‘Lion’ is a feel-good tearjerker
Get out your handkerchiefs for “Lion,” a feel-good drama about a man named Saroo (Dev Patel) who, decades after being adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman, David Wenham), struggles to find his birth mother (Priyanka Bose) in rural India.
As a youngster, Saroo (played by Sunny Pawar) falls asleep on a decommissioned train only to be whisked nearly 2,000 miles away from home.
Lost and alone, Saroo faces some scary situations before being rescued and shipped Down Under. The middle section, which wastes Rooney Mara in a stereotypical girlfriend role, is too long. But that’s a small complaint; this deeply moving human drama crosses all borders. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
Also new to VOD and Streaming Sandy Wexler: If the trailer is any indication, Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix movie could be his adventurous outing since “Funny People.” He plays the title role of an oddball L.A. talent manager who winds up falling in love with his newest client (Jennifer Hudson), a singer whom he discovers at an amusement park. Sandler wrote the script and Steve Brill (“The Do-Over”) directs the comedy which also features Henry Winkler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Terry Crews, Nick Swardson, Rob Schneider, Jane Seymour, Carl Weathers and Arsenio Hall. On Netflix.
*** We Don’t Belong Here: Directed by documentary filmmaker Peer Pedersen, this dysfunctional family drama stars Catherine Keener as a matriarch who has troubled relationships with all of her children, including her bi-polar son (Anton Yelchin, in one of his final screen performances) and her three very different daughters (Riley Keough, Annie Starke, Kaitlyn Dever). Every character is saddled with so many hang-ups that the movie quickly grows repetitive and tiresome. The unusual scenes between Keener and her best friend/could-be lover (Maya Rudolph) are intriguing but otherwise “We Don’t Belong Here” feels both overwrought and undernourished. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
*** The Bye Bye Man: Hooded, dead-eyed boogeyman that can only be seen by those he haunts? Sounds like a decent concept for a horror movie but director Stacy Title (“The Last Supper”) finds a way to drain the proceedings of scares and suspense. Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscout and Cressida Bonas star as a trio of college kids who stumble upon evidence of the evil figure whose name cannot be mentioned for fear he’ll force you to do murderous things. The first sequence, in which a Bye-Bye-Manobsessed reporter opens fire on his neighbors, is the creepiest. It’s all downhill from there. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
*** The Umbrellas of Cherboug: Before “La La Land” there was Jacques Demy’s “ gorgeous fantasia of color, light and Michel Legrand music. A breathtakingly lovely Catherine Deneuve stars as a shop clerk who makes the mistake of marrying a diamond merchant after the love of her life – a garage mechanic played by Nino Castelnuovo - departs for military service. The luscious new Blu-ray captures the candy-colored glow of the musical which ranks among the best romances of all time. Cuddle up to the one you love, hit play and, to quote the movie’s killer theme song, watch what happens. On FilmStruck. com.
*** Veep: The Complete Fifth Season: While most TV series begin to run out of steam as they head into their fifth year, HBO’s political satire is funnier – and more lacerating - than ever before. Even without series creator Armando Iannucci, who’s been replaced as showrunner by executive producer David Mandel, “Veep” doesn’t miss a step, beginning with a genius episode involving President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) locked in a close race with competitor Senator Bill O’Brien (Brad Leland). Hugh Laurie scores big as Selina’s running mate and once again “Veep” proves that its biggest strength is its crazy-good supporting cast, including Matt Walsh, Anna Chlumsky and Reid Scott. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
*** Fortitude: Season Two: Set in a small, isolated Arctic community that’s home to a mysterious science center, this tundra noir pivots on Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Richard Dormer), a man consumed with guilt after killing the woman he loved. Rather than face up to his crime, he disappears into the wilderness and is presumed dead. (He’s not!) When another dead body turns up, Deputy Eric (Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson) must step up and investigate. Dennis Quaid joins the cast for the 10-episode second season as a man willing to do just about anything to save his terminally ill wife. On Amazon. For The Kids Peppa Pig - Around The World: Peppa, her brother George, Mummy Pig and Pa set off to the park to celebrate the beginning of the summer holidays. But when their car breaks down, Miss Rabbit lends them her plane for the day and the Pigs get swept up in a jet-setting adventure. Nine episodes of the adorable animated treat are on tap. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
*** A Cowgirl’s Story: In this family-friendly adventure, a teenager named Dusty Rhodes (Bailee Madison) is set to live with her grandfather (Pat Boone) after both of her soldier-parents are deployed to Afghanistan. She wins over her new classmates by forming an equestrian drill team but her faith is severely tested when her mother’s plane is shot down overseas. Can Dusty must work together with her friends and grandpa to help unite the town for a higher cause? On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu
*** Wild Kratts – PandaMonium: Join Chris and Martin Kratt as they learn about some of the amazing features of cool animals. Four new episodes find the brothers saving giant pandas from the evil Zach Varmitech, reuniting a little lost red panda with her mother and saving animals captured in China by the villainous Donita Donata. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu