Archive for June 2012
Up (2009) Blu-ray Review: A Wondrous Film by Pixar
It deserves a place in your video library.
Read MoreSpringtime in the Sierras DVD Review: A Prime Example of the Roy Rogers Formula
Rogers is after the hottest poacher in the Sierras.
Read MoreCarlos (2010) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Tale of the Jackal
Terrorist, freedom fighter, or both?
Read MoreAlmost Kings DVD Review: Almost a Good Movie
It does a little too much telling.
Read MoreKasabian Live!: Live at the O2 Blu-ray Review: Proof the Accolades Are Deserved
Irrefutable evidence that this band’s gone big time. (And why not?)
Read MoreThe Muppets (Wocka Wocka Value Pack) Review: The Blu-ray Impresses; The Movie Doesn’t
A pleasant family comedy that falls short of returning the characters to their full glory.
Read MoreYesterday’s Enemy (1959) DVD Review: Hammer Films’ Contribution to the War Genre
A taut World War II drama from the studio that dripped blood.
Read MoreHinoshi Inagaki’s The Samurai Trilogy Is the Pick of the Week
Why have I never watched these movies?
Read MoreAct of Valor Blu-ray Review: Better Than You Might Expect
An enjoyable B-Movie that fires real bullets and shells.
Read MoreGray’s Anatomy / And Everything is Going Fine Criterion Collection Blu-rays Review: A Spalding Gray & Steven Soderbergh Double Feature
Criterion releases two films offering divergent perspectives on the late monologist.
Read MoreTreasure Houses of Britain DVD Review: How the One-Percenters Used to Live
A very interesting series about a way of life which (for the most part) no longer exists.
Read MoreShallow Grave (1994) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Boyle’s Debut Shows Promise and Little Else
Boyle’s picture lacks details, consistency, and characters to care about.
Read MoreThe Gold Rush Criterion Collection DVD Review: One of Chaplin’s Most Acclaimed Films
The finest home-video presentation of this classic ever.
Read MoreTop Gear: The Complete Season 18 DVD Review: The Best Car Show in the World
The gang go to India, Italy, and the U.S.
Read MoreGas Pump Girls DVD Review: A Nearly Perfect Example of a Late-’70s Drive-In Flick
Too bad the disco gas-station idea never caught on.
Read MoreGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Blu-ray Review: Food for the Mills of Hell
A serious contender for Worst Film of 2012.
Read MoreMissing in Action 2: The Beginning Blu-ray Review: Braddock Returns in this Misplaced Prequel
Chuck Norris’ tears may cure cancer, but his steely gaze saves this prequel.
Read MoreLina Wertmuller Collection (Love & Anarchy, The Seduction of Mimi, All Screwed Up) is the Pick of the Week
Fond, if fuzzy, memories from college and critical acclaim make me want to see these films.
Read MoreMissing in Action Blu-ray Review: This B-movie Is Missing Its Action
Chuck Norris may bleed knives, but he can’t save this dull actioner.
Read MoreDreams from My Real Father DVD Review: Incredibly Difficult to Take Seriously
Not all conspiracy theories are exciting.
Read MoreShallow Grave (1994) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Exceptional Film
Everything comes together perfectly to make this film such a success.
Read MoreLAFF 2012 Review: Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love Opens the Los Angeles Film Festival
Enough amusing moments to make viewing the film worthwhile for Allen fans.
Read MoreCivilization: The West and the Rest DVD Review: Niall Ferguson’s Cultural Arrogance Clouds This Series
This BBC series is plagued and ultimately sunk by its biases.
Read MoreMachine Gun Preacher Blu-ray Review: Hope in the Midst of a Holocaust
A good true-life story that is worth telling.
Read MoreThe Code DVD Review: An Intriguing Educational Journey
Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy explores mathematical “codes” that appear in nature with such frequency that it is hard to believe they are truly random.
Read MoreDoctor Who: The Seeds of Death Special Edition DVD Review: Delightful yet Dull
I have mixed feelings about it.
Read MoreBad Ass Blu-ray Review: A Film that Absolutely Reeks of Mediocrity
Don’t you mean “Badass”? You’re talking about a putrid heinder otherwise!
