Actors: Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, Lauren Holly, James Remar
Directors: Osgood Perkins
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: May 30, 2017
Run Time: 95 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

“The Blackcoat’s Daughter” is a film that premiered back at TIFF back in 2015 and has sat on the shelf since then without getting a proper release. This film is a great mix of creepy slow-burn almost Hammer like atmosphere with a solid horror angle mixed it. It has a solid cast including Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, James Remar, Lauren Holly, and Lucy Boynton. Great talent here. Worth checking out on a lazy weekend for sure for a few good jumps.

Official Premise: Beautiful and haunted Joan (Emma Roberts) makes a bloody and determined pilgrimage across a frozen landscape toward a prestigious all-girls prep school, where Rose (Lucy Boynton) and Kat (Kiernan Shipka) find themselves stranded after their parents mysteriously fail to retrieve them for winter break. As Joan gets closer, Rose watches in horror while Kat suffers terrifying visions and becomes possessed by an unseen force.

“The Blackcoat’s Daughter” comes as combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy included. The 1080p transfer works with the dark and creepy feel for the film. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers the eerie score perfectly and adds to the Gothic feeling of the film. The special features include an audio commentary track with Writer-Director Osgood Perkins as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette “The Dead of Winter: Making The Blackcoat’s Daughter”.

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Actors: Mae Whitman, Anais Fairweather, Grey Griffin, Teala Dunn, Tara Strong
Directors: Jennifer Coyle
Rated: NR
Studio: Warner Brothers
DVD Release Date: May 23, 2017
Run Time: 72 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games” is the second feature length movie from the incredibly popular “DC Super Hero Girls” series. I have a five year old daughter and this series is one of her favorite. I heard this week in fact that there is an actual full series coming out (finally) in 2018. We have had only online shorts previously outside of these two features. This series is a perfect way to get young girls into the superhero world, which is proven to not for boys only anymore. If you have a young girl, this is a must own for sure.

Official Premise: Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee and Katana square off against Korugar Academy in the Intergalactic Games, but trouble is in the air as Lena Luthor takes advantage of the gathering of the Supers to enact her villainous plan. It’s up to the DC Super Hero Girls to fight the forces of evil and protect their school. With Wonder Woman’s strength, Supergirl’s speed, Batgirl’s strategic knowledge, Poison Ivy’s ability to make things grow, Harley Quinn’s energy, Bumblebee’s ability to shrink, and Katana’s fearless personality… anything is possible.

In addition to the very fun and cute animated film, there are a few solid special features as well. There is a fun music video for “That’s My Girl” by Fifth Harmony. There are also seven animated shorts from the online series that aired on Youtube. With the upcoming full length animated series and a non-stop flow of amazing merchandise, “DC Super Hero Girls” is only getting more and more popular every day. I hope that Warner Bros continues to make these full-length features as well!

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Actors: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson
Directors: Ash Brannon
Number of discs: 2
Rated: PG
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: May 23, 2017
Run Time: 90 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

“Rock Dog” is the latest in the cheap animated films that get zero promotion and then slapped with an American cast. This one does actually pack some talent with Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. Simmons, Lewis Black, and Kenan Thompson but unfortunately the film is just completely forgettable and not worth your time. Young kids might like the music but parents will tear their hair out.

Official Premise: When a radio falls from the sky into the hands of a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, he leaves home to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician, setting into motion a series of completely unexpected events.

“Rock Dog” comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD and Digital HD copy included. The Blu-ray specs are solid. The 1080p transfer is solid for the CG animation and the colors are vibrant though doesn’t make it feel any less cheap. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a great track for the music in the film and works well.

The special features includes are not as bad as I would have expected. There are four featurettes included. The first “Finding the Fire: The Making of Rock Dog” takes us through the production. “Mic Check: Casting the Voices” looks at the cast. “A Rockin’ New World: Animating Rock Dog” shows how our characters were made. The last “Rock Dog and Roll: Exploring the Music” focus on the tunes in the film. Lastly there is a music video included for the track “Glorious”.

Starring: Willie Robertson, Phil Robertson, Jase Robertson, Si Robertson, Kay Robertson, Korie Robertson, Jep Robertson
Developed by: A&E Networks
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Rating: TV-PG
24 Disc Set
Run Time: 51 Hrs, 8 Mins.

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

It’s hard to believe that “Duck Dynasty”, the reality television series developed by A&E, first aired in March 2012 has come to an end. The show had a mega successful run of 130 episodes over 11 seasons with a few spin-offs. The show portrays the lives of the Robertson family, who became successful from their family-operated business, Duck Commander. The show may have not been for everyone and personally I hate reality TV, but this show spoke to me. It has a strong family value deep within it ending every episode with a family meal and prayers. I may have not always agreed with the personal views of the family outside of the show but overall it is a fun family show that will be missed.

