Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of February 23, 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 Good Dinosaur, Spotlight, Fargo Season 2, Secret in their Eyes, and more.
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Movies on Blu-ray
The Good Dinosaur (Peter Sohn) Rated PG [93 min] – In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. Starring Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, and Maleah Nipay-Padilla
Two Pixar movies in one year, 2015 was certainly a great time to be alive. Or was it? After being pushed back from 2014, kinks the animation juggernaut tried hard to work out don’t seem too far removed in The Good Dinosaur. Visually stunning with the most breathtaking environments ever computer rendered, sadly great aesthetics don’t make up a good movie. Tonally, The Good Dinosaur is a bit all over the place, the direction linear, and unlike most of Pixar’s impressive catalog, the themes hit you over the head. We’re always one step ahead of the characters, making Arlo’s journey particularly uninteresting. The Good Dinosaur is like purchasing the latest iPhone and discovering it has Windows on it. It’s easily digestible and far from being terrible, but it’s kind of a let down based on the high quality we know the studio is capable of.
Special features include:
- Sanjay’s Super Team Theatrical Short (in 3D on the 3D disc)
- True Lies About Dinosaurs
- Recyclosaurus
- The Filmmakers’ Journey
- Every Part of the Dinosaur
- Following the T-Rex Trail
- Commentary from director Peter Sohn, story supervisor Kelsey Mann, supervising animator Mike Venturini, director of photography/lighting Sharon Calahan, and supervising technical director Sanjay Bakshi.
- Dino Bites
- Hide and Seek
- Deleted Scenes
Spotlight (2015) (Tom McCarthy) Rated R [128 min] – The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, and Gene Amoroso
Based on all of the rave reviews from critics I expected more from Spotlight. It’s a wonderfully directed story that is chock-full of shock and awe moments through brilliant acting, but there’s something about it that didn’t quite captivate me. Maybe I thought it would be more flashy and in your face when it came time to break the scandal wide open? Slow churning, Spotlight is deliberate in its storytelling, giving off a sense of accomplishment with every revelation for each reporter as they delve deeper into the truth. A incredible example of what the power of journalism can achieve. Spotlight rewards patience and never pulls any punches, but it feels like eating a delicious steak dinner without a cool beverage to wash it all down.
Special features include:
- Uncovering the Truth: A Spotlight Team Roundtable
- Spotlight: A Look Inside
- The State of Journalism
Fargo – Season 2 (Noah Hawley) A drifter named Lorne Malvo arrives in small-town Minnesota and influences the population with his malice and violence, including put-upon insurance salesman Lester Nygaard. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Jeffrey Donovan, Kieran Culkin, and Brad Garrett
Believe the hype. What you may have heard about the first season rings true in the hilariously fascinating second season. Fargo is a textbook example of how this is the next golden age of television. All of the performances and absurd story arcs are so engaging and fresh that it’s hard to believe this is a show adapted from a film from the ’90s. Fargo is easily one of the most unique series on television right now and has the perfect balance of thrills and humor. What’s wild about the second season is how packed full of surprises it has without compromising story or character for the sake of shock value. Fargo is a true treasure.
Special features include:
- Lou on Lou: A Conversation with Patrick Wilson, Keith Carradine and Noah Hawley
- Waffles and Bullet Holes: A Return to Sioux Falls
- The Films of Ronald Reagan: Extended Fargo cut
- The True History of Crime in the Midwest
- Skip Sprang TV Commercial
Secret in Their Eyes (Billy Ray) Rated PG-13 [111 min] – A tight-knit team of rising investigators, along with their supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Dean Norris, and Alfred Molina
Once the climax makes its big reveal there is very little rewatch value. All of the well trained, stellar actors appear to be sleep walking through their performances with very little passion or glimmer of life behind their eyes. The movie is hollow and devoid of any redeeming qualities to make revisiting the mystery of it all worthwhile.
Special features include:
- Adapting the Story for Today’s World
- Julia Roberts Discusses Her Most Challenging Role
- Feature Commentary with Director/Screenwriter Billy Ray and Producer Mark Johnson
Extraction (Steven C. Miller) Rated R [83 min] – A former CIA operative is kidnapped by a group of terrorists. When his son learns there is no plan for his father to be saved, he launches his own rescue operation. Starring Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, and Gina Carano
Extraction is a grueling time waste. Granted, I more than assumed Kellen Lutz and Gina Carano would be their typical wooden selves, but I expected more from Bruce Willis. The dialogue is unbearable, the action is practically incomprehensible, and the story a contrived disaster. Despite the serious threat of nuclear warfare there is no sense of urgency or tension to really keep you engaged with the characters or the story. We know how this movie is going to end and there are little surprises to make it worth the effort. Woof.
Special features include:
- Audio Commentary with Director Steven C. Miller and Actor Kellan Lutz
- “The Making of Extraction” Featurette
- Extended Interviews with the Cast & Crew
- Deleted/Extended Scenes
Digital HD Only
Pretty in Pink (John Hughes) Rated PG-13 [1h 36min] – A poor girl must choose between the affections of her doting childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy. Starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts, James Spader, and Andrew McCarthy
I was offered the opportunity to review Pretty in Pink and figured why not? It’s been a long while since I had seen the film and I wanted to see how much my perspective of the characters have changed now that I’m a little older and wiser more seasoned from life. With 2016 marking the movie’s 30th anniversary, of course there are a lot of aspects that feel outdated: technology, human interaction, etc. But what makes John Hughe’s Pretty in Pink so spectacular after all these years is its honesty to its characters. In an age where we demand more female driven roles, Pretty in Pink was ahead of its time. Molly Ringwald’s performance is still sweet and absolutely genuine. They don’t make teen comedies like they use to.
DVD Only
I Smile Back (Adam Salky) Rated R [85 min] – Laney Brooks does bad things. Married with kids, she takes the drugs she wants, sleeps with the men she wants, disappears when she wants. Now, with the destruction of her family looming, and temptation everywhere, Laney makes one last desperate attempt at redemption. Starring Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Skylar Gaertner, and Shayne Coleman
When we see comedians known for their raunchy, absurdist behavior take on roles that are polar opposite to their regular gigs it can be a bit jarring. Like watching a dog walk on its hind legs. It can either be a thing of beauty or a complete disaster. Sarah Silverman is not a complete stranger to dramatic acting. She has appeared in multiple episodes of Showtime’s Masters of Sex and had a supporting role in Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz. But she’s never been the leading lady. I Smile Back is a no holds barred portrayal of addiction and the affects that it can have on others. Silverman earned herself a well-deserved SAG Award nomination for her role, but sadly the third act fails to completely make the character’s final decision seem believable. And being a fairly short film, the movie feels like a slog. The best takeaway we can gain from I Smile Back is that it would be in our best interest to bring more dramatic work to Sarah Silverman.
Special features include:
- In Conversation With… Sarah Silverman at TIFF.40
Additional Releases this Week
- The Big Short [Digital Only]
- The Graduate (Criterion Collection Edition)
- The Big Sleep (Warner Archive Edition)
- Scott Eastwood
- Diablo
- Warehouse 13: The Complete Series
- Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song: 2015 Christmas Special
Blu-Ray Deals and Steals
- The Flash: Season 1 -$16.96
- The Walk – $12.99
- Interstellar – $8
- Gravity – $8
- John Wick – $8
- Galaxy Quest – $5.99
- Kung Fu Panda 2- $9.99
- How to Train Your Dragon – $9.99
- Lone Survivor – $8
- The Imitation Game – $9.96
- The Wizard of Oz – $8
- Hannah and Her Sisters – $8.45
- Howard the Duck p $9.99
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
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