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DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (12.16.14)

"New on DVD and Blu-ray this Week!"
Some box office smash hits are new on DVD this week, but a scrappy Sundance breakout wins our title of Recommendation of the Week: Craig Johnson's Skeleton Twins. New Releases: The Skeleton Twins – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) *Recommendation of the Week* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) The Maze Runner – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) This is Where I Leave You – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Magic in the Moonlight – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Re-Releases: Tootsie (1982) (Criterion Blu-ray) Eclipse Series 41: Kinoshita and WWII (Blu-ray Box Set)   New on DVD The Skeleton Twins – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed by Craig Johnson Written by Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson Starring: Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Luke Wilson Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are fantastic as two estranged twins brought together by a suicide attempt. Unsure at first, the two slowly start to mend their relationship, and repair the damage they have done to their lives. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 86% (Very Good) Metacritic: 74 (Very Good) IMDB: 7.1 (Very Good) Entertainment Fuse: 9/10 DISC DETAILS Amazon: $14.99 (Blu-ray); $13.99 (DVD); $4.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   New on DVD Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Jonathan Liebesman Written by Josh Appelbaum (written by), André Nemec (written by), Evan Daugherty (written by), Peter Laird (characters), and Kevin Eastman (characters) Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner The recently-rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise was a huge flop for critics, but an enormous hit with audiences. Incredible opening-weekend box office numbers made it looks like TMNT would be the highest grossing film of the year, but a disappointing story, with heavy focus on Megan Fox, led to a sharp decline in theater viewership. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 22% (Awful) Metacritic: 31 (Awful) IMDB: 6.1 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 4/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $27.99 (Blu-ray); $11.99 (DVD); $3.99/$19.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   New on DVD The Maze Runner – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Wes Ball Written by Noah Oppenheim (screenplay), Grant Pierce Myers (screenplay), T.S. Nowlin (screenplay), and James Dashner (novel) Starring: Dylan O'Brian, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter Based on the YA novel by James Dashner, The Maze Runner finds a group of kids with no memories forced to find their way through the titular maze and face an unseen enemy. With great action set pieces, and solid tension-building suspense, Maze Runner is a surprisingly adept entry into the YA canon. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 63% (Fresh) Metacritic: 56 (Okay) IMDB: 7.0 (Very Good) Entertainment Fuse: 8/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $19.99 (Blu-ray); $14.96 (DVD); $4.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   New on DVD This is Where I Leave You – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Shawn Levy Written by Jonathan Tropper (screenplay and novel) Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda A patriarch's death brings an eccentric family together in this star-driven comedy. Forced to stay in the family home for a week by their overbearing mother, the four siblings are made to work out their faltering lives. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 42% (Rotten) Metacritic: 44 (Bad) IMDB: 6.7 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 7/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $22.99 (Blu-ray); $14.99 (DVD); $3.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   New on DVD Magic in the Moonlight – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed and Written by Woody Allen Starring: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden A magician (Firth) who has dedicated his life to unmasking “spiritualists” meets his match with Sofia (Stone). Another romantic comedy in Allen's directorial oeuvre, Magic in the Moonlight was disappointingly flat and cliché. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 51% (Rotten) Metacritic: 54 (Bad) IMDB: 6.7 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 7/10 DISC DETAILS Amazon: $19.79 (Blu-ray); $18.69 (DVD); $3.99/$12.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy) New on DVD Tootsie (1982) (Criterion Blu-ray) Directed by Sydney Pollack Written by Larry Gelbart (screenplay and story), Murray Schisgal (screenplay), Don McGuire (story), Barry Levinson (uncredited), Robert Garland (uncredited), and Elaine May (uncredited) Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr Dustin Hoffman gives one of his most recognizable (in a manner of speaking) performances in this riotous 80's comedy. Playing a difficult and out-of-work actor, Hoffman decides to dress as a woman to secure a spot in a soap opera. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 88% (Very Good) Metacritic: 87 (Excellent) IMDB: 7.4 (Very Good) Entertainment Fuse: 8.5/10 DISC DETAILS Special Features: 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray; Audio commentary featuring director Sydney Pollack; Interviews with actor Dustin Hoffman and comedy writer Phil Rosenthal; Interview with Dorothy Michaels by film critic Gene Shalit; Making of “Tootsie” (1982) and A Better Man: The Making of “Tootsie” (2007), two documentaries featuring interviews with cast and crew; Screen and wardrobe test footage; Deleted scenes and trailers; PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Sragow Amazon: $27.59 (Criterion Blu-ray)   New on DVD Eclipse Series 41: Kinoshita and World War II (DVD Box Set) Famed Japanese director Keisuke Kinoshita had an incredibly prolific career as a director. During the second World War, Kinoshita's work (and all Japanese cinema) was tightly monitored, and became heavily based in propaganda. The five films Kinoshita directed while World War II was still raging are included in the box-set, and are as follows: Port of Flowers (1943) The Living Magoroku (1943) Jubilation Street (1944) Army (1944) Morning for the Osone Family (1946) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $62.96 (DVD Box Set)

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