Braff will make you laugh, cry
Family, fun and fear are themes of this week’s new DVD releases.
• “Wish I Was Here,” A-minus: Man (Zach Braff) faces personal, professional crossroads. Braff has had TV and film success with “Scrubs”to “Garden State.” Even as good as that work was, nothing compares to the quality of performance, writing and direction he brings to “Wish I Was Here.”
Writing what he knows, Braff plays Aidan Bloom, a kind-hearted actor who just can’t get a big break. Things change when Aidan must home-school his children.
Braff’s film pulls you into a multigenerational story that will make you laugh as hard as you cry.
• “WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Series,” A-minus: The entire series is being released in a 13-disc set. It not only features the bizarre antics of the staff of the low-rated radio station, but it also includes first-rate music from The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Blondie, Paul McCartney and Wings, Van Morrison and The Police.
The comedy remains fresh with a cast that’s one of the most underrated of all time: Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Gary Sandy and Gordon Jump.
If nothing else, the DVD set should be in your collection for the show’s classic Thanksgiving episode.
• “Deliver Us From Evil,” C-minus: A detective’s career is filled with odd events. The film is based on the real life of New York detective Ralph Sarchie. But it is slowly paced and dwells too long on extended explanations.
Except for an unnecessarily long final exorcism scene, most of the movie plays like a Halloween edition of “COPS.”
Also new on DVD
“Vera: Set 4”: Brenda Blethyn plays a cantankerous detective.
“Plastic”: Young criminals con their way into a luxurious life.
“Accused, Series 1&2”: Anthology that follows a different character each week.
“America: Imagine the World Without Her”: Documentary that looks at what the world would be like without America.
“Behaving Badly”: Selena Gomez stars in this tale of a teen’s attempts to find love.
“Rumours Of Glory”: DVD set taken from the pages of the coming autobiography by Bruce Cockburn.
“Lovejoy, Series 3”: Ian McShane plays the crime-solving antiques dealer.
“My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks”: Twilight Sparkle tries to recover her stolen crown.
“A Most Wanted Man”: Illegal immigrant gets caught in an international war on terror.
“Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut”: Clive Barker tale of terror.
“Life of Crime”: Based on “The Switch,” written by Elmore Leonard.
“How We Got to Now with Steven Johnson”: Six-part series hosted by science and technology author Steven Johnson.
“Miss Marple: Volume One”: Miss Jane Marple (Joan Hickson) solves four baffling mysteries.
“Squirm”: Town’s terrorized by crawling creatures.
“Dinosaurs in the Show”: Includes eight adventures and a figurine of Buddy.
“Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings”: Nobody’s safe from the creature’s bloody rampage.
“The Reckoning”: Memory card reveals details behind death of a sibling in an unsolved hit-and-run case.
“Care Bears: Belly Badge Rock”: Harmony Bear loses her voice.
“Running from Crazy”: Mariel Hemingway confronts her family’s history of mental illness.
“Free Fall”: Ruthless journey through corporate world.
“Child of God”: Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel.
“Beethoven’s Treasure Tail”: Big dog goes on treasure hunt.
“Grace: The Possession”: Something dark takes over college girl.