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That Time of The Week: New DVD & Blu-ray Releases 10/27, 11/3 & 11/10!

Two for three!  We’re almost done getting caught up!   Spend some time perusing and I guarantee you’ll find plenty of great things to check out for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart, it’s that time of the week.

Inside Out

Disney Pixar / Released 11/3/15

From the imaginative minds of Disney Pixar comes a major “emotion” picture beyond compare. Do you ever look at someone and wonder what’s going on inside their head? Disney Pixar’s Inside Out takes a rollicking journey into the mind to find the answer. Based in Headquarters, the control center of 11-year-old Riley’s mind, five emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy. She strives to make sure Riley stays happy as she operates alongside fellow emotions Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. Extras include short films Lava and Riley’s First Date?, featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes and trailers.

Last Word: I have to say, I think Inside Out is the most innovative film that Pixar has created yet. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. They’ve gone inside the brain of eleven-year-old, Riley, a spunky girl who loves hockey, friends, and being a goofball with her parents. Up in her head, known as “Headquarters”, there live little characters who represent her emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler couldn’t be a more perfect voice for the effervescent character) Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black) and Fear (Bill Hader). From birth, they take turns monitoring and influencing her experiences and memories.

As a young child Riley is predominantly filled with Joy–who is the leader of all the emotions. She’s always bubbly, always trying to see the bright side of life and successfully keeps Riley’s happiness ever-present. That is, until Riley and her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. In the midst of the big shift, Joy and Sadness get literally sucked into the long-term memory outskirts of Riley’s brain and are forced to watch as her personality literally crumbles away without their presence in Headquarters. The other emotions are confused and jarred by the difference in Riley’s life and absence of Joy and Sadness. They have never really been dominant forces.

Here, Pixar shows what can happen when the rawness of fear, anger, and disgust are the prevalent emotions of a child. And really shines comedic, intelligent light on the erratic behavior of prepubescents. It’s a fantastically validating point about the complexity of feelings and the realization that emotions are not static or mutually exclusive, but must work in tandem as people grow. In the brief glances into the parents’ Headquarters, we see that their emotions are working as a cohesive team, in contrast to Riley’s, where each one is fighting the other to take control. Joy usually prevails.

It’s an innovative depiction of the intensity of adolescent behavior and a thought-provoking film for parents to enjoy along with their children. Of course it will reduce you to tears at least twice. But it’s a phenomenal heart wrenching story. Beautifully executed, Inside Out is a 100% success. ( – Caitlyn Thompson)

Bloodsucking Bastards 

Shout! Factory / Released 11/3/15

A action-packed vampire comedy in the vein of Office Space and Shaun of the Dead, Bloodsucking Bastards stars Fran Kranz as Even Sanders, a dutiful and overworked employee stuck at a soul-killing corporation with his beautiful girlfriend, Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick), and his slacker best friend Tim, (Joey Kern). Evan’s world begins to crumble when Amanda dumps him and his boss Ted, (Joel Murray), hands his coveted promotion to his nemesis Max, (Pedro Pascal). But just when Evan’s convinced that life couldn’t bite any harder, his office mates start going through disturbing changes… and bodies begin to pile up. Evan must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles and water coolers, win back Amanda, and rescue his workplace pals before his life and career go from dead-end… to just dead. Extras include Commentary with Dr. God, outtakes, behind the scenes and trailer.

Last Word: Bloodsucking Bastards is a failed horror comedy that isn’t anywhere near the same league as the above mentioned Office Space and Shaun of The Dead. Joss Whedon vet Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods, Much Ado About Nothing) brings his usual professionalism and panache to a project that really doesn’t deserve it; anyway, he plays an office drone who is demoted at work, eroding his already tenuous enthusiasm for his workplace.When his coworkers start turning into vampires, well, ya know, wackiness and strained satire follow.

Kranz emerges nearly unscathed, and really tries to sell his character and the laughs, but to little avail. His fellow actors don’t come off as well, but the film looks as if everyone was left to their own devices, and some of the performers actually appear to be squirming onscreen.

The technical aspects are poor, also – the sets, such as they are, at times resemble a 1970s suburban basement, and the staging is stunningly bad. Most of the film is played out in nail-down-the-camera master shots; this, combined with the cheap-ass sets, give the film the look of really, really bad theater most of the way.The effects are passable but unimaginative, and to reiterate, this shit ain’t funny. It does feel like bad theater – the kind where half or more of the audience bolts at intermission – or a truly failed sitcom. In fact, if it weren’t for Kranz in the lead (is the producer his cousin? Did he lose a bet?) this would look like a thousand other forgotten, straight-to-streaming wastes of time.

Amazingly, the film DOES get marginally better as it goes along, but that’s saying very, very little. Kranz indeed has some moments, as do one or two of his costars, but this is mostly just tired, annoying and unfunny. The premise isn’t remotely clever or even interesting, the execution worse; horror comedies are certainly tricky, but these guys (save Kranz) didn’t even try. National Lampoon’s Class Reunion had more laughs. Seriously. ( – Dean Galanis)

Terminator Genisys

Paramount / Released 11/10/15

“New Mission, New Threat, New Fate” in this explosive new chapter of the blockbuster Terminator franchise. In the war of man against machine, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, The Divergent Series) is sent back to 1984 by resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke, Everest) to protect his young mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones). However, this time unexpected events have altered the past and threaten the future for all mankind. Now Reese must join forces with Sarah and her “Guardian” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to save the world and stop the next evolution of Terminators in “one of the best action movies of the year.” Extras include featurettes.

Last Word: Thirty-one years ago, James Cameron revolutionized the world of cinematic art with a film that successfully combined elements of science fiction and action into one of (if not) the most popular franchises in history. Terminator: Genisys does its best to keep that spirit alive while catering to the modern necessities of Hollywood summer blockbusters. It seems that there cannot be made a film about traveling back in time to stop a nuclear apocalypse without the presence of at least one sentient robot, or four in this case.

Though set up the same way as the story originally told on screen by Michael Biehn to Linda Hamilton, an alternate timeline is yet again proposed after 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and the short-lived television series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This time, Jai Courtney plays the unsuspecting Kyle Reese, sent back to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, no relation to Jason Clarke, who plays her son John Connor). Things take an odd turn from the get go as Reese’s time travel gets disturbed before he even leaves 2029. Fans of Doctor Who will appreciate the personification of Skynet on screen by #11 Matt Smith.

When he lands in 1984, to re-establish the series of events that took place in Cameron’s first two films, Reese is stunned to find that Sarah already has a protector named “Pops,” who bears a striking resemblance to the Cyberdyne systems model 101, or T-800. Yes, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s back. (Couldn’t resist.) But how did he get back here? What changed as Reese was going back 45 years?

Quite a lot, actually. But the more things change, sadly for the purposes of this film, the more they stay the same. Let’s recap the basic plot. It’s an alternate timeline, yet again. The mission: prevent Judgment Day, yet again. How do we prevent Judgment Day? By destroying Skynet before it can destroy us. Yet again. And the plot gets even thicker when the three heroes are exposed to an unexpected element of surprise from the future. Maybe too thick, if you ask this reviewer.

A note on the acting. Not sure if Emilia Clarke watched the first two films before she got involved with this project, but she sure does do her best Linda Hamilton impression. J.K. Simmons offers some light comic relief as an aged cop in place of a role that easily could have been Dr. Peter Silberman (played Earl Boen in the first three films). Courtney is working through the kinks of his on screen persona, but the important note is he makes the best of it. Of course, Arnold gives yet another T-800 a unique personality among the terminators he has portrayed the last 31 years on screen (this is his fourth time).

The only major turn this one has from its predecessors is in the name. For this new generation of Terminator fans, Skynet starts out as Genisys, an operating system meant to unite all devices, mobile and home, as opposed to a post Cold War defense computer program (ask your nerd friends to explain the difference). Why would it have been so hard to just make a film about stopping that without involving the franchise that Cameron brought to life with Mario Kassar? Paramount Pictures is basically picking up the pieces left behind by Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures to start their own timewar trilogy.

As with any multi-million dollar science fiction film, this one cuts corners of disbelief suspension in exchange for inexplicable biochemistry and enough unnecessary explosions to make Michael Bay jealous. At one point, a character blatantly calls an android a “cyborg.” Is the concept of the bad guy being an operating system too much? The question a seasoned sci-fi fan is more like to ask: “Who did they fire first? The script supervisor or the physics consultant?”

Another complaint that is by no means the fault of director Alan Taylor, but the first two films were rated R. There was a good reason for that – it’s what suspense thrillers (and back then action films) were meant to be. It was more for the multiple obscenities and very brief nudity (which here is covered up by either dark lighting or pants). A PG-13 rating takes away many of the elements that pay homage to the art that has made Cameron’s first two installments the backbone of the franchise. Which reinforces the question: Why not just make it a new film and take the flak that other sci-fi fantasy movies get for being “just like” this franchise or that?

