BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Several big titles were released on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 9.
“White Lotus: Season Three” Grade A-: All the “White Lotus” seasons have been strong, but the problem is that original ideas get a little thin with each one. That being said, even a weak “White Lotus” script is better than most series.
The third season features visitors to a posh hotel in Thailand where everyone has a problem. The most interesting pairing is played by Walter Goggins who is traveling with his too-young-for-him girlfriend (Aimee Lee Wood). His mysterious nature coupled with her youthful enthusiasm ends up being the heart of the season.
Mike White continues to show how pain and suffering can thrive even in the most lavish settings. It is that contrast that makes the series so strong.
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” Grade D: The theme is corporate greed. That’s the heart of the story as a slimy representative of a major pharmaceutical company convinces a group of mercenaries to go to the island where scientists were splicing genes faster than a denim factory.
That theme is trite but in a film that lacks even the smallest iota of originality, trite is the bar everyone has set for themselves. This is the seventh movie in the franchise and most of the best ideas went extinct decades ago.
There are so many plodding moments that even small problems loom big. There is so much product placement in the film, that it often looks more like an advertisement for Dr. Pepper and Snickers than an action film.
The name “Jurassic World Rebirth” is wrong. This film is a slow death delivered with a convoluted script, disjointed action, a lack of reverence for the original and a complete insult to one of the greatest films ever made.
“From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” Grade B+: Once again it is not enough for a woman to do what a man can do but she has to do the same task at a much higher level to be taken as seriously. That’s the case with “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” the long-awaited spinoff of the “John Wick” franchise.
Events that unfold during the events of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma. Eve is not only as powerful a weapon as Wick (Keanu Reeves) but she does something in this film Wick never came close to accomplishing. She almost wipes out an entire village of killers.
Take that John Wick.
How much you will enjoy “From the world of John Wick: Ballerina” depends on how much you are looking for nothing more than a non-stop action movie. There are a few moments where there is an effort to have a story, but it just gets in the way.
If body count is your measuring stick, then this film is as good as any “John Wick” offering.
“Elio” Grade B-: Orphaned Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) is living with his aunt, Olga Solis (Zoe Saldana). The 11-year-old boy is convinced his aunt has no time for him because she is always working at her military job of keeping track of space junk.
In an effort to get away, Elio sends a message into space that is picked up by a collective of aliens who found Voyager 1 and its recordings.
Screenwriters Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones present some topics important to young people. It is not subtle that the big question for Elio of whether he is alone in his universe reflects the bigger point of whether we are all alone in the universe.
While the darkness of the animation fits the Pixar philosophy of the writing, it is as if the philosophy was if a scene doesn’t generate any angst, then no one is trying hard enough. “Elio” is a good film but there needed to be more heart to balance out the black hole of emotions that dominate this movie.
Also new on DVD and Blu-ray
“Spencer For Hire – The Complete Series”: This series based on Robert B. Parker’s novels is one of the best detective series of the ‘80s. It features Robert Urich as a former cop who, with the assistance of Hawk (Avery Brooks), makes the streets a bit safer.
The set of all 65 episodes is being released to mark the show’s 40th anniversary.
“Clown in a Cornfield”: A sinister figure looks to cleanse a broken town.
“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”: The animated time adventure comes from award-winning directorMamoru Hosoda.
Available through digital avenues
“Twin Towers: Legacy”: The film follows the family of Officer Joe Vigiano who was killed during the attack and their life without their father and husband still affects them two decades later.
“Tatami”: Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Amir) are given an ultimatum at the World Judo Championships.
“Yadang: The Snitch”: Drug informant is framed by the ambitious prosecutor he serves and winds up crippled and in jail.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News.