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Movies

New to On Demand: Game Night

New to On Demand: Game Night By Stephen Whitty OK, what’s the answer to “Harmless comedy with two likable stars”? Two words, nine letters? I think we have the solution right here. Game Night is a slick farce that takes a ridiculous situation and works it pretty painlessly, thanks to Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. You won’t leave the theater holding your sides from laughter, but you won’t walk out holding your head, either. Bateman and McAdams play Max and Annie, young marrieds whose idea of a wild Friday is a night at home with two other couples, chasing after […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases May 21-27

On Demand DVD New Releases May 21-27 Game Night Couples’ game night goes to a whole new level when a murder mystery party gets hilariously blurred as to what’s real and what’s fake. It’s a bumbling night of chaos, crime and stiff competition. Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Kyle Chandler (R, 1:40) 5/22 Red Sparrow Dominika Egorova is a Russian ballerina who is recruited by the Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains young people to use their bodies and minds as weapons. Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker (R, 2:20) 5/22 The 15:17 to Paris When a terrorist attempts to take […]

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Magazine Archive

‘Fahrenheit 451’: HBO Reboots the Fiery Ray Bradbury Classic for a Digital World

Depending on your perspective, making a contemporary film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s book-burning classic Fahrenheit 451 in the era of Snapchat and Twitter, “fake news,” handheld devices and monster flat screens is either brilliance or insanity. No one understands that better than filmmaker Ramin Bahrani, who helms this month’s HBO modernization of the cautionary tale. “I knew that once I got into it, there would be no way that I wouldn’t upset somebody who loved Bradbury’s work,” said Bahrani at a recent press event. “So, I tried to stay true to the themes. Even if I changed certain characters or […]

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Interview

‘The Tale’: Jennifer Fox On Bringing Her Sundance-Lauded Story of Abuse and Resilience to HBO

For more than three decades, filmmaker Jennifer Fox thought she was the luckiest. That, as a smart, independent 13-year-old in the freewheeling ’70s, it was pure sophistication that her first “boyfriend” — the fellow who took her virginity — was an older man who found her beautiful and exceptionally talented. Still prepubescent, Fox memorialized the “relationship” in “The Tale,” an English-class assignment about the man, their introduction via an elegant riding instructor she called Mrs. G and the trio’s “magical” summer spent defying the conventions of love and freedom. Still, the girl told everyone it was a work of fiction. […]

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Movies

New to On Demand: Black Panther

Black Panther Claws His Way To The Top By Stephen Whitty There’s a new kind of Marvel superhero on the prowl. Black Panther isn’t just a different kind of comic-book movie, though, touched with politics and James Bond adventure. It’s a big-screen breakthrough that gives kids — and adults — a bold black hero and an alternative history lesson. In this adventure, there’s a vast African empire, Wakanda, that’s never been scarred by invasion or slavery. Happily hidden away from the world, its people live peaceful lives, made even easier by their vast resources and high-tech achievements. But when an […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases May 14-20

On Demand DVD New Releases May 14-20 Black Panther (pictured above) Returning to his home in Wakanda after his father’s death, T’Challa must take his rightful place as king of this technologically advanced African nation. With challenges coming from factions in the country, can he persevere and prosper? Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (PG-13, 2:14) 5/15 Samson An oppressed people turn to a hero chosen by God who possesses enormous strength. It is with this power that this young Hebrew will defend his people and avenge his God. Taylor James, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Zane (PG-13, 1:50) 5/15 Dark Crimes […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases: May 7-13

On Demand DVD New Releases: May 7-13 Fifty Shades Freed The final chapter of the story of Anastasia and Christian. The two have seen their relationship advance to the next level as they become husband and wife. But challenges still follow them around in the form of Jack Hyde and others. Can their relationship survive? Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Arielle Kebbel (R, 1:45) 5/8 Wetlands A man attempts to make a new start in Atlantic City with the help of his daughter and a new business partner. Heather Graham, Jennifer Ehle, Anthony Mackie (TV-MA, 1:38) 5/8 Terminal Follows two assassins […]

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Movies

New to On Demand: Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter’s character Peter Rabbit first appeared in an 1893 letter and became the centerpiece of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. Since then we’ve seen multiple books and countless different appearances of the lovable rabbit in the blue jacket. In Peter Rabbit, we get a film with animation and live action together. Peter (voice of James Corden) is a rebel who is all about getting the vegetables from Mr. McGregor’s farm for his family. And when the hare finally gets the elder statesman McGregor (Sam Neill) out of his hair, Peter and his wildlife friends and family celebrate. […]

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Movies

New to On Demand: 12 Strong

Sept. 11, 2001. It is a day etched into the minds of everyone in the United States of America regardless of who you are or what you do. On Sept. 11, a very obvious strike was made against America, and in the film 12 Strong, we see America’s first strike back against those who orchestrated the events of that fateful day. Capt. Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) had a team of men who looked up to him. But it was time for Nelson to establish life with his family, so he chose to take a desk position. When he learns of […]

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Movies

On Demand DVD New Releases April 30-May 6

On Demand DVD New Releases April 30-May 6 Winchester Winchester is a name that has graced firearms for years. This story deals with the eccentric firearms heiress who believes she is being haunted by those who have lost their lives at the expense of the weapon that bears her name. Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke (PG-13, 1:39) 5/1 Peter Rabbit A mixture of live action and animation brings the classic Beatrix Potter tale to life as a rebellious rabbit tries to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden. Voices of James Corden, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley (PG, 1:35) 5/1 12 […]