Screening Room Home Video: “The Croods,” “This is the End,” “The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition”

Kansas City, MO —

1. THE CROODS
PG
Fox

RUSS
Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds lend their voices to “The Croods,” a lively animated adventure about a crazy Stone Age family. It’s like “The Flintstones” without the modern conveniences.

SHAWN
Everyone wants to be Pixar and in an era where Pixar can’t even be Pixer then these junior varsity shops don’t have a prayer.

RUSS
This visually impressive and likable cartoon should appeal to the 5 to 10-year-old target audience, but compared with the work of Pixar, the script is prehistoric.

SHAWN
It’s all pretty lazy and uninspired. Young kids won’t care about that though. It’s silly and entertaining enough to function as a cinematic baby sitter.

RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags

2. THIS IS THE END
R
Columbia

RUSS: Seth Rogan, James Franco and their Hollywood friends face the apocalypse in the excessively raunchy comedy, “This is the End.”

SHAWN
Talk about lazy and uninspired. Every single joke these guys deliver are older than Moses and every gag has been done a zillion times before. It’s like a greatest hits package of bad jokes and awful sight gags.

RUSS
Weird, dark, tasteless and goofy, “This is the End,” allows Rogan and his showbiz posse to do some pointed self-parody while simultaneously celebrating their stoner lifestyle. While it has some inspired moments, “This is the End” kept making me wish it would.

SHAWN
“This is the same End” is the world’s most expensive home video. The extras are great. The blooper reel is pound cake and the Meta-Apocalypse where the cast discusses the unique acting challenges of playing versions of themselves is brilliant.

RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags

3. THE LITTLE MERMAID DIAMOND EDITION
G
Disney

RUSS
The 1989 animated classic “The Little Mermaid” marked the beginning of the Disney Renaissance after years of critical and box office disappointments. Now available for the first time on Blu-ray, it’s easy to see why it succeeded. Great animation, catchy songs and a solid story make “The Little Mermaid” a must-have for any family video collection.

SHAWN
Yep, pretty much old school animation perfection. And loaded with bonus material.

RUSS: 5 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 5 Popcorn Bags