BluTuesday - March 31, 2015
What’s going on, ProFans? I’m taking a break from getting hyped for Furious 7 to bring you the latest releases to home media for March 31, 2015. In this episode, we discuss the Gloriously British Benedict Cumberbatch, trippy sci-fi, a walk on the wild side, politics made funny, and a comical look at the humble beginnings of the internet as we use it today. Ready to get started? Let’s get it started, then.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%
Sometimes, the greatest stories are the most painful to relive. During World War II, the Allied Forces were in dire straits; Nazi Germany was attacking whole hog, and there was nothing anyone in the UK could do to stop them. In 1939, MI6 commissioned Cambridge mathematics alum Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help break their codes, including the unbreakable Enigma code. Turing, along with Joan Clarke (Kiera Knightly), break the code and help to turn the tide of the war. However, when Turin’s homosexuality is discovered, things take a turn for the worst. This film, which also stars Rory Kinnear and Mark Strong, is available in both a single disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. This movie is both hauntingly brilliant, and devastatingly painful to watch, and you won’t want to turn away. For that reason alone, this is my pick of the week.
Interstellar (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 72%
When the Earth is on the verge collapse due to the overpopulation and crops failing to grow by the hundreds, a team of explorers led by Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and Dr. Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) seek out three new planets with which to save the human race from extinction. Along the way, alliances are tested and friendships are forged as they take chances no mere mortal should ever have to take. This film, which also stars Jessica Chastain, Topher Grace, Michael Caine, and John Lithgow, is available in both a three disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. I wanted to love this movie; I really did. I gave it my best effort to really love this movie. Unfortunately, I was disappointed more than elated as it tried to be smarter than it really was; plus, if Jonathan Nolan is to be believed, the ending we saw was not the ending we were supposed to get. So, there’s that.
Wild (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%
Reese Witherspoon stars as Cheryl Strayed, a reckless young woman who decides to make a change in her life and go for a walk…across the Pacific Crest Trail. With no training, no experience, and no earthly idea where she was going, she goes on this hike and comes back a completely different person. This film, which also stars Gaby Hoffman, Laura Dern, and Kevin Rankin, is available in both a single disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. This film - much like Unbreakable last week - shows the undeniable spirit of the human condition…even if said spirit came across due to philandering on her behalf in the beginning. Doesn’t matter, though; this is worth watching.
Veep: The Complete Third Season
Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is in a bit of a jam; when the President decides to not seek reelection, Meyer decides to run for President. In doing so, she has to decide who her campaign manager will be, along with dealing with the job of the Vice Presidency. She also gets to go on a drug bust with the Maryland Coast Guard, so that’s something. This series, which also stars Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, and Matt Walsh, is available in both a two disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a two disc DVD version. I could go on and on trying to describe this show, but I think seeing it would be so much better than reading me prattle on about it. So, go watch it!
Silicon Valley: The Complete First Season
From the mind of Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead, Office Space) comes this look at the inside of a start-up. When Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) creates an algorithm that could make data compression go by in a nanosecond, he finds himself at the center of a bidding war that could either make him rich beyond his wildest dreams or break him forever. This series, which also stars TJ Miller and Zach Woods, is available in both a two disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a two disc DVD version. If you like Mike Judge’s work, then you’ll love this.
Well, that’s all I got for this week. Got any questions or comments? Did I miss something you wanted to discuss? Feel free to hit me up in the comments section below.
Until next time…