Getting back to the film itself, it just barely scrapes the surface of my rating level that recommends general cinema viewing for the purpose of forming your own judgment. Luckily, the climactic showdown plays to a satisfying, albeit predictable and ridiculously cliché, conclusion. It did, however, get Cameron’s seal of approval at his screening. Hence, Terminator: Genisys slides by this summer with just the right amount of juice to attract its necessary target audience, and the sequel(s) teased mid-credits might encourage enough attention to the convoluted story to keep interest. At some point it needs to be okay to just make an original film that feels like a ripoff. ( – Herbert Shaw)

Bloody Knuckles

Artsploitation / Released 10/27/15

Travis, an underground comic book artist with a penchant for obscene caricatures, upsets a Chinatown crime lord who responds by cutting off the young man’s hand. As a despondent, drunken Travis wallows in post-severed hand depression, his decomposing limb returns to life and is determined to exact revenge. Soon, Travis and his mischievous appendage join forces with a masked S&M superhero to rid the city of evil. Filmmaker Matt O.’s debut feature strips Canada of its “land of nice” image with this deliriously offensive, gory, and happily un-PC horror-comedy! Extras include commentary, featurettes and trailer.

Dark Blue

Olive Films/ Released 10/27/15

A searing indictment of police corruption based on a story by noted crime novelist James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia), Dark Blue stars Kurt Russell as Sergeant Eldon Perry, a Los Angeles police officer faced with a choice so monstrous it will affect his personal life and the lives of those around him while cutting through the heart of the police department. With the jury verdict in the Rodney King case looming in the background, Perry and his partner Detective Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman) will be drawn into a cover-up by their commanding officer, Jack Van Meter (played with frightening malevolence and wit by Brendan Gleeson) for a robbery gone bad. Murder for revenge, double-crosses and complicity lurk around every corner in the tension-filled Dark Blue, a terrifying glimpse inside the hearts and minds of people who have been anesthetized by the inherent corruption around them. Dark Blue, directed by Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) from a screenplay by David Ayer (Training Day) co-stars Lolita Davidovich, Ving Rhames and Michael Michele.

The Fifth Element Cinema Series 

Sony / Released 10/27/15

Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element (played by Milla Jovovich) can stop the Evil from extinguishing life, as it tries to do every five thousand years. She is helped by ex-soldier, current-cab-driver, Corben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis), who is, in turn, helped by Prince/Arsenio clone, Ruby Rohd. Unfortunately, Evil is being assisted by Mr. Zorg (Gary Oldman), who seeks to profit from the chaos that Evil will bring, and his alien Mercenaries. Completely restored and extras include featurettes.

Last Word: A sci-fi mashup that plays like a love letter to Heavy Metal magazine, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element is a spectacle on a number of levels that results in a heavily entertaining exercise in old fashioned good vs. evil.  The film begins in the beginning of the Twentieth Century before jumping ahead to 2263.  The film has a very European feel, and influences from a number of cultures including Japanese and Egyptian are quite prominent throughout the film.  Bruce Willis delivers a solid one note action hero performance while Gary Oldman as the baddie Zorg chews scenery like a cow gnawing on it’s cud.  The fifth element, in the form of a woman named Leeloo, played with grace and fluidity by Milla Jovovich is the spine of the film.  Other cast members including Ian Holm, Luke Perry, Brion James, Chris Tucker , Tiny” Zeus Lister, Lee Evans and John Neville all contribute memorable performances.  One of the successes of the film is how fully realized it’s world is, on every level of production design and costume.  The Fifth Element is a pure escapism and has never looked or sounded better.  Highly recommended.

The Gift

Universal/ Released 10/27/15

Jason Bateman, Joel Edgerton and Rebecca Hall star in a chilling psychological thriller that asks the question, “Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone?” Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon’s high school acquaintance sends their world into a tailspin. At first Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton), but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to contemplate: how well do we really know those closest to us, and are bygones ever really bygones? Extras include commentary, alternate ending, deleted scenes and featurettes.

Last Word: Kids can be fairly reprehensible human beings.  Is that something that one ever truly outgrows?  This concept is never far from the surface in actor Joel Edgerton’s The Gift, his debut as writer/director.  Truth can be subjective and add to that an unreliable narrator and you’ve got a film that asks as many questions as it answers.  The biggest disservice to the well done thriller is that it was marketed with a bit too much of a “stalker” theme.  It’s far more interesting and better than that.  Rarely do I see something with zero knowledge in advance, and in this case, I’m hesitant to give too much away.  If you’re looking for a well crafted and non gratuitous thriller that tries to answer if one’s past defines them, I can’t recommend the film highly enough.  

The Human Centipede: The Complete Sequence

Shout! Factory / Released 10/27/15

Upon its release, The Human Centipede became a cultural sensation. Now, get ready to experience the “complete sequence”, of the notorious Human Centipede series, including Unrated Director’s Cuts of the first two films!

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) Unrated Director’s Cut:
The plot is diabolically simple: two stranded American tourists and a Japanese businessman are held captive by a famed German doctor (a maniacally intense Dieter Laser) who made his fortune surgically separating conjoined twins. Now his mad genius is pushing the doctor to do the reverse. He tells his captives that they will be surgically attached to one another in unspeakable fashion and thus will be born a new creature: the human centipede! Compellingly perverse, hilarious, and shockingly straightforward, Dutch director Tom Six’s new film is hands-down the most memorable horror film of the year. Extras include featurette, commentary, deleted scene, behind the scenes footage, foley session, casting tapes, interview, alternate posters and trailer

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) Unrated Director’s Cut:
Tom Six’s follow-up to his original cult horror smash! The opening night selection of Fantastic Fest 2011, the film ups the ante with a brute force unparalleled in motion pictures today. The iconic Dr. Heiter has inspired a real-life protege, the sickly, disturbed security guard Martin – who takes his gory inspiration from the original film to horrific new extremes . . . and one-ups the doctor with his piece de resistance, a 12-person human centipede of his own. Ashlynn Yenni, star of The Human Centipede (First Sequence), returns in this no-holds-barred assault on the senses, presented here totally uncut and uncensored!  Extras include color version of the film, commentary, audition tape, interview, set tour, foley session, deleted scene, making of the poster, alternate poster gallery, trailer, teaser and promo.

The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) Unrated Director’s Cut
Bully prison warden Bill Boss (Dieter Laser) has a lot of problems; his prison has the highest amount of prison riots, medical costs and staff turnover in the country. But foremost, he is unable to get the respect he thinks he deserves from his inmates and the state Governor (Eric Roberts). He constantly fails in experimenting with different ideas for the ideal punishment to get the inmates in line, which drives him completely insane. Under threats of termination by the Governor, his loyal right hand man Dwight (Laurence R. Harvey) comes up with a revolutionary idea which could change the American prison system for good and save billions of dollars. With an idea based on the notorious Human Centipede movies, they devise the ultimate punishment and deterrent for anyone considering a life of crime – a jaw-dropping 500-person centipede.  Extras include commentary, making of, deleted scenes, alternate ending, teaser and trailer.

I Want to Live!

Kino Lorber/ Released 10/27/15

Nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Director (Robert Wise) and winner of the Best Actress Oscar (Susan Hayward). Prostitute! Party Girl! Perjurer! Petty Criminal! She’s all this and more… but is she a murderer? Hayward gives a sensational, nerve-shattering performance in this harrowing, must-see motion picture that will leave you breathless with suspense. Arrested for fatally beating an elderly widow, Barbara Graham (Hayward) at first goads the police, refusing to answer their questions. But when an alleged accomplice turns state’s evidence, Graham insists that she’s innocent. Condemned by the press and the public, Graham is found guilty of murder and sentenced to die in the gas chamber. But as her execution date nears, Graham desperately attempts to expose the truth and save her life against all odds. The strong cast includes Simon Oakland, John Marley and Theodore Bikel.

My Fair Lady 

Paramount / Released 10/27/15

Adapted from the original Broadway hit and headlined by Hollywood legends Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady 50th Anniversary Edition arrives in collectible packaging with an entire Blu-ray disc dedicated to 90 minutes of special features including a variety of original trailers and featurettes that were used in theaters to promote the feature film, as well as footage from the film’s Los Angeles and British premieres in 1964.

Professor Henry Higgins (Harrison), who takes a bet from Colonel Pickering that he can transform unrefined, dirty Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Hepburn) into a lady, and fool everyone into thinking she really is one, too! He does, and thus young aristocrat Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett) falls madly in love with her. But when Higgins takes all the credit and forgets to acknowledge her efforts, Eliza angrily leaves him for Freddy, and suddenly Higgins realizes he’s grown accustomed to her face and can’t really live without it.  This 50th anniversary edition features a brand new 4k restoration from an 8K scan of the original negative, and other surviving 65mm elements, painstakingly restored by acclaimed film historian and preservationist Robert A. Harris.  Extras include making of, kickoff dinner, Los Angeles and British Premiere footage, production tests, featurettes, interviews, trailers featurettes, galleries and much more.

Happy Valley Season One

BBC America / Released 9/15/15

In a magnificent role written specifically for her, Sarah Lancashire (Last Tango in Halifax, The Paradise) shines as Catherine Cawood, a hard-working, earthy police sergeant who strides her beautiful patch of Yorkshire like a grown-up. Catherine’s work and personal life are already complicated in crime-riddled Happy Valley when Tommy Lee Royce wanders into town, freshly released from prison. Was he responsible for Catherine’s daughter’s death, as she believes? And will her suspicion cloud her judgment when another young girl goes missing? A superb, award- winning BBC hit with a dynamite cast and six finely wrought episodes, from one of Britain’s best writers, Sally Wainwright (Last Tango in Halifax, Scott & Bailey).

