March 2015 DVD Reviews

DVD Reviews

Intruders
BBC Home Entertainment
Street: 12.16.14
Intruders is a tough series to describe—it’s an interesting take on reincarnation with a ton of violence and intrigue. Instead of living a nice, quiet life, Jack (John Simm) begins to notice some strange things about his wife, Amy (Mira Sorvino). She’s acting differently, and his concern grows when she disappears. Being a former cop, Jack’s paranoia kicks in, and he goes to Seattle to find her and starts to untangle some odd things about her and her work. While he investigates every lead, a little girl, Madison (Millie Brown) in Portland has an evil soul awakened within her. This soul is out for blood, and it treks to Seattle to settle some scores. Brown also has an assassin (James Frain) tracking her, which means that there’s a lot of murder in his wake. It all comes together in the end, and it’s a worthwhile finale with a good foundation for the second season, but it’s slow in the beginning, so be prepared to be confused for a few episodes. The Blu-ray and DVD sets come with the typical cast-and-crew interviews and behind-the-scenes featurette, which isn’t much of a bonus, but the show is decent. –Ashley Lippert
The Judge
Warner Bros.
Street: 01.27
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a successful defense attorney with a humble upbringing from a small Indiana town. He’s also having a bad day. His brother, Glenn (Vincent D’ Onofrio), calls with news that their mother has died, hurting Hank all the more considering that he is going through a divorce and custody battle. At the funeral, his father (Robert Duvall), who is also the town Judge, barely acknowledges him other than with a handshake and a hello. It’s clear that the two have a strained relationship. Ready to return home, it’s brought to light that the Judge was involved in a hit-and-run in which the other party died. Now on trial, Hank becomes his father’s attorney, much to his chagrin. David Dobkin directs your grandparents’ favorite movie with The Judge. If it weren’t for the R-rating, I would swear this was a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. In the end, the two-and-a-half-hour running time leaves you wondering why a movie so small is so long. The DVD contains a director’s commentary, deleted scenes and some featurettes. In the next five years, I would be hard-pressed if anyone remembers this film. –Kenny Tadrzynski
Looking
HBO Studios
Street: 01.06
Looking follows three friends that live in the Bay Area of California as they navigate the treacherous waters of relationships. Each are in a different stage of life—Patrick (Jonathan Groff) is starting to fight his tendency to indulge in simple hookups; Agustin (Frankie J. Álvarez) has just moved in with his boyfriend; and Dom (Murray Bartlett) decides it’s time to go for his dream of owning a restaurant. It’s interesting to watch them deal with the growing pains of trying to change—it can be hard to watch sometimes. It’s well done, and the acting is great—I kept watching to see if they’re finally going to make it. Bartlett seemingly has the most success and growth. It’s a little slow-going at first, but it’s a great, dramatic ride. It’s not just the stereotypical, relationship BS—there’s a lot of character development that comes off as genuine. The only special features are some audio commentaries from the cast and crew, but it’s still a show worth checking out. –Ashley Lippert