BluTuesday - February 11, 2014
Hola, ProFans! Joseph here, and I’m taking a break from not watching the Olympics to bring you the newest releases to home media for February 11, 2014. In this week’s episode, we talk about a movie that surprised me, a movie that I’ll never support, a spooky TV series, a Soviet invasion, and the gloriously British Benedict Cumberbatch (trademark pending). All set? Well, let’s go for broke.
The Best Man Holiday (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 68%
Share the laughter, love, and surprises as Harper (Taye Diggs), Lance (Morris Chestnut), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Jordan (Nia Long), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Mia (Monica Calhoun), Murch (Harold Perrineau), Candy (Regina Hall) and Shelby (Melissa De Sousa) all reunite for the first time in years. When the college friends get together, they soon discover how easy it is to reignite long-forgotten rivalries and romances, all while new discoveries are made and secrets are revealed. The Best Man Holiday is the comedy that critics are calling “a feel-good celebration.” (James Verniere, Boston Herald). This movie comes in both a two disc Bluray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. I’m not gonna lie; when I first heard this movie was being made, I was dismayed. I felt that it was something that no one was asking for, and that it would bomb at the box office. Boy, was I wrong. This was one of the most entertaining movies I saw all year. It’s not quite my pick of the week, but damn it…go watch it. Then, go watch it again.
Ender’s Game (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 61%
In the near future, a hostile alien race has attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training the best and brightest young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite. This movie - based on the works of Orson Scott Card - comes in both a two disc Bluray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. Listen: I’m sure this is a fun movie, and I’m sure people got a kick out of seeing it. I can’t get over my complete and total disdain for the novel’s author to watch it. So… I’m not going to say you shouldn’t watch it, but I’m going to say I never will. Moving on…
The Returned: The Complete First Season
In an idyllic French Alpine village, a seemingly random collection of people find themselves in a state of confusion as they attempt to return to their homes. What they do not yet know is that they have been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back. Buried secrets emerge as they grapple with this miraculous and sinister new reality, struggling to reintegrate with their families and past lovers. But it seems they are not the only ones back from the dead. Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders that bear a chilling resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past. This series comes in both a two disc Bluray version and a three disc DVD version. I don’t do horror, but this looks sufficiently creepy enough for me to give it a go. I think you should follow suit as well.
The Americans: The Complete First Season
Secrets can be deadly in this suspenseful thriller about undercover Russian spies in 1980s Washington, D.C. Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) seem to be a typical suburban couple, but they’re actually lethal KGB agents plotting to bring down America. As the Cold War escalates, Philip and Elizabeth must take extreme measures to continue their mission and keep their true identities hidden. But when an FBI agent moves in across the street, they become ensnared in a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse. This series comes in both a three disc Bluray version and a four disc DVD version. I’ve only seen the first episode of this, but it blew me away. I can’t recommend this enough.
(Spoiler Alert): Two years after the devastating fallout of “The Reichenbach Fall”, Dr. John Watson has moved on with his life. New horizons, romance, and a comforting domestic future beckon. But with London under threat of a huge terrorist attack, Sherlock Holmes is about to return with all the theatricality that comes so naturally. It’s what his best friend wanted more than anything, but for John Watson it might well be a case of “be careful what you wish for.” If Sherlock thinks everything will be just as he left it, though, he’s in for a very big surprise. The game is on for Holmes and Watson in three mysteries: “The Empty Hearse”, “The Sign of Three”, and “His Last Vow”. This series comes in both a two-disc Bluray version and a two-disc DVD version. We at Project Fandom love…blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. This is my pick of the week, natch. Watch it and enjoy.
Well, that’s all I got for this week. Got any questions or comments? Wanna discuss something I may have missed? Feel free to hit me up in the comments section below.
Until next time…
