March 2015 DVD Reviews

Married… With Children: Seasons Seven and Eight

Mill Creek Entertainment

Street: 01.06

’90s nostalgia does not get better than this. Overall, the series has aged pretty well, and the gags and laughs on everything from politics to poverty still seem fresh. Seasons seven and eight watch the kids grow up a little more: Bud goes to college; Kelly gets a job, then becomes a caped crusader; and in classic Bundy fashion, it’s still all pretty miserable for them. Even the parts of the show that may seem foreign to younger audiences retain their original humor. There is an entire episode dedicated to a snafu over a checkbook and another where the Bundys sneak into First Class on a flight full of aging rock stars. We’ll miss you, pre-9/11 security. This new installment to the Bundy collection is well worth the “who’s who” of guest stars before they were famous, some great ’90s throwback fashion and binge watching one of the best shows Fox has ever put on air. –Rachel Jensen

Men, Women & Children

Paramount Pictures

Street: 01.13

The newest film from Jason Reitman (Up In The Air) is much ado about nothing; as a matter of fact, his last three movies have come and gone from theaters with little-to-no fanfare—a long way from his overrated, hipster-dialogue-driven Juno. The cast, including Adam Sandler and Jennifer Garner, give great performances, but the trouble lies in the script itself—it’s all potatoes and no meat. The story revolves around high-school teens and their parents in this Internet-driven, Facebook-loving era that we live in. Basically, the movie can be summed up by sex, infidelity and eating disorders, like an R-rated version of the “Very Special Episode” from the sitcoms of the ’90s. Worst yet, a few of the storylines in Men, Women & Children are never resolved, and some seemed to be shoehorned in. As for the DVD, it comes with the extras one would expect, deleted scenes and two featurettes—nothing groundbreaking. If you want to see a better movie that deals with finding intimacy in today’s wired world, check out Disconnect. However, if you want to see Sandler masturbate at his teenage son’s computer desk, check out this movie. –Kenny Tadrzynski

Rudderless

Paramount Pictures

Street: 01.20

Actor William H. Macy (Boogie Nights) makes his directorial debut with the low-key drama, Rudderless. Billy Crudup (Watchmen) plays Sam, a successful ad executive whose life was on track until he finds out his son was killed in a school shooting. Turning to the bottle, Sam’s life spirals downhill as he loses his wife and his job, ending up living on a boat. While going through his son’s possessions, he finds a box of demo tapes and lyrics. Wanting to find closure, Sam goes to the local bar and begins singing his son’s songs, and there catches the eye of Quentin (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek). Following him home, Quentin begs Sam to start a band. In doing so, they become popular in the local music scene until old demons from the past threaten to ruin the newly built friendship. The DVD is rather barebones, only containing deleted scenes and a music video.  With a great supporting cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Selena Gomez and Felicity Huffman, Rudderless may be a movie that will be forgotten as time goes, but those who catch it will find a nice little indie film with a lot of heart and good music. –Kenny Tadrzynski