New on DVD:
Big battles are at the heart of this week’s new DVD releases.
“12 Strong”; 2 stars: The film from director Nicolai Fuglsig looks at the team of Special Forces soldiers from Fort Campbell, Ky., who travels to Afghanistan just weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. The real story is one of 12 heroic souls who through working with local war lords delivered a heavy blow to the Taliban.
Their story would have been enough to spotlight the accomplishment of the men. But, the screenplay by Ted Tally and Peter Craig —based on the book “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton —has been amped up to make the events look like the biggest military operation since the charge of the Light Brigade.
If all you want from a military movie is unrestrained action that will spark a deep wave of patriotism, then “12 Strong” accomplishes that. That’s enough to get a passing grade, but the movie could have been so much better if it had focused a little more on stories of the heart rather than tales of muscle. That would have made this “12” stronger.
“Peter Rabbit”; 2 stars: Writer/director Will Gluck has taken the sweet story of a herd of rabbits —led by the spunky Peter (voiced by James Corden) —and turned it into a slapstick battle of wills. This is like having Charlie Brown beat the stuffings out of Lucy after pulling the football away one too many times or Marmaduke getting rabies.
Peter and the gang are living a freestyle life stealing all the food they want from the local garden and being treated like royalty by the kind-hearted Bea (Rose Byrne). This changes when a new owner (Domhnall Gleeson) takes over the house with the garden and begins a war with the hares. This sets up a series of silly antics as man and bunny clash.
Fans of the original Beatrix Potter stories will find little comparison and instead will have to endure an endless string of goofy moments. This could have been a much better film had the story been as strong as the animation.
The only saving grace is the release comes with an all-new mini movie featuring Peter’s sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, narrated by Margot Robbie as Flopsy.
Also new on DVD May 1
“Mary and the Witch’s Flower”: Young Girl discovers a flower that gives her magical powers for one night.
“Winchester”: Woman continues to build a house that becomes the home for dark spirits. Helen Mirren stars.
“Followers”: Camping trip for social media couple (Amanda Delaney, Justin Maina) turns deadly.
“Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell”: Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and his son find themselves up to their ears in Graboids when they go to Canada to investigate deadly giant worm attacks.
“All I Wish”: Sharon Stone stars in this romantic comedy about a woman who takes a long look at her life in regards to dating.
“Please Stand By”: Woman with autism (Dakota Fanning) and a passion for “Star Trek” goes on a road trip full of discoveries.
“Nostalgia”: Jon Hamm stars in this story of a group of people dealing with the loss of a loved one in their own way.
“In Between”: Three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv try to live independent lives while dealing with society’s restrictions.
“In the Fade”: Woman seeks her own justice after her husband and son are killed. Diane Kruger stars.
“Dear Murderer: Series 1”: The series is based on the true story of New Zealand’s criminal barrister Mike Bungay (Mark Mitchinson).
“Kaleidoscope”: Carl (Toby Jones) attempts to move on with his life after getting out of prison but his domineering mother (Anne Reid) awakens a deep-seated trauma.
“Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games”: After a slow harvest season, the survival of the hive is threatened in this animated sequel.
“Once Upon a Time”: Liu Yifei stars in this tale of how mortals and gods are both driven toward revenge, loyalty, and eternal love.
“The Son of Big Foot”: Animated tale of a young boy looking for the father he never knew but finding Bigfoot instead. Available on digital HD on May 1 “Most Likely to Murder”: Trip back to hometown isn’t as pleasing as expected. Adam Pally stars.