MAD MAX: FURY ROAD 21st Critics’ Choice Awards Nominees

After last week’s nominations were revealed for the 22nd Annual SAG Awards and 73rd Golden Globes, it feels like it could be anyone’s game at this point. This morning the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced their 21st Critics’ Choice Awards nominees with George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road leading the charge with 13 nods. Hosted by T.J. Miller, the winners will be revealed during a live broadcast from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on A&E, Lifetime, and LMN on Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.

Mad Max: Fury Road has undoubtedly become the underdog favorite of this awards season, as it has become one of the most revered features of the year by critics, myself included – my review. The big topic of conversation, aside from gaining Best Picture recognition, is Charlize Theron’s nods for both Best Actress and Best Actress In An Action Movie. Tom Hardy, of course, is nominated for Best Actor In An Action Movie, but it’s George Miller for Best Director that has really invested my interest into whether he could be a contender come Oscars. The film has also garnered nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Action Movie, and Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.

Trailing behind the whirlwind, critically acclaimed hit is Carol, The Martian, and The Revenant with nine nominations each. While this year’s big favorite, Spotlight, has earned itself eight nominations from critics, followed by The Big Short and The Hateful Eight with six each. Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, The Danish Girl, Jurassic World, and Sicario each earned five nominations and Room obtained four. Charlize Theron isn’t the only actress up for multiple Best Actress categories, as Jennifer Lawrence is up for three for her work in Joy and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, while Rachel McAdams is up for two awards for Spotlight and True Detective.

And while the film categories are all up in the air, the television categories prove that the increasing output of excellent programming continued this year with FX, ABC, and HBO both gaining 14 nominations each; FOX is close on their heels with 12 nods. The big standout series this year, as determined by critics, is FX’s Fargo with eight nominations. The Leftovers (HBO) and Transparent (Amazon) are not far behind with five nominations each; Black-ish (ABC), Mr. Robot (USA), and Penny Dreadful (Showtime) each earned four.

So what can we takeaway from this year’s 21st Critics’ Choice Awards nominees? For starters, no other awards group has seen more movies this year than the critics, assumably. It’s their jobs to assess the year in film. Who better has a sound voice of reasoning than those who sit in dark rooms and watch movies multiple times per week? In the long run, sure, all awards are practically meaningless gold statues, and the varying award categories the BFCA and BTJA have set have little influence when it comes to the Oscars, but if these voices of reason can help sway voters to at least make an earnest decision at the polls we can be safe in knowing we won’t have another year where a Shakespeare in Love wins against a Saving Private Ryan.

21st CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEES – THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

BEST PICTURE

  • The Big Short
  • Bridge of Spies
  • Brooklyn
  • Carol
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • Room
  • Sicario
  • Spotlight
  • Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

BEST ACTOR

  • Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
  • Matt Damon – The Martian
  • Johnny Depp – Black Mass
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
  • Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
  • Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

BEST ACTRESS

  • Cate Blanchett – Carol
  • Brie Larson – Room
  • Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
  • Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
  • Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
  • Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Paul Dano – Love & Mercy
  • Tom Hardy – The Revenant
  • Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
  • Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
  • Michael Shannon – 99 Homes
  • Sylvester Stallone – Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
  • Rooney Mara – Carol
  • Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
  • Helen Mirren – Trumbo
  • Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
  • Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

  • Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation
  • RJ Cyler – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
  • Shameik Moore – Dope
  • Milo Parker – Mr. Holmes
  • Jacob Tremblay – Room

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

  • The Big Short
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Spotlight
  • Straight Outta Compton
  • Trumbo

BEST DIRECTOR

  • Todd Haynes – Carol
  • Alejandro González Iñárritu – The Revenant
  • Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
  • George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Ridley Scott – The Martian
  • Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – Bridge of Spies
  • Alex Garland – Ex Machina
  • Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight
  • Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley – Inside Out
  • Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Charles Randolph and Adam McKay – The Big Short
  • Nick Hornby – Brooklyn
  • Drew Goddard – The Martian
  • Emma Donoghue – Room
  • Aaron Sorkin – Steve Jobs

