TROLLS is Stunning, Funny and a Winner!

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to stunning Bluray as well as DVD and Digital HD from directors Walt Dohrn, Mike Mitchell and DreamWorks is a sing-song, dance along life of TROLLS.

Troll Village is a happy place unless you’re an unhappy Bergen! The only way a Bergen can be happy is if they have swallow a troll! The only Bergen who hasn’t experienced happiness is Prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). On his big day all havoc breaks loose when the royal Chef (Christine Baranski) fails to bring the Prince his prize.

That’s because the Trolls have escaped to start a fearless and fun life far away from the Bergens and the Chefs banishment. Led by King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor), his daughter Poppy (Anna Kendrick) plans a celebration that is filled with fun, decorations, music, singing and dancing – how else would a troll celebrate?

The one troll who isn’t happy about it is Branch (Justin Timberlake) a downer troll who thinks Poppy’s celebration will do nothing but give away their location to the Bergin. But Creek (Russell Brand), DJ Suki (Gwen Stefani), Cooper (Ron Funches), Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar), Harper (Quvenzhane Wallis), Satin (Aino Jawo) and Chenille (Caroline Hjelt) are just a few friends who believe in Poppy.

On the outskirts of the Bergen kingdom, the Chef has been searching for the Trolls. The night of the party Branch’s prediction comes true as the party lights are a beacon for the Chef to follow and she kidnaps Poppy’s friends. Determined to get them back she and Branch (after some convincing) head toward the Bergen castle where now King Gristle lives.

There they meet Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), a Bergen who has a secret crush. Poppy decides to help the disheveled servant find love in exchange for freeing her friends. When none of them know is that all their plans may be thwarted by someone they never suspected.

But nothing stops a dancing, singing, positive Troll!

Kendrick as Poppy is delightful, funny, and just so darn cute. Her voice lends to the charming troll with a quickness of wit. Of course I am a Kendrick fan so it doesn’t surprise me that she seriously makes me laugh – a lot - in this film.

Timberlake as Branch, I mean seriously, vocally grumpy, funny, sarcastic, and facial expressions that, even though they are animated, are hilarious. I love that this is something different for Timberlake and I’m sure having a child of his own now makes this more fun than he could have realized.

Mintz-Plasse as King Gristle is a spoiled yet entertaining troll believing a myth that he defines his life by. Deschanel as Bridget is very cute and there is something to be said for colorful troll hair as a man-attractor!

Brand as Creek seems to have made a comfortable life for himself with doing vocals in animation. Winning over hearts in the DESPICABLE ME series, he has now landed himself one again with TROLLS.

Other animated voices are Jeffrey Tambor as King Peppy, John Cleese as King Gristle Sr., James Corden as Biggie, Walt Dohrn, Smidge, Rhys Darby as Bibbly, Meg DeAngelis as Moxie Dewdrop, GloZell Green as Grandma Rosiepuff, Kandee Johnson as Mandy Sparkledust, and Mike Mitchel as Darius.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

DreamWorks Animation brings amazing animated entertainment to films, television specials and series for the young and young at heart audiences around the world. Names one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, DreamWorks Animations has brought iconic and beloved films such as the SHREK, MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON series along with PUSS IN BOOTS and THE CROODS. For more of what they have to offer please visit http://www.dreamworksanimation.com.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give TROLLS five tubs of popcorn out of five and it deserves every one of those tubs. This is a fun animated film filled with music, color, a fantastic story, dancing and silliness in mass amounts.

That’s important to me because my granddaughter is a lover of animated films that keep her little toes tapping and she is still dancing! In fact she loves this film so much that TROLLS will definitely become a mainstay in her every expanding DreamWorks library.

The characters each have their own defined personalities which is what makes TROLLS such a winner. There is something relatable for everyone along with all the elements we have come to love in animated films.

The TROLLS Bluray, DVD and Digital HD includes Party Mode – Sing, dance and laugh along with the Trolls in this engaging and interactive feature. On Bluray you can use your remote control to have fun on-screen moments!, Travel Through Troll Village – Cloud Guy narrates a fun exploration of Troll Village, The Potion for Stop-Motion is a behind-the-scenes and part stop-motion tutorial that explores the process of creating Poppy’s visually stunning scrapbook.

