#Middlebury #DVDs
“Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral” (PG-13) – Tyler Perry is back in a swan song for Madea, this time in rural Georgia for a reunion centered around the anniversary of Vianne and Anthony. But the happy occasion is suddenly eclipsed by Anthony’s untimely and inelegant demise. Madea plans a true sendoff, while all around her, family intrigue and shocking secrets erupt. For a PG-13 movie, there sure are a lot of sex jokes; I’d put it more at a PG-16. Perry has said this will be his final Madea movie, dropping the drag in favor of some new projects. For that reason, I was hoping for something a bit more epic. But it wasn’t Madea’s funeral, so maybe we’ll see her again.
Adam Driver in “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (Diego Lopez Calvin/Tornasol Films photo)
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (NR) – It took Terry Gilliam a couple of decades to get this epic adventure-comedy off the ground, but it finally makes its way to DVD. Toby (Adam Driver) is an ad-man working unsuccessfully on a commercial. He serendipitously ends up with a copy of his own student film, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” and travels to the nearby village where it was filmed. There he runs into his lead actor (Jonathan Price), who years later still believes that he truly is Quixote. The actor tags Toby as Sancho Panza, his squire, and the two go off on a time-traveling, reality-bending adventure that explores the effects the student film had on the little village that hosted it. The story is all over the place and requires a high level of commitment to get through, but it’s entertaining and creative.
“JT Leroy” (R) – In a ripped-from-the-headlines peek-a-boo, director Justin Kelly explores the story of JT LeRoy, a phantom persona who broke the fourth wall by appearing in public in the 1990s. Author Laura Albert (Laura Dern) wrote under the name JT LeRoy. No problem there, except her accounts were semi-autobiographical – of the character she created. When pressed for a public appearance, she enlists her androgynous sister-in-law Savannah (Kristen Stewart) to be the face of LeRoy. We follow the pair as the true identity of LeRoy is dragged out bit by bit.
“The Kid” (R) – There’s no shortage of Billy the Kid mythology in film. Vincent D’Onofrio takes this rich source material for a ride, but this time from the director’s chair. Young teen Rio (Jake Schur) kills his abusive father and runs away with his sister under threat of their vicious uncle (Chris Pratt). They encounter Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and Sherriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke, easily the best performance of the bunch), and tag along, choosing sides and racing demons. Rather than being a revolutionary retelling, it’s a well-acted and well-presented version of a solid story.
New TV Releases
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” Season 1
“Lost in Space” Season 1
“Game of Thrones” Season 5
“PJ Masks: Birthday Cake Rescue”
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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