HIGH DEF UNIVERSE

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

From Ridley Scott, the acclaimed director of Gladiator, comes the epic adventure Exodus: Gods and Kings, the story of one man's daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and engrossing 3D immersion, Exodus: Gods and Kings brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 400,000 slaves on a monumental journey to escape Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

They’re cute...they’re cuddly...they’re back! From the creators of Madagascar comes the hilarious new movie that proves global espionage is for the birds! In DreamWorks’ Penguins of Madagascar, your favorite super-spies—Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private—join forces with the elite North Wind team to save the world. It’s a side-splitting, globe-trotting adventure the whole family will love! Introduce the Penguin family to your family on March 17 when Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment releases DreamWorks’ Penguins of Madagascar on Blu-ray and DVD. And for a limited time, get two hopping Penguin toys only with the DreamWorks’ Penguins of Madagascar Easter DVD and Blu-ray pack on March 17 making it the perfect gift for Easter baskets.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

From writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats) comes this wickedly funny modern-day monster movie that will hold you in terror as it keeps you in stitches. The highly anticipated film Tusk arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) December 30th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Starring Michael Parks (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Django Unchained), Justin Long (Live Free or Die Hard, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story), Haley Joel Osment (Amazon's "Alpha House," The Sixth Sense) and Genesis Rodriguez (Identity Thief, Hours), Tusk is being called "Kevin Smith's very best work" (Variety). Tusk premiered to the world at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as a part of the Midnight Madness program and was released theatrically by A24.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

It’s a jungle out there… Manu (Drake Bell) and Sacha (Alicia Silverstone) are two young raccoons living in the Mexican rainforest. They are deeply in love with each other! The only problem is that Sacha is the daughter of the raccoon tribe’s king and Manu is a bit of a troublemaker. When Manu’s escapades leave the tribe’s most worshipped statue destroyed, the King (Tom Arnold) exiles Manu to live on his own in the jungle. A year later the fumbling youngster has turned into a strapping young male, but one thing hasn’t changed: Manu is still in love with Sacha. When human poachers capture Sacha, Manu sets out on a thrilling adventure to save the raccoon princess and redeem himself with the tribe. On Manu’s journey he teams up with Chuy (Rob Schneider), a lively and courageous spider monkey, and the chaotic duo face the many dangers of the tropical rainforest. Except to free Sacha out of the clutches of the mysterious Dr. Loco, Manu has to accept that even the bravest hero needs a helping hand… paw, claw or talon.

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson

Captured with IMAX 3D cameras, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar takes audiences on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar, where lemurs arrived millions of years ago as castaways. They’ve since evolved into hundreds of diverse species, but are now highly endangered. Island of Lemurs: Madagascar highlights the tireless efforts of trailblazing scientist Dr. Patricia C. Wright and her lifelong mission to help these strange and adorable creatures survive in the modern world. Joining David Douglas once again behind the scenes are editor Beth Spiegel, co-producer Diane Roberts, and composer Mark Mothersbaugh. Songs are by Hanitrarivo Rasoanaivo & Tarika.

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson

From Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema, comes the Oscar-winning triumph Spirited Away (2002, Best Animated Feature Film), filled with astonishing beauty and epic adventure, a dazzling masterpiece for the ages. Spirited Away is a wondrous fantasy about a young girl, Chihiro, trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call on the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world. In the The Cat Returns. Haru, a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat, and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. To change her fate, she’ll need to learn to believe in herself and, in the process, she will learn to appreciate her everyday life.

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

Oscar winners Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer co-star in this touching comedy-drama based on real events. When two grandparents, Elliott (Costner) and Rowena (Spencer), engage in a heated custody dispute over their beloved granddaughter, the ensuing legal battle forces them to confront their true feelings on race and forgiveness. Can people from two seemingly different worlds find common ground when nothing is as simple as black or white?

1776 is a musical celebration of the founding of the United States of America based on the award-winning Broadway production. The story centers around the familiar historical characters as they organize a movement for independence from Mother England: the tough unyielding John Adams (William Daniels); the charming and pragmatic Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva); the brilliant young Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard), who is chosen to write the Declaration of Independence even as he longs for the company of his new bride Martha (Blythe Danner); and the rest of the Continental Congress. All events lead up to that most significant date July 4, 1776 when the Declaration was signed. Now fully restored for its high definition debut on Blu-ray, 1776 looks and sounds better than ever.

As riots consume the streets of Boston, a dangerous game plays out between a British governor and ringleader Sam Adams, which escalates to extreme measures-street brawls, black market dealings, espionage and murder. A sizzling, romantic affair percolates against a backdrop of rising civil unrest, the infamous Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere's legendary ride. From the Battle of Lexington, a clash between the dedicated colonists and the superior British Army ensues, and the colonies join forces as a single, united country in the most epic revolution of our time.

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

In 1943, the Navy submarine USS Lionfish was inexplicably shut down, and its commander, Tony Sterling (Cambridge Jones), disappeared without a trace. Seventy years later, Sterling's grandson, professor Peter Williams (Tim Abell), is recruited by a top-secret government agency to investigate. Aboard the Lionfish, Peter and his team uncover clues to the sub's cryptic past and are plunged into a terrifying supernatural journey that will take them across the dark abyss of time, with history hanging in the balance.