Official Premise: Grow a beard and grab the camo! Here’s the ultimate collectible for Duck Dynasty® fans! For 11 seasons, millions of TV viewers tuned in for the colorful adventures and homegrown humor of the Robertsons, the backwoods family that built an empire out of a small duck call business. Now you can enjoy all 130 episodes, including some of your favorite unforgettable moments — Willie and Si’s woodchipper competition, Sadie’s driving lessons, a redneck Christmas, and John Luke’s wedding — in one spec-quack-ular collection!

If you are a fan of this show then this is the ultimate release to own but if you are late to the show and just finding out about this series, this again makes a perfect way to dive and binge this series. There are the 130 episodes spanned out over the 24 discs which are formatted with 16×9 Widescreen 1.78:1 Presentation and packing a Dolby Digital Audio 2.0 tracks. So if when you are done with the FIFTY hours of episodes, there are also an additional FIVE hours of bonus features included, which only makes this release even more sweeter. The trick in getting this gift set is that it is only available on DVD at Walmart for the suggested retail price of $99.98. Don’t miss this!

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Actors: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes
Directors: James Foley
Rated: NR
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Run Time: 131 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I do not understand the thrill of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” series. The first film is a melodramatic turd and the second film is honestly worse. The “steamy scenes” in the film are not sexy at all and nearly laughable. Watching this film was petty painful to be honest. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are fine in the film and do what they can with this mess but I wouldn’t waste my time on this…just watch a damn porn, LOL. The production though is decent and you can tell that they were trying harder this time but it’s a hard pass for me…and to think there is still another sequel coming.

Official Premise: Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker, the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades phenomenon. When a wounded Christian tries to entice a cautious Anastasia back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple. Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson) and Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger) join the cast, determined to destroy the couple’s hopes for a future together. This time there are no rules.

This Blu-ray includes an unrated cut of the film. Personally the film is long enough running 117 minutes but this new cut expands it out to 131 minutes. If you enjoyed the film you might be interested in more, but I’m not. Despite whether or not the film is worth watching, the A/V presentation is extremely solid. The 1080p transfer looks amazing and really crisp colors. The real shocker here is definitely the DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack. Normally, I would say a film like this wouldn’t need a track like this but it really does sound great. From the film’s music to the subtle sound effects throughout. It is really solid.

“Fifty Shades Darker” comes with some solid special features including contains six featurettes, a two short deleted scenes, and a preview for the next film, “Fifty Shades Freed”…very short. “Writing Darker” features the author E.L. James talking about the book and the film. “A Darker Direction” features cast and crew talking about this sequel. “Dark Reunion” looks deeper into the characters. “New Threats” looks at the films new characters. “The Masquerade” looks at the films party sequence. Lastly “Intimate with Darker” looks at the sex scenes both filming and physical meaning.

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Directors: Michael Dudok De Wit
Rated: PG
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 81 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli, “The Red Turtle” marks a change for the company. This is not an original film from them but instead a French film acquisition. It is also a wordless film yet also a beautiful film. Put it this way, I watched this film with my 5 year old and she was interested the whole time, even without words. The story was beautiful and the animation was gorgeous. Not your typical Ghibli film but definitely a different one and quite enjoyable.

Official Premise: Marking the much-anticipated return of Studio Ghibli, this masterfully animated fantasy film tells the story of a man shipwrecked at sea who becomes stranded on a beautiful but desolate island. He learns to live in isolation, seemingly tormented in his efforts to escape the island by a giant red turtle. Miraculously, he soon comes upon a young woman also lost at sea and they create a family together.

The 1080p transfer looks solid. The animation is well represented here and the colors are vibrant. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works perfectly with the films score and sound effects, which gracefully drive the film along. The special features are a little light. There are two featurettes going behind-the-scenes including “The Birth of The Red Turtle” and “The Secrets of The Red Turtle” as well as a AFI Fest Q&A with Director Michael Dudok de Wit. This is a solid interview with a lot of great details though.

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DVD Release Date: May 9, 2017
32 episodes on 6 discs
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Run time: 22 hours and 35 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Shark Week: Shark ’n’ Awe Collection” is a Walmart exclusive release and released to get us all excited for 2017 Shark Week coming up soon! Over the six discs, there is nearly a full day of content. This is not a full collection of 2016, rather what you get are some of the best episodes from both 2015 and last year. Some of the episodes includes in this new collection are “Alien Sharks: Close Encounter”, “Ninja Sharks” and “Sharks Versus Dolphins: Face Off” to name a few out of the 32 episodes included.

Official Premise: Shark Week is back, making a huge splash with all-new, compelling and jaw-dropping shark stories and shark technology. Working with the most respected marine biologists and science institutions, Shark Week: Shark ’n’ Awe Collection highlights some of the most recent breakthroughs and developments that have led to remarkable new insights into these magnificent creatures.

Other than the 32 episodes included over six discs, there are no additional special features included. The episodes chosen are solid choices for sure. Every year I watch Shark Week and I always think it will be the same of the same each year but it is not. I always learn something new with each year and these collected here deliver for sure. I am a big disappointed with the fact that Lionsgate did not include digital copies like with previous releases.

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Starring: Nia Long, Idina Menzel
Studio Lifetime
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running Time: 87 minutes

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I’ve seen the original Bette Midler (Actor), Barbara Hershey classic film “Beaches”, not a huge fan but I am familiar for sure. This is not a terrible remake. Unnecsary but definitely not terrible. It does scream TV movie though but it is a Lifetime movie so its sort of ok. If you like the cast and can deal with it being a remake, you might enjoy it also.

Official Premise: In this contemporary remake, Beaches follows the serendipitous meeting of two young girls on the Venice Boardwalk, who, though worlds apart in lifestyle, embark on unexpected and lifelong friendship.

This update to the 1988 film does include solid performances of the iconic songs from the original movie such as “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “The Glory of Love” from Idinal Menzel as well as her new original song, “Last Time”. This film is a Walmart only title. So if you want it that’s the only please to get it. No digital copy or special features are included on this DVD.

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Actors: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Kate Mulgrew, Michael Harney, Nick Sandow
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Run Time: 778 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras’: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The fourth season of Orange Is The New Black proves this show gets better and better with each new season. It is darker, gritty, funnier, crazier! Just all around great! This show is showing no signs of slowing down at all. The cast is all simply amazing together. The story for this season just brings this show to a whole new level of great. I can’t wait to see what is in store for season 5!

Season 4 Premise: New faces and old resentments make for a potentially volatile blend, especially now that Litchfield is a for-profit business. Overrun with new inmates and overseen by inexperienced guards, the prison undergoes an unprecedented culture war.

The 1080p transfer of the episodes looks great. The colors are crisp and even though the prison is drab. The flashbacks and outside scenes are well represented. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works as well with no issues and spotlights the movie well. The special features are not the best to be honest, There are only two audio commentary tracks include as well as a tour of Litchfield and a gag reel included.

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Actors: Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz, Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad
Directors: Lasse Hallstrom
Rated: PG
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 100 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love animals?! This movie looked really cute film about a dog through many lives to help its original owner. I enjoyed it overall. I don’t see myself raving about it though to anyone else, especially after the controversy came out about the production. But I do like the message over and how it was setup. Dennis Quaid pops in for a few minutes and does his confused look thing. Dog lover will probably love it if they if they don’t know about what happened during the production. Otherwise, this is a one-timer.

Official Premise: Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Purpose, from director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John, The Hundred-Foot Journey), shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love.

Like all Universal releases, this one is no different impressive audio and video included, though nothing spectacular worth mentioned for this film. It comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital copy included. The special features are very light the are two production featurettes including “Lights, Camera, Woof!” and “A Writer’s Purpose”. There are also Deleted Scenes and Outtakes included.

Actors: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie Dewitt, Finn Wittrock
Directors: Damien Chazelle
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Run Time: 128 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I was highly anticipating “La La Land”. I told myself I wasn’t going to hear a note of the music before seeing the film. Funnily enough after my first viewing, I felt really let down. Afterwards, I spent time listening to the soundtrack and since have fallen absolutely in love with the music and the film itself becoming one of my favorites from 2016. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are/and also sound amazing. I love them singing and I love them together. A must see for sure!

Official Premise: Winner of 6 Academy Awards® including Best Director for writer/director Damien Chazelle, and winner of a record-breaking 7 Golden Globe® Awards, LA LA LAND is more than the most acclaimed movie of the year – it’s a cinematic treasure for the ages that you’ll fall in love with again and again. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as Mia and Sebastian, an actress and a jazz musician pursuing their Hollywood dreams – and finding each other – in a vibrant celebration of hope, dreams, and love.

The 1080p transfer is gorgeous. I love the look and the way that this film was shot. I feel like it speaks true to Hollywood today. Since this is an musical, you would assume that the sound of this Blu-ray is very important. Well Lionsgate films does not disappoint. They have delivered us with an epic Dolby Atmos track as well as a Dolby TrueHD 7.1. So two great options way to enjoy this beautiful film and its beautiful songs!

The special features are solid. There are about over 10 featurettes focusing on all aspects of the production bringing nearly 80 minutes of content. There is an informative audio commentary with Writer/Director Damien Chazelle and Composer Justin Hurwitz. I love these two together on this track. “Damien and Justin Sing: The Demos” is a look at two demos for the track “What a Waste of a Lovely Night” and “City of Stars”. Lastly there is a gallery and trailers.

Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan, Vincent D’Onofrio
Director: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 102 minutes

Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“Ringu” aka “The Ring” originally was a great Japanese horror movie. Honestly didn’t need an expensive US remake. Still, the remake was decent and worth working. “The Ring 2” is hardly. When I heard report of “Rings”, I thought “yeah sounds cool, it’s been some years now and what could they do with all this new technology etc”. Well this was just another boring reboot of the original film with nothing worth wild here at all. Samara is not scary at all and all her scenes could have been taken scene for scene from the previous films and you wouldn’t have realized.

Official Premise: A new chapter in the beloved RING horror franchise. A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before…

“Rings” comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD+ Digital HD cop included. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is solid for this film I do have to give credit there! The special features are bland and pointless like the movie. There are two featurettes “Terror Comes Full Circle” and “Resurrecting the Dead: Bringing Samara Back” about the production and creating Samara again, respectively. “Scary Scenes” is a stupid cast reaction to horror. Lastly there are nearly 20 minutes of deleted/alternate/extended scenes, cause you can tell this movie was chopped up to hell and was probably an entirely different film before it was released!

Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Corey Stoll, Bryce Dallas Howard
Directors: Stephen Gaghan
Rated: R
Studio: LIONSGATE
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Run Time: 121 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

For the talent involved you would have thought that a film like “Gold” would have gotten a lot more notice. This film stars Matthew McConaughey (“The Dark Tower”), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”), Corey Stoll (“House of Cards”), as well as veterans Stacy Keach (“American History X”) and Bruce Greenwood (“Star Trek”). Talent-wise this film is a score. I enjoyed watching it, thought it would be a film that I would never see again for sure. Not my kinda movie.

Official Premise: “Gold” is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream — to discover gold. Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey stars as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, who teams up with a similarly eager geologist, and they set off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street.

“Gold” comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD included.  The 1080p transfer is typical. Doesn’t stand out. Doesn’t suck. Looks solid enough. Same goes for thhe DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which delivers great sound especially for the title track by Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse. The special features includes an audio commentary with director Stephen Gaghan as well as a deleted scene, a featurette on the film’s locations and a behind-the-scenes look at Matthew McConaughey’s character.

Actors: Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close, Sennia Nanua
Directors: Colm McCarthy
Rated: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Run Time: 111 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Who knew that six-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close’s next film was going to be a post apocalyptic zombie film, I would have said “Hell no!” But she kicks some major ass in “The Girl With All The Gifts”. This British zombie flick definitely stands out among the flood of non-stop entries into this popular genre. In this film the flesh-eating beasts are called “hungries” and are teachable like pets (sort of). Very cool flick. Great performance from the underappreciated Gemma Arterton and stealing the show is the newcomer Sennia Nanua! She was amazing and I hope to see much more of her!

Official Premise: Humanity has been all but destroyed by a fungal disease that eradicates free will and turns its victims into flesh eating “hungries.” Only a small group of children seems immune to its effects. At an army base in rural England, these unique children are being studied and subjected to cruel experiments. When the base falls, one little girl escapes and must discover what she is, ultimately deciding both her own future and that of the human race.

Lionsgate is delivering the film as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD copy. Unlike the film, the special features are disappointing. There is only one featurettes included here called “Unwrap the Secret World of The Girl with All the Gifts”, which is a pretty standard brief behind-the-scenes look. Was hoping for a commentary track to get a little deeper into the subtext of the film itself.

Actors: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Ashley Judd, Clancy Brown, Sean Hayes
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 11, 2017
Run Time: 57 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Tangled” is easily one of my favorite Disney films EVER! I just love it and I my daughter has been watching it non-stop ever since she was born and she just turned 5. I was overly excited when I saw that Disney was making a TV series based on the film. “Before Ever After” is the kick-off movie to the series and a great follow-up to the motion picture. The original characters (and voices) are back as well as some great new characters and beautiful music/songs by Disney legend Alan Menken.

Official Premise: After all those years stuck in a tower, everyone’s favorite “barefoot princess” (Mandy Moore) yearns to make up for lost time. With the help of her true love Eugene (Zachary Levi), pals Pascal and Maximus and daring new friend Cassandra, Rapunzel postpones her wedding and royal duties to defy danger and boldly explore life beyond Corona’s walls. Sparkling with fun, adventure and music from the legendary Alan Menken, “Tangled: Before Ever After” is a magical movie event!

The film itself runs a just under an hour, which is typical for the TV series kick off films similar to “Sofia the First” and “Elena of Avalor”. There are some extras includes on the DVD as well with four fun “Tangled” shorts: “Checkmate”; “Prison Bake”; “Make Me Smile”; “Hare Peace”. These are great and a nice bonus to “Tangled: Before Ever After”. If you aren’t watching the new TV series as well, which has been airing on the Disney Channel, I also highly recommend.