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Carol – Ed Lachman
  • The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson
  • Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale
  • The Martian – Dariusz Wolski
  • The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki
  • Sicario – Roger Deakins

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Bridge of Spies – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo
  • Brooklyn – François Séguin, Jennifer Oman and Louise Tremblay
  • Carol – Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
  • The Danish Girl – Eve Stewart, Michael Standish
  • Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson
  • The Martian – Arthur Max, Celia Bobak

BEST EDITING

  • The Big Short – Hank Corwin
  • Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel
  • The Martian – Pietro Scalia
  • The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione
  • Spotlight – Tom McArdle

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux
  • Carol – Sandy Powell
  • Cinderella – Sandy Powell
  • The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado
  • Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP

  • Black Mass
  • Carol
  • The Danish Girl
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Revenant

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • Ex Machina
  • Jurassic World
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian
  • The Revenant
  • The Walk

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

  • Anomalisa
  • The Good Dinosaur
  • Inside Out
  • The Peanuts Movie
  • Shaun the Sheep Movie

BEST ACTION MOVIE

  • Furious 7
  • Jurassic World
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  • Sicario

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

  • Daniel Craig – Spectre
  • Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  • Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Chris Pratt – Jurassic World
  • Paul Rudd – Ant-Man

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

  • Emily Blunt – Sicario
  • Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  • Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World
  • Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
  • Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST COMEDY

  • The Big Short
  • Inside Out
  • Joy
  • Sisters
  • Spy
  • Trainwreck

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

  • Christian Bale – The Big Short
  • Steve Carell – The Big Short
  • Robert De Niro – The Intern
  • Bill Hader – Trainwreck
  • Jason Statham – Spy

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

  • Tina Fey – Sisters
  • Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
  • Melissa McCarthy – Spy
  • Amy Schumer – Trainwreck
  • Lily Tomlin – Grandma

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

  • Ex Machina
  • It Follows
  • Jurassic World
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • The Martian

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  • The Assassin
  • Goodnight Mommy
  • Mustang
  • The Second Mother
  • Son of Saul

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

  • Amy
  • Cartel Land
  • Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  • He Named Me Malala
  • The Look of Silence
  • Where to Invade Next

BEST SONG

  • Fifty Shades of Grey – Love Me Like You Do
  • Furious 7 – See You Again
  • The Hunting Ground – Til It Happens To You
  • Love & Mercy – One Kind of Love
  • Spectre – Writing’s on the Wall
  • Youth – Simple Song #3

BEST SCORE

  • Carol – Carter Burwell
  • The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone
  • The Revenant – Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto
  • Sicario – Johann Johannsson
  • Spotlight – Howard Shore

Continue Reading to see the the Television Category Nominees–>>

Now Available to Own: Magic Mike XXL, Insidious 3, The Leftovers, and More

Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of October 6, 2015. Every Tuesday we run down new movie, television, and video game releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Magic Mike XXL, Insidious: Chapter 3, Penny Dreadful (Season 2), The Leftovers (Season 1), and more.

magic mike xxl

Source: BuzzFeed

Movies on Blu-ray

Magic Mike XXL (Gregory Jacobs) Rated R [115 min] – Three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance. Starring Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, and Amber Heard [Watch the trailer]

Magic Mike XXL stands out as one of the better films of the year simply because it has an acute ability to balance character drama with silly, entertaining charm. This Magic Mike isn’t as dark and brooding as its predecessor. XXL is the film moviegoers were hoping for the first time around. There are moments that feel like the movie is dragging, but overall it’s quite enjoyable.

