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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No way to redeem these ‘Neighbors’

Rose Byrne, left, and Seth Rogen in “Neighbors.” (Associated Press)
Rick Bentley Mcclatchy-Tribune

It’s a good thing the new fall TV season is starting because the pickings are slim in the DVD world this week.

• “Neighbors,” D: Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne) are a couple with a new baby who have to deal with the raucous Delta fraternity that moves into the house next door. The only way the story works is if either neighbor is likable. Neither is.

Writers Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien create a Catch 22 with having the couple be new parents. It gives them the plot line: A new baby often means the parents have to (or at least should) leave their partying days behind. It would make more sense if the couple were close to the same age as the college students.

The fraternity guys aren’t any better. The only time the guys aren’t engaged in this neighborhood turf war is when they are involved in activity that involves their sex organs.

• “The Signal,” C-minus: Director William Eubank’s movie is structured like an M. Night Shyamalan movie – and not one of the good ones.

Three college students see their road trip to find a hacker turn into a nightmare. It’s 90 minutes of set-up for a big reveal that comes in the painfully predictable last moments.

• “The Rover,” D-plus: Director David Michod’s film is as dark and depressing as the harsh Australian landscape he uses to depict this after-civilization setting. The draining tale meanders to an ending that’s more idiotic than ironic, and the script by Michod and Joel Edgerton is painfully sparse.

Michod brings together a few strong elements, from the bleakness of the land to the emptiness in his main character’s eyes. Too often, those elements get lost in a story so engaged with creating a world where the normal convictions of humanity no longer exist that it forsakes key ingredients to give all of this a proper context.

“The Rover” fails because Michod goes for style over substance.

Also new on DVD:

“L.A. Law: Season 3”: Includes all 19 episodes

“The Calling”: Small town detective faces serial killer. Susan Sarandon stars.

“The Tom and Jerry Show, Season 1, Part 1”: Two-disc DVD set features 13 episodes.

“Reign: The Complete First Season”: CW series looks at passion and politics during time of Mary, Queen of Scots.

“Found”: Young boy faces horror of having a serial-killer brother.

“Key & Peele: Season Three”: Sketch comedy series starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

“Mom: The Complete First Season”: Anna Faris and Allison Janney star in the CBS comedy.

“Postman Pat: The Movie”: Feature film based on the British children’s series.

“Daniel Boone: The Complete Series”: Fess Parker plays the frontier hero in 165 episodes.

“We Are the Best”: Three girls in 1980s Stockholm decide to form a punk band.

“Halloween Complete Collection”: Blu-ray set includes seven new featurettes.

“Modern Family: The Complete Fifth Season”: Wedding bells are ringing in the ABC family comedy.

“How I Met Your Mother: The Whole Story Seasons 1-9”: Complete series tells the story of how the mother was met.

“Rise Up Black Man”: Tale of friendship and racism.

“Firestorm”: Police inspector crosses moral lines to hunt down a crew of criminals.

“Very Good Girls”: Bond of friendship between two New York teens is strained.

“Game of Assassins”: Group of misfits battle to stay alive.