Welcome back movie lovers! I’m back again for another look at the home video releases for the week for all you faithful FTS readers.

Magic Mike XXL

Who’s in it?
Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith

What’s it about?
‘Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.” – Warner Bros

Nate’s Two Cents?
Mike and crew are back again with round two of lady-boner delivering goodness. Anyone who is a fan of the first film will get just as much enjoyment out of the second installment. It has everything all you ladies could ask for. It’s got Channing Tatum, dialogue, half-naked men, dialogue, sensual dancing and even some dialogue. If you still haven’t checked it out then now’s your chance, and don’t worry, men can find the film enjoyable too.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Who’s in it?
Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris

What’s it about?
“Winner of the 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is the story of Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann), an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class (Olivia Cooke) with whom he hasn’t spoken to since kindergarten – who was just diagnosed with cancer.” – Fox Searchlight

Nate’s Two Cents?
This is by far one of my favorite movies that has come out this year. The filmmakers did a really good job at bringing the characters and the book to life, without drastically changing things. Even with the ending of the movie being different than that of the book, it was still just as impactful, if not more. I recommend checking this release out for sure, but you might need a few tissues.

When Marnie Was There

Who’s in it?
Kiernan Shipka, Hailee Steinfield, John C. Riley, Vanessa Williams, Geena Davis, Kathy Bates

What’s it about?
“Sent from her foster home in the city one summer to a sleepy town by the sea in Hokkaido, Anna dreams her days away among the marshes. She believes she’s outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong – and shuts herself off from everyone around her, wearing her “ordinary face”. Anna never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, who does not judge Anna for being just what she is. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship than she begins to wonder about her newfound friend… Based on the novel by Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There is the newest film from Studio Ghibli, and the second feature film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the director of The Secret World of Arrietty.” – GKids

Nate’s Two Cents?
For any Studio Ghibli fans out there, this one is a must-see. It is officially the end of an era as When Marnie Was There is the final film from the world-renowned animation studio. Once again, the studio wows the audience with another unique and amazing tale. If you haven’t seen any of their films, then I highly recommend you add their collection to your “watch” list.

Manglehorn

“A strange and lonely man tries to come to terms with a past crime that cost him the love of his life.” – Rotten Tomatoes

Pixels

“As kids in the 1980s, Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), Will Cooper (Kevin James), Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad), and Eddie “The Fire Blaster” Plant (Peter Dinklage) saved the world thousands of times – at 25 cents a game in the video arcades. Now, they’re going to have to do it for real. In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens discover video feeds of classic arcade games and misinterpret them as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth, using the video games as the models for their assaults — and now-U.S. President Cooper must call on his old-school arcade friends to save the world from being destroyed by PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Centipede, and Space Invaders. Joining them is Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a specialist supplying the arcaders with unique weapons to fight the aliens.” – Sony

Escobar: Paradise Lost

“For Pablo Escobar (Benicio Del Toro), family is everything. When young surfer Nick (Josh Hutcherson) falls for Escobar’s niece, he finds his life on the line when he’s pulled into the dangerous world of the family business.” – TWC Radius

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Who’s in it?
Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Wes Craven

What’s this thing about?
“Freddy Krueger is back from the grave in another thriller from famed horror director Wes Craven. This film differs from other films in the Nightmare on Elm Street series in that the movie pokes fun at the earlier episodes and at Wes Craven himself. The film, while technologically advanced, is not as gory as earlier films. It is also interesting that most of the actors portray themselves. Freddy was supposed to have died in the last film, Freddy’s Dead — The Final Nightmare. But while the character’s body died, the evil that drives him did not and so returns in Freddy’s form to haunt Craven into producing another film. Unfortunately the lead actress of all the previous films, Heather Langenkamp, refuses to do another “Freddy” film. Freddy then comes after her, first killing her husband, and then taking grisly aim upon her son Dylan (portrayed by a different actor).” – Rotten Tomatoes

Nate’s Two Cents?
By the time we get to Freddy’s Dead, the Nightmare franchise is more comical and more about the one-liners than anything else. New Nightmare gave the franchise a refreshing boost with an entirely unique concept, a movie that is self-aware of the franchise it is a part of. If you’ve never seen any of the franchise, I recommend starting from the beginning, but by the time you get to this one it will be a refreshing installment for sure.