Also included is Creating Troll Magic as TROLLS Production Designer Kendal Cronkhite-Shaindlin leads a kid-friendly exploration of her role as production designer, TROLL 2 TROLL AS Poppy and Branch have a friendly debate on important topics such as “Cat vs. Dog”, Inside the Bunker with an in-depth exploration of Branch’s “special place” narrated by Cloud Guy and finally Deleted Scenes intros by Director Mike Mitchell and Co-Director Walter Dohrn.

TROLLS has love, family, friendship, acceptance, dancing, singing, and scrapbooking! The animation is so sharp and defined down to the wisps of troll hair, the fuzz on their felt outfits and the fluffs of their Cloud friend. DreamWorks has absolute set the bar high on every single and tiny detail adding so much visually. All of that gives kids what they love and adults a moment to be a kid again.

Gather up the kids and the kids at heart to experience everything TROLLS!

In the end – find your happy place!

School is in Session with HBO’s VICE PRINCIPLES: The Complete First Season

Jeri Jacquin

HBO brings class into session with the soon to be released Bluray, DVD and Digital Download pack of comedy that will test your take on laughter with VICE PRINCIPLES: The Complete First Season.

When the Principal (Bill Murray) resigns from North Jackson High School, the position of principal is being carefully watched by two very different teachers. Neil Gamby (Danny McBride) is a no-nonsense teacher and counselor who isn’t about to change his tight ship ways and Lee Russell (Walton Coggins) who has a frightening side all wrapped up in a well dressed charming teacher. The outgoing principle knows neither of these men is fit to lead any high school.

That’s when the Superintendent of schools decides to go outside and finds Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Herbert Gregory). Both Gamby and Russell are beside themselves and normally against the other knowing that the only way to win is to work, reluctantly together. Dr. Brown hasn’t even unpacked yet when she begins making changes at the school including having both teachers evaluated. Gamby makes it outwardly clear that his grumpiness isn’t going to change any time soon but Russell takes another tactic of being the coffee-getting brown nose to win Dr. Brown’s heart.

Gamby has a minor distraction having a huge crush on fellow teacher Amanda Snodgrass (Georgia King) who doesn’t really feel the same. In fact, Amanda shares the feelings of most of the North Jackson High School staff which is that Gamby is wound too tight and has no social skills to speak of. Trying to change that image, he volunteers to go on a class field trip and proves them right. That is until he is needed to straighten out students who are out for trouble and that’s when Amanda and the other teachers need his toughness.

While Gamby is distracted, Russell is making plans to sabotage another one of Dr. Brown’s ideas when it comes to the hometown football game. Sharing his idea with his partner-in-crime, Russell sense that Gamby’s heart may not be all in. That isn’t going to matter as the plan takes a very mind blowing turn. Soon after, the two have a blow up and walk away. That is actually a good idea as Dr. Brown has decided that Gamby needs to reevaluate his discipline tactics exchanging harsh words for bean bag chairs. He talks with Amanda about it all to discover that she might be able to help re-direct more of his anger so that the relationship with daughter Janelle (Maya G. Love can be better.

Imagine how that works for Gamby! Their buddy-breakup is a good thing for Russell too with the wife Christine (Susan Park) and mother-in-law Mi-Cha (June Kyoto Lu) driving him crazy and now a new neighbor who is pushing him to limits that could be deadly, or at least really, really stupid. When Dr. Brown suspects him of being absolutely nothing like she initially believed, it is time to bring him down a peg ordering him to keep an eye on her two mischievous sons.

At this point Dr. Brown offers Gamby more responsibility with a title. Just when he thought life was going so well, a jealous Ms. Abbott (Edi Patterson) shares a little secret about Amanda. The stress on Gamby and Russell begins to show as they come together one final time to put a plan into motion that should seal Dr. Brown’s fate.

It isn’t easy being a Vice Principle.

Lets jump right in, Danny McBride as Neil Gamby is perfection! He puts up a rough exterior that makes you think he enjoys being an ass but it’s plain to see he is protecting himself from just about everybody. His ex definitely did a number on him, the new husband is so nice it drives him nuts, he hates that his daughter might like him more, can’t figure out a way to not be weird around Amanda, would rather see Russell roasting on a spit and hates the idea of his dream job going to Dr. Brown. Is there anything else? Oh yes, the only person who speaks to him regularly is Dayshawn (Sheaun McKinney) who works in the cafeteria. Although the last part isn’t so bad, I mean you want to be friends with the guy making your food right? McBride cracks me up, scares me and then makes me want to give him a huge and then back again to scaring and cracking me up. This character might have just made me question my own sanity.