Read MoreThe Ledge Movie Review: A Lot of Hard Talk and Not a Lot of Follow-through
Sometimes a kammerspielfilm shoots itself in the foot and that’s the problem with The Ledge in a nutshell.
Read MoreThe Last Posse DVD Review: An Overlooked B-Western Gem
An excellent example of what happens when an above-average story is shipped off to the B-Unit department.
Read MoreHarold and Maude Criterion Collection DVD Review: Timeless Classic Has Never Been More Appropriate
Director Hal Ashby’s first landmark film.
Read MoreGene Simmons Family Jewels: Season Six Volumes 1 and 2 DVD Review: An Emotional Season for the Demon
One of the most difficult years of their collective lives.
Read MoreThe Lady Vanishes (1938) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: All Aboard for Entertainment
Hitchcock and his team deliver a delightful amalgam of genres.
Read MoreThis Means War Blu-ray Review: More Absolute Yuck from McG
A contemporary, colorless take on Design for Living.
Read MoreSummer Interlude Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Formative Bergman Picture Gets the High-Def Treatment
A tale of loss, despair, and innocence meets its Blu-ray release.
Read MoreWithout a Trace: The Complete Third Season DVD Review: Primetime Filler
A lousy show, but a great presentation.
Read MoreHarold and Maude Is the Pick of the Week
It was a hard choice this week but I had to go with my heart.
Read MoreSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Blu-ray Review: Impressive Disc but Lacks the Charm of the Previous Film
May satisfy if your expectations are kept to a minimum.
Read MoreThe Gold Rush Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Charlie Chaplin Strikes Gold
Chaplin is an artist at the top of his game here.
Read MoreSherlock: Season Two Blu-ray Review: Contemporary Genius
Robert Downey, Jr. and Guy Ritchie should take notes.
Read MoreToo Big To Fail DVD Review: Too Good to Miss
An outstanding HBO film about the recent U.S. financial meltdown.
Read MoreSherlock Holmes (2009) Movie Review: A Smart Blockbuster
Holmes and Watson work together to solve a thrilling adventure that combines black magic and new science.
Read MoreSimply Red: Live at Montreux 2003 Blu-ray Review: The Beginning of Their Rebirth and the End of the Line
Simply Red brings their version of American blue-eyed soul to the Montreux stage for two sizzling shows.
Read MoreShame (2011) Blu-ray Review: A Shameful Waste of Michael Fassbender’s Acting Talent
Fassbender shines in this murky mess.
Read MoreLancelot Link: Secret Chimp DVD Review: Very Funny Stuff Indeed
The hilarious adventures of a secret-agent chimp.
Read MoreJohn Carter Blu-ray Review: Delivers as a Roaring Space-Aged Hoot
In its genre, John Carter gives you exactly what you’re expecting to see.
Read MoreCheri (2009) Movie Review: La Belle Epoque Decadence and Restrained Love
The aging courtesan and her young gentleman companion are not in love, they merely have a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Read MoreThe Beatles: Yellow Submarine DVD Review: A Great Movie with an Even Better Soundtrack
Looks better than ever and has a lot more to say than may have originally been thought.
Read MoreRed Tails (2012) DVD Review: George Lucas Drops the Ball Again
How do you get into a World War II flick when someone says “A’ight”?
Read MoreSealab 2020 DVD Review: Underwater Environmentalism for the Kids
Clearly aimed at the nostalgia market.
Read MoreTeen Wolf: Season 1 DVD Review: Color Me Surprised and Count Me as a Fan
It’s not simply the shiniest turd in the punchbowl of MTV Original Programming; it’s a quality show!
Read MoreAmerican Pickers: Volume Three DVD Review: They’re a-Pickin’ and You’ll Be a-Grinnin’
Plenty of fun and profit in discarded Americana.
Read MoreBreaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season Is the Pick of the Week
One of the most exciting series on television has its fourth season come to DVD.
Read MoreThe Dean Martin Variety Show (Uncut) DVD Review: Cool Is Still Cool
The show is very appealing to even modern sensibilities.
Read MoreWith Great Power: The Stan Lee Story Movie Review: A Man Behind the Masks
A fun documentary about the man behind Marvel Comics.
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