The Cohen Film Collection is proud to announce that it will bring together two of the most riotous adventure films of the 1960s for their Blu-ray and DVD debut. That Man From Rio and Up to His Ears, both directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, have been digitally remastered for release on extras-packed discs on April 4, 2015. The Blu-ray will have an SRP of $49.98 and the DVD will have an SRP of $39.98. By the mid-1960s, Philippe de Broca had established himself as one of France's leading directors, with such hits as the swashbuckling adventure Cartouche and the sex comedyFive Day Lover. Boxer turned actor Jean-Paul Belmondo had helped usher in the New Wave as the star of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless. De Broca and Belmondo wound up making six films together, none more successful than That Man From Rio and Up to His Ears.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

From provocative Oscar-nominated writer and director Atom Egoyan (Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, The Sweet Hereafter, 1997) comes a suspenseful tale, The Captive, arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) March 3, 2015 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Released theatrically by A24, the tense action-thriller starring Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Rosario Dawson follows a man who must unravel the mystery of his daughter's disappearance before it's too late. The Blu-ray and DVD, featuring audio commentary by writer/director Atom Egoyan, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an alternate ending and deleted scenes.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Sin City) and Don Johnson (A Boy and His Dog, TV's Miami Vice) star in this genre collision of biker movie, heist thriller and buddy flick that will take you to the hardline of action and adventure! When their favorite bar is threatened with closure, outlaw biker Harley (Rourke) and modern-day cowboy Marlboro (Johnson) hatch a scheme to save the day – by robbing the corrupt bank behind the bar's shutdown! When the robbery yields not money but a shipment of drugs, Harley and Marlboro find themselves on the run from the bank's sinister president (Tom Sizemore) and a posse of seemingly unstoppable hit men. Now wanted dead or alive, the hard-riding heroes must fight for their very lives… and learn that when the going gets tough, the tough take the law into their own hands.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

From the director of Chicago and the producer of “Wicked” comes a modern twist on the beloved fairy tales you thought you knew. Academy Award-Winning actress Meryl Streep (Best Actress, The Iron Lady), leads an all-star cast in this enchanted adventure about daring to venture Into The Woods. Iconic characters, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, find their fates intertwined with a humble baker and his wife, whose longing to have a child sends them on a quest to reverse a witch’s (Streep) curse. With an all-star cast, this spellbinding adventure is everything you could ever wish for!

Reviewed by Meghan Sullivan

America’s favorite teen meets the galaxy’s fiercest hunter! Archie and friends hit Costa Rica for Spring Break, where party games and beach games are soon replaced by the Most Dangerous Game! What mysterious attraction does the gang hold for the trophy-collecting Predator, and will the kids even realize they’re in danger before it claims them all? Please welcome our new writer Meghan Sullivan who is kicking off the start of our comic book reviews with Archie vs. Predator #1! 

When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin…well, easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused—except this one usually leads to trouble. With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as The Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists...part surf noir, part psychedelic romp—all Thomas Pynchon.

Reviewed by Sean Ferguson

Disneytoon Studios returns to Pixie Hollow with the heartwarming adventure “Legend of the NeverBeast.” The new story explores an ancient myth of a fabled creature whose distant roar sparks the curiosity of Tinker Bell’s good friend Fawn, an animal fairy who’s not afraid to break the rules to help an animal in need. But this animal—massive and strange with glowing green eyes—is not really welcome in Pixie Hollow, and the scout fairies are determined to capture the mysterious beast before it destroys their home. Fawn, who sees a tender heart beneath his gruff exterior, must convince Tink and the girls to risk everything to rescue the NeverBeast before time runs out. 

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, announces the release of the cult horror film WolfCop, written and directed by Lowell Dean (13 Eerie) and starring Leo Fafard (Corner Gas: The Movie), Amy Matysio (Lawrence & Holloman), Jonathan Cherry (Final Destination 2), Aidan Devine ("Outlander") and Sarah Lind (Severed). Officer Lou Garou isn’t the best cop in small-town Woodhaven – in fact, he’s probably the worst. He mostly just looks to avoid anything that could possibly interfere with his goal of getting wasted. One evening during the night shift, Lou investigates a mysterious disturbance at the edge of town and wakes up with a pentagram carved in his chest, heightened senses and body hair that’s growing at an alarming rate. To solve the mystery of his transformation, he’ll have to take on a case no normal cop would be able to solve, but this half-man, half-beast is not just a cop…he’s a WolfCop.

The superstar team of writer and Executive Producer Jeph Loeb ("Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") and Artist Simone Bianchi (Astonishing X-Men) team up to deliver the highly anticipated sequel to the gripping comic book action adventure Wolverine vs. Sabretooth. This brutal, action-packed story deftly captures the epic finale to the biggest rivalry of the Marvel Universe in Marvel Knights Animation’s Wolverine vs. Sabretooth: Reborn DVD, available on home entertainment shelves nationwide on March 24, 2015 from Shout! Factory.