Special features include:

  • The Moves of Magic Mike XXL
  • Extended Malik Dance Scene
  • Georgia

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon) Rated PG-13 [105 min] – High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, and Connie Britton

Another great film from earlier this year. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is an incredible cinematic experience. And after you’ve seen it, despite the sadness of it all, there’s a revelatory moment at the end that makes repeat viewing more enjoyable with every watch.

Special features include:

  • Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • This is Where You Learn How The Movie Was Made
  • Abstract: Movie for Rachel
  • A Conversation with Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson Productions (Shorts Montage)
  • Audio Commentary by Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • Greg’s Trailer, Gallery
  • And more!

Insidious: Chapter 3 (Leigh Whannell) Rated PG-13 [97 min] – A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity. Starring Lin Shaye Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, and Leigh Whannell [Watch the Trailer]

As a big step up from Insidious: Chapter 2, Chapter 3 does an OK job at filling in character gaps of our ghost hunters. Unfortunately, there isn’t as much time devoted to team building as one would hope because most of the time is dedicated to haunting our protagonist. There are some good frights, but Insidious: Chapter 3 still fails to capture the magic of the first Insidious.

Special features include:

  • Origin Story: Making Chapter 3 Featurette
  • Deleted Scenes (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Being Haunted: A Psychic Medium Speaks Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Macabre Creations Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Stunts: The Car Crash Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Cherry Glazerr: Tiptoe Through the Tulips Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)

We Are Still Here (Ted Geoghegan) Not Rated [84 min] – In the cold, wintery fields of New England, a lonely old house wakes up every thirty years – and demands a sacrifice. Starring Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig, and Lisa Marie

It’s been a good while since I’ve seen a haunted house story that I haven’t been bored to tears by. Not since The Conjuring has anything really worked for me. We Are Still Here is not groundbreaking, but it is a solid B-movie flick that has a unique story surrounding the origins of the house that kept my interest engaged. It also has a bloody good finale.

Special features include:

  • Commentary with Writer-Director Ted Geoghegan and Producer Travis Stevens
  • Behind the Scenes – Geoghegan and Stevens discuss the genesis of the project and the challenges and successes of bringing the script to life.
  • Trailer
  • Teaser

Final Girl (Tyler Shields) Rated R [90 min] [DVD Only] – A man teaches a young woman how to become a complete weapon. 13 years later, at 18 she will approach a group of sadistic teens who killed blonde women for unknown reasons. The hunting season begins. Starring Abigail Breslin, Wes Bentley, Logan Huffman, and Alexander Ludwig

On the other side of the coin, Final Girl is the purest example of how a promising B-movie can fail. The concept has all the best intentions and it could have been fantastic, but the acting and the characters are awful. And I’m surprised. With Breslin and Bentley at the forefront, Final Girl should succeed. I’d love to see this remade with a little more attention to detail and better direction.

  • No special features listed

Eaters (Johnny Tabor) Rated R [90 min] [DVD Only] – After their friend goes missing, five road-tripping friends must confront a violent biker gang, but after they narrowly escape, their nightmare goes from bad to spine-chilling. Starring Marcelle Bowman, Robert Dean, and Tristan Parrish Moore

Nothing is more basic than Eaters. I like road trip thrillers as much as the next horror fan, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of my favorites, but when there is no intensity or empathy for our protagonists then all is lost. Never did I care about any of the little rascals lost on their way to Timbuktu, or the bikers who are wrapped up in a contrived drug scheme. The folks they encounter that stir the pot are hardly frightening and have no depth to them to be afraid either.

  • No special features listed

Rumble in the Bronx (Stanley Tong) Rated R [87 min] – A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills. Starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip [Watch the Trailer]

This is classic Jackie Chan. I remember growing up as a young lad and catching Rumble in the Bronx on TNT or some cable channel. I always stopped when I reached this point. It seemed to be on all the time. There’s something about the goofiness of the story, Chan’s incredible fight choreography, and the terrible dubbing that creates something magical.

