and a host of new features. It goes without saying that the film has never looked or sounded better and is an extreme pleasure for the senses. A

 

Universal Classic Monsters
Available on DVD
This thirty film collection comprises all of Universal’s classic monster movies from 1931-1956 in one very large box set. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man and The Phantom of the Opera are all represented here in all of their fantastic campiness. While there isn’t a lot to be scared of here, it is a fine collection of where we got our modern day monster films from and what used to scare our grandparents. I really loved that they threw in most of the Abbott and Costello monster parodies in the collection. B+

 

Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection
Available on Blu-ray
If the nice folks at Universal hadn’t sent me this collection already, I can tell you what would be at the top of my Christmas list this year. This collection holds 8 movies on blu-ray from the master as well as a 58-page book and tons of special features. What I like most about it is that it has such a wide range of his films including some of his earliest from before he was who he is, such as Duel, The Sugarland Express and 1941. Also included are Jaws, ET, Always, Jurassic Park (and I’ll conveniently try to forget about The Lost World. Seven of eight aren’t bad. This is a must have for those of us who idolize the director. I think its also great for any budding filmmaker to experience how the greatest got his start and what he constantly did to reinvent himself. A+

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

October 7, 2014

 

Million Dollar Arm
Rated PG for mild language and some suggestive content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on a true story, Jon Hamm is a sports agent who travels to India to find cricket players who might be potential MLB pitchers. Honestly, the trailers for this one didn’t excite me and I skipped it in theaters. I now regret that decision. I thoroughly enjoyed this Disney family sports pic from start to finish. Sure its predictable and maybe a bit too long, but it is very lovable. Hamm is completely believable as the agent and the whole project had an authentic feel about it that I didn’t expect. For family-oriented live action features, it doesn’t get much better than this. A-

Live. Die. Repeat./ Edge of Tomorrow
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
What a conundrum Warner Brothers has had with this latest Tom Cruise sci-fi adventure. First it was called All You Need Is Kill, then in theaters it went by Edge of Tomorrow and now finally it is being called Live.Die.Repeat for its home entertainment release. I’m not sure if it was Warner Brother’s lousy marketing or simply the fact that America is tired of Cruise, but the film was a bust at the box in spite of its stellar reviews. The pic follows Cruise in the middle of an alien attack where he relives the same day over and over again after he is killed. It’s like Ground Hogs Day meets Independence Day, except for that its not named after a holiday (or at least not yet – they may change the name again). It is a blast to watch if you like action sci-fi and truly one of the better films made this year. So if you can stomach its egomaniac star, you might just have a fun and unexpected adventure. A-

A Million Ways to Die in the West
Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, language throughout, some violence and drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Yet another release this week that got slaughtered at the box office is this long-titled western comedy by writer/director/star Seth MacFarlane about a sheep farmer that wants to win back his love (Amanda Seyfried) with the help of a beautiful stranger (Charlize Theron). The difference between this title and the other two previously discussed is that this one really stinks. The comedy is stale and the performances flat, as if everyone knows the material is lame but they really want to help out their friend Seth with his project. Overall its a pretty miserable experience. D

The Wonder Years: The Complete Series
Available on DVD exclusively from Time Warner
The only thing more awesome than this eighties/nineties drama is the packaging for the box set itself. From 1988 to 1993, I didn’t have time to watch many shows, but I always found room for the Wonder Years, which followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) as he survives his teenage years. Its like Harry Potter with a different kind of magic. Amazingly written and as funny as it is warm, the show is one of the greatest to grace the boob tube and Time Warner’s new release gives it the honor it deserves. A

Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
To prepare the way for its November 4 DVD release of Angelina Jolie starrer Maleficent, Disney is finally releasing its classic animated film Sleeping Beauty in high def. This new transfer is absolutely stunning and comes with some great new features including scenes originally conceived for the film but dropped in the process. A

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

September 30, 2014

 

