Outsiders: Season Two DVD Review

• Actors: David Morse, Joe Anderson, Gillian Alexy, Ryan Hurst, Kyle Gallner
• Producer: Larry Rapaport
• Disc Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, English
• Region: Region 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: May 23, 2017
• Run Time: 594 minutes

        “Outsiders” is a show that is as frustrating as it is addicting, mostly due to the complete inconsistency of its quality and characters. There are more plot holes than beards and it often feels as though the writers and show-runners are changing mid-season, with the direction of the narrative and the personality of each character shifting at the drop of a hat. Season two made this more apparent than ever, quickly killing off the protagonist from the first season, only to turn two of the main villains into good guys. This is not even taking into consideration how one of them was seemingly resurrected from the dead after being shot in the season one finale, which is accomplished by conveniently changing the location of a point-blank gunshot by at least a foot.

Rock Dog Blu-ray Review

• Actors: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson
• Director: Ash Brannon
• Disc Format: AC-3, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1
• Rated: PG
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• Release Date: May 23, 2017
• Run Time: 90 minutes

        Rock Dog resembles one of those generic cartoons you put on for children, the kind that are not meant for adults and provide only basic distraction for its intended younger audience. Don’t anticipate any of the characters becoming a household name. If your child is old enough to remember any of them, they are also likely too old to enjoy it. More than anything, Rock Dog feels like a poor amalgamation of several far more successful films in recent past. Imagine Kung-Fu Panda combined with Sing (and a little bit of Zootopia), but without any catchy music, none of the awesome martial arts, and very few laughs. The animation also feels like it was made a decade ago.

Alien Vs. Predator: ANNIHILOCALYPSE Bursts Online!

Just in time to celebrate the release of Alien: Covenant, editor Michael Prince has put together a fan-cut of two past Alien films for your viewing pleasure. Alien Vs Predator: ANNIHILOCALYPSE combines Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) into a master cut, minus the human characters, in order to allow the enjoyment of the iconic face-off without the unnecessary bits. It's campy and fun, while enhancing all of the alien carnage that made fans look forward to the release of these films in the first place.

Between Us DVD Review

• Actors: Olivia Thirlby, Ben Feldman
• Director: Rafael Palacio Illingworth
• Disc Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Not Rated
• Studio: MPI Home Video
• DVD Release Date: May 16, 2017
• Run Time: 96 minutes

        Long-term relationships are difficult to get across on film, which is more accustomed and equipped to handle the thrill and passion of love in its early stages. With the average film length typically being no longer than two hours (this one being 94-minutes), it is tricky to convey the comfortable monotony that comes with the day-to-day existence alongside another person, specifically one that began as the aforementioned early love. Between Us is less interested in displaying the effects of falling in love, instead focusing on what it means to love someone long after the fire has subsided. In that regards, it is wholly successful, though many of the scenarios that filmmaker Rafael Palacio Illingworth puts his characters through often feel cliché and contrived.

Duck Dynasty: The Complete Series DVD Review

        In a surprisingly short amount of time, “Duck Dynasty” became more than just a reality TV show; it became a full-forced franchise. With all of the promotional material, clothing, novelty items, and toys for sale, one might assume this series nearly rivals any kid’s series or superhero in popularity. While I know that can’t be true, their following seems to at least have a fraction of the same dedication, if only because they became icons for a section of middle-America rarely represented in the entertainment industry. The product coming from these rich right-wing rednecks may not be anything special, and certainly never resembles reality, but the ideology gave many a reason to support the show. There was some controversy over racist and homophobic comments made by these God-fearing white folks, but that seems to have been what catapulted them into fame rather than hurting their popularity. I may be oversimplifying this some, but in many ways the success of this show also foreshadowed the rise in popularity of Donald Trump.