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Prisoners
Rated R for disturbing content including torture, and language throughout
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard discover their daughters have been kidnapped, they track down who they think is the kidnapper and begin to torture him hoping that he will spill the beans on their whereabouts.  Meanwhile, a police officer played by Jake Gyllenhaal is desperately searching for the childrens’ captor hoping to find them while they are still alive.  This is one dark and dismal ride with a good script and great acting.  But you have to be in the mood and its hard to get in the mood for a film like this.  Tough to watch but worth the time invested.  B+

The Lone Ranger
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Lone Ranger star Armie Hammer blamed the poor box office of this Disney tentpole on critical bullying, but I blame it on just simply not being very good.  Johnny Depp is decent as Tonto, but that doesn’t overcome the problems.  First of all it sells itself as a family-friendly film but it is horribly violent.  Watching a man cutting out another man’s heart and eating it while his henchman watches on like he’s getting off is just sick, even if the deed is mostly just implied.  Some of the action is well-choreographed and fun to watch, and I loved the score by Hans Zimmer, but at two and a half hours, the film is way too long without earning the right to be.  Maybe if they had cut out all of the Tonto sequences where he is an old man, the film might have been tighter and easier to watch, but overall this one is a chore that you’ll want to keep your finger on the fast forward button for.  C-

The World’s End
Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From writer/director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, whose great teamwork brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, comes yet another terrific end of the world comedy.  This time around Pegg and Frost, as well as some other wonderful British actors, attempt to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youths and are bound and determined to get to the 12th pub, The World’s End, even in light of an alien invasion serving as a blockade.  While not quite as good as their other two movies, this is still an incredibly entertaining comedy with huge laughs coming off of a sophisticated sense of humor.  While the characters aren’t as likable as you’d expect, you still manage to cheer for them to win out in the end.  A-

We’re the Millers
Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and brief graphic nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a down-on-his-luck drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis) is forced to go to Mexico and pick up an RV full of weed and bring it back to the states, he hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston) and two teens to pose as his happy family in order to keep his cover safe and get across the border.  I heard from so many people that this was one of the funniest comedies of the year, but honestly, I just wasn’t as entertained.  Don’t get me wrong – its funny at times and also occasionally clever, but many of the jokes are overly contrived and some of the jokes are flat out not funny.  B-

Planes
Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D
What was supposed to be a straight-to-DVD animated film from Disney ended up being released in theaters to make a quick buck before stealing more money from audiences right before Christmas.  No one said Disney wasn’t smart if not a little cruel in this case.  Planes is basically Cars in plane form except Pixar didn’t participate.  While it’s probably meant for toddlers with weak attention spans, it failed my three-year-old’s test as he was begging to watch the Lion King 30 minutes in.  Everything is lame here including the writing, directing and voice acting.  The only thing of any value is the animation which manages to make the film only partly watchable.  D+

New in Home Entertainment

New in Home Entertainment

November 5, 2013

White House Down
Rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence including intense gunfire and explosions, some language and a brief sexual image
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The second of the 2013 White House under attack films has our president under the gun of rogue agents and rednecks rather than the North Koreans but the results are just as silly.  Just like Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen, the White House is attacked and its up to someone not on his security team to rescue him.  While both films are over the top, White House Down differs in its tone as it chooses to be more sarcastic towards our government and very much less believable.  The script is incredibly weak with dialog worthy of a film by Roland Emmerich, director of 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow.  That being said, the action, while much of it doesn’t make sense, is packed and there are enough gunfights and explosions to keep you occupied through the lame storyline.  C-

Clear History
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm lead an all-star cast in this very typical Larry David comedy.  Here David, a marketing executive from Hamm’s car company, is justifiably fired right before the launch of a vehicle that changes the world.  Years later David seeks his revenge on Hamm for making him look like a fool.  Of course he is a fool and that doesn’t stop.  He is practically the same character he always is as he lacks the filter that prevents most people from saying whatever comes to mind.  While it probably could have been released theatrically, HBO took it straight to TV but that doesn’t mean it’s any less hilarious.  The actors look like they had a blast making the project and I had a blast watching it.  A-

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