BREAKING IN Breaks in on Bluray with an Unrated Director’s Cut

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray/DVD and Digital in an Unrated Director’s Cut (also includes Theatrical Version) from director James McTeigue and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is a fight when BREAKING IN.

Shaun (Gabrielle Union) learns her father has died and returns home to settle his affairs. Bringing along daughter Jasmine (Ajiona Alexus) and son Glover (Seth Carr), she is glad for the company.

Arriving at the house, Shaun sees that some things are out of the norm. Brushing it off just as quickly, what she fails to notice is that four men have quietly made their way onto the property and toward the house.

Eddie (Billy Burke), Sam (Levi Meaden), Peter (Mark Furze) and Duncan (Richard Cabral) are there for one thing and one thing only – what ever is in the home safe. First, they have to discover where in the house it is located.

Shaun immediately tries to fight back but finds herself on the outside while Eddie holds her children hostage on the inside. It becomes a game of cat and mouse but this cat has the claws and isn’t afraid to use them.

Now the battle between Mother and criminal begins!

Union as Shaun is clearly a mother tiger when it comes to her children. She is also clever and takes a hot second to think things through. With every move she makes, the burglars keep pace but they aren’t a mother – just greedy criminals. Union gives it her all and does what she must to end the nightmare.

Burke as Eddie has proven over and over that he can play the ‘nicest guy’ characters and equally ply a despicable criminal. In this case he is a laser focused criminal who just wants to get in and get out. It is the company he keeps and Shaun slowing him down at every turn. I have to be honest – I just love Burke.

Cabral as Duncan is also an actor that has no problem turning on the psycho full blast. In this film he is absolutely terrifying. I kept thinking he didn’t need a weapon because his looks could absolutely kill! I’m excited to see what he does as one of the MC boys in the new series MAYANS M.C. coming this fall to television.

Alexus as Jasmine could easily be Union’s daughter looking like her spitting image. She also has the same mindset in her character as a smart and determined daughter and sister. Carr as Glover tries to keep it all together but lets fact it – he’s a kid and there is a lot to be scared of.

Meaden as Sam isn’t down for what’s happening while trying not to make Eddie or Duncan any angrier than they already are! As the situation becomes more complex – the more panicked he becomes. Furze as Peter doesn’t have an easy time of it and hangs on throughout the film.

Other cast include Jason George as Justin Russell, Christa Miller as Maggie Harris and Damien Leake as Isaac.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

The Bluray and DVD include Alternate Opening – The Gas Station with Commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Eagle, One Bad Mother – Gabrielle Union shows that there is no limit to what a threatened mother will do to keep her children safe, and why a woman on a mission should never be underestimated, A Filmmaker’s Eye – The crew explores what makes Director James McTeigue’s vision and style uniquely valuable when it comes to creating the right mood for the film and A Lesson in Kicking Ass – a behind-the-scenes look at how physically demanding the role of Shaun was for Gabrielle Union, and the steps production took to ensure the most convincing execution of the stunts throughout the film.

Also, A Hero Evolved – An inspiring account of how leading roles are shifting to embrace the qualities that more diverse actors can bring to the table, Deleted and Extended Scenes as well as Feature Commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle.

Movies Anywhere is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place. To find out more please visit www.moviesanywhere.com.

BREAKING IN is a story of survival and the strength of family. These stories are popular with the example of the 1974 horror classic BLACK CHRISTMAS or 2002 film PANIC ROOM. More recently is the 2016 film DON’T BREATHE and the 2017’s film KEEP WATCHING.

This film uses the mother-tiger story because we all know a movie mom has no problem what-so-ever putting on a Super Mom cape and go full on parent. Taking chances and risks are calculating in the middle of chaos yet Union takes a moment to catch her breath then back to the action.

In its one hour and twenty-seven minutes there isn’t much down time and why would there be? The actions and re-actions are swift like watching a professional ping-pong game.

In the end – payback is a mother!

Not Missing a Beat is HBO'S CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: The Complete Ninth Season on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

This week on DVD and Digital is the return of cable's favorite enthusiast with HBO's hit series CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: The Complete Ninth Season.

