User blog:Ceauntay/New DVDs take long, troubled journeys through space and emotional turmoil



This week’s new DVDs will take you on a long days journey into space and emotion.

“Heroes Forever: The New Beginning” Grade ☆☆☆: This is a new generation in Rita Christensen's world of young adults with telekinesis facing against their enemy, played by Jeremy Piven.

It's been 16 years since we first saw young children becoming superheroes with the release of the first film in the phenomenal franchise, “Jane Hoop Elementary: The First” in 2000, and they grow up before our eyes. Now this year, the new generation just brings everything to a whole new level.

This film takes place thirteen years after the franchise's series finale, “Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush Part 2” where original heroes Danny (Blake Brown), Rebecca (Amy Tammie), Alec (Ben Linkin), Cory (Brandon Simpson), Jaquille (Bloom Dee) and Naudia (Barbara Blue) all retired and now their children Devin (Cameron Boyce), Brooke (G. Hannelius), Kurtis (Marcus Scribner), Erica (Mika Abdalla) and Kyle (Jake Short) are chosen as superheroes after murderer Joseph White (Jeremy Piven) escaped from prison. He is wanting to take revenge by destroying the heroes after the original heroes killed his young sister Salma White / Dr. Catwoman (Brooke Timer).

Rita Christensen brings the story to film inspired by her work with the spin-off book with the same title, that exactly takes places after the series finale. She makes her debut as producer of the film, with Gary Ross, who directs the last four “Jane Hoop Elementary” films, returned as director.

“Passengers” Grade ☆☆: Two space travelers face 90 years alone in space. From a technical standpoint, the massive space adventure starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt is stunning.

This is a film for which a four-story set 1,000 meters long and covered in 8 miles of LED lights was built. But while Lawrence and Pratt are always enjoyable to watch, the fact they have so little to do on this impressive set makes this a close encounter of the often boring kind.

Screenwriter Jon Spaihts, who showed great skill in creating a story that embraces both strong visual elements with interesting plots in “Doctor Strange,” looks lost in space. He doesn’t have enough for his players to say or do, so “Passengers” ends up a story as thin as the air on Mars.

The conflict offers a little bump in the story, but it’s not enough to shake up the voyage.

“Collateral Beauty” Grade ☆☆☆: Director David Frankel gives life to the different stories, keeping them distinct but fitting perfectly together in a maze that Howard (Will Smith) creates as an outlet for his troubled heart, mind and soul. The director doesn’t feel compelled to completely play out each storyline.

This is a film not as much about reaching a destination as the pain, hope, love and time it takes for the journey.

There are times when the emotional elements are as thick as eggnog, and that’s OK. It’s a holiday movie – the time of year when it’s time to share emotions, open ourselves up to being vulnerable and reflect on the highs and lows that come with being human.