BluTuesday - April 28, 2015
What’s going on, ProFans? I’m taking a break from reading the Mighty Avengers (seriously, it’s a damn good book) to bring you the latest releases to home media for April 28, 2015. In this week’s episode, we discuss a talking bear, being hot for teacher, Kevin Hart, a trippy movie based on an equally trippy book, the end of an era on TV, and three - count ’em, THREE - USA Network shows. We have a lot on the plate today, so let’s not waste any more time.
Paddington (PG)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%
Paddington is the story of a young bear from Peru (Ben Wishaw) who heads to London in search of a new home. He finds one with the Brown family, who read the note around his neck (“Please look after this bear. Thank you”) and offer him the family he desperately wants. All seems well until he comes face to face with a museum taxidermist who wants to add the talking bear to her collection, and the adventure continues from there. This film, which also stars Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman, and Sally Hawkins, is available in both a two disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. This film is adorable, and it’s truly fun for the whole family. I highly recommend it; so much so that it’s my pick of the week.
The Boy Next Door (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 11%
Jennifer Lopez stars as Claire Peterson, a freshly divorced teacher who catches the attention of the new bad boy in school Noah (Ryan Guzman). As this is a thriller, this doesn’t end well for anyone involved. Ryan goes crazy, and Claire has to protect herself and her son Kevin (Ian Nelson). This film, which also stars John Corbett, Kristin Chenoweth, and Hill Harper, is available in both a two disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. I wouldn’t touch this movie for any amount of money in the world. I value my free time too much for that. Next…
The Wedding Ringer (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 28%
Doug Harris (Josh Gad) has a problem; he’s about to be married to the love of his life Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), but he doesn’t have a Best Man. Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart) comes to the rescue; he is the owner and CEO of a company called Best Man, Inc., and they specialize in pretending to be best men for guys in need. Hiring him is easy; the hard part comes in creating a believable backstory for these two mismatched guys, until the backstory begins to become reality. This film, which also stars Cloris Leachman, Jenifer Lewis, and Jorge Garcia, is available in both a single disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. I’m a little tired of Kevin Hart (see what I did there?), but you gotta eat, right? I don’t do broad comedies, so I’ll admit this isn’t for me. But, if it’s for you, then please enjoy yourself.
Inherent Vice (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 72%
I…I have no idea how to describe this. So, I’ll leave it to Warner Bros. to do the dirty work for me. “Inherent Vice,” is the seventh feature from Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaption of a Thomas Pynchon novel. When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a looney bin…well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused - except this one usually leads to trouble. With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists… Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp - all Thomas Pynchon. This movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Benecio Del Toro, is available in both a two disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. Did you make sense of that up there? Good. I didn’t. Moving on…
The Mentalist: The Seventh and Final Season
Patrick Jane’s story finally comes to an end. After finally killing Red John, the man responsible for killing his wife and daughter, Jane (Simon Baker) has started working for the FBI, along with former colleagues at the CBI Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), as well as FBI agents Jason Wylie, Michelle Vega, and Dennis Abbot. Jane and Lisbon also begin to cultivate a relationship, but all of that goes downhill when a new serial killer is on the loose, as well as a femme fatale from Jane’s past. This series, which also stars Rockmond Dunbar, Joe Adler, Josie Loren, and Garcelle Beauvais, is available in a three disc DVD version. I regret never finishing this series, because it was a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll get around to it one day. This is certainly an enticing way to do so.
Covert Affairs: Season Five
In the fifth and final season of Covert Affairs, the gang is reunited after the events of Season Four, and Annie brings with her a secret that could take down the CIA. As she hops the globe trying to take down threats to national security, she is reunited with her beloved Auggie (Chrsitopher Gorham), her former boss Joan (Kari Matchett), and her new boss Calder (Hill Harper). This series, which also stars Peter Gallagher, Nic Bishop, and Amy Jo Johnson, is available in a four disc DVD version. I was unable to follow this series after season two, and I keep saying I’ll go back to it, but we see how well this has worked out for me thus far. I promise I will, though…one of these days.
Suits: Season Four
Mike and Harvey, together again! Just not the way they would’ve liked it. Mike (Patrick J. Adams) has left Peterson Specter, leaving co-worker and friend Harvey (Gabriel Macht) to pick up the pieces. The two find themselves on opposite sides of a hostile takeover, and others will find themselves in the crosshairs of the Security and Exchanges Commission. This series, which also stars Meghan Markle, Gina Torres, and Rick Hoffman, is available in a four disc DVD version. USA Networks hasn’t really created anything horrible yet, and this is another good one to keep your eyes on.
Royal Pains: Season Six
When Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) returns from his travels with Boris (Campbell Scott), he sees that it’s not that easy to come home again. Meanwhile, Evan (Paulo Costanzo) and his wife Paige (Brooke D’Orsay) grow stronger with their marriage thanks to an unconventional therapist, Divya (Reshma Shetty) realizes that being a single mom and a doctor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and a mysterious woman comes into everyone’s lives and changes things forever! This series, which also stars Jill Flint, Henry Winkler, and Ben Shenkman, is available in a three disc DVD version. I forgot this show was still on the air. I think this is another one of those shows that fell by the wayside after the great cable blackout of 20-whatever, but I remembered having a blast with it. Maybe I’ll pick it back up again.
Well, that’s all I got for this week. Got any questions or comments? Did I miss anything you wanted to discuss? Would you like to take a crack at translating the synopsis for Inherent Vice? Please free to hit me up in the comments section below.
Until next time…