  • No special features listed

Jackie Chan’s First Strike (Stanley Tong) Rated PG-13 [107 min] – This installment of Chan’s Police Story series has our hero trying to locate a missing nuclear warhead. Starring Jackie Chan, Jackson Liu, and Annie Wu [Watch the Trailer]

But if you’re looking for a more serious Chan movie, First Strike is what you seek. A year after Bronx, Chan’s follow up feature is more hard-hitting, non-stop action. Of course the whole scenario the plot is wildly exaggerated like most Chan films, but that’s why we love them. Another fine Jackie Chan classic.

  • No special features listed

What We Did on Our Holiday (Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin) Rated PG-13 [95 min] [DVD Only] – Doug and Abi take their kids on a family vacation. Surrounded by relatives, the kids innocently reveal the ins and outs of their family life and many intimate details about their parents. It’s soon clear that when it comes to keeping a big secret under wraps from the rest of the family, their children are their biggest liability. Starring Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, and Billy Connolly

What would happen if the psycho wife from Gone Girl and the tenth Doctor took a mini vacay as a family? What We Did on Our Holiday is your answer. Not quite as childish as the promotional images imply, WWDOOH does its best in teaching life-long, adult lessons through the perspective of precarious British children. And you can’t have any kind of family comedy without a kooky grandfather, right? There’s a lot that works here better than it should, and perhaps U.S. studios could learn a thing or two about family comedies from this foreign flick.

Special features include:

  • Audio Commentary with Directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
  • “Creating Dysfunction: Making What We Did on Our Holiday” featurette
  • Deleted Scenes

When Marnie Was There (Hiromasa Yonebayashi) Rated PG [103 min] – A young girl is sent to the country for health reasons, where she meets an unlikely friend in the form of Marnie, a young girl with flowing blonde hair. As the friendship unravels it is possible that Marnie has closer ties to the protagonist than we might expect. Starring Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, and Susumu Terajima

Sadly, I missed this film in theaters and haven’t had a chance since to check it out. When Marnie Was There is a Studio Ghibli film in a post Hayao Miyazaki retirement world. So I am interested in seeing how it holds up without him.

Special features include:

  • The Making of When Marnie Was There
  • Yohei Taneda Creates the Art of When Marnie Was There
  • Feature-Length Storyboards
  • Behind the Scenes with the Voice Cast
  • Foreign Trailers and TV Spots
  • US Trailer

Continue Reading for TV Releases –>>

Coming Soon to Blu-Ray and DVD: Tomorrowland, Magic Mike XXL, and More

While we provide you with a list of available new releases Now Available to Own every Tuesday, Coming Soon to Blu-ray and DVD looks at all of the recent home video announcements. For the week of August 22, 2015 we have Tomorrowland, Magic Mike XXL, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Dark Places, and more. Find out when they’ll be out and what special features movie fans can expect below.

Tomorrowland Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD October 13

Tomorrowland (Brad Bird) Rated PG [130 min] – Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory. Starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, and Raffey Cassidy [Watch the trailer]

Special features include:

  • Remembering the Future: A Personal Journey Through Tomorrowland with Brad Bird – Discover everything there is to know about the making of Tomorrowland through Director Brad Bird’s perspective.
  • Casting Tomorrowland – Join Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, and Raffey Cassidy as they discuss the making of Tomorrowland.
  • A Great Big Beautiful Scoring Session – Famed composer Michael Giacchino invites Disney legend, Richard Sherman to join him in an informal visit to the Tomorrowland scoring stage, told through the personal lens of Michael’s brother, documentarian Anthony Giacchino.
  • The World of Tomorrow Science Hour – Hosted By Futurologist David Nix (Blu-ray and DMA Exclusive) – Believe it or not but Nix used to host a children’s television program about science. Now watch the recently discover outtakes from the show.
  • Animated Short: The Origins of Plus Ultra – An animated story of how Tomorrowland came to be.
  • Brad Bird Production Diaries
    • Diary Entry #1 – “The First Day” (Blu-ray and DMA Exclusive)
    • Diary Entry #2 – “Tomorrowland vs. the Weather” (DMA Exclusive)
    • Diary Entry #3 – “NASA”
  • Blast from the Past Commercial – Go back in time and watch this original commercial for the Blast from the Past store.
  • Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Intro
    • Deleted Scene 1 – Joking on the Eiffel Tower
    • Deleted Scene 2 – Young Casey vs. The Volcano
    • Deleted Scene 3 – Doomsday Living Room
    • Deleted Scene 4 – As Originally Written Casey The Downer
    • Deleted Scene 5 – What Happened to Tomorrowland
    • Deleted Scene 6 – What is Tomorrowland
    • Deleted Scene 7 – Great Big Beautiful World World’s Fair (DMA Exclusive)
    • Deleted Scene 8 – Frank Walker age 10 (DMA Exclusive)
  • 4 Easter Eggs

