Movie of the Week
St. Vincent*
It’s sitcom-y, but there’s still plenty of heart. Bill Murray and the rest of the cast save it from its overblown script. Read my review at Central Track.
WIDE RELEASE
• The Best of Me
• The Book of Life
• Fury
LIMITED RELEASE
• Art and Craft – Angelika Dallas, Angelika Plano
• Young Ones – Texas Theatre
Blu-ray Pick
Fargo
History may disagree, but this year I found Fargo to be a much more satisfying crime miniseries than the flashier True Detective. Martin Freeman is absolutely brilliant as the nebbish Lester, who transforms into a cold-blooded criminal. He’s just as good as Billy Bob Thornton, giving his best performance in years as the chilling con man/hit man Lorne Malvo. In some ways, it’s Breaking Bad in the frozen tundra, but it still pays homage to the Coen Brothers’ film without feeling like a rip-off. And let’s not forget the great performances from Key & Peele, Kate Walsh, Oliver Platt, Colin Hanks and the incomparable, lovely Alison Tolman.
New Releases
• Chinese Puzzle (75%)
• Mr. Peabody & Sherman* (79%)
• Mystery Road (91%)
• Persecuted (0%)
• Venus in Fur (92%)
• Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (77%)
• Witching & Bitching (83%)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past* (91%)
TV
• 2 Broke Girls (Season 3)
• Dracula (Season 1)
• The Honorable Woman
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy II
• Penny Dreadful (Season 1)
• Two and a Half Men (Season 11)
New to Blu-ray
• Cauldron of Blood
• The China Syndrome
• Desperately Seeking Susan*
• Dragonfly Squadron
• Guilty of Romance
• Jennifer
• Kingpin*
• Last Embrace
• Los Angeles Plays Itself
• Married to the Mob
• My Darling Clementine [The Criterion Collection]
• Steven Spielberg: Director’s Collection*
• Vanilla Sky*
*recommended