Articles by Meredith Ennis

On Demand DVD New Releases July 21-27 Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez was a civil rights leader famous for his attempts to secure a living wage for farm workers. The film tells the story of his life and his struggles with his role as a husband and father alongside the millions of Americans he was inspiring. Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson (PG-13, 1:42) 7/22 Heaven Is for Real Based on the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, this is the true story of a boy in a small town who has a near-death experience and claims to have seen things […]

On Demand DVD New Releases July 14-20 A big week for documentaries, on a wide variety of subjects … and a couple of other fictional tales. A Brony Tale Vancouver-based voice artist Ashleigh Ball has been the voice of numerous characters in classic cartoons such as Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, Cinderella and more. When she was hired to voice Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, she had no idea she would become an Internet phenomenon and major celebrity to a worldwide fan-base of grownups. This documentary gives an inside view of the Pony fan-world, and an intimate […]

Jason Bateman is a familiar presence on the big and small screens, which makes sense, since his acting debut, on Little House on the Prairie, came in 1981, when he was just 12 years old. As a director, though, he’s just getting started: Bad Words is the first film with Bateman in the director’s chair. (He also stars in the film). “The first time that I was exposed to what the directing process can look like and feel like was on pretty much my first gig, Little House on the Prairie. I’d watch Michael Landon do what he did [directing […]

On Demand DVD New Releases: July 7-13 Affluenza A young photographer finds himself caught in a heady world of money, sex, and privilege when he visits family in a wealthy suburb. Ben Rosenfield, Steve Guttenberg, Gregg Sulkin (1:24) 7/10 Same day as theatrical release. Bad Words Spelling bees are for kids, right? Not to 40-year-old Guy Trilby. In an attempt to take the national spelling bee title, Guy exploits a rule that the contestant must not have passed the eighth grade. Along the way he meets a competitor and decides to impart his knowledge of life to the boy. Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, […]

On Demand DVD New Releases June 30-July 6 Afflicted Two best friends see their trip of a lifetime take a dark turn when one of them is struck by a mysterious affliction. Now, in a foreign land, they race to uncover the source before it consumes him completely. Clif Prowse, Derek Lee, Michael Gill (R, 1:25) 7/1 Behaving Badly Rick is willing to do whatever it takes to win the heart of Nina. He’ll have to deal with his best friend’s horny mom, a drug abusing boss, even the mob. Selena Gomez, Mary-Louise Parker (R, 1:38) 7/1 Pre-theatrical release Flex Is Kings “Flexing” is a dance […]

On Demand DVD New Releases June 23-29 Red Sky Disgraced fighter pilot Butch Masters leads a rogue squad in recovery of a weapon of mass destruction. Masters must navigate a fractured friendship, a love triangle and must take to the skies to reclaim his military and personal honor. Shane West, Cam Gigandet, Rachael Leigh Cook (PG-13) 6/24 Rob the Mob Based on a true story, this film chronicles two lovers whose audacious heists of New York Mafia social clubs result in a discovery that forever changes the face of organized crime in America. Michael Pitt, Andy Garcia (R, 1:44) 6/24 300: Rise of an Empire […]

On Demand DVD New Releases June 16-22 Alpha Alert Three soldiers get trapped in an elevator when terrorists set off a dirty bomb. But when one escapes, her world turns upside down as she realizes nothing is what it seems. Jennifer Morrison, James Frain, Josh Stewart (R, 1:24) 6/17 Same day as theatrical release Animal When plans for a weekend vacation hit a dead end, a group of close-knit friends find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a menacing, blood thirsty predator. Holed up in an isolated cabin, tensions mount as long-buried secrets are revealed. As the body count rises, the group […]

Non-Stop tells the story of Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), a troubled air marshal who is on a trans-Atlantic flight when he gets a text message on a secure phone requesting the transfer of $150 million in order to prevent a series of deaths from happening on the plane. Most of the film takes place within the confines of the plane, a setup that posed a unique set of challenges for the filmmakers. However, director Jaume Collet-Serra was not intimidated by the idea of creating action scenes on such a small set. He envisioned that the contained environment would actually make […]

On Demand DVD New Releases June 9-15 Bad Country When Baton Rouge police detective Bud Carter busts contract killer Jesse Weiland, he convinces Jesse to become an informant and rat out the South’s most powerful crime ring. So when the syndicate orders Carter’s death and Weiland’s ID’d as a snitch, the two team up to take down the mob and the crime boss who ordered the hit. Tom Berenger, John Braymer, Patrick Brinker (1:35) 6/13 Ghost of Goodnight Lane When the staff inside a renovated film studio finds a co-worker dead one morning, the pieces of a forty year puzzle add up to […]