Magic Mike XXL Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD October 6

Magic Mike XXL (Gregory Jacobs) Rated R [115 min] – Three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance. Starring Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, and Amber Heard [Watch the trailer]

Special features include:

  • The Moves of Magic Mike XXL
  • Extended Malik Dance Scene
  • Georgia

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD October 6

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon) Rated PG-13 [105 min] – High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, and Connie Britton

Special features include:

  • Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • This is Where You Learn How The Movie Was Made
  • Abstract: Movie for Rachel
  • A Conversation with Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • Greg Gaines and Earl Jackson Productions (Shorts Montage)
  • Audio Commentary by Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  • Greg’s Trailer, Gallery
  • And more!

Dark Places Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD October 6

Dark Places (Gilles Paquet-Brenner) Rated R [113 min] – Libby Day was only seven years old when her family was brutally murdered in their rural Kansas farmhouse. Twenty-five years later, she agrees to revisit the crime and uncovers the wrenching truths that led up to that tragic night. Starring Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, and Chloë Grace Moretz

Special features include:

  • “Bringing Dark Places to Light” Featurette
  • “About the Author: Gillian Flynn & Dark Places” Featurette

Jackie Chan's First Strike Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 6

Jackie Chan’s First Strike (Stanley Tong) Rated PG-13 [107 min] – This installment of Chan’s Police Story series has our hero trying to locate a missing nuclear warhead. Starring Jackie Chan, Jackson Liu, and Annie Wu

No special features listed

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 6

Rumble in the Bronx (Stanley Tong) Rated R [87 min] – A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills. Starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip

No special features listed

Kiss the Girls Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Kiss the Girls (Gary Fleder) Rated R [115 min] – Police hunting for a serial killer are helped when a victim manages to escape for the first time. Starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Cary Elwes

No special features listed

Along Came a Spider Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori) Rated R [104 min] – A congressman’s daughter under Secret Service protection is kidnapped from a private school by an insider who calls Det. Alex Cross, sucking him into the case even though he’s recovering from the loss of his partner. Starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Wincott, and Monica Potter

No special features listed

Escape From Alcatraz Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Escape from Alcatraz (Don Siegel) Rated PG [112 min] – Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possible successful attempt at escaping from the most infamous prisons in the world. Starring Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, and Roberts Blossom

No special features listed

Matchstick Men Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Matchstick Men (Ridley Scott) Rated PG-13 [116 min] – A phobic con artist and his protégé are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former’s teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly. Starring Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, and Sam Rockwell

Special features include:

  • Tricks of the Trade: Making Matchstick Men – Follow the Director through an intimate day-to-day account of the filmmaking process
  • Part I: Preproduction
  • Part II: Production
  • Part III: Postproduction
  • Commentary by Director / Producer Ridley Scott, Writer Nicholas Griffin and Writer / Producer Ted Griffin

Team America World Police Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Team America: World Police (Trey Parker) Rated R [98 min] – Popular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love. Starring Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Elle Russ

No special features listed

Witness Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Available on Blu-ray October 13

Witness (Peter Weir) Rated R [112 min] – A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial. Starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, and Lukas Haas

No special features listed

And that’s it for this week. What are you looking forward to picking up when they release?