Transformers: Age of Extinction
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Certainly one of this summer’s most anticipated films was the latest entry from the Transformers saga. Many folks have blamed the lame plot for not meeting its box office expectation, but I beg to differ. All of the Transformers films have had bad plots and this one is no different. The story revolves around new baddies teaming with old to bring on the end of humans. Whatever. Where the film really failed is in the Godfatheresque running time. The special effects are once again phenomenal, as are the battle sequences. Also – there are dinosaur transformers! But no one can take 164 minutes of metal crashing into metal. It just get boring. Director Michael Bay needs to reassess his need for such lengthy material and get to the point where he can tell a story and entertain in two hours or less. Then he just might win the summer box office again. C

 

Chef
Rated R for language, including some suggestive references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director/Actor Jon Favreau (Swingers, Iron Man) goes back to his indie roots with this pic about an award winning chef who loses it all and decides to go it alone in a food truck with his young son to help. I absolutely love food movies and some of the imagery in this one had me salivating to the point where I was actually angry at my popcorn and junior mints for being such a disapointment. And when they pulled into Franklin Barbecue in Austin and grabbed several briskets for the truck, I was insanely jealous, especially considering I have never been able to score a bite. But for me the film is an absolute lazy let down at the end. It’s almost as if Favreau couldn’t figure out how to end it so he just went straight to the aftermath. B-

 

Ivory Tower
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive and partying images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This doc from CNN Films discusses one of this country’s biggest white elephants: is college worth the cost in this day and age? It’s a tough question that I think is kind of skimmed over here for the most part. The film does a very decent job at showing examples of alternative education and ways to achieve success without college. It also shows many experiments with higher education, how they failed and the lessons learned. I really wish it could have gone deeper and given us some suggestion on how to fix the deepening and maddening issue. Or maybe that’s the point – there isn’t a fix yet. B+

 

Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition
Not Rated but would be a strong R
Available on Blu-ray
This legendary anime film about a futuristic world where humans and robots are basically conjoined is getting a fantastic new release on blu-ray with tons of special features. While the story is a little far out there for me (I’m still not sure what its really about), and the nudity is just plain distracting, its fun to examine the influence this film has had on our pop culture over the last 25 years. B

 

Daniel Boone: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
Daniel Boone was a man, yes a big man! I can still hear the men’s chorus singing this song right before watching my namesake take on his wilderness adventures. Sure the show is dated, but it is still a fun trip down memory lane. While I’ve only made it through 180 of its 8150 total minutes, I still recall the joy I got as a little kid watching the show in syndication in my childhood. This is a great collectors set that I’m thankful they finally released! A

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

September 16, 2014

 

Godzilla
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Destined to revisit us every few years or so, Godzilla makes its newest reincarnation in this very serious and much more thoughtful monster movie about a uber-large prehistoric-like creature who while at first appears to be an enemy to humans, holds the power to protect them from an even more destructive force. I’m surprised that the film did so well at the box office considering how much time it focuses on the human story and how little is actually dedicated to the monster fights. Then again, in spite of being a tad boring and overly-full of exposition and dialogue, the fights are pretty impressive throughout and the whole experience is mostly fun. I still much prefer the box office bomb Pacific Rim if I had to compare the two. B

 

Think Like a Man Too
Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content including references, partial nudity, language and drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
I know I saw the first Think Like a Man, but frankly I can’t remember anything about it. This new one, however, is one I wish I could also forget. The guys and girls head to Vegas for a wedding that turns into disaster during their respective bachelor parties. Stealing every cliche that you can imagine, the pic comes off as a lousy example of genre comedy. None of the jokes work. Not even in the least. The actors are trying so hard to be funny that the whole concept eludes them. You get the sense that the project was pitched as “The Black Hangover” but forgets that not only was that particular movie smart and funny, but the two following attempts to recreate the magic failed miserably. It’s like putting money on the table only to regret it, except instead of wishing you hadn’t wasted money, you wish you hadn’t wasted so much valuable time. D

 