Includes the episodes:

  • Episode 1: Catherine Cawood is a police sergeant in a beautiful small town full of drunks and drug addicts and where teenage pregnancies are a way of life. Her world is turned upside down when the man she believes is responsible for her daughter’s death – Tommy Lee Royce – is released from prison. She is convinced Tommy is dangerous and it’s only a matter of time before he hurts someone else…
  • Episode 2: Sergeant Catherine Cawood continues her search for Tommy, the man who raped her daughter; Kevin owns up to his wife about the kidnapping; and Catherine’s ex-husband refusues to accept Catherine’s grandson Ryan. 
  • Episode 3: Tommy brutally takes control of a situation when PC Kirsten McAskill pulls him and Lewis over. His actions devastate Catherine and the whole of the Yorkshire police force. 
  • Episode 4: Catherine and Tommy finally come face-to-face when he discovers he is a father. But a more sinister discovery leaves Catherine fighting for her life. 
  • Episode 5: Catherine sinks into a deep depression as she learns that Tommy is still at large. The net finally closes in on Kevin.  
  • Episode 6: A huge revelation about her daughter and Tommy rocks Sergeant Cawood’s world; Tommy continues to move under the radar and see his son Ryan at the same time; and the series comes to an end with a tense hostage situation.

The One and Only

Olive Films / Released 10/27/15

From director Carl Reiner (The Jerk) and screenwriter Steve Gordon (Arthur) comes The One and Only, a tale of marital bliss and off-kilter relationships told with wry wit and a bit of borscht belt humor. This bittersweet comedy stars Henry Winkler (TV’s Happy Days), Kim Darby (True Girl), Gene Saks (Nobody’s Fool) and Herve Villechaize (TV’s Fantasy Island). From their unconventional courtship and whirlwind college romance, we follow the lives of Andy Schmidt (Winkler) and Mary Crawford (Darby) into adulthood, careers and the beckoning lights of Broadway where Andy is convinced he’ll make it big on the stage. However with acting jobs in short supply the unconventional Andy will become conventional when he learns that he’ll be a father. With Andy’s dreams all but dashed, triumph will come not on the boards, but in the wrestling ring. Taking a page from the flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George, Andy creates a persona – The Lover- that will bring him great acclaim. When his outsized persona overshadows his personal life it will strain his fragile marriage, friendships and the already tense relationship with his resistant in-laws.

Partners

Olive Films / Released 10/27/15

Straight cop Benson (Ryan O’Neal, Love Story) and gay officer Kerwin (John Hurt, Alien) make an odd couple when teamed to solve a series of murders in the comedy-thriller Partners directed by James Burrows (TV’s Cheers). Thrown together by their boss, Chief Wilkins (Kenneth McMillan, Ragtime), ladies man Benson and the closeted records clerk Kerwin go undercover as a gay couple to hunt down the person responsible for a series of murders in L.A.’s gay community. Initial discomfort melts away as Benson relaxes into his role, while Kerwin finds his bliss in domesticity. But bliss will be short-lived when Benson’s roving eye makes him a target for the killer and only Kerwin’s clear-eyed deductions may prevent his partner from becoming the next victim. The film features a screenplay by Francis Veber (La Cage aux Folles) and featuring a musical score by Georges Delerue (Beaches), and co-stars Robyn Douglass (Breaking Away), Darrell Larson (Stepmom), James Remar (Django Unchained) and Jay Robinson (Bram Stoker’s Dracula).

Pixels 

Sony / Released 10/27/15

In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (Kevin James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Joining them is Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a specialist supplying the arcaders with unique weapons to fight the aliens. Extras include featurettes and music video.

Last Word: Aliens accept an imaginary declaration of intergalactic war after misinterpreting images from the Video Arcade Championships launched into space by NASA in 1982. (That right there should be enough to help the objective viewer make a judgment as to whether or not this it is a good choice to spend $12.) A generation after sending out the space capsule, the invasion comes without so much as a warning in the form of “Insert Coin – Press Start.” Basing their attack strategies on classic favorites like Galaga, Centipede, and Arkanoid, Earth’s only hope are the champion gamers of the arcade era.

Adam Sandler leads the crew as a championship runner-up now working as a home tech installer. Luckily, his childhood best friend (Kevin James) is the President of the United States, so he basically has a free pass to the White House to come and go as he pleases. Rounding out the team, later known as the Arcaders, are 34-year-old virgin Josh Gad and overzealous trickster Peter Dinklage. Michelle Monaghan gives the performance of her career as a Lieutenant Colonel who creates, get this, the first weaponized laser blaster. Guest appearances include Sean Bean, Dan Aykroyd, and Jane Krakowski. Serena Williams also shows up to counterbalance the recent Oscar-worthy show by LeBron James in Trainwreck.

Despite my own entirely personal satisfaction, you’re looking at a Razzie frontrunner here. This in-name-only feature adaptation of the same-named French short film by Patrick Jean is an overblown sci-fi comedy that barely suggests societal progression, with the predominant characters all played by American white men. Comedic jabs at President James are obligatory for a Happy Madison film, but the credibility of any of these characters is in competition with the Looney Tunes, save for the arduous Brian Cox as a no-nonsense admiral who probably epitomizes the emotion of every non-gamer parent who will get dragged to see this film.

Though bright and crisp, the visual effects for the aliens are pathetically formulaic. Then again, they are based directly off of 8-bit arcade games, disparaged these days by kids who can play an up-converted version on their tablets (and glitch-free, of course). Again, 3D is used as an unnecessary gimmick to spend some extra at the theater, especially with the 3D TV becoming all but obsolete in today’s home marketplace. Although the accurate 3D renderings of characters like Pac-Man, Q-Bert, and Donkey Kong have significant throwback value, anyone who never played or didn’t care for these vintage games will not be impressed.

And, of course, leave it to Sony to plug their products in a Columbia Pictures film. From the 80” 4K Ultra HD flat screen to the Playstation 4, the product placements don’t stop at names made famous by Nintendo, Namco, and Konami. At one point, a child is playing the M-rated PS4 title “The Last of Us” while Sandler watches and criticizes its extreme violence and lack of patterns by comparison to the repetitive styles of old. Did they even use Carl-Zeiss lenses for the blasters?

Non-gaming viewers (which sadly make up a majority of the masses) will find this to be an excruciating waste of their time and money. However, many children and adults of the arcade era are likely to get quite a lot of entertainment in the throwback values alone. Watching the toadstools change from green to purple as Centipede advances to level 2 or the way Pac-Man gains the upper hand when he eats a power pellet should garner cheers and applause from fans who were waiting for it.

Pixels stands out in the world of films churned out by Happy Madison Productions. At the very least, it is sure to be attended by everyone who owns the special edition Blu-ray of Grandma’s Boy. The humor is purely Sandler-ific, with the same on-screen chemistry that attracted viewers to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and the Grown-Ups films (hint hint). Gad and Dinklage give performances that are just so over the top, but that’s part for the joke that is this film as well.  Monaghan also gets to solidify herself as another nerd’s love interest right next to such actresses as Bridget Wilson, Julie Bowen, Winona Ryder, and Drew Barrymore. One last time, you have been warned. This is strictly for fellow gamers and nostalgia seekers. Generally terrible, but broadly golden. ( – Herbert Shaw)

Southpaw 

Starz/Anchor Bay/ Released 10/27/15

From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and screenwriter Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy). Southpaw tell the riveting story of Billy “The Great” Hope, reigning Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World (Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal). Billy Hope seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful daughter (Oona Laurence) and a lavish lifestyle. When tragedy strikes and his lifelong manager and friend (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) leave him behind, Hope hits rock bottom and turns to an unlikely savior at a run-down local gym: Tick Wills (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker), a retired fighter and trainer to the city’s toughest amateur boxers. With his future riding on Tick’s guidance and tenacity, Billy enters the hardest battle of his life as he struggles with redemption and to win back the trust of those he loves.

Last Word: Close your eyes and imagine having the perfect life: a successful career, family, and the house of your dreams. After all the hard work, training, practicing in the gym; everything you wanted has finally paid off. Now just imagine one fateful night your entire world comes crashing down. The happiness you lived for is taken away. Simple tasks like getting out of bed have become a struggle. The love and appreciation from your fans is no longer there. You’re left without a home, a car, a child, a job, family nor friends. Your only haven is crying yourself into drug-induced fit on the bathroom floor…alone. This is what happens to boxing’s Light Heavyweight Champion Billy Hope in the riches to rags to improvement story filled with the darkest moments of anyone’s life.