Now, Coggins, my dear, lovely Walton Coggins – this actor has come so far so fast I don’t know where to begin. Yes, I loved him in the series The Shield, hated/loved him in the FX series Justified along with films MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, DJANGO UNCHAINED and THE HATEFUL EIGHT. But, it has to be said, his role as Venus Van Damme in the FX series Sons of Anarchy will always hold a special place in my heart because that character brought a richness to the already successful series. It became clear almost immediately that SOA fans fell hard for the lovely Venus! Now, in VICE PRINCIPLES Coggins brings a little of Venus back to me at least but with a whole new psychotic attitude and penchant for destruction the likes of which will have me fearing well-dressed-bow-tie-wearing-charming teachers for the rest of my life. I love everything about this character and can not wait to see what mayhem comes next.

King as Amanda is a welcome surprise to the series for me. I saw her in COCKNEYS VS. ZOMBIES and, as anyone who knows me can testify to, anything zombie will get high praise from me. In this character she is just as unsure about lie as Gamby is and she shares many of his insecurities. Having feelings for another teacher, Gamby is the last man on her mind. That is what makes watching their interactions fascinating. There is an early scene between King and McBride that sets the stage for the confusion between the two of them, or maybe they just confused me.

Gregory as Dr. Brown comes in with the sweetest of intentions but when it’s time to get serious let the attitude commence. Knowing away from a bad marriage, she is dealing with two sons that aren’t happy to be in the new town and have no problems expressing it. Hanging around Gamby and Russell wasn’t a good idea from the very beginning because she isn’t dealing with two faces – but four and none of them have good intentions. Gregory takes her character dark and deep once she realizes that something fishy is going on in her life and not just as principal. There are a few jaw dropping moments, okay more than a few for her character so be prepared!

Love as Janelle is Gamby’s daughter who loves her father but can’t stomach his controlling ways. Wanting to please him she also wants to find a relationship with her motor-crossing step-father. That’s when the tugging between the two Dad’s begins putting this young girl between a horse and a motorbike. Patterson as Ms. Abbott is pure hilarity but in an eye-widening-oh-no-she-didn’t way. There are adult crushes and then there are reasons to check the door locks – Ms. Abbott falls into the latter category.

Other cast includes: Ashley Spillers as Janice Swift, Busy Philipps as Gale Liptrapp, Jennifer Gatti as Mrs. Deets, Shea Whigham as Ray Liptrapp, Dale Dickey as Nash, Christopher Thornton as Mr. Milner, Brian Howe as Superintendent Haas, and Mike O’Gorman as Bill Hayden.

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.

VICE PRINCIPLES: The Complete First Season is a must-see for everyone with a twisted sense of humor. McBride and Coggins together are a duo that not only bring the best of dark comedy but man they can be disturbing in an awesome way. I love the show and nothing is going to change my mind. It is testing, irreverent, kind of gross, hilarious, jaw-dropping, insane and pretty much a good time.

The series is co-created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill and will have a second season on HBO. This should surprise no one because I’m not about to be happy being left with these two still in high school! I want conflict resolution, okay no I don’t, I want to see Gamby and Russell take another shot at their dream job.

The Bluray and DVD include the Exclusive Bonus Features of Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel (prepare for serious laughs) and Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew including Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Walton Coggins and more.

In the end – we all need someone to look up to!

Coming to Bluray is FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: The Series Season Three

Jeri Jacquin

This week on Bluray from Entertainment One is a while into the underworld with FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: The Series Season Three.

After the destruction of Twister’s, there is a different and unexpected kind of twist when two demons rise up from the ashes. When the brothers Richie (Zane Holtz) and Seth (D.J. Cotrona) are ordered by the Lords to collect, they notice someone is watching them. At a meeting that includes Lord Verdugo (Ana de la Reguera) and Ximena (Emily Rios), Alonzo (Lobo Sebastian) wants to make sure it isn’t an ordinary meeting.

It is clear that there are more demons to be dealt with and no just Skull Keeper (Joseph Gatt) and mystery man Brasa (Maurice Compte)! Kate (Madison Davenport) also makes a return but there is something different about her. In the meantime Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia) and Ximena are following the culebra and instead find Brasa. Richie and Seth look for help with Santanico (Eiza Gonzalez) finding her doing business in Piedras Negras.

