DVD Releases: Week of 6/18/13

18 Jun

Pick of the Week:


Quartet. Beecham House is abuzz. The rumor circling the halls is that the home for retired musicians is soon to play host to a new resident. Word is, it’s a star. For Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred Bond (Billy Connolly) and Cecily Robson (Pauline Collins) this sort of talk is par for the course at the gossipy home. But they’re in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard. Can the passage of time heal old wounds? And will the famous quartet be able to patch up their differences in time for Beecham House’s gala concert?

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

Film Releases: June 14th

14 Jun

Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman returns to the big screen this weekend alongside a divorceè, a sound engineer, a young group of criminals that target Hollywood starlets, and backup singers to the stars.

Wide

Man of Steel

Photo: Warner Bros.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

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Film Releases: June 12th

12 Jun

This is the end

My only friend, the end…

This Is The End

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Photo: Columbia Pictures

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Film Review: This Is the End

12 Jun
Photo: Sony Pictures

Photo: Sony Pictures

Is this the party to end all parties or just the end of the world? Continue reading 

DVD Releases: Week of 6/11/13

11 Jun

Pick of the Week:


The Newsroom: The Complete First Season. HBO presents the new one-hour drama series from the fertile mind of Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and executive produced by Sorkin, Scott Rudin and Alan Poul. Smart, topical, humorous and highly entertaining, The Newsroom takes a behind-the-scenes look at a high-rated cable-news program at the fictional ACN Network, focusing on the on- and off-camera lives of its acerbic anchor (Jeff Daniels), new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), their newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel and others) and their news-division boss (Sam Waterston). Overcoming a tumultuous first day together – climaxing in a newsflash that a BP oil rig has just exploded in the Gulf of Mexico – the team sets out on a patriotic if quixotic mission to “do the news well” in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles, and their own personal entanglements.

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

Film Releases: June 7th

7 Jun

This weekend we have a couple of Wedding Crashers heading to the office, Shakespeare for Whedonites, and Judy Blume finally has an adaptation of one of her books.

Wide

The Internship

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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Film Review: Much Ado About Nothing

7 Jun
Photo: Lionsgate

Photo: Lionsgate

By Katie O’Shea

Much Ado About Nothing is the palate cleanser between Joss Whedon’s The Avengers and its upcoming sequel. This fresh and effervescent contemporary take on Shakespeare’s play of love and trickery marries the Bard’s immortal words with a modern setting and a cast who imbue their roles with a zest and vitality that lights up on screen. By the time this film rolls out nationwide on June 21st, I’ll have seen it twice, and will be looking forward to purchasing a ticket to share in the experience with yet another audience. It is truly a film to be savored. Continue reading 

Film Review: The Internship

7 Jun
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

Is the work of The Internship the best or should you search elsewhere? Continue reading 

DVD Releases: Week of 6/4/13

4 Jun

Pick of the Week:


Warm Bodies. After a zombie epidemic, R (a zombie) rescues Julie (a human survivor) from a zombie attack. The two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human – setting off a chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. Read our review here.

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

Film Releases: May 31st

31 May

This weekend is all about team-building: Will Smith and his son must trust each other in order to survive; four illusionists pull off epic heists; and three friends construct a new home for themselves.

Wide

After Earth

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Photo: Columbia Pictures

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Film Review: Now You See Me

31 May
Photo: Summit Entertainment

Photo: Summit Entertainment

By Katie O’Shea

In Now You See Me, four disparate magicians – arrogant Danny (Jesse Eisenberg), mentalist/hypnotist Merritt (Woody Harrelson), daredevil escape artist Henley (Isla Fisher), and street/con artist Jack (Dave Franco) – find themselves summoned to an apartment by a mysterious entity. One year later, the four have seemingly combined their acts into a show-stopping Vegas cornerstone, performing as the group Four Horsemen for raucous, eager arenas. However, all is not as it seems, and soon the foursome are Continue reading 

Film Review: Kings of Summer

31 May
Photo: CBS Films

Photo: CBS Films

While Iron Man, Superman, and Wolverine all want to reign supreme, the Kings of Summer are the benevolent dictators this movie season, pleasing the masses in their own quiet way rather than using superhero bombastic flair.  Continue reading 

DVD Releases: Week of 5/28/13

28 May

Pick of the Week:


Suits: Season Two. Hotshot attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht, Love and Other Drugs) and legal prodigy Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams, Luck) – who actually doesn’t have a law degree – return as the dynamic duo in season two of the hit series Suits. Harvey and Mike continue to hide their secret as they deal with the ominous return of founding partner Daniel Hardman (David Costabile, Breaking Bad), juggle demanding caseloads, and tackle dramatic developments in their personal lives. Co-starring Gina Torres (Gossip Girl), Meghan Markle (Horrible Bosses), and Rick Hoffman (Samantha Who?), watch all 16 episodes back to back and uninterrupted of the series critics call ‘among the most enjoyable shows on TV’ (David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle).

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

Film Releases: May 23rd and 24th

23 May

This weekend horde aspirin for the last installment of The Hangover trilogy, full up your gas tank for Fast and Furious, and more.

Wide

The Hangover Part III

Photo: Warner Bros

Photo: Warner Bros

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DVD Releases: Week of 5/21/13

21 May

Pick of the Week:


Struck by Lightning. High school senior Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer, Glee) was destined for bigger things than his close-minded small town could ever offer. He was on a path to greatness, but destiny had a different plan when he was suddenly killed by a bolt of lightning in his school parking lot. Demonstrating that life is what happens while you’re busy planning your future, Carson recounts the last few weeks of his life via witty, insightful flashbacks, including a blackmail scheme targeting the popular kids in school that he concocts with his best friend (Rebel Wilson, Bridesmaids), a home life that includes a mother (Allison Janney, Juno, The West Wing) who s more interested in the bottle than her son s future, and an estranged father (Dermot Mulroney, New Girl, My Best Friend s Wedding) who suddenly appears with a pregnant fiancée (Christina Hendricks, Mad Men).

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

Film Releases: May 17th

17 May

This weekend we board the Enterprise, celebrate a girls’ weekend, get hot for teacher, and watch a film version of Girls.

Wide

Star Trek Into Darkness

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Photo: Paramount Pictures

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Film Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

17 May
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Photo: Paramount Pictures

By Katie O’Shea

Every once in awhile, a film’s elements come together in complete harmony – plot, character, makeup, effects. This summer, that film is Star Trek Into Darkness. While there have been other films I have seen from this summer’s slate of movies that I have immensely enjoyed – including Iron Man 3, and the upcoming Now You See Me - none have reached the heights of Into Darkness. A new bar has been set for this summer, and I have difficulty believing that any other film scheduled between now and August will vault over it. To all involved in the making of this feature, I tip my tiny hat to you. Well done. Continue reading 

DVD Releases: Week of 5/14/13

14 May

Pick of the Week:


Cloud Atlas. Future. Present. Past. Everything is connected. An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.The story is a time-shifting weave of six interlinking narratives, with diverse settings from the savagery of a Pacific Island in the 1850s to a dystopian Korea of the near future. Based on the New York Times best-selling novel “Cloud Atlas” written by David Mitchell. Read our review here.

Other Notable Releases: Continue reading 

TV Show Spotlight: 90210

13 May
Photo: CW

Photo: CW

The second series to celebrate California’s infamous zipcode is coming to a close tonight. 

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Film Releases: May 10th

10 May

This weekend we celebrate the greatness of Gatsby, Tyler Perry tries to put a little Scandalous in Peeples, and more…

Wide

The Great Gatsby

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

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