The film opens with punch, literally: hard, heavy blows flying on the screen as Hope celebrates the highest moment of his life. Beaten, battered and bruised, he lived. Surrounded by his wife and only daughter, Hope speaks and walks as if he’s barely hanging onto life. Damage suffered from the boxing matches is taking their toll on him but he is happy. The real story begins after a set of tragic events that result in Hope having to crawl his way back to the top. Lost, forgotten, alone, and in pain he is brought to his knees; he is forced to humble himself under the guidance of his new trainer as he prepares to fight his longstanding rival and seedy manager played by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

In a role that was originally set to star Eminem, Jake Gyllenhaal is basically screaming for an Academy Award as Hope, proving to be one of the most gifted actors in Hollywood. His physical transformation proves the power of hard work, but what’s more important is his transformation beyond muscles. Jake is unrecognizable as Hope, the handsome glamorous actor who speaks with such eloquence and grace is gone. What the audience gets a shell of man, destroyed by years of fighting, poor education; his body is simply ravished and his speech is slurred. It’s a struggle to understand him, he speaks mostly in mumbles, and he limps making you feel every pain in his body. When he doesn’t speak he allows his aggression, his suffering and broken spirit to speak for him. He is explosive and brutal both in and out of the ring, which results in his downfall. Throughout the film, he is forced to change both his fighting style and mental outlook.

Forest Whitaker, as Titus “Tick” Wills, a former boxer and now trainer of disadvantaged youth, is thrust in the spotlight when Hope comes to him looking for a chance at redemption after losing everything and reaching the ultimate rock bottom. Whitaker takes on the role like he does with any role. He blends so effortlessly into mentor and friend that it’s hard to tell the two apart. He is more than just support for Hope, he is a lifeline

Rounding out the cast is Rachel McAdams as Maureen Hope, Hope’s wife. She is kind, caring, patient; the pure definition of love. She not only supports but helps her husband to focus, she looks after him. Their relationship is less lot husband and wife and more like mother and child, however, this works and it makes their bond and dynamic even stronger. This role is shared by their only daughter Leila, played to perfection by Oona Laurence. Despite her young age, she is able to hold down a role twice her size. She, too, is forced to deal with a sudden and tragic loss, and, just like her father, she must deal with it alone. Thrown into a new life, she begins to breakdown. Unlike Hope, who seeks comfort in the arms of illegal substances, she shuts down, refusing to communicate with anyone. However, she speaks volumes through her body language and when she does release, her expressions are explosive. She has clearly inherited his defiant nature to a tee.

Southpaw is not perfect: at its core it is clique and predictable, but it is a heart-wrenchingly enjoyable film. Director Antoine Fuqua shines when it comes to pulling out the best from his actors. The acting is at its best, the camera work is inclusive. Each fight scene is choreographed like a barbarous tango. Much like Raging Bull, the camera appears to be placed in with the fight (similar to watching action on a GoPro); each hit is felt with such brutal force as Hope and his opponent battle it out. The audience becomes part of the fight, no longer a spectator; people will find themselves ducking a diving in hopes of missing each blow. It is violent, but isn’t that what boxing is; a sport designed to break bones. Nothing is held back, making us respect and fear Billy Hope even more.

Just like life, Southpaw is transformative, painful but unapologetic; and just as Eminem stated in the lyrics in the film’s theme song, it is “phenomenal” and to miss it is the real injustice. ( – Dana Abercrombie)

Tu dors Nicole 

Kino Lorber/ Released 10/27/15

Nicole (Julianne Côte) is adrift after college graduation, working a dead-end summer job in her small Quebec hometown and spending evenings with her best pal, Véronique. When her older brother Remi unexpectedly returns with his bandmates in tow, disrupting the girls’ half-baked summer, it becomes clear to Nicole that something must and will change. Shot in luminous black and white and infused with a sultry melancholy, Tu dors Nicole brilliantly captures that liminal stage where the fading yet familiar attachments of childhood still seem far more appealing, precious, and real than the sterility of the grown-up world. Extras include deleted scenes and trailer.

Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer

Oscilloscope / Released 10/27/15

In the infancy of hip-hop, Brooklyn-born photographer Jamel Shabazz documented the pioneers of music and style who would launch an enduring worldwide phenomenon. In Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer, Charlie Ahearn (director of the seminal grafitti movie Wild Style) pays tribute to both Shabazz and those who defined hip-hop before it had definition. More than just vintage shots of kids rocking sneakers and savvy street style in Times Square and Fort Greene Park, Shabazz s photographs have hundreds of stories behind them, and Ahearn s film gives voice to these images with intimate interviews with Shabazz himself, graffiti pioneer and hip-hop historian Fred Fab 5 Freddy Brathwaite, legendary rapper KRS-One, and others.

Best of Enemies: Buckley Vs. Vidal 

Magnolia / Released 11/3/15

In the summer of 1968, television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley, Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, Gore Vidal was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult-cementing their opposing political positions. Their explosive exchanges devolved into vitriolic name-calling. It was unlike anything TV had ever broadcast, and all the more shocking because it was live and unscripted. Viewers were riveted. ABC News’ ratings skyrocketed. And a new era in public discourse was born – a highbrow blood sport that marked the dawn of pundit television as we know it today. Extras include interviews and trailer.

Before We Go 

Starz/Anchor Bay / Released 11/3/15

A chance encounter between strangers sparks a life-changing nighttime adventure in New York City in Before We Go, the directorial debut of Chris Evans. Nick (Evans), is a musician who spends his days performing in Grand Central Station. It is there he meets Brooke (Alive Eve), a young married woman who finds herself stranded after her purse is stolen and she misses the last train out of the city. Starting as convenient acquaintances, the two soon embark on a journey together, growing closer as they confront their past loves and present fears, and take control of their lives. Extras include a conversation with Chris Evans.

Black Sails: The Complete Second Season

Starz/Anchor Bay / Released 11/3/15

The Walrus crew is stranded with an army of Spanish soldiers standing between them and their precious Urca gold. And with their crimes against their brethren no longer a secret, Flint and Silver must join forces in a desperate bid for survival. Meanwhile, Eleanor Guthrie struggles to maintain her grip on Nassau, as a new breed of pirate arrives in the form of Ned Low, a man for whom violence isn’t just a tool… it’s a pastime.

As blood is spilled and tensions mount, Charles Vane must decide which he values more: Eleanor’s life or the respect of his men. And unbeknownst to all of them, a prize of immeasurable value has already been smuggled onto the island… one whose discovery will alter the very landscape of their world and force everyone in Nassau toward the ultimate judgment: are they men, or monsters? Extras include featurettes.

Episodes include:

  • IX: Flint and Silver face judgment before the crew. Vane enjoys his new position on the island. Max confronts Bonny. Eleanor faces a new threat.
  • X: Flint gives Dufresne some advice. Silver must make himself indispensable. Eleanor is asked to depose a captain. Rackham gets ambitious.
  • XI: Flint faces a dilemma upon his return to Nassau. Eleanor needs help from an unlikely source. Rackham seeks to repair his reputation. Vane uncovers an unexpected prize.
  • XII: Flint threatens Vane. Eleanor chooses a side. Rackham learns what Max is capable of. Silver reunites with an old friend.
  • XIII: Miranda embarks on a journey to save the island. Eleanor opens old wounds. Rackham sniffs around a big secret. Vane must take matters into his own hands.
  • XIV: Eleanor brokers a peace. Rackham learns the hard way. Flint breaks a promise. Bonny loses control.
  • XV: Max cleans up after a massacre. News from the outside world changes everything for Flint and Silver. Eleanor risks her life for the sake of her future. Bonny faces a crossroads.
  • XVI: Flint and Miranda prepare for the worst. Silver has his eyes opened. Eleanor discovers Max’s secret. Vane makes his move.
  • XVII: Flint and Miranda confront their past. Bonny declares her intents to Rackham. Vane takes a massive prize. Eleanor declares war.
  • XVIII: An unlikely ally comes to Flint’s aid. Vane’s crew wants a change. Silver makes a sacrifice.

Dark Was the Night 

Image/ Released 11/3/15

Maiden Woods is a remote and quiet town of decent, hard-working people, but something stirs in the dark woods surrounding this isolated community. After a logging company decimates an area of the forest, a rash of increasingly violent and unexplainable events transpires. Sheriff Paul Shields (Kevin Durand) and his deputy (Lukas Haas) struggle to confront their own personal demons while facing down a new breed of raw terror that is possibly older than humanity itself… and much, much hungrier. Extras include Q & A and featurette.

Do I Sound Gay?

MPI/ Released 11/3/15

After a break-up with his boyfriend, journalist David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” Enlisting acting coaches, linguists, friends, family, total strangers, and celebrities, he quickly learns that many people – both gay and straight – often wish for a different voice. In Thorpe’s feature-length documentary debut Do I Sound Gay?, what starts as a personal journey becomes a chance to unpack layers of cultural baggage concerning sexuality, identity, and self-esteem. Extras include trailer.

The End of the Tour

Lionsgate/ Released 11/3/15

The End of the Tour tells the story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter (and novelist) David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking epic novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties – but it’s never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audio tapes were packed away in Lipsky’s closet. The two men did not meet again. The film is based on Lipsky’s critically acclaimed memoir about this unforgettable encounter, written following Wallace’s 2008 suicide. Both Segel and Eisenberg reveal great depths of emotion in their performances and the film is directed with humor and tenderness by Sundance vet James Ponsoldt from Pulitzer- Prize winner Donald Margulies’ insightful and heartbreaking screenplay.