Seth knows that the only way to get her help is to hop into her business and put up his fists. Thinking it would be easy, all Hades breaks out as Santanico’s lover is killed which means she will be joining the brothers after all.

In Texas, Gonzalez is in the middle of a demon ranch and needs the Gecko brothers for help. That isn’t all they discover as the secrets about the demons and where they come from is found in a local shop and Burt. Amaru is inside Kate and there is a portal that is about to cause more problems.

Richie starts a conversation with Dr. Dakota Block (Nicky Whelan) and who she truly is, is a stunner. Amaru is continuing to take out men and Gonzales tells the Gecko brothers that she’s about to unleash even more demons. If that isn’t hard enough, Brasa is releasing weird creatures that can take over humans and Dr. Block wants revenge for her father’s death.

In a back story, Kate and Amaru come together and now Richie goes through the portal and is in the same place. Amaru finds out that Gonzalez and Ximena are together and orders Richie to make sure that stops. In a mansion trying to deal with culebra, a soul gatherer named Itzpa (Fernanda Andrade) who uses emotions to get her way.

Now it’s time to find Lord Venganza when the brothers take the gang to Matanzas, Texas to take on the demon army. It is when Venganza and Amaru come face to face that one of them may not make it out.

They must seal the gate of Xibalba if any of them are to make it out alive!

I have to also say that Cotrona and Holtz have given a whole new meaning to a brother team. As Seth and Richie they have taken some of the characteristics of the original film characters but have taken them in so many different places. I enjoy their performances and look forward to where they go next. The same can be said of Davenport (poor Kate!) and Garcia this season.

The FROM DUSK TILL DAWN series is based on the original script by the ever-cool-to-meet-in-person Robert Rodriguez. Yes, I have met this man and there aren’t enough hours in the day to ask all the questions I wanted too. Asked what motivated him to take the film to series, Rodriguez says that FROM DUSK TILL DAWN “is one of my favorite films working with Quentin Tarantino. There was so much more there to get into with the Mesoamerican, Aztec and Mayan mythology. It was cool to figure out where vampires might have fit in back then so I did.”

Entertainment One continues to bring amazing home entertainment to fans with their own library of over 40,000 films and television titles and 45,000 music tracks. I mention those numbers because that is so impressive bringing something for everyone. For more of what they have to offer please visit http://entertainmentone.com/home.

You can also find the series on Digital HD through iTunes, Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play, Microsoft, Sony Playstation and Vudu.

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: The Series Season Three include the episodes Head Games, La Reina, Protect and Serve, Fanglorious, Shady Glen, Straitjacket, La Llorona, Rio Sangre, Matanzas and Dark Side of the Sun.

The DVD includes the Bonus Features of Audio Commentary with Cast & Crew, Season 3 Catch Up: The Gecko Brothers, The Fullers, and Freddie Gonzalez. Featurettes include: Carlos Madrigal Returns, Evolution of Kate Fuller, Monsters of Xibalba: Itzpa-Llorena and Monsters of Xibalba: Xibalba 101.

Also includes are Inside the Episodes: Monsters of Xibalba: Cipactli, Monsters of Xibalba: Skull Keeper, Monsters of Xibalba: Olmeca AND Season 3 New Characters. If that isn’t enough, how about Trailers, Season 3 Wrap Up, Season 3 Best Kills, When Sex Machines Collide, Evolution of a Fight Scene and Deleted Scenes.

The cast has once again brought this series some serious vamp cred with the fantastic storytelling added into the mix. As a fan of this genre there isn’t anything about the series I would change. It has plots twists galore and battles that are not for the faint of heart (which is also very cool).

If you really want to know the best part about this 10-episode Bluray set is the spectacular way it is put together for fans of the series. Not only are the episodes mind blowing with color and vivid detail but the features are gnarly and answer any questions and trust me I had some myself.

My suggestion is to get seasons one and two ready and make a serious weekend marathon of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: The Series because once you’ve been bitten, there’s just no way to not marathon!

In the end – watch your neck!

KILLING REAGAN Shares the Story We Didn’t Know on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD based on Bill O’Reilly’s best selling book from director Rod Lurie, National Geographic and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment is KILLING REAGAN.

