Now available to own titles for the week of February, 2 2016 are Snow White, Bridge of Spies, Batman: Bad Blood, and more. Continue reading
Now available to own titles for the week of February, 2 2016 are Snow White, Bridge of Spies, Batman: Bad Blood, and more. Continue reading
Coming Soon to Blu-Ray and DVD for the week of January 30, 2016 includes Creed, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, 99 Homes, In the Heart of the Sea, and more Continue reading
Now available to own titles for the week of January 26, 2016 are UnReal Season 1, Goosebumps, Burnt, The Assassin, Downton Abbey, Chi-Raq, and more Continue reading
Coming Soon to Blu-Ray and DVD for the week of January 23, 2016 includes Brooklyn, Spotlight, The Good Dinosaur, Veep (Season 4), Silicon Valley (Season 2), and more Continue reading
Now available to own titles for the week of January 19, 2016 are Straight Outta Compton, The Intern, Everest, Jem and the Holograms, and more Continue reading
Coming Soon to Blu-Ray and DVD for the week of January 16, 2016 includes Carol, The Peanuts Movie, The Night Before, and more. Continue reading
Now available to own titles for the week of January 12, 2016 are The Martian, Sinister 2, Mr. Robot, Irrational Man, and more Continue reading
Coming Soon to Blu-Ray and DVD for the week of January 9, 2016 includes Spectre, Pretty Little Liars, The 33, Secret in their Eyes, and more. Continue reading
Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of January 5, 2016. Every Tuesday we run down new movie and television releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can help save you some coin. New on shelves this week are The Walk, Sicario, The Visit, Deathgasm, and more.
Sicario (Denis Villeneuve) Rated R [121 min] – An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, and Jon Bernthal
If you like tense, edge of your seat dramas that leave you in suspense up until the bitter end, Sicario will be your cup of tea. Emily Blunt puts out a wonderful performance alongside a stellar supporting casting, especially Benicio Del Toro who absolutely shines.
Special features include:
The Walk (Robert Zemeckis) Rated PG [123 min] – In 1974, high-wire artist Philippe Petit recruits a team of people to help him realize his dream: to walk the the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Guillaume Baillargeon, and Émilie Leclerc
Sadly, The Walk is one of the most under seen movies of 2015. The most depressing part about the film isn’t that it’s a dramatization of the thrilling documentary Man on Wire, what’s upsetting is that The Walk is actually a really fun movie that is riveting experience when seen on the big screen. There is some incredible cheese and terrible narration, but overall this movie is one of the most intense things I witnessed in theaters last year. My armpits were dripping with anxiety throughout the last 30 minutes of the film.
Special features include:
The Visit (M. Night Shyamalan) Rated PG-13 [94 min] – A single mother finds that things in her family’s life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents. Starring Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, and Peter McRobbie
M. Night (Signs; The Sixth Sense; The Village; Unbreakable) has not had the best track record after the handful of successes he garnered early on in his career. After a slew of flops, including 2013’s abomination After Earth, the once revered master of twists shows he still has that delicious flare we know and love. The Visit doesn’t have the best characters to fall in love with, but the pacing, direction, and level of mystery delivers a fairly rewarding end. And amazingly, if he continues doing work at this caliber, I am highly intrigued at what he can accomplish next.
Special features include:
The Green Inferno (Eli Roth) Rated R [100 min] – A group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished. Starring Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns, and Kirby Bliss Blanton
Not since 2007’s Hostel II have I really seen anything to jump for joy about when it comes to Eli Roth’s work. And after delays and mixed reviews, I wasn’t so sure I’d walk away from The Green Inferno in any better shape. Surprisingly, I was pleasantly enlightened by its cheeky story. And despite having heard how vicious and disgusting it is, The Green Inferno is pretty tame considering it’s a film about cannibalism.
Special features include:
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (Christopher Landon) Rated R [93 min] – Three scouts, on the eve of their last camp-out, discover the true meaning of friendship when they attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak. Starring Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, and Sarah Dumont
Originally entitled Scouts vs. Zombies, a more suitable and grammatically correct title, Scouts Guide, in its truest form, is the stoner comedy answer to the rise in popularity of the undead. Not without its lewd and somewhat refreshing zombie set pieces, the movie fails to deliver characters and a story that matters. Scouts Guide is what would happen if the tripod from Superbad encountered the zombie apocalypse. It’s not revolutionary on any level, but it does have a few gags that are worth fast forwarding to get to.
Special features include:
Deathgasm (Jason Lei Howden) Unrated [86 min] – Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives. Starring Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, and Kimberley Crossman
After its big premiere at South by Southwest, Deathgasm has been on my must watch list for quite some time. So does it live up to the hype? Kinda. The movie is really fun and full of hilarious references to the metal scene, and even if you’re not a metalhead, the movie goes a long way to entertain and fully engage you in the rambunctious anarchy. The only downside is that its convenient ending makes the movie feel a bit rushed.
