Empire: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
After music mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, he must choose which of his three sons will succeed him at the legendary Empire Entertainment. The game changes when his ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) returns from prison where she’s been for almost two decades. Brash and fearless, she sees herself as the sacrificial lamb who built an empire with Lucious and then took the fall for running the drugs that financed Lucious’ early career. As the Lyons slug it out, a battle begins that will either cause the family’s destruction or redemption.
This is an intense television series constructed to hook viewers in the first episode. By the end of the first 45 minutes, Lucious has proven to be calculating, cruel and ambitious, shrewdly pitting his sons against each other rather than making a decision based on who he believes is the most capable. In spite of this ruse, it’s obvious via flashbacks and present interactions with the boys that he doesn’t favour them equally. In the meantime Cookie displays more even affection for her now adult sons, but she’s no less conniving than Lucious. However, both parents underestimate their sons who are more aware than they give them credit and unwilling to be simple pawns in their games. As music is central to the show’s narrative, music supervisor Timbaland ensures each episode and scene is given the write tone via its soundtrack.
Special features include: commentary on the pilot episode; “The Empire of Style”; “Empire: It’s in the Music”; and 11 uncut music performances. (Fox Home Entertainment)
Jumanji: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
When young Alan Parrish discovers a mysterious board game, he doesn’t realize its unimaginable powers, until he is magically transported before the startled eyes of his friend, Sarah, into the untamed jungles of Jumanji. There he remains for 26 years until he is freed from the game’s spell by two unsuspecting children. Now a grown man, Alan (Robin Williams) reunites with Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) and together with Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) tries to outwit the game’s powerful forces.
When this movie was released 20 years ago, not only was it a cool concept but it was also a great display of special effects — though they probably appear subpar now. Most play relies on children’s imaginations to bring it to life, but this game wrought its own magic to bring the jungle to their homes. However, it’s made extra entertaining when the creatures they conjure escape the confines of their home and wreak havoc on the rest of the town. Since Alan grew up alone in the jungle, Williams combines his still childlike personality with the wit of someone who’s learned to survive the game’s various perils. Incredibly popular in 1995, the movie would also spawn an animated TV series that took viewers into the previously unseen wilderness.
Special features include: special effects crew commentary; making-of documentary; production design documentary; SFX featurette; storyboard comparisons; new animated storybook excerpts from Jumanji (the book), narrated by author Chris Van Allsburg; two episodes of the 1996 “Jumanji: The Animated Series” TV show; original theatrical trailer; and Goosebumps sneak peek. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Legacy (Blu-ray)
When Margaret (Katharine Ross) and her boyfriend Pete (Sam Elliot) have a car accident in the English countryside, the other driver offers to take them to his lavish country estate to make amends. But once there, they are surprised to learn that all of the other houseguests are already expecting them. It’s not long before the couple’s fear turns into terror when the guests (including Roger Daltrey) begin dying in unspeakable ways. Now it’s clear, the true master of the house is a supernatural force that will stop at nothing to find the rightful heirs for an unimaginably horrible legacy.
This type of film in which people would gather in a home and begin dying off was prevalent in earlier horror. Their murders could generally be traced back to some offense they committed in their past for which they were now being punished. Thus, the black magic murders in this picture can be quite gruesome and unpleasant. Elliot is ever the charmer and hero, while Ross doesn’t stray far from her performance in The Stepford Wives. Still, the appearance of The Who’s lead singer, Daltrey, is surprising, though he is adequate as one of the younger special guests. The ending is a sufficient conclusion to the narrative, but it seems a little rushed and simplistic.
Special features include: interview with Academy Award winning film editor Anne V. Coates; interview with special effects artist Robin Grantham; photo gallery; TV and radio spots; and theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
Pitch Perfect 2 (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the Barden Bellas are back to pitch slap the world! After a scandal threatens to derail their last year at Barden, the three-time defending champs worry that they’ve lost their harmony for good. With one chance left at redeeming their legacy, they must face off against the toughest competition on the planet: German super group Das Sound Machine, and fight for their right to win at the World Championships of A Cappella. It will take the power of sisterhood to find their voice and see what it takes to be the world’s top pitches.