Last Word: Coming off of the surprise hit, The Spectacular Now, director James Ponsoldt brings us The End of the Tour: the story of Rolling Stone writer, David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg), as he joins famous author, David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), for a week and a half on the last stop of his book tour. The early buzz for this film was electric. Ponsoldt delivers a film that is quite unlike anything we have seen as of late, and he does it in a way that warms and chills the senses. We follow the journey of the small and strange relationship that forms between these two men. It is both odd and fascinating, but while we revel in the exceptional work that was created on this film, we can’t help but wonder if there is something missing here.

The story in this film is actually not that of the people, but ultimately just the story of the last bit of David Wallace’s book tour. After reading Wallace’s masterpiece of a novel, Infinite Jest, David Lipsky convinces his editor at Rolling Stone to allow him to join Wallace on his book tour. Lipsky, out of either admiration or jealousy, is fascinated with the idea of getting a small look inside the mind of this great author. A writer himself, Lipsky has had small success with his one published novel, a book that was bought by few, and read by even less. While his request to interview Wallace is pitched out of pure desire to speak to a man of genius, Lipsky gives off the impression that he feels like has something to prove to himself in meeting Wallace.

The writing and execution of the film plays as a chess match between the two Davids. They are constantly trying to get a feel for each other, while also flirting with the idea of a possible friendship. We learn that the only way Lipsky was allowed to do the interview was if he would ask Wallace about the rumors of him using heroin. We also see that Wallace is constantly battling with people’s real motivations. He gives the impression that he has a hard time trusting people, and a journalist isn’t exactly the first person you would want to open up to.

David Wallace is the hopeless romantic of the story. He is a man who has sheltered himself away in a hole-in-the-wall town in Illinois with his two dogs. Success and fame don’t play well to his senses, as the constant prying and desire for insight into his life tend to get to his psyche. More than anything, Wallace would like to be seen as a regular guy. He wants people to think that he is the type of person you can eat McDonald’s with and talk about classic records. When you are the author of a NY Times best seller and seen by the world as a genius, it can be hard to live out that desire. Wallace shows that he has been hurt by relationships in the past when they didn’t pan out in the ways that would have worked best for him. Despite this, we can still see that his walls are willing to come down when a new opportunity shows even the faintest signs of human connection.

Lipsky is our double-faced coin. His motivations to meet Wallace seem cunning and self-indulgent. His ability to make people open up to him, make him both a great journalist and the worst type of person for a man like Wallace. Lipsky appears to be on a mission to prove to himself and the world that he is capable of what Wallace has achieved. In this pursuit, it is clear that he doesn’t notice how his actions are affecting those around him. He mirrors the way that Wallace acts and speaks in an attempt to both make Wallace more comfortable and, in a strange way, to see what it’s like to walk in the shoes of the genius that he so desperately craves to be. Lipsky certainly does have genuine respect and admiration for Wallace, which only makes it more crippling when the snake in his motivations come out.

As the waltz amid these two men goes on, it becomes painfully clear that a friendship between them is impossible, as it will always be tainted. Anyone who has been interviewed in a professional setting knows that it is the duty of the man with the recorder to get close to the subject. Finding out personal and intimate details is part of the job description, not the compassion within a person. For Wallace, this realization is the harshest of blows, as it seems yet again he has been hurt in the attempted companionship of another person. Lipsky only realizes what is lost to him after it is too late. His own mission and the story clouded his chance to become a better writer and person, by taking the chance to put down his recorder and really listen to David Foster Wallace the man, not the subject.

Eisenberg and Segel are close to perfect in their roles. It is difficult to execute a film that strictly follows the journey of two people, but that was not an issue in this film. Siegel brings a whole new side of his acting capabilities in an astounding first step into drama. He maintains his lovable and boyish charm, while delivering the odd persona that is so believable from a man like David Foster Wallace. He successfully captured the spirit of the character he was playing, rather than focusing on the look.

Eisenberg is the true hero of the film as he takes an approach that is both brave and arrogant. Yet again, he marches into the territory of not caring whether or not people see him as the villain. He delivers the performance of man who may attack at any moment. Even in the scenes where he and Segel seem like they are the best of friends, Eisenberg’s aura is ever present and unsettling. He has the ability to make us dislike Lipsky, while simultaneously understanding him.

If nothing else, The End of the Tour is interesting. After seeing it, it almost feels like a friend or a colleague just told you a story about an interview they just did, rather than that you just saw a film. The story plays no tricks and pulls no stunts. It is straightforward and charming. There were, at times, moments where it seemed like we were going to get something more: an instant of clarity or insight into the troubled mind of one of these men, but it didn’t come. Perhaps these moments were intentional, as it so commonly happens in an interview. Never the less, there was the faintest feeling of needing a little extra from this experience which, ironically, must be exactly how both Wallace and Lipsky felt about theirs. ( – Dan Powers)

The Golden Cane Warrior

Well Go USA/ Released 11/3/15

The Golden Cane: a relic of incomparable force, coveted by all. And with it, the training of a technique so unrivaled, it vanquishes all who dare oppose its power.

As Master Cempaka and her four disciples – orphans of her enemies, now heirs to the Can – prepare for the new warrior guardian to ascend, an act of villainous betrayal threatens to destroy the clan and destabilize the realm. Their only hope to restore order lies in finding the elusive White Dragon, the only remaining pupil still equipped to unlock the mysteries of the Golden Crane. Extras include trailer.

In Their Own Words: Jim Henson

PBS/ Released 11/3/15

Follow Henson’s career, from his early television work with the Muppets during the Golden Age of television while still a student at the University of Maryland and his commercial work and network appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s, to his breakthrough with Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and his groundbreaking fantasy films Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Hear from his children, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, and Heather Henson. And enjoy firsthand memories shared by friends like Frank Oz, Candice Bergen, Willard Scott, director John Landis, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, and Sesame Street cast members Bob McGrath and Carroll Spinney.

In Their Own Words: Muhammad Ali

PBS/ Released 11/3/15

Witness key events unfold in Ali’s life, including his stunning conversion to Islam and his change of name, his dramatic stand against the Vietnam-era draft, his three-year exile from the ring, his legendary comeback fights, his courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, and his inspirational reemergence on the world stage at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His once polarizing figure ultimately became a beloved and honored national hero. Hear from Ali’s daughters Laila and Maryum Ali, former wife Khalilah Camacho Ali, NFL great Jim Brown, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, rappers and actors LL Cool J and Common, boxing promoter Bob Arum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Lloyd Price, and biographer Thomas Hauser.

Lavalantula

Alchemy / Released 11/3/15

After a dormant volcano erupts miles outside of Los Angeles, something within the molten hot lava is awakened. Birthed from the bowels of the Earth itself, arachnid-like creatures with an obsidian-black exoskeleton swarm out. One man, Colton West, a washed-up, former A-list action star, suddenly finds himself the real life hero as he’s forced to use his on screen characters’ know-how to save the entire city from being victims to the most horrifying villians you couldn’t write any better. Lavalantula reunites cast members of the Police Academy franchise including Steve Guttenberg, Leslie Easterbrook, Marion Ramsey and Michael Winslow.  The cast also includes Nia Peeples, Danny Woodburn and Patrick Renna.

A Lego Brickumentary

Starz/Anchor Bay / Released 11/3/15

Oscar-winning Director Daniel Junge and Oscar-nominated Director Kief Davidson take us on a journey through the Lego brand, like you have never seen before. They explore the brick that has captured imaginations for generations and look at the fundamental question – is it a toy or something more? A Lego Brickumentary delves into the extraordinary impact of the Lego brick and the innovative uses for it that have sprung up all over the world. The narrative takes us through art gallaries full of Lego creations, introduces us to Master Builders designing and creating life-sized Lego models (as well as those who employ Lego bricks to create their own films) leads us into the world of Lego therapy and brings us along to meet Adult Fans of Lego (AFOLS), each with amazing stories to tell. A Lego Brickumentary explores the essential nature of human creativity and the ways we seek to build and understand our world. Extras include deleted scenes.

Operator

Millennium Ent. / Released 11/3/15

When the daughter of veteran 911 call center operator Pamela (Mischa Barton), and her estranged husband Jeremy (Luke Goss), a Senior Police Officer, is kidnapped and held hostage, they are left desperate, with no choice but to follow the kidnapper’s rules: send messages through dispatch for all police and fire units to scatter to remote locations throughout the city where they are met with chaos. Not knowing who or why, the one thing they do know is if they fail to discreetly collaborate with one another—they will be solely responsible for for facilitating the biggest crime in the city’s history. Now they must race against the clock to make the choice of their lives—save the city—or save their daughter.

Mexico Barbaro

MPI / Released 11/3/15

A vanguard of Mexican directors unite to bring tales of the most brutally terrifying Mexican folkore and legends to vividly shocking life. Mexico Barbaro presents haunting stories that have been woven into the fabric of a nation’s culture, some passed down through the centuries and some new, but all equally frightening. Stories of boogeymen, trolls, ghosts, monsters, Aztec sacrifices, and of course the Day of the Dead all come together in urban and rural settings to create an anthology that is as contemporary as it is traditional and as important as it is horrifying. Extras include behind the scenes and trailer.

