Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 101 min.

August used to be a time for studios to release summer misfires, but so far this month, we’ve gotten some effective little films. Okay, it’s had its share of flops, too, but for such a muggy time, there have been a couple of breaths of fresh air — Hell or High Water and even Sausage Party being examples.

Kubo and the Two Strings is another rarity in that it isn’t a reboot or sequel, but rather a unique attempt to pay homage to Asian cinema. It results in a very pretty picture, though one that isn’t without a few issues. Still, in the end there’s enough style on display to earn it a minor recommendation.

Kubo (Art...

Welcome to another look at the highlights arriving in stores this week on Blu-ray and DVD. Beyond the run of new releases, this is a fantastic week for great older features making their debuts in high-definition. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these flicks a try!

Big New Releases!

The Angry Birds Movie - The video-game franchise makes its film debut in this animated comedy. Viewers are promised an explanation as to why the birds are so ill-tempered; it may have something to do with monstrous green piggies that arrive on their island. The movie did well at the box office, but like many game adaptations, it garnered mixed notices...

Rating: «« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 102 min.

As a reviewer, you see all kinds of films in various different genres. Sometimes in the kids’ flick category, there are features in which the characters speak especially slowly, almost pouring over every syllable. It’s obvious the makers and performers are specifically aiming the material at youngsters. Some of these movies are decent, some are not, but I’ve come to call them “slow-talkers.”

This week, Disney has a slow-talker coming your way. To be fair, Pete’s Dragon is a nicely produced, well-intentioned, and perfectly genial family film. It’s likely to please the children, although a few adults in the audience...

Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 89 min.

Occasionally, when you watch a movie, you wonder whether the creators were smoking something when they wrote it. Very rarely, however, is one absolutely convinced. OK, one can’t say with absolute certainty how Sausage Party came about, but it’s easy to imagine creators Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Jonah Hill dreaming this one up on the couch in a cloud of smoke.

Regardless of how it came to be, the result is a uniquely vulgar and outrageous R-rated animated comedy that provides laughs and gross-outs in equal measure.

Each and every morning, the products at Shopwell’s awaken and sing a song created by the heavens that tells...