‘The Wedding Plan’ is successful
When long-time singleton Michal (Noa Koler) is dumped by her fiance a month before their wedding, she decides to put her trust in fate and continue with the nuptials as planned. Yes, the premise of “The Wedding Plan” sounds like something out of a bad Hollywood rom com but Israeli filmmaker Rama Burshtein somehow makes it all work with funny scenes of Michal auditioning worthy – and unworthy - men.
Best of all, Burshtein surrounds Michal with scores of interesting women, all of whom remind her that marriage is a lot more complicated than it looks. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
Also New to VOD and Streaming
The Last Face: Directed by Sean Penn (“Into The Wild”), this saga of two physicians (Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem) who fall in love while saving lives in Liberia aims to be both a romance and a socially conscious look at a wartorn land. But even though the movie is persuasively performed by Theron and Bardem, their love story never dovetails with the rest of the action. And while Penn clearly wants viewers to care about the plight of the Africans impacted by endless and brutal civil wars, he doesn’t bother to humanize a single African character. “The Last Face” should have been better. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu My Cousin Rachel: When a young Englishman named Philip (a stiff Sam Claflin) comes to believe that his mysterious cousin Rachel (Rachel Weisz) is responsible for the death of his benefactor, he vows revenge. But before he can discover proof of Rachel’s misdeeds, he falls in love with her. Based on a Daphne Du Maurier novel, the movie looks rich and inviting, with stunning shots of woods, meadows and the seacoast. What’s missing is raw emotion and surprises. “Rachel” is too content to skim the surface. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu After The Storm: With movies like “Nobody Knows” and “Still Walking,” Japanese helmer Kore-Eda Hirokazu demonstrated a deft humanist touch. Even though his latest revolves around a sympathetic thirdrate detective named Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), it doesn’t come together in a satisfying way. But there’s incidental pleasures, including the terrific performances of the cast members, particularly Kirin Kiki who plays Abe’s strong-willed mother, and a heartfelt third act in which the characters must help each other survive a typhoon. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Little Evil: From writer/ director Eli Craig (“Tucker & Dale vs. Evil”) comes an offbeat comedy starring Adam Scott as Gary, a man who think he’s found the love of his life when he marries Samantha (Evangeline Lilly). But Gary has trouble adjusting to life as the stepfather of Samantha’s quirky 5year old son, Lucas (Owen Atlas). Soon, Gary finds himself in increasingly odd situations around the child, which drives him to believe his new stepson may actually be the spawn of Satan. On Netflix The Confession Tapes Season 1: Calling all true crime junkies. From Netflix, the same streamer behind “Making of a Murderer,” comes this new series which investigates cases where people convicted of murder claim their confessions were coerced, involuntary or false. On Netflix. One Mississippi - Season Two: Comedian Tig Notaro is back for another season of her semiautobiographical series about a disc jockey who leaves L.A. behind for her hometown of Bay Saint Lucille, Mississippi. In the first season, Tig dealt with losing her mother in a freak accident, suffering a bad break-up and surviving cancer. During the second season, she falls hard for a lively radio producer (Stephanie Allynne, Notaro’s real-life wife). On Amazon.
Teen Titles
The Flash - The Complete Third Season: One of the most entertaining of the many DC Comics series on TV, the new season kicks off with Barry Allen/ The Flash (Grant Gustin) still living his dream life in an alternate universe. But Barry knows the longer he avoids reality, the more his powers will fade and his memories drain away. When disaster strikes, he has to decide whether to continue living as Barry Allen or resume his crime-fighting ways as The Flash. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Batman and Harley Quinn: Take a deep dive into the D.C. Universe with the latest animated movie featuring a motherlode of beloved characters . The action begins with a break-in at the STAR Labs, which leads to a dossier being stolen by the villainous duo of Poison Ivy
For The Kids
Peanuts - School Days: Who could resist Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the entire “Peanuts” gang as your study buddies? In this latest animated collection, there’s lots of laughs and life lessons as Charles Schulz’s creations catch the bus in time to be either class clowns or teachers’ pets. Have your homework ready because class is in session with 29 all-new shorts. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu