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If you missed "Rampage" in its theatrical run, you can check it out this week when it will appear on Blu-ray, DVD and streaming services.
Dwayne Johnson, a graduate of Freedom High School, stars as a primatologist whose best friend is an albino silver-backed gorilla named George (played in a motion capture performance by Jason Liles).
When a genetic experiment goes wrong, a handful of animals, including George, become huge beasts to destroy Chicago. It's up to Johnson and a discredited engineer (Naomie Harris) to find the antidote and stop the destruction.
Nothing in "Rampage" that you've never seen before, but to the credit of filmmaker Brad Peyton ("San Andreas"), the action is well staged and the special effects are credible without overwhelm the narrative.
Best of all, Johnson is allowed to play to his strengths. He is charming, funny and deadly serious when he has to be. Surprisingly, he brings a real emotion to his scenes with George, especially when the pair communicates by sign language.
Forget occasional clichés and dig into "Rampage". It has an old school charm about it that lets you watch.
Johnson also plays in "GI Joe: Retaliation" (2013, Paramount, PG-13, $ 30), which was recently released in the 4K format. A big improvement over the original "GI Joe," the action revolves on a number of Joes (Johnson, Tatum Channing, Adrianne Palicki) being framed by the vile Zartan for a crime that They did not commit.
A lot of things are happening, including ninja appearances and retired Joe (Bruce Willis), but filmmaker John M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians", coming August 15) is weaving the cords of The plot and directs action with panache.
Also new on DVD: Without giving too much detail on "Submission" (2018, Universal, R, $ 20), the drama is totally out of sync with the "MeToo and #TimesUp" moves.
This saga of a literary professor (Stanley Tucci) a dangerous relationship with one of his ambitious students (Quakertown's Addison Timlin) is fascinating and ultimately deeply troubling.
Tucci and Timlin play characters who both write novels and, almost as quickly as they strike sparks, they begin a strange dance of attraction and repulsion.
Thanks To his determination to play troubled characters in such films as "Little Sister," "Chronically Metropolitan," and "Like Me," Timlin quickly becomes the answer of his generation to Jennifer Jason Leigh. She is at her best in "Submission", portraying a young woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Review of the film for the New York Times, critic A.O. Scott praised Timlin's performances, noting that she "handles the difficult trick of switching between innocence and its opposite."
All performances are first-rate, including Kyra Sedgwick's explosive ride as a Tucci woman. If imperfect be it, "Submission" stays with you.
Amy Longsdorf is an independent writer.
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