Movies Streaming/On Demand This Week: ‘Taken 2,’ ‘Paranormal Activity 4′ & More

As we continue to trudge through the cold month of January and its lackluster crop of new releases, we suggest you curl up with a few of these titles. Liam Neeson return as the father who can kick anyone’s ass in “Taken 2.” For those found footage fans, the fourth installment of the “Paranormal Activity” franchise is now streaming. And we’ve got a few great titles you can see for free.

NEW RELEASES

‘Taken 2'
Following up the unlikely success of the original, Liam Neeson returns for a new ass-kicking foreign excursion. This time around, Bryan Mills (Neeson) and his wife (Famke Janssen) are kidnapped by the father of the kidnapper Mills killed to rescue his daughter in the first film. Let’s just say the odds are always in Mills’s favor.
Why Watch It: Neeson just has a knack for playing the ruthless type, even when he’s the one who’s the hostage.
Available On: iTunes, Cable On Demand, VUDU, Amazon Instant, YouTube, Google Play

‘Paranormal Activity 4'
After going to the VHS-era of the ’80s in “PA3,” we’re now back in the present for the fourth edition of this found-footage franchise. Five years after the events of “PA2,” things get a little strange for a teenage girl and her family when a woman and child move in next door.
Why Watch It: Just when you think you’ve seen everything in this franchise, they go and show they still have a few more tricks.
Available On: iTunes, VUDU [On Demand: 1/29]

‘The Possession’
If found footage isn’t your thing, this more traditional thriller is about a little girl who starts acting really strange after her newly divorced father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) buys her an old wooden box at a yard sale.
Why Watch It: Crazy CGI makes easier to tolerate the watered-down plot.
Available On: Cable On Demand

‘The House I Live In’
Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (“Why We Fight,” “The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) looks at the U.S. drug war from all possible angles and comes to the conclusion that it’s hardly about drugs.
Why Watch It: This Grand Jury prizewinner at last year’s Sundance is a disturbing look at how our country handles illegal drugs.
Available On: iTunes, Cable On Demand, VUDU

‘Detropia’
From the directors of “Jesus Camp,” this stirring documentary examines the downsizing of Detroit and how its closed schools, abandoned buildings and struggling economy epitomizes what’s going on throughout the country.
Why Watch It: It opens your eyes to the harsh reality of what our country is dealing with in some of its poorest areas.
Available On: iTunes, Cable On Demand

‘Won’t Back Down’
Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal play two mothers who are determined to transform their children’s failing inner-city school. But the bureaucracy of the school system could put at risk everything they’re trying to do.
Why Watch It: It’s an inspiring movie with great performances from Davis and Gyllenhaal.
Available On: Cable On Demand, VUDU, Amazon Instant, YouTube, Google Play

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

‘The Blob’
There’s nothing better than super cool Steve McQueen running away from a slow-moving blog of jelly. A drive-in classic from the ’50s, this cheesy horror starts with a meteor falling from the sky that oozes a large, growing goo. If you need a good laugh, this is the one for you.
Available On: Hulu (free)

’1941'
Riding high after the success of “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Steven Spielberg was untouchable when he put together this comedy. And that was probably the problem. It was a critical disaster when it opened in 1979, and watching it now is fun because of all the great cameos like Slim Pickens, Christopher Lee and Mickey Rourke. And at home in all the chaos is John Belushi.
Available On: YouTube (free)

The ‘Paradise Lost’ Trilogy
These three landmark documentaries by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky about the wrongful conviction of three teens (better known as the West Memphis Three) for the grisly murders of three boys in Arkansas in the mid ’90s. For years, activists and celebrities came to the aid of the WM3, until finally they were released on an Alford plea two years ago. In all three films, we learn new evidence while watching the three boys grow up behind bars.
Available On: iTunes

Categories: Columns, Streaming/On Demand

Tags: Bruce Sinofsky, Detropia, eugene jarecki, Famke Jenssen, Heidi Ewing, jeffrey dean morgan, Joe Berlinger, liam neeson, maggie gyllenhaal, on demand, Paradise Lost, Paranormal Activity 4, Rachel Grady, steve mcqueen, streaming, Streaming/On Demand, Taken 2, The Blob, The House I Live In, The Possession, viola davis, west memphis three, Won't Back Down, The Possession, Taken 2, Paranormal Activity 4, Won't Back Down, Liam Neeson, The House I Live In, Viola Davis, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Detropia, The Blob, 1941, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Paradise Lost 2: Revelations, Famke Janssen, Eugene Jarecki, Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve McQueen, Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

See This Not That: ‘Breakin’ 2′ Over ‘Taken 2′

This week, two films that are sequels and rhyme go up against each other, because why the hell not? One is about breakdancers being badass and the other is about Liam Neeson being badass.

Oof. This is gonna be a tough one.

See: “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”

First of all: This movie has “Electric Boogaloo” in the title. That automatically makes it better than anything else ever. Just a fact. It is what BEGAN the trend of Electric Boogaloo as a joke subtitle when referring to a films’ horrible sequels.

Second: It’s about breakdancers who band together to stop a community rec center from being torn down. That is the *actual* plot.

Third: Its poster.

Fourth: It was released THE SAME YEAR AS THE FIRST “BREAKIN’” MOVIE.

Fifth: Ice-T reprises his role as “Rap Talker.”

Sixth: Armond White called it “superb”

Seventh: Character names include Ozone and Turbo.

Eighth: There is a dance number in a hospital.

Ninth: You need an ninth reason!?! Why haven’t you rented this already?!? Also, the entire movie is on YouTube, so you really have no reason to not be watching now and drinking every time someone spins or there is a close up of brightly colored sneakers. Still not convinced. Guys. A lyric in the main song is “Electric Boogaloo’s the greatest, nothing can compete, and once you’ve seen this movie, you’ll believe in the beat.” That says it all.

Not: “Taken 2?

After thinking about “Breakin’ 2? for so long, thinking about “Taken 2? is just so….underwhelming.

After 2008's “Taken” took the movie world by surprise by officially turning Liam Neesom into an action star and killing at the box office, it was only a matter of time before some idiot somewhere pushed for a sequel. Naturally, the second attempt was nowhere near the level of the first. While its box office was still unnaturally strong, the film was ripped apart by critics, ending up with a measly 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and called lazy, dumb, and cheesy. Yikes.

In this follow up, Neeson returns as retired CIA agent Bryan Mills, this time saving his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) who has been taken hostage, with the help of first movie kidnapping victim, daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). The whole thing feels rather old hat at this point, leaning more towards boring than exhilarating. One can only hope that the inevitable third installment in this series actually figures out an interesting story to tell, rather than relying on Neeson’s badassery to carry an entire film.

Check out more new releases on DVD.

Categories: DVD

Tags: Breakin 2, Taken 2, Taken 2

TAKEN 2 (2012)

Tanggal Rilis : 5 October 2012 (USA)
Jenis Film : Action | Crime | Thriller
Diperankan Oleh : Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace

Ringkasan Cerita TAKEN 2 (2012) :

Film dibuka dengan janji Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija) di hadapan pusara sang anak yang mati dibunuh oleh Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) karena menculik anaknya, Kim (Maggie Grace). Setting lalu melaju satu tahun kemudian saat rumah tangga mantan istri Mills, Lenore (Famke Janssen), diguncang prahara.

Untuk membuat perasaan mantan istrinya sedikit tenang, Mills memboyong Lenore dan Kim ke Istanbul. Di tempat inilah Murad bersama komplotannya menyusun rencana untuk menculik dan kemudian membunuh Mills sekeluarga sebagai ‘hadiah’ atas kematian sang anak.