‘The Emoji Movie’ garners some smiles
Welcome to Textopolis, the bustling city inside a smartphone where all emojis reside. The saddest guy in town is Gene (T.J. Miller), an emoji who happens to have many expressions, which makes him a misfit in the land of single-expression ideograms. As he tries to escape his meh existence, he and his pals go on a number of crazy adventures, jumping from app to app.
While “The Emoji Movie” is far from original, it boasts a few elements which will make you smile, particularly Steven Wright’s turn as Mel Meh and Maya Rudolph’s portrayal of the cold-hearted Smiley Face. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
Also New To Streaming
Stranger Things 2: Netflix isn’t saying much about the latest season of one of their biggest hits except to say that the action is set a year after the events of the first season and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are now facing a “larger danger.” In addition to revealing that the action is set in 1984, the trailer exposed the fact that Eleven returns and that there could possibly be a Nancy-Steve-Jonathan love triangle. Sean Astin co-stars as a mystery figure who’s likely to be a boyfriend for Winona Ryder’s character. On Netflix. Shot Caller: Even good men are likely to be challenged and corrupted by the American prison system. That’s the message of this well-acted, if clichéd, drama about a successful businessman (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who is thrown behind bars for killing his best friend while driving drunk. Determined to be “a warrior” not a victim, Coster-Waldau winds up falling in with a gang whose reach, he soon discovers, extends beyond the prison walls. A provocative use of flashbacks and well-staged action help make “Shot Caller” worth tracking down. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu The Midwife: The great Catherine Deneuve receives one of the juiciest roles of her career in this intriguing character study of a free spirit who reconnects with the daughter (Catherine Frot) of a former lover. Frot is equally superb as a tightly-wound midwife who initially resists Deneuve’s attempts at a reconciliation. But, of course, the two women forge a nimble connection and wind up bringing out the best in each other. Director Martin Prevost (“Seraphine”) makes lively, provocative business out of this complex relationship. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Pop Aye: Feeling disrespected at work and unloved at home, aging architect Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) rediscovers meaning in his life when he’s reunited with an elephant named Popeye. After rescuing the beast (played by the scenestealing pachyderm Bong), Thana decides to walk him back to their hometown in the Thai countryside. As with all road movies, there’s plenty of eccentric characters along the way, including a transgender sex worker and a mysterious drifter. Directed by Kirsten Tan, the movie is laced with poverty, death and sadness yet it somehow manages to serve up endless excitement and warmth. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Jackals: “Saw: The Final Chapter” director Kevin Greutert camera about parents for is this behind (Deborah thriller the Kara Unger, Johnathon Schaech) who risk their lives to kidnap their son (Ben Sullivan) away from a cult in hopes that a deprogrammer (Stephen Dorff) can reverse the brainwashing. But no sooner do the parents bring their son to a remote cabin in the woods than members of the cult show up, wanting blood. Despite the novel premise, “Jackals” quickly devolves into a routine home-invasion suspenser. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Drawn Together - The Complete Collection: Get ready for lots of raucous humor thanks to TV’s first animated reality show. The action centers on the exploits of eight characters from across the animated universe who live together in a house with a thousand cameras, hot tubs, hand grenades and an unlimited supply of booze. You’ve never seen anything quite this before. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
Teen Titles
Step: Need a lesson in perseverance and the power of sisterhood? Cue up this inspiring doc about the members of a girls’ step dance team in Baltimore. A number of teens are profiled, including Blessin, a woman struggling to keep up her grade point average so she can attend college. Even though she’s dealing with a difficult home life as well as rivalries with teammates, Blessin winds up being empowered by her teachers, coaches and fellow steppers. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Impractical Jokers - The Complete Fifth Season: If you’re in the mood for some outrageous fun, dive into this show about the crazy Q to and their friends antics Murr, hit truTV four who, of Sal, longtime hidden thanks Joe, camera to embarrass show, each compete other with an endless supply of humiliating challenges and dares. All 26 episodes are ready for your perusal. Let the bravest – or most foolhardy – man win. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu Wheelman: Frank Grillo, the underrated star of “Kingdom,” toplines this tale as the title character, a getaway driver thrust into a high stakes race-to-survive after a bank robbery goes terribly wrong. With a car full of money and his family on the line, the clock is ticking to figure out who doublecrossed him. The only person he can trust is his fourteen-year-old daughter. Can he think fast and drive faster? Of course he can. On Neftlix.