This film follows the sequel formula to a tee: the original cast with a few additions must face a new, more intimidating enemy while confronting internal conflicts. The first few interactions with the Bellas as a group is pretty ridiculous. Three national championships seem to have inflated their production budget, which has had a negative effect on their overall performances. The result is concerts that are not very enjoyable for audiences on or off screen. The problem with this sequel is it’s just “fine.” It carries over all the correct elements from the first film, but still manages to only be half as much fun. The newly imagined “riff off” provides the most musical merriment — due in no small part to the inclusion of the Green Bay Packers — and occurs around the mid-point of the nearly two-hour movie. Moreover, none of the Bellas’ performances really measure up to Das Sound Machine and Keegan-Michael Key outshines everyone in the room as Becca’s boss.
Special features include: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; never-before-seen Treblemakers performance; “The Bellas Are Back”; “The Making of the Riff- Off”; Das Sound Machine finale breakdown; “Snoop in the House”; Green Bay rap; Line-Aca-Rama; “The World Championships of A Cappella”; “An Aca-Love Story: Bumper and Fat Amy”; “Elizabeth Banks’ Directorial Debut”; “Legacy: Hailee Steinfeld”; “Aca-Camp”; “Residual Heat Internship”; extended musical performances; and gag reel. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Sentinel (Blu-ray)
When a beautiful model, Alison Parker (Cristina Raines), rents an apartment in a gloomy New York brownstone, little does she realize that an unspeakable horror awaits her behind its doors…a mysterious gateway to hell. Alison likes her eccentric new neighbours, so it comes as a shock when she’s told that, except for a strange old priest, she’s the only tenant. The eclectic cast includes Chris Sarandon, Ava Gardner, José Ferrer, John Carradine, Burgess Meredith, Beverly D’Angelo, Jerry Orbach, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger and Christopher Walken.
They don’t make ghost stories like this anymore. The truth about Alison’s new apartment and the people within it is slowly revealed as she and everyone around her begins to question her sanity. There are also a number of subsidiary stories that contribute to the whole, including Alison’s ill father, her relationship with a lawyer and his connection to the death of his first wife. It all unfolds rather creepily as each of Alison’s new, endearing neighbours exhibit a dark and lascivious side that ranges from uncomfortable to alarming. By the end they’re eliciting no-holds-bar terror reminiscent of Freaks, Night of the Living Dead and other ghoulish horror pictures.
Special features include: commentary with actress Cristina Raines; commentary with writer/producer Jeffrey Konvitz; commentary with writer/producer/director Michael Winner; interview with assistant director Ralph S. Singleton; still galleries; TV spots; and theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
Sleepy Hollow: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
After Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) risks his life to rescue Police Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) from Purgatory, the two face even greater danger as sinister forces in Sleepy Hollow gain momentum. With Katrina held captive by the Headless Horseman, and Frank Irving mysteriously back from the dead, Ichabod and Abbie must rely on instinct to know who to trust in their quest to permanently vanquish Moloch and stop the apocalypse.
The show is much more focused this season. Even though Crane and Mills continue to investigate other supernatural occurrences, they can generally be traced back to their key mission of stopping Moloch and his new acolyte, the Horseman of War. The stories seem especially dark as everyone is forced to make sacrifices for the cause and look death in the face multiple times. In addition, significant betrayals and unexpected alliances alter the course of their task more than once. But the series still manages to maintain its sense of humour, which is what endures audiences to the characters. The season concludes with more time travel and bittersweet victories, which will lead to new enemies in the upcoming year.
Special features include: commentary on “Mama” by Nicole Beharie and Mark Goffman; commentary on “The Akeda” and “Tempus Fugit” by Tom Mison and Mark Goffman; deleted scenes; “A Salute to Sleepyheads”; “Mysteries & Mythology: The Secrets of Season Two”; “Monsters & Mayhem: The Creatures of Season Two”; “Hollow History”; and gag reel. (Fox Home Entertainment)
