BluTuesday - September 5, 2017
What’s going on, ProFans? I’m taking a break from preparing for the release of Destiny 2 to bring you the latest releases to home media for September 5, 2017. In this week’s episode, we discuss a hip-hop icon, girls behaving badly, an unethical medical practice, drug runners, kids who really should be grown by now, and the fastest idiot alive. Let’s get to it.
All Eyez On Me (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 16%
Metascore: 38
This film tells the “true” story of prolific actor, rapper, poet, and activist Tupac Shakur (Demetrius Shipp, Jr.) from his upbringing in New York City to his education at the Baltimore School for the Arts to his meteoric rise to stardom and his untimely and violent end. From the good, the bad, the controversial, no topic is off limits for the story of this hip-hop icon. This film, which also stars Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, and Danai Gurira, is available in a two disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD version. This film had its share of controversy, from people wondering why it was made in the first place to a mistelling and mischaracterization of one of his longtime friends. It’s not a bad movie, but if you’re a hardcore 2Pac fan, you may wanna skip this one; it might upset you quite a bit.
Rough Night (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 46%
Metascore: 51
Five best friends from college - Jess (Scarlett Johansson), Pippa (Kate McKinnon), Frankie (Ilana Glazer), Blair (Zoe Kravitz), and Alice (Jillian Bell) - reunite for Jess’ bachelorette party in Miami. Outrageousness and hard partying on South Beach turns into something unexpected, and they have to keep everything from going off the rails. This film, which also stars Demi Moore, Ty Burrell, and Natalie Gold, is available in a two disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy version, a single disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version, and a single disc DVD version. This movie came out around the similarly themed Girls Trip and got completely overwhelmed. This may be worth your time regardless, if only to see Scarlett Johansson do something besides kicking a lot of ass in the MCU.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (NR)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 66%
Metascore: 64
Starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne and based on the best-selling nonfiction novel of the same name, this film tells the story of Deborah Lacks (Winfrey) and Rebecca Skloot (Byrne) as they look to uncover the mystery of her mother Henrietta Lacks. The unauthorized harvesting of her cancerous cells in 1951 led to medical breakthroughs the likes of which had never been seen at the time, but no credit was given to the woman responsible. This film, which also stars Renee Elise Goldsberry, Reg E. Casey, and Courtney B. Vance, is available in a single disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a single disc DVD + Digital Copy version. The fact that she saved millions of lives aside, the treatment of Henrietta Lacks is yet another dark mark on the history of medicine when it comes to the treatment of Black people. This film tries to make it feel cozy at the end, but it’ll still make you mad. It’s still a very good film and I highly recommend it.
Narcos: Complete Season Two
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Metascore: 76
Season two of this acclaimed Netflix series takes a closer look at drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and his empire. After his escape from prison, the Colombian police, rival drug cartels, and DEA agents try to bring him down and shut down his cartel for good. This series, which also stars Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal, and Diego Catano, is available in a three disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a four disc DVD version. The story of Pablo Escobar has always been considered fascinating in its brutality and its honesty. This series is no exception to the rule; in fact, it’s prohibitively better than some of the others. This is highly recommended.
South Park: The Complete Twentieth Season
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 100%
After twenty years of existence, this Comedy Central show has yet to run out of steam. Join Stan, Cartman (both voiced by Trey Parker), Kyle, and Kenny (both voiced by Matt Stone) as they skewer pop culture and current events with reckless abandon. This series, which also stars April Stewart and Jessica Makinson, is available in a two disc Blu-ray version and a two disc DVD version. After two decades, there’s nothing I can say or do to convince you yea or nay. Watch it and enjoy.
The Flash: The Complete Third Season
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Metascore: 80
His name is Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), and he’s the fastest idiot alive. After breaking the timeline yet again, he learns how to alienate friends and ruin people before putting it back together with his “aw shucks” attitude. There are bad guys to defeat and he’s the only one who can stop them unless he joins them by mistake. He is The Flash. This series, which also stars Candice Patton, Tom Cavanagh, and Jesse L. Martin, is available in a four disc Blu-ray + Digital Copy version and a six disc DVD version. Season one of this show was one of the best things on TV. Season two had its stumbles but was fine until the finale. Season three…season three was miss or hit. It had great episodes interspersed with episodes that made you wanna jump through the TV. At the very least, watch it for the actors mostly doing their acting thing, because it is a treat to watch them at work.
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…