The gang is back and Larry (played by Larry David) starts out of the gate running when he shows Jeff his idea of making Salman Rushdie's life a musical. Of course it isn't just any musical but a comedy musical. When Larry takes a seat on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and does an impression of the Ayatollah, he learns what a fatwa really is. As if his day isn't bad enough, empathy and a dead bird don't help his cause with Richard Lewis.

The fatwa has caused Larry to go underground so to speak and become Buck Dancer, a hotel dweller who isn't starting out very well in his new digs and all over cookies! Marty’s nephew Kenny isn’t happy that a pickle jar injury is interfering with his nocturnal emissions game. That’s when Larry steps in does a little pimping.

After trying to reach someone at the Consul of Iran, Larry now has to reach out to Salman Rushdie to find out what to do about the fatwa. Rushdie’s first suggestion is to can Buck Dancer and get back to real life. Basically that means sitting down with Dr. Templeton (Bryan Cranston) and trying to work out how to deal with the fatwa but gets sidetracked about a chair.

Attending the funeral of Kenny who dies by bull, Larry wigs out when he thinks there is an assassin in the crowd. But that doesn’t compare to Larry having difficulty keeping thoughts to himself. He starts out by offending people at the club, continues on at a dinner party with a war veteran and wraps it all up with a Revolutionary War reenactment fiasco.

But Larry is hardly done getting removed from a yoga class for not namaste’ing, hits a car, offends a mechanic and an Uber driver. But somehow and some way he manages to turn it all to his advantage. It’s all in a few days in the life of Larry.

While at a buffet line, Larry meets a man who could possible help him with the dangling fatwa. Morsi actually takes his time and finds out about Larry and lets a group of Muftis put him through questioning. Going through it all, he might have finally found a way to get the fatwa off his back.

Working on the musical, Larry is adamant that Lin-Manuel Miranda will be part of the cast. It is Lin who has a list of things that Larry has to agree to before there is one day of rehearsals. Of course where Larry’s life is concerned there is always room for more! When a woman named Mrs. Shapiro steals a plant from his house, they both end up on an episode of Judge Judy.

The rehearsals have begun and F. Murray Abraham, the Ayatollah, is already working Larry’s nerves. Lin is out of control as well but when Larry agrees to let Lin’s cousin spend time at the house, he is freaked out at what happens to his home. Of course the season ends when Larry and Lin have it out in a paintball challenge which puts the musical in jeopardy.

Of course there is always someone out there who still knows about the fatwa!

The exceptional cast of course includes Jeff Garlin as Jeff, Cheryl Hines as Cheryl and Susie Essman as Susie. Episodes also include cameos from the talented Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Lewis, Elizabeth Banks, Lauren Graham, Carrie Brownstein, Rich Fulcher, Katie Aselton, Elizabeth Perkins, Steven Weber, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Salman Rushdie and so many more..

HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs with huge fan bases that include the shows True Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

The DVD includes the episodes Foisted!, The Pickle Gambit, A Disturbance in the Kitchen, Running with the Bulls, Thank You for Your Service, The Accidental Text on Purpose, Namaste, Never Wait for Seconds!, The Shucker, and Fatwa! The Bonus Features include Cast Memorable Moments and Deleted Scenes.

The series began on HBO in 1999 with an hour long special that would be followed by it’s first season the next year. Larry David created this show featuring his fictional self about a semi-retired television writer and his life in Los Angeles.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM has the most stellar humor that I enjoy and situations that, although highly unlikely to ever be true, are still so well done by Larry David. The cast has put so much into this show and it shows in every minute. Of course I don’t mention every detail because I want everyone who gets their copy of the show to laugh just as much and just as hard as I did.

The way in which David incorporates celebrities into the stories is absolutely brilliant. His choices of F. Murray Abraham and Lin-Manuel Miranda are so perfect and they trippy directions he takes just cracked me up. I think one of my favorites is the Judge Judy and probably because of the verdict at the end – which made me rethink how I take care of my plants!

Celebrate the return of Larry David and the rest of the cast and the stories we have all waited for. Prepare to CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM with the Complete Ninth Season from HBO Home Entertainment!

In the end – the good news is he’s back!