They’re back! Those adorable garden gnomes from the 2011 film Gnomeo and Juliet return in a new adventure. Sherlock Gnomes takes the gnomes out of the garden and through the city of London.

Gnomeo and Juliet (James McAvoy and Emily Blunt) and their entire family have moved to a new garden. But this one is a really fixer upper. Nothing looks good. It’s really quite dilapidated. The family learns that in the spring, Gnomeo and Juilet will be made the new leaders of the garden. They are now married and the obvious leaders to take over. They set out to beautify this garden and turn it into an amazing place for everyone.

Things are looking up for the gang when all the garden gnomes in the city start disappearing. Thankfully Sherlock Gnomes (Johnny Depp) and Dr. Watson (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are on the case. They discover their old nemesis Moriarty (Jamie Demetriou) is up to his old tricks. He wants to crush all the gnomes.

Once their own family disappears, Juliet and Gnomeo insist on helping get their family back, but when they split up, Juliet going with Sherlock and Gnomeo going with Watson, things get tricky. Gnomeo becomes another captive. While he and his friends and family are working on the inside, Juliet and Sherlock are hunting them down from the outside.

This caper takes them all over London. It’s filled with plenty of great music and some fun antics as well as cute and clever dialogue and situations.

There are plenty of bonus features. A behind the scenes feature looks at the voice actors as they discuss their characters and the story. Another feature looks at how this show brings in many aspect and landmarks of London, including Tower Bridge, Natural History Museum, and the Doll Museum. There is a look at the music and a music video with Mary J. Blige who joins the cast for this rollicking adventure. Viewers get lessons in how to draw several of the characters including Sherlock and Watson. And there is an interesting look at the entire animation process from start to finish.

Sherlock Gnomes is a fun adventure and a cute sequel to the original film. Once you see this, you won’t pass a garden gnome again without thinking of these characters.

The film is rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor. It’s available on a Blu-ray Combo Pack as well as a single DVD.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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What The Paper Chase (1973) was to Law School, Gross Anatomy (1989) is to Medical School. Matthew Modine and Daphne Zuniga star as first year med students up against a hard-nosed but caring professor.

Modine is Joe Slovak, a man from a working class family. He’s the typical joker and they guy who always mouths off in class. In other words, he’s the guy you don’t want as your partner in class. Zuniga is Laurie, a dedicated med student who has always wanted to be a doctor. They get teamed up along with Miles (John Scott Clough), Kim (Alice Carter), and Joe’s roommate David (Todd Field). All of them are eager to make it through med school. It seems Joe is the only slacker, but he ends up showing them that although he is the perennial joker, he has what it takes to make it in med school.

Christine Lahti is Dr. Woodruff, a professor who wants to impart all her knowledge on her students. She has dedicated her life to preparing students to become the best doctors they can be.

Joe continually frustrates them (and I might add, me) with his flippant attitude. He’s the guy you don’t want but get stuck with. While Miles tries to transfer to another team, he isn’t allowed to so he gets stuck the entire year with Joe and the rest of the gang. Miles is the typical suck up, always trying to impress Dr. Woodruff. Laurie is dedicated yet allows herself to believe that Joe has what it takes. And Kim is the one who is accepting of everybody.

The first year of med school proves challenging for them all. But they each have one goal, and that is to pass.

As the year progresses and they dissect section after section of their cadaver, the team grows closer. Sure, they still have some internal frustrations with each other, but they learn to work together for the common good.

Gross Anatomy is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studios. It is rated PG-13.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

Ben Kingsley stars as The General, an international war crimes fugitive in the dramatic film An Ordinary Man. The movie was filmed in Serbia, giving it the gritty reality of the story.

Hiding out from the world, The General acknowledges he committed war crimes in the bloody war between religious and cultural factions. Friends of his cause hide him and keep him safe, although he refuses to stay a prisoner in his own apartment. He wants to go out and live his life, although that is greatly diminished by the fact that he has to be careful who sees him and where he goes.

Then a young woman, Tanja (Hera Hilmar), enters his life as his supposed maid. She looks after him and they form a bond of friendship. The General still refuses to keep to himself, but Tanja is right by his side whenever he goes out.

The General is stubborn and steadfast in his beliefs, and when he learns his maid is not a maid at all but an agent sent to look out for him and keep him safe – and inside – their relationship changes. Together they learn how the two generations have been effected by the war.

This is truly a dramatic story. The movie is very slow moving and won’t appeal to everyone. It’s gritty and dark.

Ben Kingsley has a long list of dramatic roles in his resume, and he took home the Oscar in 1983 for his performance in Gandhi.

There is not much to say about An Ordinary Man except it is slow, dark, and emotional. There are no bonus features on the DVD.

This is a story of humanity, beliefs, and civilizations. The movie is rated R for language, some nudity, and brief violence.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter