“Drive Angry”
The film’s a throwback to when drive-in theaters were as prominent as Starbucks are today. Films that filled those outdoor screens weren’t concerned with plot and character development. All that mattered were blasts, babes and bad guys.
The blasts are provided by Nicolas Cage, who plays John Milton in an obvious reference to the epic Renaissance poem “Paradise Lost.” When Milton’s daughter is killed by members of a cult and his granddaughter is scheduled to be sacrificed, Milton escapes the fiery pits to seek revenge.
Grade: B
“Undertow”
Javier Fuentes-Leon’s powerful film looks at love, loss and faith. A Peruvian fisherman (Cristian Mercado) struggles with a secret love that, if revealed, will hurt his wife. He must make a tough decision about revealing his true feelings to give the ghost of his lover (Manolo Cardona) peace.
Grade: A-
“Brad Meltzer’s Decoded: Season 1”
Brad Meltzer hosts the History Channel series that looks at big historical mysteries such as the first Presidential Codes, the hidden messages of the Statue of Liberty and the ciphers protecting the location of lost Confederate gold.
This makes for a fun way to look at history.
Grade: B
Also new
“Biutiful”: Javier Bardem stars in this story of a man struggling with good and evil.
“Neil Young: Music Cares Tribute”: Contains live covers of 17 of Young’s songs by Dave Matthews, Lady Antebellum, Ben Harper, Norah Jones and Elton John.
“The Red Green Show: The Midlife Crisis Years”: Canadian comedy about handyman Red and his boys.
“Rio Lobo”: The John Wayne classic is being released on Blu-ray.
Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).
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