Looking for love and a gender discrimination debate are topics in this week's new DVD, Blu-ray and Digital HD offerings.
"On the Basis of Sex"; 3 stars: The film starts with Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything") as one of only nine women in a class of 500 allowed to attend Harvard Law School in 1956 and goes through the landmark tax case that she and her husband (Armie Hammer, "Call Me by Your Name") argued that became a turning point in women's rights. Director Mimi Leder ("Shameless") blends Ginsburg's legal and family worlds into a beautifully presented package.
The film presents all the valuable facts and historical moments that made Ginsburg one of the most important women of the past century, but it also presents her life as both a legal drama and an endearing love story.
There's a line in the film where a woman meeting Ginsburg says: "I thought she would be bigger." Through smart writing and fearless acting, "On the Basis of Sex" shows Ginsburg has been a giant in the legal world who also found time to be a wife and mother. That's a story a larger audience than a documentary can attract needs to see.
"The Browsing Effect"; 2 stars: You will neither swipe right nor left while watching this tale of dating in the time of social media. The mix of stories of people searching for the right person from writer/director Michael K. Feinstein ("Match from the Past") walks a safe line when it comes to the joy and heartbreak such dating practices can create.
The film has a few interesting characters, especially the one played by Nikki Soohoo ("Stick It"), but overall there just isn't a big emotional moment that the production needed. Digging a little deeper into the psychology of the online world would have spiced up the product.
The cast also includes Megan Guinan (CBS's "Limitless"), Josh Margolin ("New Girl"), Drew Fonteiro ("Jane the Virgin") and Gabriela Lopez ("The 5th Wave"). They mix and match well enough to keep the story going.
The film is being released through Digital HD and On Demand.
ALSO NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY APRIL 9
"Holmes and Watson": Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are back on the case to investigate a murder at Buckingham Palace.
"Cam Girl": What starts as a simple way to make some money turns dangerous for four women.
"A Dog's Way Home": Dog must travel 400 miles to be reunited with her family.
"Golden Job": Group of former mercenaries reunites to plan an epic heist.
"Project Blue Book: Season 1": College professor is recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead an operation that investigates UFO sightings and alleged extraterrestrial encounters.
"Mrs. Wilson": Ruth Wilson stars as her own grandmother in this true story of spies and a woman's search for her husband's real identity.
"The Charmer": Director Milad Alami's thriller explores class, race and immigrant identity.
"The Legend of 7 Golden Vampires": Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robinson) meet again in the martial arts horror thriller set in the village of Ping Kuei.
"Ready, Jet, Go! Chasing the Sun": Jet discovers the sun is actually a star.
"We Die Young": Two boys trying to escape a world of drugs get help from by a veteran (Jean-Claude Van Damme) with PTSD.
"Matriarch": A stranded couple learn the people who have taken them in are hiding a dark secret.
"Wild Kratts: The Briny Blue Sea": It's time to dive into the ocean and have some underwater adventures with Chris and Martin Kratt.
"Berlin I Love You": Ten stories of compassion, redemption and acceptance are woven together.
"As You Like It": Writer/director Carlyle Stewart tells William Shakespeare's story that celebrates the enduring power of love in all its many disguises as a western.
BEING RELEASED ON DIGITAL HD APRIL 9
"Escape Room": Six strangers gather for what they think is a fun time in an escape room only to discover they are playing for their lives. Will be available on DVD and Blu-ray April 23.
"Pandas": Film offers a close look at giant pandas.
"Destroyer": Nicole Kidman plays a self-destructive detective who must pull herself together when the head of a drug ring returns. On DVD and Blu-ray April 23.