Ronald Reagan (Tim Matheson) and wife Nancy (Cynthia Nixon) are campaigning for the Presidential election in 1980. Going up against President Jimmy Carter, Reagan learns that he needs to understand what it takes to get the American voters on his side.

Inaugurated on January 20^th, 1981, now President Reagan is advised by Alexander Haig (Patrick St. Esprit), Ed Meese (Joel Murray), James Baker (Geoff Pierson) and Jerry Parr (Joe Chrest) but more importantly by Nancy.

Also happening is unhappy man John Hinckley, Jr. (Kyle S. More) is having a difficult time with life. He turns towards his obsession with actress Jodie Foster to find a way to get her attention. It is when his plan comes together that the fateful day of March 30^th, 1981 shocks the nation.

In one moment a bullets fly so is the news that the United States President has come under fire. Now the government chess pieces begin shifting with who is in charge of the country while the President goes into surgery and the Vice President is in the air. Nancy rushes to her husband’s side taking charge of who sees her husband and consoling others who were also shot.

Now President Reagan must come back to a White House that is much different as the country continues to look for his leadership.

Matheson as Reagan, and it must be said, looks eerily like the former President. Relying on those around him, Matheson gives a strong performance as the American leader but also has soft moments with Nancy. There wasn’t much time between being sworn in as President and the assassination attempt yet Matheson gives a performance that is seamless before and after the tragic event.

Nixon as Nancy is absolutely stunning and I have to say I would never have thought of her for this role. She is soft spoken and listens intently to everything that goes on around her husband. Nixon’s character acts swiftly and with the look of a woman who isn’t to be crossed. From hair to makeup and mannerisms, Nixon is a winner from start to finish.

More as Hinckley gives a very striking performance as a man who slowly detaches from reality. From his obsession with a Hollywood actress to hiding his life from parents who can’t understand the changes, More shows an intensity during a time when people didn’t notice someone in his condition.

Esprit as Haig gives a slightly shocking performance as a man who seems to want to control everything – including President Reagan. Pierson as Baker is a man who keeps everything close until he is asked and then has no problem taking on anyone who doesn’t have the country or President’s interest.

Other cast includes Mike Pniewski as Jack Hinckley, Gary Weeks as Stephen Colo, Rebecca Tilney as Jo Ann Hinckley, Leander Suleiman as Dr. Mitchell, Bill Winkler as Casper Weinberger, Michael H. Cole as Jim Brady, Jason Vail as Dennis McCarthy, Dane Rhodes as Richard Allen, and James Martin Kelly as Don Regan.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

KILLING REAGAN is an interesting look at the history of this President but also the timeline of the assassination attempt by Hinckley. It looks into the very close relationship between Ronald and Nancy Reagan and how that would be important to his successful term as President.

As strong as Reagan was as a person, it is clear that wife Nancy wasn’t a wall-flower either. When it came to her husband, she did what ever was necessary to ensure his success and keep anyone, even in the cabinet, from causing him physical or mental harm.

There are also peeks inside the administration and the momentary power struggle of those in Reagan’s cabinet. It was a tumultuous time in the country with internal issues as well as dealing with Russia.

The film also looks into the timeline of Hinckley’s run-ins with the law and his propensity towards fire arms which I didn’t know. It is interesting how the world pre-internet meant that citizens truly did rely on the information coming from news media outlets. Using the real newscasts lends realism to the film and reminds me of whom my parents relied on for factual news.

The DVD includes the Special Features of Behind the Scenes Featurettes with Tim Matheson on Playing Ronald Reagan, Historical Accuracy, Cynthia Nixon on Playing Nancy Reagan, Behind the Scenes with Bill O’Reilly, Making the Costumes and The Reagans: A Love Story.

In the end – the shot that shocked a nation and changed history! 

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN Tackles Teen Angst with Brilliance

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Digital HD, coming to Bluray/DVD and OnDemand from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig is a reminder about THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN.

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a high school girl living in a teen crisis life. Feeling the crushing weight of it all, it would almost be unbearable if she didn’t have bff Krista (Haley Lu Richardson).

Watching her successful brother Darian (Blake Jenner) be great at everything doesn’t help and Mom Mona (Kyra Sedgwick) is on a roller coaster of her own. Just when Nadine thinks she has a handle on it all, she discovers that Krista and Darian are dating!

That sends her straight to Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), a teacher who can’t go a day without listening to Nadine’s exploits. Listening to her go off on tangents, he attempts in his own way to offer advice.

