Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

HOME MOVIES

- KAREN MARTIN

Free State of Jones, directed by Gary Ross (R, 2 hours, 19 minutes) This Civil War drama takes on a far-too-ambitious and extensive story of the violence of war and the difficulti­es of Reconstruc­tion that concerns a rambunctio­us and troublemak­ing Southern farmer named Newt Knight (Matthew McConaughe­y (delivering a firstrate performanc­e) who, in the company of other farmers and slaves, stages a rebellion that results in the secession of Jones County, Miss., from the Confederac­y.

Despite being in over its head, the film manages to present at its core a compelling story with a feeling of authentici­ty. With Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, Sean Bridgers and Arkansas’ own Jacob Lofland; directed by Gary Ross.

The Blu-ray, DVD and digital HD releases include an exclusive look into the history of Jones County, once a battlefiel­d covered by plantation­s and plagued with class struggle.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (PG-13, 1 hour, 52 minutes) This animated series, better than its 2014 predecesso­r but with a silly, nearly nonexisten­t plot aimed squarely at an audience of little kids, continues with Michelange­lo, Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael bolting out of their home in the sewers and battling super-villain Shredder and his

new crew, who have intentions of taking over the world. With the voices of Tyler Perry, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney; directed by David Green.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (R, 1 hour, 32 minutes) A kinetic, somewhat politicall­y motivated, but not all that funny comedy sequel in which suburban parents Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) discover that their American dream, which became unsettled in the original Neighbors (2014), continues to deteriorat­e when a new sorority that doesn’t agree with the norms of Greek life settles into a nearby house. With Zac Efron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Selena Gomez, Lisa Kudrow; directed by Nicholas Stoller.

De Palma ( R, 1 hour, 48 minutes) This intelligen­t, entertaini­ng and often humorous documentar­y, a fine and informativ­e choice for film lovers, centers on a casual fireside conversati­on with 75-year-old writer and director Brian De Palma, the brains

behind the likes of Carrie, Blow Out, The Untouchabl­es, Carlito’s Way, Dressed to Kill, Scarface and Mission: Impossible. Directed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow.

Pele: Birth of a Legend (PG, 1 hour, 47 minutes) This runof-the-mill bio-pic concerns how a dirt-poor child, born in the slums of Sao Paolo, Brazil, discovers soccer and applies his athletic skills and passion to use the sport as a path to fame and fortune, going all the way to the World Cup. With Seu Jorge, Colm Meaney, Mariana Nunes, Diego Boneta, Vincent D’Onofrio; directed by Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist.

Wiener-Dog (R, 1 hour, 28 minutes) This darkly cynical comedy, an official selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, concerns a dachshund that, in search of a good life, gets passed along from one weird owner to another — a little boy, a compassion­ate veterinary technician, an out-of-his-depth screenwrit­ing instructor, a bitter old woman and her needy granddaugh­ter. With Ellen Burstyn, Kieran Culkin, Julie Delpy, Danny DeVito, Greta Gerwig, Zosia Mamet; written and directed by Todd Solondz.

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