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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-

New in Home Entertainment

September 3, 2013

From Up On Poppy Hill
Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some incidental smoking images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From master animator Hayao Miyazaki and his talented son Goro Miyazaki comes this gorgeous new animated film from Studio Ghibli and the first release in years not associated with Disney.  Set in 1963 in Japan, Poppy Hill tells the story of a young girl who falls in love with a boy in her school only to discover a secret that could keep them apart.  While animated, this is not a kid’s film, but it is a lovely piece of storytelling with some rather stunning hand-drawn animation.  The only thing missing here is a score by Joe Hisaishi which could have really added to the already terrific film.  A-

Somm
Available on DVD
Even a wine nerd like me can’t come close to the skill set shown by these young candidates trying to pass their Master Sommelier Exam to become one of a select group of less than 200 individuals considered to be the top wine experts in the world.  At first the level of pretension shown in this documentary is a turnoff, but by the end you find yourself cheering them on as they are put through a rigorous gauntlet of seemingly insurmountable wine challenges to pass their exam at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dallas.  While I have no desire to ever be this good at wine, I can certainly now appreciate the hard work that goes into attaining this level of expertise.  I do pity them though as they have to spit so much of the heavenly nectar out and I must admit that I feel a bit superior since I don’t.  B+

Stories We Tell
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving sexuality, brief strong language and smoking
Available on DVD
Oscar-nominated writer/director/actress Sarah Polley (Away From Her) gets extremely personal here in this documentary as she sets out to tell the story of her deceased mother and in turn discovers a hidden truth about her own existence that she could have never dreamed of unearthing.  I had a feeling that the film would be hard to follow considering the slightly confusing first act, but by the meat of the story, Polley’s genius is very apparent and I was completely blown away at the story (or stories) that essentially made up her life.  This is an incredibly fascinating documentary that will have you on the edge of your seat and laughing in disbelief.  And for someone to tell a story so personal about themselves at first feels foolish but proves to be incredibly brave.  A

New in Home Entertainment

August 20, 2013

Epic
Rated PG for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
When a teenage girl is forced to live with her eclectic scientist father, she accidentally finds herself miniaturized and forced into a battle between good and evil in the natural world.  On first hearing about this new animated film I was very excited and had the highest hopes.  While the movie didn’t live up to my expectations, it did deliver an action-packed  adventure that felt geared almost more to adults than children.  I also fully expected a preachy environmental film and refreshingly, that was far from the case here.  Instead of a message, you simply get a story that is fun enough to keep you entertained for about a hundred minutes.  B-

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season
Rated TV-MA
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is back in HBO’s hit series about Atlantic City during the prohibition era.  It’s hard to build on a season like number two with its shocking conclusion, but the third takes it up a notch, largely due to the introduction of the absolutely insane  and unpredictable Bobby Cannavale.  While Michael Shannon’s side story seems a little far-fetched, the rest of the show keeps you biting your fingernails for twelve thrilling episodes, just in time to set you up for season four starting on September 8th.  A-

New in Home Entertainment

August 13, 2013

Emperor
Rated PG-13 for violent content, brief strong language and smoking (historical)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
During the U.S. occupation of Japan directly after their surrender during WWII, a young general (Matthew Fox) is assigned by General MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to investigate war crimes and the possible involvement of the Japanese Emperor in the decision to attack Pearl Harbor.  The project feels like they really thought this was going to be a great, awards-worthy motion picture, but unfortunately everything plays flat and frankly a little boring.  Maybe they all lost their passion once they got on set or possibly in the editing room, or maybe they were just trying to be too cautiously sensitive with the material, but as a whole, the movie doesn’t really work all too well.  C+

To the Wonder
Rated R for some sexuality/nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life was one of my favorite films in recent memory, so I was excited to see how he would follow it up with his latest project about love and loss that takes place in my home state of Oklahoma.  In the picture, Ben Affleck falls for and brings back to Oklahoma a young European girl, played by Olga Kurylenko, but upon her exit he falls for a girl from town played by Rachel McAdams.  All the while a priest struggling with his faith, played by Javier Bardem, tries to help his community.  Unfortunately, Malick’s writing and directing style just doesn’t work well with this kind of movie.  For much of the film you get the sense that the characters only communicate through telepathy.  What should have been a beautiful and artistic film turns into an annoying and aggravating experience with lovely scenery.  Normally I would advise that this is a film for fans of the director only, but in this case I would advise against it since it could taint your image of him.  C

Girls: The Complete Second Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This anti-Sex and the City from HBO continues in its second season as the four entitled and annoying young girls from New York flounder around trying to find themselves.  While I really can’t stand the characters, I also can’t take my eyes off them.  Their escapades and adventures are more entertaining than anything you might find on Duck Dynasty and the show will, probably for the first time, make you wish they’d put some clothes on.  And yet I can’t seem to stop watching.  Watching Girls is like sticking to a bad habit that you just put up with even though you could easily stop it at any time.  B

The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Kermit, Ms. Piggy and the gang’s first adventure is finally getting the blu-ray touch up from Disney.  One of the first films I ever saw in theaters, the movie holds up surprisingly well and serves as not just a fun trip down memory lane but can also capture the attention and the imagination of the kiddos as well.  A-