Rating: ««« out of ««««

Running Time: 133 minutes

The original 1973 feature Papillon is a hard act to follow. The Steve McQueen/Dustin Hoffman prison drama faithfully recreated the horrific conditions of prison in French Guiana during the ’30s and the tireless efforts of the title character to escape its confines. This was a dark and brutal movie that still managed to connect with audiences, becoming a sizable hit and earning an Oscar nomination for its score. Some 45 years after the original, a remake of Papillon has arrived. This effort fares better than many reinterpretations of classic films, although it still can’t quite match its predecessor.

Henri ‘Papillon’...

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s some really interesting stuff arriving, including one summer blockbuster from just a few months back. 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!

Action Point - An independently owned and operated amusement park has to deal with rides that aren’t safety tested (but are a lot of fun) as well as a new corporate theme park opening nearby. Based on an actual place, this wacky comedy did not receive many positive notices. A few found the movie crassly amusing, but the majority complained that the movie didn’t take advantage of...

Rating: «« out of 4 ««««

Running Time: 120 minutes

This week sees the wide release of the romantic-comedy Crazy Rich Asians, based on a bestselling book. The movie is told from a somewhat different perspective than your typical Hollywood flick and shows off some incredible locations in and around Singapore. This is all welcome, adding more unique elements to the genre. One only wishes that the story itself wasn’t so bland and generic.

Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is an economics professor in New York City whose expertise appears to be game theory. Her relationship with successful but modest Nick Young (Henry Golding) is becoming serious. So much so that when Nick is asked to be...

It’s time again for another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This is an incredibly busy edition that features one of the year’s biggest films. In general, there’s plenty for all tastes. 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!

Affairs of State - This independent suspense picture involves a young campaign aide in Washington, D.C. who is desperate to gain power. He makes an impression on a presidential candidate, but complicates his own life when he becomes romantically involved with both the wife and daughter of his new employer. This effort got a limited release a couple...