Hello and welcome to the latest edition of highlights making their debuts on DVD and Blu-ray. Let’s get right to it as there is plenty of variety this time out. 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!

The Assassin - A female assassin is hired to eliminate a nobleman in this Chinese period drama. The only problem for the hit lady is that her target used to be her fiance. This foreign-language effort garnered strong reviews during its limited release a few months back. While some felt the visuals overwhelmed the minimalist story, most felt the painterly photography was so gorgeous that it made the...

Rating: « out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 112 min.

Ridiculous. Sorry, but that’s the overwhelming feeling from the latest “Young Adult” novel adaptation to hit cinemas. Despite the efforts of a solid cast, The 5th Wave can’t withstand the screenplay’s barrage of disaster tropes, teen romance film clichés and, well, encounters with aliens. It creates an increasingly absurd environment completely at odds with the serious tone. By the final act, it comes across as far more funny than exciting.

As the film begins, aliens have arrived, decimating the population through a series of “waves”. First, it’s an electro-magnetic pulse, crashing cars and sending planes plummeting to...

Wow! It’s an incredibly busy edition of DVD and Blu-ray highlights, making it nearly impossible for viewers not to find something to their liking. There’s a strong emphasis on music-based entertainment, but even if that’s not to your tastes there’s still plenty to choose from. As always, click on any links to read full reviews. 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!

All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records - Well, the title of this documentary just about says it all. It chronicles the formation of this record store chain in the 60s and follows it through to its recent...

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 101 min.

January never lets me down. This week, the studios have brought us a haphazardly slapped together sequel. Ride Along 2 arrives quickly on the heels of its 2014 predecessor and features its two leads getting into all new cop-based shenanigans in Miami. Despite the best efforts of its capable cast, the approach taken is safe, bland and ultimately predictable.

Since the events of the first film, Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) has become a rookie cop, much to the chagrin of his detective/future brother-in-law James Payton (Ice Cube). When he comes into contact with a mysterious flash drive, Payton is sent to Miami to investigate. Eager to prove...