New on DVD, blu-ray and Instant Video this month, a touching Nicholas Sparks romance, Fred Savage in a beloved TV show, and Keanu Reeves as a vigilante out for revenge. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s new on DVD, blu-ray and Instant Video this week.
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, violence, some drug content and brief strong language. Box office gross: $26.7 million. Released by Fox and Relativity. DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Instant
Based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, this sweet romance tells the story of Dawson (James Marsden) and Amanda (Michelle Monaghan), two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend.
Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart 20 years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances. It’s pure, reliable Nicholas Sparks all the way. Read my full review here.
Not Rated. Released by Time Life Entertainment. DVD
Season Two of the popular TV series finds Kevin (Fred Savage) confronting the day-to-day pressures of junior high school life. Kevin’s older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey) continues his bullying ways, but Kevin fights back and grows some backbone.
His inner strength is tested when he participates in a class walkout to protest the Vietnam War, and joins his pals Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano) and Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) to stop developers from destroying Harper’s Woods, the site of many happy childhood memories. Re-pave paradise and put up a … mall? Not on their watch.
Rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use. Box office gross: $43.0 million. Released by Summit Entertainment. DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Instant
After the sudden death of his beloved wife, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) receives one last gift from her, a beagle puppy named Daisy, and a note imploring him not to forget how to love. But John’s mourning is interrupted when his 1969 Boss Mustang catches the eye of sadistic thug Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen).
When John refuses to sell the car, Iosef and his henchmen break into his house and steal it, beating John unconscious and leaving Daisy dead. Unwittingly, they have just reawakened one of the most brutal assassins the underworld has ever seen. In summary, do not mess with a man’s puppy. Read my full review here.
Rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material. Box office gross: $50.8 million. Released by Universal. DVD+Bluray+Digital HD, Amazon Instant
A group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of the ancient spirit board known as Ouija (remember those from our childhood?).
Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that’s produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum, Bennett Schneir, and Hasbro. Read my full review here.
DRACULA UNTOLD
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of warfare, vampire attacks, disturbing images, and some sensuality. Box office gross: $55.9 million. Released by Universal. DVD+Bluray+Digital HD, Instant Video
Almost a century after the world’s cinematic introduction to “Dracula” placed audiences under his haunting spell, the studio that pioneered the genre reawakens the captivating figure. Luke Evans transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in this origins story.
Rated R for language throughout, some violence, sexual content and drug use. Released by Lionsgate. DVD, Amazon Instant
For five friends, it was a chance for a summer getaway — a weekend of camping in the Texas Big Thicket. But visions of a carefree vacation are shattered with an accident on a dark and desolate country road.
In the wake of the accident, a bloodcurdling force of nature is unleashed. It’s not exactly human, but not completely animal. An urban legend come to terrifying life … and (of course!) seeking murderous revenge.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY
Rated R for language [Her Version]. Rated R for language and brief drug use [Him Version]. Rated R for language [Full Version]. Box office gross: $0.3 million. Released by The Weinstein Company. DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Instant
Writer/director Ned Benson captures a complete picture of a relationship in this beautifully relatable portrait of love, empathy and truth. Once happily married, Conor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) suddenly find themselves as strangers longing to understand each other in the wake of tragedy.
The film explores the couple’s story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone. Screened for the first time at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Benson’s latest version of their story combines his previous two films – titled HIM and HER – uniting their perspectives and taking a further look into the subjectivity of relationships.
Rated R for language, sexual content and drug use. Box office gross: $4.4 million. Released by Roadside Attractions. DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Instant
This movie follows the stories of four black students at Winchester University, where a riot breaks out over a popular “African American” themed party thrown by a white fraternity.
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in “post-racial” America while weaving a universal story of forging one’s unique path in the world. Tyler James Williams and Kyle Gallner star.
Images in this feature used courtesy of the studios and distributors.
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