Willow Creek
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Writer/Director Bobcat Goldthwait continues on his hot streak of critically acclaimed genre pictures with this found footage story of a young couple who go to Northern California in search of Big Foot. There are some truly horrifying moments in this film that seem to last forever, making you sit trembling waiting to see what will happen next. Sure there’s a little too much of the couple aiming the camera at themselves in weird moments when no one really would, but the two actors, relative newcomers Alexie Gilmore and Bryce Johhnson, both of whom have starred in other Goldthwait projects, turn in riveting performances that are quite convincing. We don’t get many films that are both smart and scary, and if you love horror, you must check this one out. A-

 

Spartacus: The Complete Series
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Starz hit Spartacus is finally getting its definitive collection in this huge box set containing every episode of the well-received sword and sandals epic series as well as tons of special features. Sure its a bit silly and has way too much sex and violence, but it is very entertaining if you are in the right mood. And with all of the beautiful and buff people, it also serves as a great inspiration to get off the couch and get your butt to the gym. B-

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

September 9, 2014

 

Citizen Koch
Available on DVD
Focusing on the deplorable Citizens United legislation, this doc attempts to incriminate the infamous Koch Brothers and their Super PAC Americans for Prosperity for starting a chain reaction that has deeply damaged America. While I agree with most of the points the film makes, I wish the doc had better structure and an answer to the dilemma. It does a great job riling up the crowd and stirring up anger, but it does a poor job of focusing that anger at a specific goal that might fix this mess. So if you want to simply get angry, watch this film. If you want to know what to do with that anger, you’ll have to find another resource. B-

 

The World Wars
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
There are only so many ways you can tell the same story, but The History Channel has to develop new programing, so here comes this slick production that ties together the leaders of WWII and what shaped them during WWI. Many are accusing the pseudo-doc for being full of errors. Since I’m not a fact-checking historian, I can only assume there is some validity to these criticisms. Where I can comment is that it is long and dry and in need of pacing help and cuts throughout. Frankly, for much of it I was quite bored. C+

 

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fifth Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
It seems like every network and their werewolf has a vampire series but only a couple have proven themselves worthy of a watch. With True Blood turning in an amazingly bad final season, the only bloodsucker drama worth checking out is this CW series. Sure its a bit cheesy and cliched, but the story is entertaining, the actors are super sexy (Nina Dobrev just might be the most beautiful actress on television right now), and there is a sense of humor that pervades without too much eye-rolling required. Also available this week is the ninth season of CW’s other fantasy show Supernatural. B

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

August 26, 2014

 

The Normal Heart
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This HBO feature film, which has won and will continue to sweep its award categories for made for TV movie, tells the story of the beginning of the AIDS crisis in New York City through the eyes of the physician (Julia Roberts) and the journalist (Mark Ruffalo) who attempted to bring the disease to the nation’s attention. There’s no doubt that this is a powerful piece of filmmaking by some brave and talented artists. While the story has been told before and in many different ways, this story still comes across as original, sad and triumphant. That being said, the film is very sexually graphic and even I was rather uncomfortable during some of the scenes. So while I can appreciate the film for what it is, it’s also not exactly a favorite that I will want to reach for again. B+

Blended
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Audiences apparently love to see Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore together on screen so much that Warner Brothers thought it a good idea to approve this deplorable script about a lonely father of three girls who finds himself on an African vacation with a lonely mother of two boys. It’s hard enough that there isn’t a genuine or organic moment in the entire film, but to add salt to the wound there isn’t a laugh to be found either. The filmmakers seem almost too desperate to make the reunion work, leaving the audience in pain as they watch. This is a special kind of bad movie that should be the crowned king at this year’s Golden Raspberries. F

Y Tu Mama También : The Criterion Edition
Rated R for strong sexual content involving teens, drug use and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron’s breathtaking erotic drama about a middle-aged woman who goes on a road trip with two young men to find a mythical beach in Mexico was so good that he was next offered to direct the third chapter of the Harry Potter series, The Prisoner of Azkaban. While a little young for a Criterion release, it fits the mold perfectly as a revolutionary and game changing movie. This new edition features a restored 2K digital transfer as well as the host of new special features you would expect from Criterion. A

