Archive for May 2011
Old Dracula DVD Review: Bloodsucking Fun with David Niven
Part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection.
Read MoreDrive Angry DVD Review: Watch Disappointed
I wish the Accountant had taken this back to Hell before I saw it.
Read MoreCriterion Collection Eclipse Series #27 DVD Review: Raffaello Matarazzo’s Runaway Melodramas
Raffaello Matarazzo (1909 – 1966) was an Italian director who specialized in some of the most melodramatic pictures to ever grace the silver screen. In the post-war period of the late forties and early fifties, Matarazzo enjoyed enormous success with tales of star-crossed lovers and the villains intent on keeping them apart. While these movies…
Read MoreM*A*S*H Blu-ray Review: A Brilliant Military Farce
The bits of comedic insanity are separated by the insanity of war.
Read MoreI Am Number Four Blu-ray Review: Number Six Would Have Been Better
Director and stars fumble badly, but co-star Teresa Palmer shines.
Read MoreThe Great Dictator Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Most Courageous Act of His Remarkable Career
Chaplin’s masterful skewering of Hitler remains a remarkable cinematic achievement.
Read MoreThe Great Dictator Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Charlie Chaplin Still Gives Hope Today
Chaplin shows off his mastery of the cinema and tells us life can be free and beautiful.
Read MoreLemonade Mouth Extended Edition DVD Review: Detention Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
A nice family film with a positive message for kids.
Read MoreGnomeo & Juliet Blu-ray Review: A Mostly Pleasant Surprise
Not a classic, but worthwhile and sweet family entertainment.
Read MoreThe Times of Harvey Milk Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: History in the Making
An outstanding documentary that presents an important chapter in the United States civil rights movement.
Read MoreKung Fu Panda Blu-ray Review: Captivating for Both Kids and Adults
Jack Black is the star of the show and doesn’t disappoint.
Read MoreDiabolique (1955) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Crime and Punishment
An unforgettable revenge thriller.
Read MoreThe Misfits (1961) Blu-ray Review: An Overlooked American Classic Looks Stunning In High-Def
The last film of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable is more than a mere career footnote.
Read MoreDiabolique (1955) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Influential Horror that Stands the Test of Time
French New Wavers trashed it, but Hitchcock was inspired.
Read MoreMy Last Movie Before the Rapture
It’s too late and would be disingenuous to start pandering now.
Read MoreThe Horse Soldiers Blu-ray Review: One of John Ford’s Lesser Films
The Horse Soldiers is an acceptable genre film, but mostly undistinguished among John Ford’s body of work.
Read MorePirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End DVD Review: Third Time is Not the Charm
Becomes exhausting on so many levels, but the visual effects are incredible.
Read MoreDead Men Do Tell Tales (for Better and Worse) in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
A look back at Disney’s first three Pirates movies before setting sail On Stranger Tides.
Read MorePirates of Tortuga DVD Review: A Love Story at its Core
Fans of Classic Hollywood spectacles should enjoy this romantic tale.
Read MoreA High Wind in Jamaica DVD Review: This Children’s Pirate Adventure Blows
An action film starring Coburn and Quinn sounds good on paper. Unfortunately, that’s not what this movie contains.
Read MoreSome Like It Hot Blu-ray Review: A Timeless Comedic Classic Impresses on Blu-ray
Billy Wilder’s 1959 film is an American classic — and it’s not even his best film!
Read MoreArmy of Shadows Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Different Kind of Spy Thriller
An impressive film that honors those whose story it tells.
Read MoreThe Manchurian Candidate (1962) Blu-ray Review: Effective, if Dated, Political Paranoia
John Frankenheimer’s thriller is anything but subtle, but remains a classic nonetheless.
Read MoreFriday the 13th (1980) Blu-ray Review: The Uncut Edition
The one that launched a franchise.
Read MoreSomething Wild Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Jonathan Demme’s Film is a Wild Thing
Put together with a soundtrack as important to the story as any John Hughes soundtrack of the day.
Read MoreSomething Wild Criterion Collection DVD Review: Jonathan Demme’s Vision of a Yuppie Nightmare
A film definitely worthy of revisiting.
Read MoreSummer Children DVD Review: A Lost Film Is Found Again
This previously unreleased rarity features gorgeous cinematography from Vilmos Zsigmond.
Read MorePale Flower Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Essential Japanese New Wave
Cool couple chase illicit thrills in 1960s Tokyo.
Read MoreBook Review: I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler
A biography of the screen legend in her own words, more or less…
Read MoreAll-Star Superman Blu-ray Review: You Will Believe a Man Can Die
An action-packed adventure that has something to offer even to those who aren’t fans of the character.
Read MoreBetty Blue Blu-ray Review: This Dark, Passionate Film is a Colorful Outing
Twenty-five years later, the reviewer sees a completely different story though finds it no less enjoyable.
Read MoreI’m Dangerous with Love DVD Review: Michel Negroponte Examines an Unorthodox Cure for Addiction
“We should start listening to the people who wear feathers.”
Read MoreThe TCM Classic Film Festival 2011: Presenting Music and the Movies
A wide variety of material to see for the first time or revisit on the silver screen.
Read More