BluTuesday - April 29, 2014
What’s going on, ProFans? Joseph here, and I’m taking a break from dodging tornadoes to bring you the latest releases in home media for April 29, 2014. In this week’s episode, we discuss the Hercules movie we didn’t know we didn’t want, a non-Nicholas Sparks movie trying to out-Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Sparks, and a performance from a performer we didn’t expect at all. Ready to roll? Let’s do it.
Legend of Hercules (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 3%
The Legend Of Hercules follows the mythical Greek hero Hercules, the son of Zeus, who is blessed with extraordinary strength as a half-god, half-man. Banished by his stepfather, the king, Hercules slowly becomes aware of his true origins as the son of Zeus. As he learns to harness his demi-god powers, Hercules gathers an army to fight his way back to his kingdom in this action-filled epic. This movie comes in both a single-disc 3D Bluray/Bluray + Digital Copy version and a single-disc DVD + Digital Copy version. I normally don’t speak ill of projects such as these, but get the hell away from this as fast as humanly possible. Send it to your worst enemy; better yet, send it to the politician you hate the most with a note telling them this movie is how much you “support” them.
Labor Day (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 33%
Depressed single mom Adele (Kate Winslet) and her 13-year-old son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) offer a wounded, fearsome man named Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) a ride. As police search the town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn Chambers’ true story as their options become increasingly limited. This movie comes in a two-disc Bluray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single-disc DVD version. I like Josh Brolin; I like Kate Winslet even more for all the wrong reasons. If schmaltz is your cup of tea, then this is the flick for you.
Gimme Shelter (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 22%
Gimme Shelter depicts the story of Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens) a tough, street-wise teen who flees life with her drug addicted mother to find the wealthy father she’s never known. But when her father’s new prim & proper family find out Apple is pregnant, she is pressured to conform to their expectations and runs away again. Apple must rely on her own survival skills on the streets, until she meets the kindly Father McCarthy who helps direct her to a shelter for pregnant teens. Apple’s unbreakable spirit enables her to fight against the odds to find redemption, and ultimately create a family to finally call her own. This movie comes in both a single-disc Bluray + Digital Copy version and a single-disc DVD + Digital Copy version. Just as an aside, I just realized something… these critics didn’t like a damn thing this go ’round! Moving on… this movie was the movie that showed Vanessa Hudgens could actually act, and she was able to hold her own against Rosario Dawson. This movie is my pick of the week for the emotional gut punch it delivers, as well as the acting tours de force on display.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Got any questions or comments? Did I miss something you wanted to discuss… like a movie with a better Rotten Tomatoes rating? Feel free to hit me up in the comments section below.
Until next time…