Seymour: An Introduction

MPI / Released 11/3/15

Meet Seymour Bernstein: a virtuoso pianist, veteran New Yorker, and true original who gave up a successful concert career to teach music. In this wonderfully warm, witty, and intimate tribute from his friend, Ethan Hawke, Seymour shares unforgettable stories from his remarkable life and eye-opening words of wisdom, as well as insightful reflections on art, creativity, and the search for fulfillment. A “poignant guide to life” (Indiewire) and an engaging exploration on the dedication, perseverance, and fortitude essential to creating both art and a rewarding life, Seymour: An Introduction will leave audiences uplifted and inspired. Extras include trailer and Seymour Bernstein in concert.

She’s Funny That Way

Lionsgate/ Released 11/3/15

From renowned director Peter Borgdanovich, She’s Funny That Way is a screwball comedy featuring the interconnected personal lives of the cast and crew of a Broadway production. When established director Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson) casts call-girl-turned actress Isabella “Izzy” Patterson (Imogen Poots) in a new play to star alongside his wife Delta (Kathryn Hahn) and her ex-lover Seath Gilbert (Rhys Ifans), a zany love triangle forms with hilarious twists. Jennifer Aniston plays Izzy’s therapist Jane, who is consumed with her own failing relationship with Arnold’s playwright Joshua Fleet (Will Forte), who is also developing a crush on Izzy. Extras include commentary, making of featurette and trailers.

Masterpiece: Worricker: The Complete Series

PBS / Released 11/3/15

Three gripping films written and directed by David Hare that follow the exploits of the long-serving MI5 officer Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy). Since September 2001, the public reads every day of encroachments on their liberty, which are justified in the name of security. From MI5 headquarters in London to exile on a Caribbean island to life on the run with his former lover and fellow agent Margot Tyrrell (Helena Bonham Carter), David Hare’s trilogy, ripped from the headlines, focuses on the internal divisions and arguments which have been raging inside an increasingly controversial intelligence community. The cast includes Christopher Walken, Winona Ryder, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis, Rupert Graves, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams, Rachel Weisz, and Felicity Jones.

Includes:

  • Page Eight: What happens when spies grow older in a post-9/11 world? Sixty-something MI-5 agent Johnny Worricker has amassed an impressive art collection, an amicable collection of ex-wives, and a droll, unflappable relationship with the work he enjoys alongside his boss and best friend, MI5 chief Benedict Baron. But when Benedict brings to light damning evidence of British complicity with illegal American torture operations, it falls to Johnny to do the right thing. And the right thing, in this morally ambiguous new era, is unclear — as unclear as the motives of Johnny’s neighbor, Nancy, who draws Johnny in with her sad beauty and a secret of her own. 
  • Turks & Caicos: Sun, sand, and CIA are the themes of Johnny’s clandestine retirement on a Caribbean island, overrun with high-rolling American businessmen who are bankrolling a mysterious project. Their worldly-wise publicist (Winona Ryder) and a tycoon named Curtis befriend Johnny. The cloak-and-dagger life revives when a dodgy British philanthropist named Stirling Rogers arrives with an associate, Margot, whom Johnny knows well. Johnny’s new mission is to escape from an ever-tightening noose.
  • Salting The Battlefield: Johnny and Margot are together again, just like old times, managing to stay a jump ahead of an international dragnet hard on their heels all across Europe. British Prime Minister Alec Beasley desperately wants Johnny back, and so does Johnny’s old MI5 colleague, Jill Tankard — but for different reasons. Who will win this frenzied game of spy versus spy? And what happens when a terrible secret sees the light of day?

Uncanny

RLJ Entertainment/ Released 11/3/15

For ten years, inventor David Kressen has lived in seclusion with his inventions, including Adam, a robot with incredible lifelike human qualities. When reporter Joy Andrews is given access to their unconventional facility, she is alternately repelled and attracted to the scientist and his creation. But as Adam exhibits emergent behavior of anger and jealousy towards her, she finds herself increasingly entangled in a web of deception where no one’s motives are easily decipherable.

The Code

Acorn / Released 10/6/15

Deep in the Australian outback, two joyriding teenagers are involved in a deadly crash, setting off an escalating chain of events that could unravel some of the government’s darkest secrets. When smart phone footage of the accident finds its way into the hands of Internet journalist Ned Banks (Dan Spielman), he and his brother, Jesse (Ashley Zukerman) a brilliant but unstable hacker, become targets in a high-stakes national conspiracy. To emerge with their freedom—and their lives—they’ll have to fortify their already volatile relationship in the face of those who want to do them harm. The Code mixes top-notch performances, high-tech twists, and noirish intrigue for an utterly engrossing drama. Also starring Lucy Lawless, David Wenham and Adam Garcia. Extras include featurettes.

Includes episodes:

  • Episode 1: When reporter Ned Banks is alerted to a strange accident in the outback involving a couple of Aboriginal teens, he unwittingly involves his brother Jesse – a computer genius who has Asperger’s. After Ned and Jesse publish a video of the accident they face the full weight of a political machine desperate to keep the truth off the front pages.
  • Episode 2: As Ned investigates the truck accident in the remote town of Lindara, his brother Jesse comes face to face with the ‘extraordinary’ new powers of the law and finds himself in a living nightmare.
  • Episode 3: Wracked by guilt that his brother Jesse has paid such a high price for trying to help his investigation, Ned fears the worst when Jesse goes missing.
  • Episode 4: Ned and Jesse are on the run, and running out of options. Their house has been ransacked, their phones bugged and their every computer stroke tracked. With nowhere to hide and no-one to turn to, they have no choice but to hunt down the truth in Lindara in the hope that it will save them.
  • Episode 5: Ned and Jesse are forced into an impossible choice – Hani’s life in exchange for technology capable of wiping entire cities from the face of the earth.
  • Episode 6: Unless Ned and Jesse take action their fates will be sealed, their story repackaged and the truth will remain neatly beneath the radar. It is time to do something radical.

Automan: The Complete Series

Shout! Factory / Released 11/10/15

Walter Nebicher is the police department’s resident computer geek… his immediate superiors think Walter’s place is behind the desk and not on the streets. However, Walter has other ideas.

Walter’s expertise in computer programming is unparalleled and he creates a special program, ‘Automan,’ an artificially intelligent computer hologram that looks real, sounds real and given enough power can physically exist in the real world. Together, Walter and Automan along with Cursor, a small floating droid that creates any object Automan needs to battle crime on the city streets. Extras include documentary, featurettes, galleries and Manimal trailer

Episodes include:

  • Automan: Walter and Automan jump into their first case when Walter’s friend Lt. Jack Curtis disappears while investigating the kidnappings of top engineers from major corporations.
  • Staying Alive While Running a High Flashdance Fever: Walter and Automan investigate a judge that appears to be corrupt and involved with the mob.
  • The Great Pretender: When a truck load of paper the government uses to print money is hijacked, Automan, with the help of Cursor, poses as an rich criminal competing to undermine the existing network of a known criminal dealing in counterfeit money.
  • Ships in the Night: Walter and Auto fly to San Cristobal to investigate the disappearances of Americans. They discover a man, aided by the local authorities, that lures investors in order to kill them and take their money.
  • Unreasonable Facsimile: A corporate executive trying to expose fraud in his company is murdered. Taking lessons from videotapes of a soap opera, Automan teams with the executive’s daughter, posing as a wealthy tycoon interested in buying the company.
  • Flashes and Ashes: Walter’s friend and fellow cop, Frank Cooney is killed during the theft of police weaponry. But when the Internal Affairs agent believes Frank was involved, Walter is suspended when he and Auto interfere trying to prove his friends’ innocence.
  • The Biggest Game in Town: Automan and Walter rush to figure out who has hacked into Los Angeles municipal computer systems and threatens to cause widespread mayhem if he isn’t paid $10 million.
  • Renegade Run: When Walter investigates a crooked sheriff who is using illegal immigrants for manual labor, he and a friend are put in jail. Automan teams up with a motorcycle gang to free him.
  • Murder MTV: When a record producer and father of a rising pop star is blackmailed, he turns to his former connections in the mob to protect his daughter.
  • Murder, Take One: Former movie star Veronica Everly is a suspect in the murder of gossip columnist, Ray Gillette. However, when Automan discovers that a Hollywood producer had a greater motive for murder, he goes undercover as an actor to catch the real killer.
  • Zippers: Automan goes undercover as a dancer in a ladies only strip club to catch a burglary ring operating inside. But the situation becomes more complicated when the thieves unwittingly steal a microchip sought by the mob.
  • Death By Design: When a ruthless crime syndicate kills one of Jack’s best friends, Automan poses as a vigilante cop by the name of Mad Dog who is out for justice.
  • Club Ten: Walter, Automan and Roxanne go to an ultra-exclusive Caribbean resort when Roxanne receives a panicked message from her missing travel writer friend. They’re soon caught up in a dangerous diamond-smuggling scheme.

Manimal: The Complete Series

Shout! Factory / Released 11/10/15

Dr. Jonathan Chase, wealthy, young and handsome. A man with the brightest of futures, a man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa’s deepest recesses to the rarefied peaks of Tibet, heir to his father’s legacy and the world’s darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man. Partnered with a young policed detective and a former army corporal from the fields of Vietnam. A trio that stands against the crime that breeds in the concrete jungles and stretches its deadly tentacles to the fascinating but dangerous world beyond, the world of MANIMAL!

Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale), famed Professor of Criminology, with the inherited powers to transform himself into any animal he wishes, uses that power to assist the New York Police Department in solving major crimes. He is assisted by Brooke McKenzie (Melody Anderson), an intelligent and beautiful detective with the NYPD, and Tyrone ‘TY’ Earl (Michael D. Roberts), a former intelligence officer with whom he served in Vietnam. Extras include interview with Glen A. Larson, galleries, concept and production notes, Automan trailer and episode guide booklet

Episodes include:

  • Manimal: When a group of thieves devise a plan to hijack a shipment of nerve gas, Detective Brooke Mackenzie must stop them. She teams up with Dr. Jonathan Chase, a man that knows the secrets that divide man and animal and who is trained in an African technique that allows him to change into different animal forms.
  • Illusion: A Bulgarian Ambassador hides behind his immunity status to smuggle illegal goods into the country.
  • Night of the Scorpion: While being interrogated by Russian agents about the location of a list, a man dies from a truth serum drug. A note and $2 million dollars are left to his daughter, Terry. Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must protect Terry while trying to locate the list before the Russian agents do.
  • Female of the Species: After a girl is found living with wolves in the forests of Sultanpur, India, she is the topic of discussion at a local university where she is being held. When an attempt is made on her life, Jonathan takes her into his care and protection. Her identity must be found in order to discover who it is that is trying to kill her.
  • High Stakes: When a horse trainer recognizes her stolen horse in a race, Jonathan helps her try and recover it.
  • Scrimshaw: While at the beach, Jonathan and the others discover a scrimshaw (walrus tusk with carvings on it) in the clutches of a skeleton. They begin investigating at local bar where they encounter someone who has been looking for it for their whole life.
  • Breath of the Dragon: Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must stop a criminal who extorts money from businesses in China Town while posing as a superstitious icon known as The Dragon.
  • Night of the Beast: While on a well deserved vacation, Jonathan, Ty and Brooke get involved to thwart an attempt by a syndicate boss to illegally take over the town of Birch Hollow in order legalize gambling and build a large casino.

Nathan For You: Seasons One & Two

Shout! Factory / Released 11/10/15

Nathan Fielder helps real small businesses turn a profit with marketing tactics that no traditional consultant would dare attempt. Whether it’s creating a coffee shop called Dumb Starbucks, inventing a poo-flavored yogurt or staging an elaborate viral video where a pig saves a goat, no idea is too daring. While Nathan’s efforts may not always succeed, they always have big results.

Episodes include:

  • Yogurt Shop/Pizzeria: Nathan helps out a yogurt shop and a pizzeria with business ideas and doles out job interview tips.
  • Santa/Petting Zoo: Nathan discovers the professional Santa he’s helping has a dark secret and his attempt to market a petting zoo has unexpected results. Also, a teen is caught doing graffiti.
  • Clothing Store/Restaurant: Nathan encourages a clothing store to allow shoplifting and trains a new assistant. A restaurant owner is surprised when Nathan asks to be included in her will.
  • Gas Station/Caricature Artist: Nathan helps an independent gas station by devising the world’s greatest rebate. He also attempts to make a fledgling caricature artist famous.
  • Haunted House/The Hunk: Nathan tries to help a struggling haunted house. He also attempts to overcome his fear of the opposite sex by dating ten women at once.
  • Funeral Home/ Burger Joint/ Skydiving: Nathan helps a struggling funeral home, a burger joint is forced to stand by its claim that it has the best burger in Los Angeles, and Nathan goes skydiving.
  • The Claw of Shame: In this special episode, Nathan performs a daring escape in which he risks a fate that is truly worse than death, and failed business ideas from the season are showcased.
  • Private Investigator/ Taxi Company: Nathan puts a private investigator to the test by allowing himself to be spied on for a day, a taxi company is brought a solution for shy customers, and Nathan is forced to include product placement in his show.
  • Mechanic; Realtor: In the Season 2 premiere, Nathan counsels a mechanic to verify his estimates with a lie-detector test. Also: A real-estate agent needs help with branding.
  • Souvenir Shop; ELAIFF: Nathan may have to face legal charges after attempting to bring business to a Hollywood souvenir shop with a fake film shoot.
  • Pet Store; Maid Service: Nathan finds a unique place for a Pet Store ad, redesigns his image at the whim of a focus group and comes up with an idea to clean a house in just six minutes.
  • Liquor Store; Exterminator; Car Wash: Nathan helps a liquor store sell to minors, sneaks an exterminator into a fancy hotel, and purchases birds to drum up business for a car wash.
  • Dumb Starbucks: Nathan attempts to help a local coffee shop by using parody law to make it appear nearly identical to Starbucks.
  • Dating Website; Party Planner: A dating Web site gets help attracting female users; a party planner adopts a new strategy for sending invitations. Also: Nathan shares his thoughts on self-motivation.
  • Taxi Service; Hot Dog Stand: Nathan helps a Taxi service obtain some press and allows line-cutters priority access to a hot dog stand.
  • Toy Company; Movie Theatre: A movie theater’s no-sharing policy at the concession stand is enforced; a toy company learns how to market to children.

A Tale of Two Thieves

Virgil Films/ Released 11/10/15

August 1963. Sears Crossing, Buckinghamshire, England. Fifteen men pull off ‘The Great Train Robbery’, netting today’s equivalent of almost $70 million. THAT WE ALL KNOW. We’ve read the books, seen the TV specials. We’ve heard Ronnie Biggs and Bruce Reynolds reel off their usual spiel. We think we know the full story by now. But the truth is, we’ve never heard the actual INSIDE STORY because no one’s ever learned the identity of the missing mastermind – the elusive and mysterious ‘Ulsterman’. UNTIL NOW…

In A Tale of Two Thieves, we are transported back to a bygone era when criminals lived by a code, a time when the life of a thief was ALMOST honorable and every day held the potential for a new caper. Over 50 years after the heist, one of the robbers, Gordon Goody, has finally agreed to go fully on record and reveal all of the unknown facts about that fateful night and his life of crime, including the identity of the ‘mythical’ Ulsterman.

Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series

Shout! Factory / Released 11/10/15

The second installment of the original Japanese series that inspired the worldwide phenomenon Power Rangers franchise! The three Tribes of the Daos Empire — Shura, Dai and Gorma — were peaceful until the Gorma set out to conquer the planet, launching a magical war between the Gorma and Dai Tribes that lasted for centuries. In the end, both civilizations were lost… until now. The evil Gorma have returned. Now, it’s up to Master Kaku to assemble a team of kids with high levels of Ch’i to become the protectors of the Earth known as the Dairangers! The ten disc set contains all 50 episodes, presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Trainwreck

Universal / Released 11/10/15

Since she was a little girl, Amy (Amy Schumer) has been taught that monogamy isn’t realistic. Now a magazine writer, Amy lives by that credo, enjoying an uninhibited life free from stifling, boring romantic commitment. But when she finds herself starting to fall for the subject of a new article she’s writing, a charming and successful sports doctor (Bill Hader), Amy starts to wonder if other grown-ups, including this guy who really seems to like her, might be onto something. Extras include theatrical and unrated cut of the film, deleted scenes, extended/alternate scenes, fake film clips, featurettes, gag reel, behind the scenes, tour footage, commentary and trailer.

Last Word: Currently, this is Amy Schumer’s world and we are all just living in it. Star, writer, director, and producer of the wildly popular Inside Amy Schumer, she is currently owning Hollywood with her unabashedly feminist point of view. Unafraid to talk about her body, her sexual escapades, and the way women behave makes her refreshing in a world of reality TV gone mad. Schumer is now taking her writing and acting to the big screen in Trainwreck. THANK GOODNESS.

Surprise, surprise – the lead character’s name is Amy. From a young age, Amy has been told by her wandering father (played brilliantly by Colin Quinn) that “monogamy isn’t realistic.” Being a daddy’s girl, she takes this to heart and lives a life that is free from romantic ties. Things become a bit more complicated when she meets a sports doctor Aaron (the incredibly charming Bill Hader) who happens to be BFFs with LeBron James.

While the film follows many of the common romantic comedy plot structures, Schumer is able to breathe life into an increasingly stale genre. Surprising characters pop up throughout the film that make it enjoyable from beginning to end. Where else are we going to see a closeted John Cena or a tan Tilda Swinton? The answer is nowhere. There are so many laugh out loud moments that my sides hurt by the end of the it. But what are even more surprising are the touching moments littered throughout the film. Amy’s relationship with her sister Kim (Brie Larson) and father play a significant part of the story . I found myself with tears in my eyes a few times.

Bill Hader and Amy Schumer have wonderful chemistry with each other. Hader plays Aaron so sincerely; he’s just a nice guy who hasn’t had the best luck with women. He’s smart and kind and it’s easy to see how any girl could fall for him. Naturally, baggage is a part of any relationship and seeing Aaron and Amy work through their own issues gently prods the audience to examine their own. The film easily moves between humor and romance without feeling forced. Even when the typical rom-com montage happens, Amy’s constant snarky narration helps to keep the film from becoming too sappy.

The best part of the film for me personally was LeBron James playing LeBron James. Now, I’m not a sports person, especially not basketball. But Trainwreck made me a fan of this tall, beautiful, funny man. I love when people play caricature versions of themselves and this is maybe a new favorite performance. As a Downton Abbey obsessed, romantic advice giving BFF, James steals every scene he is in. His deadpan style matches Amy’s quirkiness perfectly and the scenes of them together are my favorite.

