««« out of five stars

The Hollywood Hills echo the sound of regurgitation. A collective yack heard round the world as they recycle every plot idea they can buy the rights to.

I have screamed, moaned and complained about this for years but there is no end in sight. I suppose my Klout score holds little to no leverage with the powers that greenlight. So I’ve resigned to the fact that do-overs are going to happen but we don’t have to like them. Unless, of course, they are entertaining.

Fortunately the new version of Vacation delivers plenty of self-aware laughs, embracing the fact that this is a retread the same way that the hilarious 21 Jump Street did. I blame the cast for this...

Welcome back to another look at highlights of what is coming your way on DVD and Blu-ray. Much like the last edition, the pickings are slim, but there are a couple of noteworthy releases both new and old.  So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure and give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

3 Hearts - Those with a taste for melodrama may be interested in this foreign-language romance tale from France. It follows a young woman who meets the man of her dreams, but fate pulls their lives in different directions. The heroine gets a shock a year later when she’s invited to her sister’s wedding, and discovers the groom is the man she...

Rating: «« out of 4 Stars

Running Time: 106 min.

Truthfully, the idea of characters from arcade games of the 80s waging war against the Earth is appealing. Pixels features a super concept, but something goes a little wonky in the execution. While the movie should have given star Adam Sandler a chance at something different, the production doesn’t stray from the actor’s slapstick formula. Yes, it’s better than most of his recent output, but it’s still a disappointingly generic film that ultimately comes across a little uninspired.

Back in the 80s, a time capsule probe is sent into outer space. When an alien force receives it and interprets the contents as aggressive, they...

Every once in a while, you get a lean week. This column would certainly qualify, with only a few highlights coming your way. Still, there are some eccentric efforts that may be worth a look. 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!

Kung Fu Killer - 51 year old action hero Donnie Yen headlines this Hong Kong fight flick about a killer wiping out the best martial artists in the land. It’s up to the lead’s convict/kung fu master character to help the cops track down and stop the offender. While no one has called it a classic, reviews were pretty decent for this effort. Most described it as a...