VIEW FROM THE COUCH
By Jay Bobbin Zap2it
(Ratings for each film begin with a "star'' rating -- one star meaning "poor,'' four meaning "excellent'' -- followed by the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and then by a family-viewing guide, the key for which appears below.)
Releasing this Week:(Ratings for each film begin with a "star'' rating -- one star meaning "poor,'' four meaning "excellent'' -- followed by the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and then by a family-viewing guide, the key for which appears below.)



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Also Releasing this Week:
"Becker:The Complete Series": After his success with "Cheers,'' Ted Danson had another healthy sitcom run with this CBS show about a perpetually cranky Bronx doctor who luckily has enough medical skill to make up for his very evident lack of bedside manner. In the first four of the series' six seasons, Terry Farrell ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'') co-stars as a diner owner who's both a frequent sounding board and a constant challenge for Becker. Nancy Travis ("Last Man Standing'') comes in later as her surrogate, Becker's new neighbor. The regular cast also includes Shawnee Smith, Hattie Winston, Alex Desert and Saverio Guerra. *** (Not rated: AS, P)
"Joan of Arcadia: The Complete Series": Still one of the most unique dramas that a broadcast network has attempted, this 2003-05 CBS show casts Amber Tamblyn in the title role of a teen who moves with her family to a new town and experiences the usual rites of someone in that age group, with one very big addition ... the fact that she channels messages from the Deity, who adopts a variety of personalities to deliver them. Joe Mantegna (who would join "Criminal Minds'' after making this series) and Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen also star as Joan's parents, two of the people she decides to keep her situation a secret from. *** (Not rated: AS)
Upcoming Releases:
"The Borgias: The Complete Series" (June 13): Jeremy Irons stars as the ruler of 15th-century Italy who also has frequent family crises to contend with. (Not rated: AS, N, V)
"John Wick: Chapter 2" (June 13): The ex-assassin (Keanu Reeves) goes to Italy when another killer wants his own sister eliminated; Reeves' "Matrix'' colleague Laurence Fishburne co-stars. (R: AS, N, P, V)
"Table 19" (June 13): Attending a wedding under strange circumstances, a woman (Anna Kendrick) trades stories with her reception tablemates. (PG-13: AS, P)
"T.J. Hooker: The Complete Series" (July 18): William Shatner plays the veteran police officer, with Adrian Zmed and Heather Locklear as the rookies he's teamed with. (Not rated: V)
"Billy Jack: The Complete Collection" (July 25): Even the pre-"Billy Jack'' drama "Born Losers'' is included in this set; Tom Laughlin plays the maverick hero. (PG: AS, P, V)
Oldies But Goodies:
"Escape from Alcatraz" (1979): One of the notorious prison's inmates (Clint Eastwood) plots his getaway in this true story. *** (PG: AS, P)
"48 Hrs.'' (1982): A weary police detective (Nick Nolte) springs a convict (Eddie Murphy) from jail to help him find killers. *** (Also on Blu-ray)
"Juice" (1992): Tupac Shakur is among the stars of this urban melodrama, now in a new 25th-anniversary Blu-ray edition. ***
TOP 10 DVD & Blu-Ray Rentals
(Week ending May 21, 2017, Courtesy of comScore)
1) 'Hidden Figures"
2) "XXX: Return of Xander Cage"
3) "Split"
4) "Why Him?"
5) "Fantastic Beasts and Where to FindThem"
6) "Gold"
7) "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
5) "Sing"
9) "La La Land"
10) "Sleepless"
FAMILY VIEWING GUIDE KEY: AS, adult situations; N, nudity; P, profanity; V, violence; GV, particularly graphic violence.