Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 150 min.

I’m a huge James Bond fan, so I’ll admit to being biased as far as entries in this spy series go. The previous Daniel Craig films have all been grittier and moodier affairs, even going so far to examine the psychological trails of being an agent and critiquing some of the methods used by MI-5. They’ve been generally strong efforts, but one is starting to get the impression that the filmmakers are starting to move away from the serious material and focus on the globetrotting adventure.

Spectre almost feels like a homage to the older Sean Connery titles. A sense of dry humor seeps into the proceedings and our hero appears much...

Rating: «« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 107 min.

Based on the 2005 documentary of the same name, Our Brand Is Crisis fictionalizes the 2002 presidential election in Bolivia. Unlike the previous incarnation, the approach of this narrative is satiric. It makes for an unusual film; one that has to straddle the line between comedy and a serious tone, exposing a real and disturbing situation. Frankly, it’s an uneasy mix. Some of it works thanks to the work of a strong cast, but it ultimately falls flat in its resolution.

‘Calamity’ Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) is a burnt-out political consultant, convinced to take on her toughest assignment yet - rescue the flailing campaign of...

Happy Halloween to all you readers out there. It’s time for a look at the highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. Just because it’s the time for trick-or-treating doesn’t mean there aren’t options in all kinds of different genres. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try.

Big New Releases!

A Borrowed Identity - This co-production between Israel, Germany and France follows a Palestinian teen who is sent to a boarding school in Jerusalem. He struggles to fit in but eventually finds his place, only to run into further complications when he begins dating a young girl from a different background. The press...

Rating: «« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 100 min.

Director Barry Levinson has had a storied career filled with plenty of strong titles (Diner, The Natural, Rain Man, Bugsy, Wag the Dog) and a few misfires (Toys, Sphere, Bandits). His latest, Rock the Kasbah, falls somewhere in between. The flick features an entertaining Murray and some impressively shot locales, but struggles when it comes to the more serious elements and delivering its overall message.

Richie Lanz (Billy Murray) is an aging rock tour manager, struggling for cash and working out of a motel in Van Nuys, California. To make some fast money, he accepts an offer to take a client (Zooey Deschanel) on a USO military tour...