In the middle of all of the craziness she strikes up a friendship with Erwin (Hayden Szeto), a young man who seems to understand the misunderstood Nadine. As the rollercoaster of life keeps baiting Nadine, she has to decide what her happiness level is…

and then get there.

Steinfeld as Nadine will take the viewer through every emotion she is feeling so be prepared for your own emotional exhaustion by films end. From the very beginning Steinfeld’s character narrates the world from her point of view but, in truth, it was and is pretty much the world view we all have felt.

Harrelson as Mr. Bruner is absolutely hilarious. His characters demeanor is very unique but I have to admit I was laughing myself silly. Sedgwick as Mona is a mother who seems to favor one child over another and absorbed into her own life. Sedgwick still know how to deliver a performance.

Richardson as Krista is everything a bff should be – except when that girl code is broken. Watching Richardson and Steinfeld go through their relationships problems brings out the worst in them both.

Jenner as Darian is a brother who is the guy everyone wants to be which makes his relationship with sister Nadine even more difficult. Szeto as Erwin is the calm in Nadine’s storm; it just might take her a little while to realize it.

Other cast include Alexander Calvert as Nick, Eric Keenleyside as Tom, Nesta Cooper as Shannon, Daniel Bacon as M.C., and Lina Renna as Little Nadine.

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 EDGE OF SEVENTEEN is such a well done film in so many respects. It is a trip down memory lane a bit with the awkwardness we all have felt in our teens. Even though the film has humor, it doesn’t make light in a downgraded way to what Nadine goes through.

The casting of the film is wonderful as Steinfeld seems to embrace playing a young teen girl making it look so easy. From her fear of peers, to dealing with a set of beliefs about her Mother to completely misreading a trusted confident, Steinfeld nails it all. THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN on Bluray can stand proudly next to the likes of THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES and EASY A – and it will in my home.

The Bluray and DVD include the bonus features of a Gag Reel and Deleted Scenes. Bluray unleashes the power of any HDTV with amazing picture resolution and DVD can be played in more places. Digital HD with Ultraviolet means more places to view films on an iPad, iPhone, and Androids.

If you have forgotten what it means to be seventeen again, THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN is an awesome reminder of the pains mixed with the comedy of teen life.

If you happen to be a teen, the film embraces every aspect of the emotions and situations with a movie-hug.

In the end – you’re only young once…is it over yet?

THE SPACE BETWEEN US Brings Mars Home

Jeri Jacquin

This week brings wonder from director Peter Chelsom and STX Entertainment with a look at the world when there is THE SPACE BETWEEN US.

As a space shuttle takes flight on its first mission to colonize Mars, one of the astronauts is carrying something unexpected. The Earth team led by Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) must decide whether to turn the mission around or continue. That is how Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) came to be the first human being born on Mars.

This is no ordinary young man, besides being born on Mars he is a very intelligent young man who accepts his life. That is until he uses the technology to reach farther and becomes acquainted with Tulsa (Britt Robertson), a young girl living an extraordinary life of her own.

Their online friendship holds many secrets from each of them and Gardner wants answers that his fellow Martian Kendra (Carla Gugino) can’t give him. Making the expected journey back to Earth, it quickly becomes apparent that Gardner’s heart can not handle our gravity.

Gardner isn’t about to go anywhere without doing a few important things including learning about his mother, finding out who is father is and meeting Tulsa face to face. Not an expert on the social graces, he is a little unnerved at the behavior of his fellow humans, including that of a surprised Tulsa.

Yet these two still manage an adventure like no other and although Shepherd and Kendra are hot on their trail, it isn’t stopping Gardner and Tulsa from experiencing life through each others eyes.

Together they are seeing the world before time runs out.

Butterfield as Gardner is perfect for this role because he has the soft spoken demeanor and the inquisitive expression needed to make us believe he is from Mars. Yet he also has the teenage curiosity to a ridiculous degree – I mean, come on, he’s on another planet entirely. Teenagers on Earth rebel in a totally different way than Gardner and Butterfield portrays him beautifully.

Robertson as Tulsa is a young girl with problems of her own wanting to get away from a life holding her down. Upset with Butterfield’s character for a bit, she recovers quickly when she finally knows his secrets and wants to help him find answers. Robertson takes her character and gives it spunk and the right amount of adventure seeking to be the yang to Gardner’s yin.

