But special effects captivates the eyes

Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 108 min.

To be perfectly honest, while this reviewer has seen the 1995 anime feature upon which this live-action remake is based (along with a manga comic book), he doesn’t remember it all that well. And perhaps that’s a good thing. With little in the way of expectations, the flaws that are present in this sci-fi action film update don’t seem quite as bothersome. Instead, first impressions of Ghost in the Shell leave one marveling at its consistently bizarre and memorable imagery.

Set in the future, the story follows Major (Scarlett Johansson), a special member of a task force trained to take...

Welcome to another edition chronicling the highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. There are a lot of notable new releases arriving, including some big fantasy flick, Oscar nominees and eccentric fare. 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!

20th Century Women - Set in 1979, this drama involves a teenage boy living in a large home Santa Barbara with his eccentric single mom and their tenants. After the boys gets into some trouble, the mother persuades her younger occupants to offer advice and help guide him into adulthood. Reviews were quite strong for this effort. While a few felt it...

Rating: ««« out of 4

Running Time: 104 min.

Sometimes, science-fiction can challenge viewers with brave, visionary ideas about the future and our place as humans in it. Life boasts an impressive cast and early ads for the feature might suggest a heady, thoughtful science-fiction feature about the significance of discovering life on another planet. However, that’s not at all what this film is really about. This is a slickly produced monster-movie, pure and simple. It follows the horror genre formula from beginning to end, with characters desperately attempting to stop being consumed by a strange, tentacle-spewing creature with a nasty disposition.

The plot involves a small group...

Welcome back yet again for another edition detailing Blu-ray and DVD highlights coming your way. It’s a remarkably busy week, jam packed with features both new and old. 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!

Assassin’s Creed - Once again, a hugely popular video game is translated to the big screen. This adaptation involves a man who is taken by a mysterious corporate entity with ties to the Templar Knights. He’s placed into a machine that can help him travel into an ancestor’s memories, where he is instructed to find information leading to a genetic code. Unfortunately, reviews were poor for...