Rating: ««

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Running Time: 125 minutes

This title from Focus Features will open exclusively at movie theaters on May 20.

First premiering on televisions back in 2010, the British series “Downton Abbey” quickly became one of the country’s biggest and most successful exports. After six seasons, a movie was released in 2019 and became one of the biggest hits of the year, grossing more than ten times its production budget. Naturally, the massive revenue generated has now resulted in a new follow-up. “Downton Abbey: A New Era” is set at the end of the 1920s and finds both the Crawley family and their servants dealing with several new and unexpected...

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition includes several high-profile and interesting independent efforts in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can’t or shouldn’t be heading out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!





BIG NEW RELEASES!



BELLE: This animated film from Japan follows an introverted student living in a small town. Despite not having friends in her normal life, the youngster creates a famous online persona of a globally-beloved singer. One day while performing, she is interrupted by a monstrous creature being chased by vigilantes. She decides to seek out and potentially help this...

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. This is another edition with plenty of options that include big studio pictures as well as small, independent fare. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies or shouldn’t be going out this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

 



BIG NEW RELEASES!



A-HA: THE MOVIE: Anyone who existed in the 1980s is likely familiar with the Norwegian pop band A-ha, who had a major hit with the song “Take on Me” (they also charted with “The Sun Always Shines on TV,” “Cry Wolf” and performed the James Bond movie theme, “The Living Daylights”). This team behind this...

This week sees the release of “Firestarter” from Universal Pictures. The movie is a thriller that follows the struggles of a little girl dealing with the power of pyrokinesis.

Originally written in 1980 by Stephen King, it was first adapted on the big screen in 1984 with a cast including Drew Barrymore. Alas, the latest version of this tale is not being screened for critics. So instead, it might be a good opportunity to look at other remarkable King films, particularly those that may have slipped under the radar.

For those unfamiliar with the author, King became an instant sensation with “Carrie,” his first book in 1974.

Movies based on his works began arriving only a few...