Special features include:
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda) Rated PG-13 [98 min] – Famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram, in 1961 conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans willingness to obey authority. Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Josh Hamilton, Taryn Manning, Winona Ryder, and Anton Yelchin
Not having any previous awareness to famed psychologist Stanley Milgram, I didn’t quite know what to expect going into Experimenter, only that the cast is exceptional. That being said, the movie is pretty cut and dry aside from a narrative breaking of the fourth wall by Sarsgaard. The movie tells and never shows. The main social experiment is rather fascinating, and its subjects bring up a lot of concerning and existential conversations. However, there’s nothing too exhilarating about Experimenter to capture and engage like it should with how important Milgram’s findings were.
Special features include:
Kung Fu Panda [Re-Release] (Mark Osborne and John Stevenson) Rated PG [92 min] – In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts. Starring Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, and Ian McShane
AND
Kung Fu Panda 2 [Re-Release] (Jennifer Yuh) Rated PG [91 min] – Po and his friends fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past. Starring Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, and Gary Oldman
Both Kung Fu Panda films have been re-released with extra bonus content in celebration of the upcoming release of Kung Fu Panda 3. While I enjoy both films, the new extra features are fun for the kids, but don’t bring anything really new to those looking for a deeper exploration of the making of the film.
New Re-release Special features include:
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland) Rated R [95 min] – A good-natured womanizer and a serial cheater form a platonic relationship that helps reform them in ways, while a mutual attraction sets in. Starring Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Jordan Carlos, and Margarita Levieva
This may be the first time I’ve found Jason Sudeikis mildly tolerable. That may lie solely on the fact that Alison Brie brings out the best in people. Sleeping with Other People isn’t your traditional FWB romcom, but rather a relationship story based on friendship and support. Crazy concept, I know. It works up until the very end where things start to fall apart. It has some good laughs and witty dialogue, but not revolutionary to the romcom game.
Captive (Jerry Jameson) Rated PG-13 [97 min] – A single mother struggling with drug addiction is taken hostage in her own apartment by a man on the run after breaking out of jail and murdering the judge assigned to his case. Starring Kate Mara, David Oyelowo, Mimi Rogers, and Michael Kenneth Williams
Not much can be said about the rather mediocre Captive. While the performances by Mara and Oyelowo maintain a professional level of commitment with the utmost conviction, the film is rather repetitive, beating the main story beats and themes over the head too often. And by the end, the miles Captive puts in to build to some meaningful, big finale doesn’t come close to the oomph it is hoping for because the damage has already been done.
Special features include:
Broad City (Season 2) [DVD Only] (Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson) Rated TV-14 [22 min] – Broad City follows two women throughout their daily lives in New York City, making the smallest and mundane events hysterical and disturbing to watch all at the same time. Starring Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, and Hannibal Buress
I hadn’t had the inclination to check out Broad City, but after the opportunity presented itself, and figuring how well received the series has been, I thought I’d check it out. The show definitely lives up to the hype. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer absolutely crush it. The lives of their characters are hilariously resonating while at the same time utterly fantastical. Season 2 is a big step forward as their characters progress to even further heights and their morals even lower. This show is hilarious and suggest everyone gets on it.
Special features include:
All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.
What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!
All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com
Image: Fighting in the War Room
Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of December 29, 2015. Every Tuesday we run down new movie and television releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can help save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Hitman: Agent 47, Ray Donovan, Shameless, and more.
Hitman: Agent 47 (Aleksander Bach) Rated R [96 min] – An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Starring Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, and Ciarán Hinds
Video game movies have never had a good track record, which is strange because these days most games are basically long, interactive films. As far as Hitman: Agent 47 is concerned, we can throw it on top of the pile of other disregarded adaptations. The signature action of the game is shot frantically close and practically robotic in the movie. Nothing feels organic, with every beat of the film stiffer than a 60-year-old man on a good day using Viagra. The characters are flat and everything is taken so seriously that there’s little personality to continue the franchise. I only gained a screener of the film, so I did not see any of the special features, which I can assume are trying to make up for the film since there are so many extras.
Special features include:
Heist (Scott Mann) Rated R [93 min] – A father is without the means to pay for his daughter’s medical treatment. As a last resort, he partners with a greedy co-worker to rob a casino. When things go awry they’re forced to hijack a city bus. Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dave Bautista, and Robert De Niro
There are so many likable actors in Heist that it’s hard to believe the end result could be so poor. Borrowing elements of Speed and unjustly servicing them, this film is a perfect example of an eye-rolling experience. It wants to be a high stakes thriller without the thrills. We’ve seen it all before. The little charisma the cast musters up can hardly penetrate the low level dialogue and pedestrian, paint-by-numbers plot. Even the cast interviews are empty.
Special features include:
Shameless: The Complete Fifth Season (Paul Abbott) An alcoholic man lives in a perpetual stupor while his six children with whom he lives cope as best they can. Starring William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Justin Chatwin, Shanola Hampton, Emma Kenney, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Steve Howey, Shanola Hampton, and Cameron Monaghan
After five seasons of debauchery and degrading hijinks, the Gallagher family has still managed to come out on top – to themselves at least. The series continues its strong and sometimes dark push in showcasing a family that keeps itself afloat by any means necessary. But that’s kind of the problem as we head into the sixth season next month. The show is becoming a little stale. As much as the family has grown on us over the years, Shameless takes the long road to encourage character growth. The extra content isn’t much to get excited about.
Special features include:
All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.
What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!
All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com