At the helm of Amy’s sharp, hysterical, and surprisingly poignant writing is Judd Apatow, director of comedies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. This is my new dream team. Both seem to have a love of dirty jokes – these are endless. But the beauty of this team is that both members want to convey an actual message through the comedy. Apatow has matured in his directing and it is noticeable here. With age comes some understanding and Apatow is no exception. Trainwreck is not just about making us laugh, although you will do plenty of that. It’s about learning to love the broken people in our lives, including (and maybe especially) ourselves. The important thing is that we have to try. Never pushing ourselves to be better is easier, but it’s no way to live. ( – Angela Hull)

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

Kino Lorber / Released 11/10/15

Beware! This band of bikini-clad cuties are licensed to kill… with comedy! Featuring screen icon Vincent Price (The Oblong Box) in his most unusual and amusing role of his career and Frankie Avalon (The Million Eyes of Su-Muru), with cameo appearances by Annette Funicello and Harvey Lembeck, this sex-ational spy spoof is thrill-packed fun. Deranged Dr. Goldfoot (Price) has a dream… of taking over the universe! So the mad scientist invents a machine that builds sultry, bikini-clad sex sirens, whom he programs to seduce the world’s wealthiest men into signing over their fortunes. But when Secret Agent Craig Gamble (Avalon) learns of Goldfoot’s evil plot, he knows he must destroy these gorgeous gold diggers before losing his heart – and quite possibly his life – to the hottest assassins ever built! Norman Taurog (Blue Hawaii) directs the fun-filled sci-fi comedy co-starring Susan Hart (War-Gods of the Deep), Dwayne Hickman (Cat Ballou) and Fred Clark (Sunset Blvd.). Extras include commentary and animated gallery.

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs 

Kino Lorber / Released 11/10/15

Horror legend Mario Bava (Black Sabbath) directs this hilarious sequel to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine featuring international superstar duo of Ciccio and Franco (Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, War Italian Style). The great Vincent Price (Madhouse) is back as Dr. Goldfoot and no man is safe from his army of irresistible bombshell robots… not even N.A.T.O. generals! Goldfoot’s gorgeous robots are loaded with lovemaking explosives – their mission: ignite war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Goldfoot is one general shy of global domination and with the ravishing Rosanna (Laura Antonelli, Malicious) as his secret weapon; it’s just a matter of time. Now, it’s up to secret agent Bill Dexter (Fabian, Thunder Alley) to keep the general and the world safe from the diabolical Dr. Goldfoot and his sexy robots. Extras include commentary and animated gallery.

Pay the Ghost 

Image Entertainment/ Released 11/10/15

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage stars in this intense and chilling thriller about one man’s desperate search for his missing child. One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Lawford (Cage) is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife (Sarah Wayne Callies), he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son – and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

Kino Lorber / Released 11/10/15

The world knows Paul Newman as an Academy Award winning actor with a fifty-plus year career as one of the most prolific and revered actors in American Cinema. He was also well known for his philanthropy; Newman’s Own has given more than four hundred and thirty million dollars to charities around the world. Yet few know the gasoline-fueled passion that became so important in this complex, multifaceted man’s makeup. Newman’s deep seeded passion for racing was so intense it nearly sidelined his acting career. His racing career spanned thirty-five years; Newman won four national championships as a driver and eight championships as an owner. Not bad for a guy who didn’t even start racing until he was forty-seven years old. Extras include interviews with with Mario Andretti, Patrick Dempsey, Jay Leno, Graham Rahal, and Bob Sharp, trailer and Adam Carolla restores Paul Newman’s 1985 GT-1 Championship car.

WKRP In Cincinnati: The Final Season

Shout! Factory / Released 11/10/15

The outrageous final season of WKRP In Cincinnati combines the off-the-wall antics of the WKRP staff with the iconic music of the ’70s and ’80s! Join the masterful DJs Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), quirky news anchor Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and his more competent counterpart Bailey (Jan Smithers), hapless station manager Carlson (Gordon Jump), reliable program director Andy (Gary Sandy), unscrupulous advertising executive Herb (Frank Bonner) and voluptuous receptionist Jennifer (Loni Anderson) for one last look at the radio station that brings you all the music you love and the laughter you need!

Episodes include:

  • An Explosive Affair (1): The station receives a bomb threat from the terrorist group Black Monday, and Andy sends Johnny and Venus out to broadcast from the transmitter while the station is being searched. Joyce Armor, Mr. Carlson’s former receptionist, visits the station and tells Mr. Carlson she has a “hot proposition” for him. Johnny smashes the transmitter phone in a fit of rage after he’s unable to place a call to his bookie.
  • An Explosive Affair (2): Because of the smashed phone, Andy is unable to warn Johnny and Venus when he realizes that the bomb is at the transmitter. Meanwhile, Mr. Carlson visits Joyce Armor in her hotel room.
  • The Union: The staff of WKRP considers joining a union. Mr. Carlson is furious and rushes to his mother for advice, while Andy tries to appear neutral in this labor-management conflict.
  • Rumors: While his apartment is being fumigated, Johnny accepts Bailey’s offer to stay at her place, causing everyone at the station to think that the two are sleeping together. Johnny’s also afraid that he’s in danger of losing his time slot to Rex, the afternoon DJ, and when Bailey tries to cheer him up, he mistakes her friendliness for a come-on.
  • Straight From the Heart: Herb tells everyone that he’s going on vacation, but Les and Jennifer discover that he’s actually checked into the hospital for heart tests.
  • Who’s On First?: While Herb is in the hospital, Mr. Carlson and Jennifer go to visit one of Herb’s advertising clients. To finalize the deal, Mr. Carlson has to pretend to be Herb, and Jennifer gets Les to be Mr. Carlson. Johnny, who owes a gambling debt to a mobster, pretends to be Andy in order to escape from a hired thug.
  • Three Days of the Condo: When Johnny receives $24,000 in a legal settlement, Venus convinces him to use the money to invest in a condominium at Gone With the Wind Estates.
  • Jennifer and the Will: Colonel Buchanan, Jennifer’s elderly gentleman friend, dies suddenly. As executrix of his will, Jennifer must deal with the press and with the Colonel’s money-grubbing, rumor mongering relatives.
  • The Consultant: Mama Carlson hires a professional radio consultant to evaluate WKRP. The man she’s hired, Norris Breeze, is an old friend of Andy’s who also runs a radio programming service. Andy soon realizes that Breeze intends to give the station a bad report unless it subscribes to the service.
  • Love, Exciting and New: Andy starts taking Mama Carlson out after hours in the hopes of getting her to pay for a new transmitter for the station. But he begins to suspect that she might have more-than-businesslike expectations of him.
  • You Can’t Go Out of Town Again: Mr. Carlson goes with Carmen to a college reunion where he learns the disillusioning truth about how he and Carmen first met; Bailey is frustrated in her attempts to get a computer for billing; Venus can’t get a moment alone in the booth with his latest date.
  • Pills: Herb sells ad spots to a seller of “diet pills”; after it turns out that the pills are a legalized way of selling speed to teenagers, it also turns out that the station can’t legally get out of running the ads.
  • Changes: When Venus learns that he’s going to be interviewed by a militant black magazine, he adopts a new wardrobe and manner in order to seem more in touch with black culture. Meanwhile, Jennifer offers to change Herb’s image, starting with picking out new, tasteful clothes for him.
  • Jennifer and Johnny’s Charity: When a fire destroys the kitchen at the Vine Street Mission, Johnny recruits Jennifer to help raise the $40,000 dollars to rebuild it. Jennifer throws a party for her rich friends and asks them to contribute, and everything is going fine until the contributors meet the people involved.
  • I’ll Take Romance: Herb fixes Les up with a date through his latest client, the I’ll Take Romance Dating Service. Les hits it off with his date immediately, not knowing that the dating service is a front for prostitution.
  • Circumstantial Evidence: Venus’s latest date gives him an expensive diamond earring as a gift and then runs out on him; it turns out that she’s a thief who has used the stolen earring to frame Venus as her accomplice.
  • Fire: Herb and Jennifer are trapped in an elevator when a fire breaks out in the Flimm Building. Meanwhile, the rest of the WKRP staff makes a bungling attempt to rescue them.
  • Dear Liar: When Bailey writes a news story on the Northside Children’s Clinic, Les steals it and reads it on the air. This turns out to be a blow to the station’s integrity in more ways than one when Bailey admits that she fictionalized part of the story.
  • The Creation of Venus: When Venus lets it slip that he was a schoolteacher before he came to WKRP, Andy has to tell Mama Carlson the truth about how he hired Gordon Sims as a DJ and how they came up with the persona of Venus Flytrap.
  • The Impossible Dream: On his birthday, Les announces that he’s going to New York to pursue his dream of becoming a world-famous broadcast journalist by auditioning for The CBS Evening News.
  • To Err is Human: After Herb screws up an important advertising account, Mr. Carlson finally intends to fire him, but Jennifer takes pity on Herb and tries to help him keep his job.
  • Up and Down the Dial: Just as WKRP hits #6 in the ratings, Mama Carlson announces that she plans to switch the format of the station to 24 hours a day of news.

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