The Danish Girl (2015) Rated R

The Danish GirlThe fictitious story based on the lives of  Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Based on the novel of the same name by David Ebershoff. Starring Alicia Vikander, Eddie Redmayne, Tusse Silberg, Amber Heard, Matthias Schoenaerts.

Sets, costumes, makeup- this film has it all, and it is beautiful.  Unfortunately, the story is both disturbing and insufficient for the topic it tackles, which is that of early transgender issues and operations. They gloss over the complexity of this haunting story of Lili, an intersex person living in the 1920’s with her artist wife. Although doctors understood her condition, they did not have the proper medical means to correct it. Lili dies because her body rejects a uterus transplant.

In addition, her wife Gerda (played by Vikander) married Lili when she was still known as the man Einar.  She struggles to accept and encourage her husband/wife’s transformation while in despair over her lost marriage.  It is heartbreaking. The performances by Redmayne and Vikander are marvelous and poignant; it is just disappointing that they are contained within an unremarkable film.  This film is a pass.

 

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Undercover Christmas (2003) Rated NR

Undercover ChristmasA FBI agent is assigned to protect a cocktail waitress who is testifying against her boyfriend. Starring  Jami Gertz, Shawn Christian, Tyne Daly.

Cute but not exactly great, here is just another so-so Christmas film.  Gertz was over the top as the talkative ex-girlfriend, who always says whatever is on her mind. She and Christian, playing the straight-laced FBI agent,  made an odd pair.  The ending seemed unrealistic due to their apparent incompatibility, although Gertz does tone down her character in the last half.  in the fact that they just didn’t seem to fit together. This film had potential but felt rushed.  It’s a pass.

 

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The Detour (TBS) Rated TV-MA

The detourA couple takes their kids on a road trip.  Let the adventure begin! Starring Jason Jones, Natalie Zea, Ashley Gerasimovich, Liam Carroll.

This show is funny, but I was put off by the raunchy humor often employed.  It also rides a fine line between being believable and unrealistic.  It’s hard to believe some of the things the kids do are for real; it makes me question their parenting.  The one highlight was Zea’s performance, a departure from her ditzy characters to a mom who does not have control of the situation.

Ultimately, I am on the fence about this one.  I guess, if you have kids and a raw sense of humor, you might enjoy this show, but for the more conservative types, I’d say it is a pass.

 

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New This Week on DVD, April 19, 2016

 Assassin (NR)

Ruthless killer for hire breaks the rules of his profession and falls for a beautiful young woman. Discovering the notorious gangland brothers had hired him to kill her father, his world breaks down and he must turn against his criminal employers and their gang to save the woman he loves. Starring Danny Dyer, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp

 Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (R)

A look at the history of the American comedy publication and production company, National Lampoon, from its beginning in the 1970s to 2010, featuring rare and never-before-seen footage. Starring Danny Abelson, Judd Apatow, Kevin Bacon

 Fifty Shades of Black (R)

An inexperienced college student meets a wealthy businessman whose sexual practices put a strain on their relationship. Starring Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Fred Willard, Mike Epps, Jane Seymour, Florence Henderson

 Ip Man 3 (PG-13)

When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand. Starring Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Jin Zhang, Mike Tyson

 The Lady in the Van (PG-13)

A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that’s parked in his driveway. Starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Clare Hammond, Dominic Cooper

 Misconduct (R)

When an ambitious young lawyer takes on a big case against a powerful and ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company, he soon finds himself involved in a case of blackmail and corruption. Starring Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Malin Akerman, Julia Stiles

 Norm of the North (PG)

When a real estate development invades his Arctic home, Norm and his three lemming friends head to New York City, where Norm becomes the mascot of the corporation in an attempt to bring it down from the inside and protect his homeland. Starring Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Bill Nighy, Colm Meaney

 Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Sixth Season (TV-14)

Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend. Starring Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell

 The Revenant (R)

A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter

 Sex Ed (UR)

Eddie lands his first teaching gig at an inner city middle school and finds his highly pubescent pupils are receiving no form of sexual education. Eddie isn’t really equipped to teach them…he’s not exactly experienced romantically. Starring Haley Joel Osment, Lorenza Izzo, Glen Powell