Everyone’s favorite marmalade-loving little bear is ready to make a splash onto home screens when Anchor Bay Entertainment and TWC-Dimension release the critically acclaimed, heart-warming family film Paddington on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand April 28, 2015. Paddington tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined until he meets the kindly Brown family (Bonneville and Hawkins) who take him home after reading the label around his neck. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rare talking bear catches the eye of Millicent (Nicole Kidman), a museum taxidermist.

No one had a better eye for talent than Ed Sullivan. That simple fact was confirmed by the broad range of incredible acts he brought into America's living rooms from his Broadway stage between 1948 and 1971 on the greatest, longest-running prime timevariety show in the history of television. This May, StarVista Entertainment/Time Life will bring home audiences front row seats for The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, a 6-disc collector's set never before available at retail. Priced to add to every TV aficionado's collection at $59.95srp, the special edition release delivers the biggest names in music, comedy and variety captured in the prime of their careers, as well as all the astonishing novelty acts selected by Ed as his personal favorites, culled from over 1,000 hours of classic television!

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

You won't see him coming when the Devil May Call arrives on Digital HD and On Demand February 24th and on DVD (plus Digital) March 10th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Starring Corri English (Unrest) and Tyler Mane (the Halloween franchise), the Devil May Call DVD includes a director's commentary, cast interviews, a "composing the score" featurette and a short film by the director Jason Cuadrado. Blinded in an accident, Sam (English) rebuilds her life by helping callers on a suicide hotline. When she informs an obsessive caller (Mane) that she's quitting, he takes the news personally-very personally. What begins as a quiet work shift becomes a frantic fight for survival against a relentless killer-and the darkest, deadliest night of Sam's life.

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

Bring home the Emmy-nominated program when A&E®’s hit series, Wahlburgers: The Complete Second Season arrives on DVD February 17th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Go behind the scenes of one of Boston’s most well-known families with brothers Mark Wahlberg (The Gambler), Donnie Wahlberg (TV’s “Blue Bloods”), Paul Wahlberg, their mother, Alma Wahlberg and family friend Johnny “Drama” Alves. The Wahlburgers: The Complete Second Season DVD includes never-before-seen-on-TV bonus footage and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) headlines the cross-generational comedy, Laggies, arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) February 10th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Theatrically released by A24 and referred to as "a feel-good, crowd-pleasing comedy" (The Playlist), the hilarious rom-com also features Chloë Grace Moretz (If I Stay, Carrie, Kick-Ass franchise), Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids, TV's "The Office") and Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Way Way Back).

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

After Debbie (Shelley Hennig, “Teen Wolf”) suddenly dies, her best friend Laine (Olivia Cooke, “Bates Motel,”) attempts to contact her using an antique Ouija board she finds in Debbie’s room. When the curious teen begins asking the board questions and stumbles upon the mystery of her friend’s death, Laine discovers a resident spirit calling itself DZ, and eerie, inexplicable events begin to follow her. The group of friends digs deeper into the history of Debbie’s house and are shocked to find that Debbie wasn’t the first victim—and won’t be be the last if they don’t figure out how to close the portal to the spirit world they’ve opened.

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

In Season 2 of "The Bridge," Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) and Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) are brought together again by the murder of a cartel member whose body is found in El Paso.  Meanwhile, reporters Frye and Mendez venture deeper into the border region underworld to follow the path of a money-laundering operation.  The unraveling mysteries quickly pull all of these compelling characters into a complex web of cartel assassinations, crooked cops and the explosive Juarez drug war.

Reviewed by Jami Ferguson

Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is struggling in obscurity and poverty in Wisconsin when he is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to his lavish estate to form a team and to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Schultz seizes the opportunity, eager to step out of the shadow of his revered older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), a prominent wrestling coach and Gold Medal winner himself. With his vast financial resources and state-of-the-art training facility at Foxcatcher Farm, du Pont appoints himself head coach of the team, eager to win the respect of his peers and the approval of his condemning mother (Vanessa Redgrave). The dynamic between Schultz and du Pont deepens as Mark embraces his benefactor as a father figure. But du Pont's mercurial personality and psychological gameplay begins to weigh heavily on Mark's shaky self-esteem, undermining his abilities on the mat. When du Pont's favoritism shifts to brother Dave — who possesses the authority and confidence both he and Mark lack — the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen.

Dr. Michael Cayle thought leaving the chaotic lifestyle of New York City behind for the quiet, small town of Ashborough would bring his family closer together. Soon after arriving, however, he discovers the town's deepest secret: a terrifying - and controlling - race of creatures that live amongst the darkness in the woods behind his home. Based on the best-selling novel by Michael Laimo, Deep in the Darkness stars Sean Patrick Thomas (Save The Last Dance, Cruel Intentions), Kristen Bush ("The Following"), Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet, "Quantum Leap"), Blanche Baker (Sixteen Candles), Anthony Del Negro (Dark Haul) and Athena Grant. Directed by Colin Theys (Remains, Dead Souls), this eerily terrifying film takes your darkest fears and brings them home to the roost.