Brooklyn was nominated for three Academy Awards – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture – and deservedly so. This is a touching story that takes viewers back to the 1950s and follows one woman who must decide the course of her life. Saoirse Ronan is brilliant in the lead role of Eilis Lacey.

Eilis is floundering in her hometown in Ireland. She doesn’t see a future for herself. Eilis lives with her mother and sister Rose. Rose has looked after her younger sis for a long time and makes arrangements for Eilis to go to America to start anew. Perhaps there she will find her way in life.

Eilis begins her life in America as a shy yet agreeable young woman. Life in Brooklyn is different than it was in Ireland, but Eilis gets along. That’s not to say she doesn’t get homesick. On the contrary. She does get homesick and feels quite lonely. Then she meets a young man at an Irish dance. They hit it off instantly. Tony (Emory Cohen), however, is not Irish. He is Italian.

The more time they spend together the more they fall in love. Eilis is now happy. She loves her new country, her class at the local college, her boyfriend, and her life. Then tragedy strikes and she must return to Ireland. But for how long?

Back in her hometown Eilis discovers things have changed and she feels comfortable there, even to the point of taking on a job and a boyfriend, at least for the present time. In the back of her mind she says she is going to return to Brooklyn, but will the pull of her heritage be enough to keep her in Ireland or will her new life win out?

Eilis becomes conflicted between the two men in her life and the two countries. Where does she belong and with whom? Her ultimate choice is the love of her life. It is where her heart and soul belong.

This film has been praised as a great love story, however it is more than that. It is a story of not only finding love, but also finding one’s way in this great big world. Eilis blossoms in Brooklyn and comes out of her shell. She becomes the woman she was meant to be. America turns out to be her salvation in life. However Ireland and her family are always part of her life. Her final choice reflects the true nature of this young woman.

Bonus features on the Blu-ray include several deleted or extended scenes. Six featurettes give viewers more background into the story and the making of the film. The movie was based on a book and the filmmakers describe how the book played an important part in the film and how the cast was selected. The bonus features on the Brooklyn DVD include the featurettes and no extended or deleted scenes.

Brooklyn is a wonderful and heartening story, perfect for viewing on a rainy spring day (or anytime a touching, satisfying film is desired). It is rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 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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With the release of the hit Disney/Pixar film The Good Dinosaur on Blu-ray combo pack, fans of Arlo and Spot have plenty of bonus features to add to the enjoyment of the story of the little dinosaur who became best friends with a cave boy.

This all takes place in a time when the dinosaurs were not wiped out by a meteor. Instead they thrived and in a twist on history, the humans were more like pets and were dominated by the dinos. Humans don’t talk but dinosaurs do. Arlo and Spot find themselves in an adventure for their lives.

The relationship between Arlo and Spot is what entertains audiences. Spot’s expressions are priceless. He’s simply adorable and steals the hearts of all viewers. Spot is the sidekick but turns out to be the heart of the story.

The bonus features include the short film, “Sanjay’s Super Team” that accompanied the movie when it ran in theaters. This short was nominated for an Academy Award.

Because this story takes place on earth yet in a fictional time, the filmmakers added a fun little feature detailing dinosaur fact from dinosaur fiction.

Anyone who knows anything about Pixar knows that besides putting out great films, they have fun. The folks there had a competition to build dinosaurs from discarded items. The only thing they were given were rolls of duct tape. The imaginations of these people will surprise you as you see the creative ways they used the items.

The filmmakers journeyed to Wyoming to get a lay of the land to make the scenery look and feel realistic. And, to create the T-Rex ranching family onscreen, they visited a ranch in Oregon and based some of their characters on the family there. In the film because T-Rex’s are meat-eaters, they ran a ranch to raise their food, and because Apatosaurus’ (Arlo) were herbivores, they were farmers. That’s just one of the many clever elements in the film.

The folks at Pixar put together a cute little montage of the characters for this release, as well as created a scene in which Arlo and Spot play a game of hide and seek.

For additional information and some great artwork, pick up the book The Art of The Good Dinosaur. The book includes a forward by John Lasseter who writes, “There is a wonderful simplicity to The Good Dinosaur, a purity of storytelling that took a long time and a lot of hard work to achieve.” This book has amazing drawings and pictures that help tell the story of the film.

The movie has many scenes with scenery that add to the beauty of nature. The landscapes are stunning and the characters are endearing, thanks to the talented people at Pixar. This book is not only a great addition to the film for fans of the movie, but also just a beautiful book of animation and art. With sketches of the characters as well as the scenery, there are plenty of pages to view over and over again.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 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

“It was a dark and stormy night.” Isn’t that they way scary stories begin? That’s what Elliot thinks when he tells a scary story to his friends around a campfire. Elliot tells the story of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf, which frightens all characters but mostly Boog. Open Season: Scared Silly is the fourth in the movie franchise starring the loveable forest friends.

When he sees how scared his best buddy Boog is with the story, Elliot enlists the others to scare him even more by pretending there really is a Wailing Wampus Werewolf. This backfires because hunter Shaw gets caught up in the scheme and thinks there is a beast hiding in the forest. When he gets permission from the Sheriff to hunt the werewolf, Shaw figures he can get his nemeses Boog and Elliot as well.

