It Is Tuesday And There Are Many New Releases For Home Video This Week!!

Well I already covered within the last two weeks that Aladdin and Witness get released on Bluray this week. Well here are some more new releases.

SAN ANDREAS
Directed by Brad Peyton
Screenplay: Carlton Cuse; Andre Fabrizio; and Jeremy Passmore
Starring: Dwayne Johnson; Carla Gugino; Alexandra Daddario; and Paul Giamatti



In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot (Johnson) makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his daughter (Daddario) and wife (Gugino).

Oh my gosh!!!! This film is sooo much fun. And it makes no sense!! Scientists will rip this apart, but let it go, sit back and enjoy!! It reminds me of 70's films like Earthquake and Towering Inferno. Running from an earthquake???!! Driving boats through a building?!! The science makes no sense!! Funny coincidences that I rolled my eyes at and I did not mind. This should not work, but it does.
This was one of the summer movies at its best. It has a likable lead in Johnson (Screw everybody I am just rescuing my family. He did not say that but, that is what he was doing. It is kind of funny). It has Gugino and Giamatti, wonderful actress and actor. The most beautiful young actress working today in Daddario (True Detective), who can also act! This is the ultimate, leave your brain at the door fun, harmless, big screen summer film. No super heroes allowed!!!

I was ready to give this 4 1/2 but the one scene with a boat and a tsunami was beyond leave my brain at the door and a corny ending was a little "Cringy".
Still 4 out of 5 stars for this fun movie!!! I am interested in how it will look on a smaller screen,

Oh and kudos to casting ....Johnson does not have a younger wife but an actress older than him plays his wife. When is the last time you have seen that??!!

Tomorrowland
Directed by Brad Bird
Screenplay by Brad Bird; Damon Lindelof;  and Jeff Jensen
Starring: George Clooney; Britt Robertson; Raffey Cassidy; Tim McGraw; and Hugh Laurie



A young teenage science wiz (Robertson) and a older former teenage science wiz (Clooney), with the help of a, well I do not know what she is (Cassidy), fight to get to Tomorrowland for some reason.

Yes I know, if you read this blog often you know that I rip this movie every chance I get,,,WELL IT DESERVES IT!!!

Let me get the positives out of the way. Britt Robertson for the second film this year (The Longest Ride) shows that she is near the top of our bright young actresses today. Raffey Cassidy...wow...I have never seen her before but amazingly she acts circles around Clooney.
I also like that in the screenplay the brilliant science mind is a teenage female which is rare in films today where the teenage girl is sexed up and a little loose all over TV.
Now the bad. Brad Bird....(Incredibles and Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol) missed here and should be kind of ashamed that he let Disney misrepresent a movie, and he has to have some pull at Disney. Shame!
Do you want to see Tomorrowland like in the posters and in the trailer? Well don't miss the first 10 minutes because that is it. Sucker!!! That is right, the Tomorrowland in the posters is only in the beginning and later on you see it and it is much different. You want to take your children? Go ahead if you want them to see police officers get disintegrated into dust. Or let them try to figure out the plot which is way over their heads and they will get bored because the last half hour is a lecture on what the film is about. Adults you want to see this? Be prepared for really bad green screen work and be prepared to be lectured because what this film is all about is an agenda to tell you how lazy and fat you are and how the world is coming to an end soon because of that.
I detest this movie. I had a pass but I felt bad for the people who paid for this lecture. I did get my answer on why George Clooney would do a Disney kid movie...because he has an agenda....and not to get to political on a review but if George gives up his giant yacht or his private plane then he can come back and then he has some grounds to lecture us on being lazy and not caring. Other than that shut up. And they try to soften the lecture by using children and kind of saying your parents suck so it is up to you. Great!!! Glad people paid to watch that.
1 1/2 stars out of 5 for this garbage and that is just because of Robertson and Cassidy.


DOPE
Directed by Rick Famuyiwa
Screenplay by Rick Famuyiwa
Starring Shameik Moore; Tony Revolori; Kiersey Clemons



Life changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to a party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.

The acting by the three leads is very very good. Moore as Malcom; Revolori as Jib; and Clemons as Diggy. I cant tell you how great the chemistry is between these three friends who stick together no matter what.
The film has the same feel as Super Bad, with a good amount of humor, and where close friends just stumble into trouble on a particular night. However, here the script is all over the place. At the end there is a question asked of us: "you would not be surprised and question a white teenage male if he was applying to Harvard. Then why would you be surprised and question a black teenage male?" That is a fair question. However, it does not connect with the film. I cannot give up too much of the plot but Malcom and his friends get into trouble, like big trouble. However they are able to use their smarts/brains and use that trouble to better themselves. Still it did not connect with the question.
The plot is all over the place, really funny moments; crazy coincidences; A love story...kinda.. that is thrown together at the end. The story needed editing and needed to be cleaned up a bit. I just feel that all three leads were so likable that they deserved a tighter script. I was hoping to see more of how hard it is for the "Nerd" growing up in a tough neighborhood to finds his way. And I wanted more about the relationship with his single mother, I mean they had the great Kimberly Elise play the mother and she is on the screen for 5 minutes. Really??
3 1/2 out of 5 for DOPE a well acted film. By the way I hate the title. Probably should have been called A Slippery Slope. If you get a chance to see it you will know why.....one bad decision by a teenager can start a slippery slope.


As always from the shadows thanks for your time.