On Demand News

New to DVD and On Demand Releases for February 17 - 23

"A Star is Born": One of the most durable stories in Hollywood history became a hit all over again recently, with Bradley Cooper making his directing debut (and revealing hugely impressive confidence in doing that job) while also starring as a superstar singer-songwriter whose career downslide coincides with his discovery of an aspiring talent ... played by someone who really was born for the role, Lady Gaga. While Andrew Dice Clay and Dave Chappelle also are in the supporting cast, the standout performer in that realm clearly is acting veteran Sam Elliott as Cooper's brother. Cooper and Gaga translated their teamwork into the real music world with the success of the soundtrack album, whose hit single "Shallow'' accounts for one of the film's eight current Oscar nominations. DVD extras: "making-of'' documentary; four music videos; "Jam Sessions and Rarities.'' *** (R: AS, N, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?": Oscar-nominated performances by Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant spark this fact-inspired drama, with McCarthy playing Lee Israel, a celebrity-biography writer desperate to retain her standing in her field. In a bid to do so, she takes a cue while doing research on "Funny Girl'' subject Fanny Brice and starts to forge letters by actors and writers who have died -- creatively enhancing them to be able to charge more for selling them. Cast members also include Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin, Anna Deavere Smith and McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone. The screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty also is up for an Oscar. DVD extras: four "making-of'' documentaries; audio commentary by McCarthy and director Marielle Heller; deleted scenes; galleries. *** (R: AS, P) (Also on On Demand)
"Doctor Who: Resolution": An annual television tradition, it's interesting that the Christmas episode of the legendary sci-fi show still was billed as such, since it actually was shown after Christmas this latest time. The first such edition to involve Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor, the tale actually was presented on New Year's Day in both England and the United States (thus making the title rather appropriate), with the heroine and her friends facing a threat to Earth that has crossed the boundaries of history. Series regulars Tosin Cole, Bradley Walsh and Mandip Gill also appear. *** (Not rated) (Also on Blu-ray)
"Backtrace": It hasn't all bee (more)

New to DVD and On Demand Releases for February 10 - 16

"Bohemian Rhapsody": Rami Malek's ("Mr. Robot'') dynamic, thoroughly committed performance as lead singer Freddie Mercury -- recently honored with a Golden Globe Award, as was the overall film -- clearly is the strongest suit of this profile of the rock band Queen, now up for five Oscars including best picture and actor. The Anthony McCarten screenplay adds new flavor to the traditional rise-and-fall-and-rise-again premise of dramas about music acts, largely by focusing strongly and logically on Mercury, whose personal life ended up having meaning far beyond his inner circle of friends and associates. Credit goes to Dexter Fletcher, who finished the movie after original director Bryan Singer was removed from it, for holding the result together. The cast also includes Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen and (in a smart turn as a record producer) Mike Myers. *** (PG-13: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"The Front Runner": Hugh Jackman followed his success in "The Greatest Showman'' by starring in director and co-screenwriter Jason Reitman's ("Juno'') profile of Sen. Gary Hart, whose presidential aspirations basically were demolished by the revelation of his extramarital affair with Donna Rice (played by Sara Paxton) -- one of the biggest scandals in the history of American politics up to that time. Also in the impressive cast are Reitman's "Up in the Air'' alums Vera Farmiga and J.K. Simmons, as well as Alfred Molina, Ari Graynor ("I'm Dying Up Here''), John Bedford Lloyd, Mike Judge, Kevin Pollak and two veterans of the series "Last Man Standing,'' Kaitlyn Dever and Molly Ephraim. Matt Bai, whose book "All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid'' inspired the film, also worked on the screenplay. DVD extras: "making-of'' documentary; audio commentary by filmmakers including Reitman; deleted scenes. *** (R: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"Nobody's Fool": With her star generally on the rise in the comedy world in the last couple of years, Tiffany Haddish got a big nod from Tyler Perry by landing the central role in his tale of an ex-convict taken in by her sister (Tika Sumpter) after her release. She then tries to protect her sibling from an online suitor whose actual existence becomes highly suspect. Director Perry's script gives Haddish plentiful chances to play drama as well as humor, and he typically casts very well around her ... with Omari Hardwick, Whoopi Goldberg, Missi Pyle, Mehcad Brooks ("Supergirl'') and Amber Riley ("Glee'') also featured. *** (R: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)

New to DVD and On Demand Releases for February 3 - 9

"The Girl in the Spider's Web": Lisbeth Salander, of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'' fame, gets quite an overhaul in this less-effective tale wrapped around the character. Now played by Emmy winner Claire Foy ("The Crown'') she still has the same neo-Goth appearance and outsider attitude, but much of what makes her tick goes unmentioned as she tries to steal a computer program that a security veteran fears could launch a nuclear war in the wrong hands. ** (R: AS, N, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"The Grinch": This latest adaptation goes back to an animated form, but with modern stylizing. Benedict Cumberbatch furnishes the voice of the famously green and miserly enemy of Whoville, where others' joy -- including that of young Cindy-Lou Who (voice of Cameron Seely) -- makes him increasingly determined to disrupt their holiday. Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson and (as the town's mayor) the legendary Angela Lansbury also are heard. Pharrell Williams narrates the story. *** (PG: AS) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"Widows": Director Steve McQueen's intense drama, adapted from a British television series, focuses on several women who assume their late husbands' illegal activities. The novice criminals are played by Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo, and they don't necessarily realize just how big and potentially violent the stakes are ... but viewers surely will know as the caper unfolds. *** (R: AS, N, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"A Private War": The true story of war correspondent Marie Colvin is acted out effectively by Rosamund Pike ("Gone Girl''), a recent Golden Globe Award nominee for her performance here, in this involving drama based on a Vanity Fair article. The sacrifices made by Colvin in doing her job in hot spots around the world were many, and one was notably physical in addition to the emotional ones. *** (R: AS, N, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)

New to DVD and On Demand Releases for January 27 - February 2

"The Wife": Based on a novel by Meg Wolitzer, the story would seem to be at first about the husband played by Jonathan Pryce ... specifically, a newly Nobel Prize-honored author who is so celebrated in the 1990s, he surpasses then-President Bill Clinton as the choice for a magazine cover. The writer's wife is everything he isn't: classy, moderate, and a steadying force that he likely would be lost without. However, they have problems. *** (R: AS, P)  (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"The Nutcracker and the Four Realms": The basic elements of the Tchaikovsky-scored ballet get a big expansion in this Disney effort. Here, a Victorian youngster (played by Mackenzie Foy) loses her mother, then goes to a Christmas gala where her toymaker godfather (Morgan Freeman) magically sends her into the other titular realms, where she encounters such "Nutcracker'' staples as soldiers and mice ... but they're not quite as simplistic as in the classic presentation.  *** (PG: AS) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
"Boy Erased": Joel Edgerton draws powerful performances from a cast centered around Lucas Hedges as a minister's (Russell Crowe) son whose lifestyle revelation makes him a subject of a conversion therapy program. Many of the scenes here are unsettling, but the efforts of Hedges, Edgerton and their colleagues are consistently riveting. Nicole Kidman and music star Troye Sivan also have major roles. *** (R: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)

New to DVD and On Demand Releases for January 20-26