KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A big-budget superhero franchise, an Oscar-winning Best Picture and an animated hit have all arrived on home video. Shawn and Russ steer viewers in the right direction!
JUSTICE LEAGUE (PG-13)
Warner Brothers
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s “The Avengers!” Er, no, it’s “Justice League.” The DC cinematic universe plays catch up with Marvel by finally getting its superhero coalition to the big screen, but is a notch below its rival. While offering little that’s original, “Justice League” is a reliably familiar franchise entry, a marked improvement from “Batman v Superman” and Ezra Miller adds a welcome spark as The Flash.
Shawn says, “‘Justice League’ is lifeless, confusing and boring. It’s everything that The Avengers isn’t.”
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 1 Popcorn Bag
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Fox Searchlight
You can always count on filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to deliver visually arresting and atmospheric cinema. His Oscar-winning Best Picture, “The Shape of Water” is no exception. This adult sci-fi fantasy is really an oddball love story featuring an aquatic humanoid creature and an emotionally damaged, mute cleaning woman in 1960s Cold War America. Sally Hawkins leads a terrific cast. “The Shape of Water” is ravishing to behold and works in spite of, or perhaps because of, its stubbornly eccentric sensibilities.
Shawn says, “‘The Shape of Water’ is weird but the film-making is exceptional.”
RUSS: 4 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 4 Popcorn Bags
FERDINAND PG
Blue Sky/20th Century Fox
“Ferdinand,” the classic tale of a soft-hearted bull is given the full-blown animated feature adaptation. John Cena and Kate McKinnon are among the voice cast members.
Shawn says, “The animation is standard but the storytelling is terrific.”
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
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