Gugino as Kendra has known Gardner all of his life and is probably the closest thing to a mother figure he has ever known. Wanting to make things easier for him includes letting the adventure he is on go as far as it can before having to step in. Gugino has the ability to make us care through her characters and she does so again quite well.

Oldman as Shepherd is a man who thinks only of the Mars project. Obsessed with getting it off the ground, he then retreats away closing off letting others take the reigns. When Gardner comes to Earth, he has answers but doesn’t seem eager to share them with the young teen yet he is the first to go chasing when Gardner takes off. There is a scene where Oldman walks down a road with his hair floating in the wind and I swear every woman in the audience sighed so loud, that’s the kind of effect this actor still has on us!

Other cast include BD Wong as Genesis Director Chen, Peter Chelsom as the voice of Centaur, Jenny Gabrielle as Susanne, Lauren Meyers as Alice, Scot Takeda as Dr. Loh, Danny Winn as Dr. Cox and Adande Thorne as Scott Hubbard.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give THE SPACE BETWEEN US three and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. This film is very sweet and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, this wouldn’t be a bad hand-holding-sharing-popcorn-and-a-tissue warm up.

The film is beautifully done with the shots of space and Mars which should entice those who love anything outside Earth’s atmosphere. The story is filled with all the innocence and wonder of young teenage love but for reasons not all too common. There are twists and turns to the story that are pretty cool.

If THE SPACE BETWEEN US teaches us anything it is that whether you are born on Mars or on Earth, it is what moves us that makes life worth everything. Also, this film takes the phrase long-distance-relationship a tad farther than most of us would dare to dream of. The two young actors really do let their characters lead them and I certainly didn’t mind the ride.

In the end – what is your favorite thing about Earth?

TWO LOVERS and a BEAR is Bitter-Sweet on DVD

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD from writer/director Kim Nguyen and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment is a tale that brings cold and warmth together with TWO LOVERS and a BEAR.

Living in a town in the Arctic, Roman (Dane DeHaan) is madly in love with Lucy (Tatiana Maslany). Both have been living in seclusion to escape life sadness’s that no one else has a clue about. Understanding one another has kept them happy and in love.

That is until Lucy receives a letter accepting her to college away from their icy home and a family member who won’t leave her alone. She hesitates to tell Roman and when it finally comes out, he goes into a downward spiral that scares them both. Not listening to the polar bear that has befriended him, Roman comes close to losing it all.

Lucy convinces Roman that they need to get away together packing their snow mobiles and heading out onto the icy tundra. On their journey they both come to terms with what has been chasing them through their lives.

Two souls need to be free.

DeHaan as Roman is an intense young man who has spent a long time running from his past. Finding love with Lucy is the only thing keeping this character from falling into an emotionally destructive life. DeHaan has the incredible ability to show pain, love, fear and caring in the most unusual ways. Each of these emotions aren’t overly expressed but are found in his eyes.

Maslany as Lucy believes that the only way to run from her past is by going off to college and starting over. Telling Roman leads to the journey of being together to not only share their feelings but find a way to save each other from the fears that plague them. Maslany is the perfect counterpart to DeHaan’s character having the same pain, love, fear and caring also shown in her expressions.

These two actors together are absolutely stunning bringing a journey of discovery and intensity surrounded by the beauty and vastness of the Arctic. Director Nyugen has used amazing locations before in such films as the 2010 film CITY OF SHADOWS filmed in Tunisia with its sandstorms and WAR WITCH filmed in the Congo, TWO LOVERS and a BEAR took on the icy Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada.

Other cast includes John Ralson as Lucy’s Father, Joseph Nakogee as Peter, Johnny Issaluk as Charlie, Yvonne E. Davidson as Emma and Jennifer Soucie as Johanna.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

TWO LOVERS and a BEAR is such a beautiful story of two people barely living but still managing to find one another. In the most brutal icy conditions, nothing matters to these two lovers more than finding a way to shed their personal fears. Wanting nothing between them but love, it is the battle each one faces that is stunning to experience through every frame of the film.

There are times when a review needs to be very vague because there is so much to be experienced first hand. Such is the case with TWO LOVERS and a BEAR with its beautiful and touching story surrounded by the silent pain driving them across the equally beautiful frozen plains.

Oh yes, I haven’t mentioned the bear – intentional as you will see for yourselves.

In the end – they brave their past and now they must brave the elements!