Oct 13th - 19th Downloads
& DVDs
 

  •  Broil (2020):

    This fantasy-horror story brings a night of terror into perspective but builds up to that point very slowly. Chance (Avery Conrad from “The Good Doctor,” and “Van Helsing”) is teenage girl who gets into trouble at school and is sent to live with her grandfather August (Timothy V. Murphy from “Snowpiercer” and “Quantico”), a heavy-handed, miserable curmudgeon with a huge mansion and who seems to wield a great deal of power and influence. While there, Chance begins a quest to find out the source of the family’s wealth, and in the process falls into a night of terror that begins when her mother hires a young chef to serve meals to grandad. In fact, what mom really wants to do is use the chef to poison her father, but the old man didn’t grow old by being naïve, and it becomes clear to Chance, once the night of horror begins, that she is part of a family of demons. The chef is played by Jonathan Lipnicki who is 30 years old now, but became a star of sorts as the little six-year-old named Ray in the movie Jerry McGuire. Rated 14A

     

  • Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite (2020):

    The original “Cats & Dogs” movie was released to theatres in 2001, and its follow-up, “Cats & Dogs: The Return of Kitty Galore” in 2010. This live action sequel to the sequels is the first, because of Covid-19, that did not get a theatrical release, but rather went to DVD, Blu-Ray, and On Demand. Picking up where the last movie ended, the cats and dogs of the world have been living in peace, with the 10-year truce between them unbroken. All of that changes when a parrot-with-a-problem decides to throw the world back into chaos by using the internet to create sound distractions that only the animals can here. Soon they are fighting like … well, like cats and dogs, and the children of the world are at risk. The parrot named Pablo, is voiced by George Lopez, and the lead role among the humans in the cast is taken by Vancouver’s Princess Davis as a student reporter. An action comedy with a rating of PG.

  • Valley Girl (2020):

    This is a reboot of the 1983 film in which characters played by a young Nicholas Cage and an equally young Deborah Foreman fall for one another despite their differences. She’s very distinctly upper-middle class from the San Fernando Valley, while he is a city punk. Their character’s names are Randy and Julie, and they are updated with the same names, and are now played by Josh Whitehouse, and the ever-engaging Jessica Rothe (“Happy Death Day 2 U”). The plot is the same, but it’s the music that takes over, giving the movie the “High School Musical” treatment. Several of the actors from the original make cameo appearances here, including Deborah Foreman, although Nicholas Cage refused to participate. Originally scheduled for a summertime theatrical release, the film was moved to VOD because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rated 14A.

  • Enola Holmes (2020):

    Netflix acquired the distribution rights for this whodunnit after it was decided to stream the movie rather than put it in theatres.  It's a Sherlock Holmes story, but unlike any that have come before.  Enola (Millie Bobby Brown who played "Eleven" on ``Stranger Things") is a much younger sister to Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, but she has the detective genetics that it takes to go looking for a mystery to be solved.  None of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books mention a younger sister, but here she is, and when her mother goes missing, Enola sets off to find her.  Helena Bonham Carter plays Mother Holmes, and Henry Cavill is Sherlock.  When it's discovered that mother is missing, and that there are a number of gifts and trinkets that she has inexplicably left behind, big brother Sherlock continues to insist that Enola leave the matter alone, and head off to boarding school.  Not her ... soon she is searching all of London, looking for clues.  A crime-adventure, rated 14A. 


     

    Country-ish (2020)(TV series):

    This Netflix original is a reality series that features country singer and internet star Coffey Anderson and his wife Criscilla.  It walks through their daily lives with the couple, and focuses on their careers - she's a hip-hop artist - their Christian faith, and their desire to provide wholesome entertainment in a world that seems to want things a lot more raunchy.  A former U.S. Marine, and an active participant in the Nashville music scene, Coffey has released nine albums so far, about half of them faith-based and the other half mainstream.  He was a contestant on season 2 of American Idol in 2003 where he made it as far as the Hollywood round.  Rated PG.

     

    Pets United (2020):

    A perfect animated film for youngsters, parents, and grandparents, but only if they watch with the kids. The central characters are all pets of one sort or another, and their common thread is that they are spoiled, they are selfish, and they live a life of luxury, because their owners have all the mechanical denizens of Robo City doing the hard work.  But what happens when the robots run amuck and the humans have to flee?  Time for the skate-boarding pug, the self-aggrandizing Siamese, a pet pig, and a smart fox to grow up and take some responsibility.  Good fun for kids of all ages - meaning, much past 13, they will probably think it's lame, but younger ones will relish it.  Rated G.

New on CRAVE

A Hidden Life (2019)

This dramatic re-enactment of actual events that took place during WWII tells the story of an Austrian farmer named Franz Jagerstatter (August Diehl) who was recruited by the German army during the days prior to the outbreak of the war.  After basic training, he, and the other able-bodied men who had been conscripted, returned to their farms and villages, and to their previous lives.  With the fall of France, Jagerstatter and his peer group were called to active duty, and as their first requirement, had to swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler and to the 3rd Reich.  He refused, despite the fact that the consequences of doing so could be severe.  He fell back on the support of his wife and children, and despite the pleas of people in his village to capitulate, Jagerstatter refused.  They told him he could face prison, and even death.  He refused to swear allegiance, and was whisked away to prison to await trial.  Many of the locations used in the film are the actual places that Jagerstatter lived, raised his family, and ultimately faced incarceration and a trial.  Directed by Terence Malik, rated 14A.

The Witcher (TV Series, 2019):
This Netflix original series is a sword-and-sandal thriller that follows Geralt of Rivera, a solitary monster-killer who roams the earth righting the wrongs created by monstrosities everywhere.  Henry Cavill stars as the title character, based on a novel series.  A second season has already been announced, so you can binge watch this one safely.  Rated 14A. 

 

New on AMAZON PRIME

The Legion (2020):

This Amazon original takes place in the time of the Emperor Nero, who was busy fiddling - actually, if he played anything, it was the Lyre - while Rome began its torturous fall.   Noreno (Lee Partridge) is perfectly cast here, a short holdover from his badly groomed days in 2017's "Viking Siege."  The invasion of Parthia by the Roman Legions has been a total screw-up, and now two full Legions are stranded in the snowy mountains, slowly facing starvation and death by freezing.  There is a larger part of the Roman army that is in Syria, across the mountains and down into the desert, where the facing of the elements is different.  Someone needs to get from the snowy soon-to-be-graves, to the rest of the army so that help and supplies can save the remaining soldiers.  That someone is Noreno, as he is an amazingly fast runner and could cover the distance in the shortest time.  The problem?  Noreno is only half Roman, and his other half hates the city state that has never done him any favours.  Mickey Rourke and Bai Ling also star.  Rated 14A. 


New on DISNEY +

Mulan (2020):
T21 years after the animated version of this classic story was in theatres as an animated, full-length feature, it's now a live-action film that was originally headed for theatres this summer, but which is now going to be streamed by Disney + for an extra fee - probably in the $30.00 realm, in addition to the five or six dollars that is your monthly Disney + fee.  33 year-old Liu Yifie plays the title character here, a young woman who steps in for her ailing father when the Emperor decrees that one man per household must serve his country in a war against northern invaders.  Disguised as a man, Mulan is tested every step of the way, as no one knows her true identity.  The story is based on a Chinese folklore tale and also stars Jet Li and Rosalind Chao.  Rated 14A.