New on DVD
Love stories dominate this week’s new DVD offerings.
“Beauty and the Beast” (2 stars): This is a tale that’s been told many times before. The live-action version of the 1991 animated movie features Belle (Emma Watson) falling in love with the handsome prince (Dan Stevens) who has been cursed to live his life as a beast.
Complicating the romance is the pompous Gaston (Luke Evans) and his loyal sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad).
The problem with turning the Oscarwinning version of the story into a liveaction production is that the script by Stephen Chbosky (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) and Evan Spiliotopoulos (“Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure”) hits all the same notes but doesn’t have the same magic as the animated version. They allow no time for the romance to bloom, and that hurts the film.
You are better served picking up the animated version as it is magical.
“A United Kingdom” (3.5 stars): The film is based on the real events of Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo), the first president of Botswana, who in 1947 married Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a London office worker. The marriage was seen as a problem by the British and South African governments. But, despite extreme resistance, the couple remained strong in their love for each other.
Pike’s acting effort in “A United Kingdom” is one of her best and that includes her Oscar-nominated work in “Gone Girl.” It’s impossible not to watch her when she’s on screen.
Pike and a compelling story make this a timeless love story.
“The Last Word” (2 stars): Shirley MacLaine is the only reason to see this story about an aging woman who late in life begins to think about her legacy. She hires a writer (Amanda Seyfried) to put together her obituary so she can have final approval. That doesn’t go well. Despite a rather simple story, the script by Stuart Ross Fink has numerous problems. The story needs to move quickly but there are more leaps of faith made in this story than at a high school track meet. MacLaine’s own legacy is strong enough that this blip won’t hurt it.
“The Ticket” (3 stars): In a role that is quite different from his work in “Beauty and the Beast,” Dan Stevens plays a man blind since childhood who miraculously recovers his sight. This would seem to be a great miracle but both marriage and friendships suffer when he becomes more driven at work and is no longer faithful to his wife (Malin Akerman).
Director Ido Fluk (who also wrote the screenplay) looks at this story as if it were a fairy tale. The question is: Who is the real villain in the story? Also new this week: “Aftermath”: Man discovers he can’t run from a tragic event. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars.
“The Young Pope: Season One”: Jude Law stars in this cable series about an American who becomes Pope.
“The Assignment”: Walter Hill film about a man who seeks revenge after he goes through a major change.
“Aaron’s Blood”: Father tries to find what is causing his son to start turning into one of the undead.
“Wentworth: Season 3”: Australian prison drama starring Danielle Cormack.
“A Cure for Wellness”: New hire discovers trip to pick up the CEO at a spa is not as good as it sounds.
“Enter the Warriors Gate”: Teenager’s video game skills help him when he’s transported to China.
“Land of Mine”: German begins to care for POWs forced to remove landmines.
“Van Helsing: Season One”: Vampire hunter fights in a world run by creatures of the night.
“The Sense of an Ending”: Divorced couple share memories while on an important trip. Jim Broadbent stars.
“Juice”: Four friends living in Harlem deal with the reality of the present while looking to the future.
“Don’t Knock Twice”: Teen’s knock on the door of an abandoned house unleashes an evil.
“Kill ’em All”: Nurse gets drawn into a deadly war. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars.
“Voice from the Stone”: Emilia Clarke helps a young boy who has gone mute after his mother dies.
“All Nighter”: Boyfriend with a broken heart agrees to help with the search for his missing love. J.K. Simmons stars.