 Salem: The Complete Second Season (UR)

Set in the volatile world of 17th century Massachusetts, ‘Salem’ explores what really fueled the town’s infamous witch trials and dares to uncover the dark, supernatural truth hiding behind the veil of this infamous period in American history. In Salem, witches are real, but they are not who or what they seem. Starring Jeremy Summers, Janet Montgomery, Shane West

 A.R.C.H.I.E. (NR)

ISABEL SULLIVAN has just moved to a small town to live with her uncle PAUL who is the town’s mayor. Isabel has recently lost her parents in a car accident. Feeling very alone and friendless, Isabel befriends a stray robot dog named ARCHIE. Though he looks like a normal dog, he is anything but. He can talk. He can run at blinding speed. He’s got super strength and x-ray vision. Isabel and Archie become fast friends. She teaches him how to be a normal dog while he helps her to fit in with the cool kid clique. Most of all, Isabel can confide in Archie about what happened to her parents. Archie can relate. He’s never had a family – until now. As the summer progresses, things start to get tricky. Paul is up for re-election and finds himself running against VERONICA TAYLOR who happens to be in cahoots with BURGERTROPOLIS – a national fast food franchise that has been trying to buy Paul out for years. What’s worse, an evil man named HUGH JABLONSKI shows up in town claiming to be Archie’s rightful owner. Starring Katharine Isabelle, Michael J. Fox, Jonathan Whitesell

 And Then There Were None (TV-14)

Ten strangers are invited to an island by a mysterious host, and start to get killed one by one. Could one of them be the killer? Starring Maeve Dermody, Charles Dance, Toby Stephens, Burn Gorman, Aidan Turner, Harley Gallacher

 Haven: The Complete Final Season (NR)

She has no past. She has no family. She was raised in an orphanage. So, she lives for what she does best: be an FBI agent. That’s why Audrey Parker is sent to a distant Maine village called Haven, to investigate the crime of a prison fugitive. What she does not know, is that her past is connected to that village, that old threats from the past are coming back, and she is going to be a central piece on everyone’s life… or death. Starring Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour

 Silicon Valley: The Complete Second Season (TV-MA)

In the high-tech gold rush of modern Silicon Valley, the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success. A comedy partially inspired by Mike Judge’s own experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the late 1980s. Starring Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani

 Veep: The Complete Fourth Season (TV-MA)

Former Senator Selina Meyer finds that being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she hoped and everything that everyone ever warned her about. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw

Synopsis by IMDB.

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Doris Roberts (1925-2016)

Doris Roberts

(1925-2016)

 Grey’s Anatomy (2005– ) Rated TV-14

A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

 Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015) Rated TV-PG

Three 40-something best friends from Los Angeles are flying to Paris when their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland. Realizing that all the norms from Los Angeles don’t apply anymore, they decide to celebrate a city that values real women and stay where they’re still considered hot.

 Perfect Strangers (1986–1993) Rated TV-PG

A high-strung and cynical man’s life is never the same when his naïve but good-natured cousin comes to America to live with him.

 Melissa & Joey (2010– ) Rated TV-14

After a family scandal leaves Mel, a local politician, alone with her niece, Lennox, and nephew, Ryder, she hires a man named Joe to become the family’s male nanny, or “manny”.

 Full House (1987–1995) Rated TV-G

After the sudden death of his wife, a young father enlists the help of his brother-in-law and his childhood friend to help him raise his three young children.

Synopsis by IMDB.

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Henry Cavill

henry cavill

 

 Man of Steel (2013) Rated PG-13

Clark Kent, one of the last of an extinguished race disguised as an unremarkable human, is forced to reveal his identity when Earth is invaded by an army of survivors who threaten to bring the planet to the brink of destruction.

 Whatever Works (2009) Rated PG-13

A middle-aged, misanthropic divorcée from New York City surprisingly enters a fulfilling, Pygmalion-type relationship with a much younger, unsophisticated Southern girl.

 The Tudors (2007–2010) Rated TV-MA

A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.

 Immortals (2011) Rated R

Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.

 The Cold Light of Day (2012)

After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.