Stay tuned for more Blu-Ray and DVD announcements every Saturday.


All plot synopses courtesy of IMDb.com

Coming Soon to Blu-ray and DVD

Click here for more home video announcements

Box Office Battlefield: Jurassic World

Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars. The weekend warriors of June 12, 2015 includes Jurassic World as well as a two limited releases. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over others and determine who will be victorious. Should you see ’em, skip ’em, or rent ’em?

Last weekend, Paul Feig’s Spy took first place in theaters with San Andreas and Insidious: Chapter 3 close behind. Not very franchise blockbuster-y films, this weekend promises a bigger, badder, and more shiny sequel. Can Jurassic World dust off the franchise to reign supreme? Hold on to your butts! This is the Box Office Battlefield:

Jurassic World Title Movie Logo

Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow) Rated PG-13 [124 min] – Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly. Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Nick Robinson

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 71% • Audience – 87%

My review:

I honestly had very little expectations going in to see Jurassic World, and those expectations were met. The film has some decent entertainment value, but in terms of being something bigger than its whole with strong reflective themes, you’re going to have to keep watching the original Jurassic Park. The theme park world they create and the evolution of John Hammond’s idea is very realized and fun to see, but it’s hardly experienced to be amazed by it all. The use of the classic John Williams theme is very underwhelming compared to its first use in Jurassic Park. The characters are well cast with some fine actors, but very surface level. The fact that they have to try and make someone the bad guy is really forced and feels inorganic to the story. I highly suggest skipping it in 3D. MATINEE IT!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Movie Title Logo

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon) [Limited] Rated PG-13 [105 min] – High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, and Connie Britton

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 84% • Audience – 92%

My review:

The more time I’ve give to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl to sit with me, the greater the story has resonated with my emotions. MaEatDG is one of those special indie darlings out of Sundance that you can’t help but feel charmed by because of its raw honesty and well-developed characters. I was kind of taken aback by the awkward chuckles when I first watched the trailer in theaters with a crowd when the title card appeared, but I can understand how it can be a bit unsettling. But that feeling kind of plays into the personality of the film, which only strengthens its appeal and uniqueness. SEE THIS FILM!

The Wolfpack 2015 Title Movie Logo

The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle) [Limited] Rated R [80 min] – Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed, ‘The Wolfpack,’ the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes. Starring Bhagavan Angulo, Govinda Angulo, Jagadisa Angulo, and Krsna Angulo

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 76% • Audience – 76%

Their reviews:

“The sheltered world of the Angulos, informed by cinema more than the teeming city right outside their apartment windows, is a haunting and utterly unique one.” – Alison Willmore (BuzzFeed)

“At its best, The Wolfpack helps us to see the cinema in the world, and not the other way around.” – David Ehrlich (Little White Lies)

My take:

I have not seen this film, but it looks like a very good sit if you’re a lover of cinema and want to see how that affected the lives of these people.

Since Jurassic World is the only wide release this weekend, and the fact that Spy and Insidious: Chapter 3 didn’t open with outstanding numbers last weekend, there’s a pretty clear winner here. The original Jurassic Park opened in 1993 with a domestic gross of $47 million. My guess for this weekend is that it will gain at least $65 million. So as it stands, I believe the victor for this weekend will be:

 

Winner: Jurassic World


Movie synopses courtesy of IMDb.com and Tomatometer Scores from Rotten Tomatoe

Box Office Battlefield: Jurassic World

Jurassic World Movie Screenshot Chris Pratt Owen 5

Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars. The weekend warriors of June 12, 2015 includes Jurassic World as well as a two limited releases. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over others and determine who will be victorious. Should you see ’em, skip ’em, or rent ’em? Find out after the break. Continue reading