What to Watch: Oct. 8-15, 2013

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Average: 5 (2 votes)

American Horror Story: Asylum
American Horror Story: Asylum
Photo credit: Fox

“American Horror Story: Asylum”

Dammit, Murphy. I loved the first season of “AHS” and the beginning of the second season but Ryan Murphy let it get away from him, ending up with a more cluttered season, something that I hope is being corrected right now in the very promising “Coven.” There are still elements worth seeing in “Asylum,” like every scene that features Jessica Lange, but it’s not the success that I hoped it would be at the beginning of the season. The Blu-ray release is better than average, with strong HD transfers for a show I wish was just a bit stronger on its own.

From my TV review” “And then there’s the cast. Jessica Lange won an Emmy for the first season and it seems likely that there could be another award winner in this bunch. Sarah Paulson, Zachary Quinto, Joseph Fiennes, and Lange are the early stand-outs but there’s not a single character that feels miscast. I simply love the idea of a troupe of actors like this taking different roles and telling different stories every year with one singular focus — to show you something horrifying that you won’t soon forget. I won’t miss a single minute.

Special Features:
o The Orderly
o What Is American Horror Story: Asylum?
o Welcome To Briarcliff Manor
o The Creatures
o Deleted Scenes

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Instant Streaming

The Hangover, Part III
The Hangover, Part III
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

“The Hangover, Part III

Ugh. Yes, it’s better than “Part II,” but so’s a kick in the face. At least Todd Phillips chose not to make the same exact movie again (as he did with two) but he still forgot to make a funny one. Who thought Chow was an important character to the success of “The Hangover”? The script for this film just shows how far off Phillips was from the everyman foundation that allowed the first movie to work. There are more laughs than the middle part of this now-trilogy but you can still do better.

From Patrick McDonald’s theatrical review: “With a lazy, over-plotted story, and a cast that are desperately going through the motions, “The Hangover Part III” is the latest example of a contract obligation disguising itself as a movie. Writer/director Todd Phillips sluggishly pounds out another one, with simply no originality.

Special Features:
o Replacing Zach: The Secret Audtions
o The Wolfpack’s Wildest Stunts
o Pushing The Limits
o Inside Focus: The Real Chow - Is Ken Jeong Really Leslie Chow?
o Extended Scenes
o Outtakes

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Instant Streaming

Fright Night, Part 2
Fright Night, Part 2
Photo credit: Fox

“Fright Night, Part 2”

The 2011 remake of “Fright Night” with Colin Farrell and Anton Yelchin should have done so much better. It was a smart, funny, well-directed horror flick that I was hoping would reboot this series. Instead, it flopped at the box office and so we’re stuck with a straight-to-DVD/BD affair that has none of the cast or crew as the last film and no real relation to the franchise that shares its name. It’s not the worst straight-to-DVD horror flick of this overcrowded season but it’s far from the best. Only hardcore bloodsucker fans need apply.

Special Features:
o Audio Commentary By Director Eduardo Rodriguez and Producers Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta
o Fright Night Webisodes
o Dracula Revealed

Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Vudu, iTunes, Amazon Instant Streaming

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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