Synopsis by IMDB.

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Secret Summer (2016) Rated TV-PG

Secret SummerAn appraiser’s client wants to buy out a small town library. She heads to the town to close up the deal, and meets a local writer. Starring Lindsey Shaw, Derek Theler, Chiara Aurelia, Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Isaiah Washington.

Wow, this is one of the greatest family films I’ve seen. It was wonderful to see Theler in a different role than the mental challenged brother in Baby Daddy. He was perfect in his role as the writer who cares about everyone and enjoys a good historical story.

The story is well written, and the chemistry is great among all the actors, not just the leads. The only down side was that the actor’s seemed a little unsure of or uncomfortable with their lines at times, but it hardly deterred from the film at all.

I was surprised to see  Rose and Bryant as a married couple, especially for fans of Haven. They played a perfect loving couple, so unlike their regular roles as police partners. Also, I can’t help but praise Washington’s performance; he was almost unrecognizable in the film. It’s an all-around good film, well worth a watch.

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The Wishing Tree (2012) Rated NR

The Wishing Tree 2012A Christmas tree that is decorated with handwritten wishes helps a group of orphaned students find a sense of family. Starring Jason Gedrick, Erica Cerra, Richard Harmon.

This was a great Hallmark Christmas film. It’s a story about redemption, love, and forgiveness.  The story revolves around a professor who stays behind to help the kids who are left at school for Christmas break.  He comes to terms with his past with the help of those kids, and the kids find their worth through him. This is one of the better, inspirational films from Hallmark and worth a watch.

 

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Point Break (2015) Rated PG-13

point break A young FBI agent infiltrates a group of extreme athletes who have been involved in a number of heists. Starring  Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone.

This is a remake of the 1991 film Point Break , highlighting extreme sports in every way possible, but skimping on the story. These athletes move from country to country, performing heists, none of which are explained. It’s really just a world travel/sports movie, with a reckless group of individuals living high off their heists, with no accountability.  Don’t waste your time with this one, but be sure to check out the original with  Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze; it is better on so many levels.

 

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New This Week in Theaters, April 14, 2016

 The Jungle Book (PG)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Neel Sethi, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley

An orphan boy is raised in the jungle with the help of a pack of wolves, a bear, and a black panther.

 Criminal (R)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones

The memories & skills of a deceased CIA agent are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous convict.

 Barbershop: The Next Cut (PG-13)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina Hall

As their surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, the crew at Calvin’s Barbershop come together to bring some much needed change to their neighborhood.

  Green Room (R)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Patrick Stewart

After witnessing a murder, a punk rock band is forced into a vicious fight for survival against a group of maniacal skinheads.

 Precious Mettle (R)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Paul Sorvino, Robert Z’Dar, Fiona Dourif

Alone after losing his family in a car accident, a retiring police commander attempts to help a daughter he never knew escape heroin addiction and a past that endangers her, while investigating his best friend’s murder.

 Rio, I Love You (R)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Basil Hoffman, Emily Mortimer, Rodrigo Santoro

A series of short films set in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

 Ned Venture (PG)
Opens on Saturday, April 16
Starring: Jordan Bellace, Antoni Corone, Blake Weger

Local skate-park hero Ned Venture, along with his multi-talented brothers and sister, gets thrown into the wildest, craziest, adventure of his life after accidentally finding a large stash of diamonds stolen by a wannabe gang of mobsters.

 Fan (NR)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Joelle Koissi, Mariola Jaworska, Farah Ahmed

An Indian superstar becomes an unhealthy obsession for a Delhi-based fan.

 Sing Street (PG-13)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band and moving to London.

 Our Last Tango (NR)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: María Nieves Rego, Juan Carlos Copes, Johana Copes, Alejandra Gutty

The life and love story of Argentina’s famous tango dancers Maria Nieves Rego and Juan Carlos Copes, who met as teenagers and danced together for nearly fifty years until a painful separation tore them apart.

 Colonia (NR)
Opens on Friday, April 15
Starring: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist, Richenda Carey

A young woman’s desperate search for her abducted boyfriend that draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a sect nobody ever escaped from.

Synopsis by IMDB.

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