Punch Drunk DVDs: ‘Tomb Raider’, ‘Love Simon’, ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’, And More!

NEW THIS WEEK


The latest blockbuster adaption of the epic game series
stars Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, the fiercely
independent daughter of a legendary archeologist who went missing years ago. When
a clue to her father’s last mission, and perhaps final resting place, is
uncovered, Lara embarks an an epic journey across the world to find out the
truth about her father’s secret life as an adventurer.

We Said: “One downside to
this Tomb
Raider
and the casting of Vikander is the lack of campy fun Jolie
brought to the role. Vikander’s incredibly serious throughout and the tone is
grim. This is a video game movie, shouldn’t it be both exhilarating and kind of
silly? They knew how to have fun with the ridiculous plot before but something
has been lost in the rebooted take. You’ll also be hard pressed to find any big
surprises either in the challenges Lara faces or the people she’s surrounded
by.  Rating: 3 out of 5







A romantic comedy for our modern times, Love Simon follows the
titular teen with a big secret – none of his family or friends know he’s gay. Struggling
to fit in and accept his own identity, Simon’s life gets complicated further
with the arrival of an anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving
both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing.

 We Said: “I long for the day when a film such as Love,
Simon
is seen as just a terrific movie and not a groundbreaking
cultural moment. We’re not there yet, but this is a damn good way to start.” Rating: 4 out of 5



The long awaited follow up to the cult classic 2008 slasher
film, Prey at Night follows a simple family vacation that quickly
descends into madness. Stuck at a mysteriously vacant mobile home park, Mike, Cindy
and their two teenage kids soon find themselves at the mercy of a trio of
masked intruders, who torment them to satisfy their sick thirst for blood.

We Said: “If there’s a star
of this film it’s [budding scream queen Bailee Madison], otherwise the praise
falls on [Johannes] Roberts’ direction and [Bryan] Bertino’s simple, effective
plotting that packs a lot of scares in just 80 minutes. Here’s hoping we don’t
have to wait another ten years for The Strangers to go hunting again.” Rating: 3.5 out of 5