Welcome Back Kotter: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
Sometimes you get pretty arrogant when it comes to the television programs and movies you enjoy and remember enjoying from your childhood. Then you take a look at one of your old favorites, here that would be Welcome Back Kotter, and you quickly realize that yes, you once enjoyed bad television also. This high school comedy, which served as the vehicle to launch John Travolta’s career, isn’t as funny as I once remembered, but it did serve as a slap across the face of good old fashioned nostalgia and a touch of humility as well that will be remembered the next time I blast someone else’s television favorites. B-

 

New in Home Entertainment

 

August 19, 2014

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) continues his new adventures here as he fends off Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and The Rhino (Paul Giamatti) from destroying New York City. You would think that the filmmakers would have learned their lesson from watching Spider-man 3, but apparently they are comfortable with history repeating itself. As in that critically pounded pic, this second in the new franchise has thrown too much in the mix. Too many bad guys, too much tortured love, too much story. There is a great plot to be found here in Parker’s relationship with the Green Goblin’s alter ego Harry Osborn, but rather than let that mature, they dumb it down and drown us with too much other unnecessary material. And its not like they needed that other material to show off their technological prowess. This new franchise has decent special effects, but is definitely not ground breaking by any means. That being said, sacrificing story for action has not hurt this Spidey’s box office as it has surely made a killing and will no doubt continue to do so in peoples’ homes. C

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Fourth Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
While HBO’s hit show about prohibition in Atlantic City isn’t getting quite the critical reception it once did, it is still churning out a binge-worthy serial with superb drama and fantastic performances. Joining the cast this year is Jeffrey Wright as Doctor Valentin Narcisse, a proclaimed man of God who also runs a drug empire. While not as scary a villain as the third season’s Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale), Narcisse provides an intriguing new dimension that counterbalances the weaker plot lines involving the characters played by Michael Shannon, Kelly McDonald and Gretchen Mol. With the upcoming season five to be the last, Empire’s sendoff is looking to be quite a bit better than True Blood’s desperately awful finale. B+

Muppets Most Wanted
Rated PG for some mild action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this latest addition to the Muppet franchise, a notorious gangster who looks similar to Kermit the Frog takes Kermits place, sending Kermit to a Siberian prison upon the mixup. The film tries so incredibly hard to be clever that it just can’t accomplish the feat. Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey are so into making a “kids” movie that they forget to entertain the adults. Aside from a couple of decent songs, the movie fizzles as it bores you into not caring about the Muppets again. This is something that has happened before, and I’m sure someone brilliant like Jason Segel will come to rescue them again. C

God’s Not Dead
Rated PG for thematic material, brief violence and an accident scene
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
As far as Christian films go, this drama that centers around an atheist professor who publicly battles one of his Christian students was a huge box office hit for the genre. While the whole setup is unbelievable and forcibly dramatic (what professor could ever keep his job if he made his students sign a piece of paper that reads God is dead?), the central message is presented in a convincing fashion. Where the film ultimately lets down though is in its desire to be overly complicated, almost mimicking the film Crash, and in its shameful over-publicizing of Duck Dynasty and The Newsboys. At times it feels like you are watching commercials for the real-life characters rather than a narrative that is supposed to move you. Had the filmmakers tightened the story and left out the fluff, maybe they could have had a film that would have been impactful for everyone rather than just Christians who would have liked it no matter what. B-

A Brony Tale
Not Rated
Available on DVD
Most consider the show My Little Pony to be a cartoon for little girls. This documentary follows a new subset of weird called Bronies, grown men, mostly straight, who openly love the show, primarily told from the point of view of one of the voice actresses who cautiously visits a Brony convention in New York City. While I find the subject matter extremely over-the-top, the documentary does give a fascinating and fairly framed look at a sub-culture that I really have no desire to understand further. B-