This madcap adventure takes everyone on a wild trip through the forest and a lava mine (do they really mine for lava?) as the animals stay one step ahead of the whacky hunter. This film has many fun puns and dialogue that will definitely amuse adults as well as kids.

Besides scaring Boog and escaping the wrath – and gun – of Shaw, the characters have side stories that complete the film. Mr. Weenie is feeling abandoned by Ed and Edna, Elliot is trying to convince Boog to go on a camping trip, and Boog is conflicted about living in the wild as opposed to his comfy and safe home in the city.

In addition to the stories, look for little hidden visuals in the film. Hint: the log in the toilet and the changing pictures on the walls of the food truck.

This is the fourth film in the franchise. Open Season first entertained moviegoers in 2006, followed in 2009 by Open Season 2, and then in 2011 by Open Season 3. The characters of Boog, Elliot, Mr. Weenie, McSquizzy, and Giselle are beloved by young and not so young. The films have puns and visuals that entertain older viewers while the characters and stories entertain younger viewers. Boog is a beloved bear trying to find his way in the frightening forest and Elliot is the fast-talking fun-loving deer that in this case winds up with the tables turned on him. Join Elliot, Boog, McSquizzy, Ian, Giselle, Serge and Denis, Rosie and Maria, and Buddy in this newest frolicking forest fun film.

Open Season: Scared Silly is rated PG for rude humor and some action. The adults and all the young kids in my screening thoroughly enjoyed the film.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 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

Robert Mitchum stars in The Angry Hills, a tense World War II story originally penned by Leon Uris. Mitchum plays Mike Morrison, an American journalist in Greece who unwittingly finds himself in the middle of a crisis and turns into the number one target for Nazis in the country.

With Germany taking over Greece, there are several collaborators within the country, as well as those in the resistance. Morrison is given a list of collaborators to take to the British however once it is in his custody he becomes the target for the Nazis, who don’t want that list to fall into the hands of the British. He must find a way not only to survive, but to also get the information to the allies.

Morrison is taken under the wings of a group of resistance fighters but things go awry and he must trek across the country to safety with the Nazis on his trail. Those who help him end up dead. Will he?

This 1959 black and white film is not one of those “edge of your seat” stories. It is slow moving. The original book was written by Leon Uris who also wrote Exodus, Trinity, Battle Cry, Mila 18, The Haj, QB VIII, Topaz, and many other best-selling books. Most of his writing focused on World War II and what happened after the war.

The adaptation of The Angry Hills film from the original book takes some liberties with the story, however the main focus of Morrison, the Greek resistance, and the Gestapo remains the same. This is the tale of good versus evil, freedom versus occupation, and resistance versus compliance.

A journalist who finds himself the central focus of attention of the Nazis in Greece is in itself a crucial plot, however add to that the problem of his learning who and who not to trust is essential to the story. This is not one of the best Uris-adapted films, however it does impart the essence of the time.

The Angry Hills is part of the Warner Archive collection and can be ordered from their website.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 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

The Big Short is a tale of high-finance and greed versus intelligence and humanity. This is an incredible story matched only by the amazing cast.

The story is basically about four intelligent men who managed to predict the housing bubble collapse and take on the big banks. The film is based on the best-selling book by Michael Lewis and was nominated for several awards. The film took home the Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt are all intriguing as well as humorous in their portrayals of their real life counterparts. While the premise of the film might be a little difficult for some viewers to grasp in the beginning, stay with it. The characters make this a fun take on such a dramatic and depressing story.

Besides the movie on Blu-ray and DVD and Digital HD code, there are plenty of bonus features in the combo pack that add to the understanding of the story as well as the making of the movie. First of all, the casting of this film brings together some of the great talents in the industry today. Steve Carell is wonderful in every part he has played and as Mark Baum he doesn’t disappoint his fans. He can take on drama and comedy all in the same film. Ryan Gosling’s character Jared Vennett provides the narration to the story as the different parts unfold. Gosling describes his part in the film as “an anomaly.” Bale acknowledges he spent a lot of time with his real life counterpart Mike Burry before filming the movie and he got “the essence of the guy.”

“Funny and entertaining” is how writer Adam McKay describes the movie. He also says the book was “the most amazing book” and “one of the best books of this age.” He was eager to adapt it to the big screen.

McKay discusses the characters and basically says the story is “about a group of outsiders” who really hit it big with their ideas and insights. They took on the system, and we all know the results of their efforts. The men were considered “outsiders and weirdos” and definitely “unique” individuals.

The story follows three different stories that parallel each other and overlap to make this a movie that not only shows the greed of men, but also the intelligence and honor of some.

The film is meant to entertain as well as educate viewers about the mortgage-backed bonds that got the country and the world into deep financial trouble. McKay says he “wanted to humanize” the men, which is what makes the film entertaining to the viewers.

With all of these bonus features, viewers have a lot to digest and will hopefully come to understand what happened in the market from 1982 – 2007.

The Big Short is rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 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