Archive for August 2012
Quadrophenia Criterion Collection DVD Review: Dressed Right For a Beach Fight
Mods and rockers converge on mid-1960s England in this coming-of-age story.
Read MoreSpokAnarchy! DVD Review: An Excellent Documentary
A chronicle of the vibrant ’80s punk scene in Spokane, WA.
Read MoreAli: The Man, The Moves, The Mouth DVD Review: Pulls Too Many Punches
This new release is incomplete.
Read MoreWeekend (2011) Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Intimate Portrait of New Love
The love story of an unlikely pair who find common ground through honesty, listening, and learning.
Read MoreReflections on Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die’
A trio of Sentries offer their thoughts about McCartney’s theme song.
Read MoreQueen: Greatest Video Hits DVD Review: Talent, Style, and Grace on Display
If ever there were a band suited to the format of music videos, Queen were it.
Read MoreSalo, or the 120 Days of Sodom Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: 116 Minutes of Vileness
The most repulsive film I have ever seen.
Read MoreLonesome Criterion Collection DVD Review: Groundbreaking Cinema That Should Not Be Missed
Celebrating the work of Paul Fejos.
Read MoreLive and Let Die Movie Review: Do You Ever Really Forget Your First (Bond)?
The necessary step to move the franchise forward.
Read MoreQuadrophenia Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: We Are the 5.1 Mods
Sparkling new restoration delivers an engaging audiovisual feast.
Read MoreHomeland: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week
Television might mostly be a wasteland of reality shows, but Homeland proves its also got some real art as well.
Read MoreThe Zombies: Live at Metropolis Studios, London DVD Review: A Real Treat for Fans
The band delivers a night to remember.
Read MoreBook Review: The Complete Steve Canyon, Volume 2: 1949-1950 by Milton Caniff
A marvelous display of Caniff’s skills as an artist and a writer.
Read MoreFor All Mankind Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Great Source of Inspiration
The story told is bigger than that of the Apollo missions.
Read MoreApollo 11: A Night to Remember DVD Review: How the British Saw the Giant Leap for Mankind
Fascinating to both relive or to witness for the first time.
Read MoreYoung Justice: Dangerous Secrets DVD Review: Offers Something for Everyone
Season one finally comes to a conclusion and doesn’t disappoint.
Read MoreLife Begins at Eight-Thirty DVD Review: Entertaining and Educational
A wonderful example of why less is more.
Read MorePlanet Dinosaur DVD Review: Some of the Best CGI Dinosaurs Ever
This is highly recommended.
Read MoreTrek Nation Movie Review: The Search for Dad
Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry Jr. goes where many have gone before.
Read MoreOnce Upon a Time: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
Familiarity breeds contempt in this series that rehashes rather than innovates.
Read MoreBonsai DVD Review: Surprisingly Low on the ‘Blah, Blah, Blah’
Cristián Jiménez’s second feature film is wisely nurtured and pared, much like the titular shrub.
Read MoreEcstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters Movie Review: The Pieces Fall Perfectly into Place
I could’ve watched an entire movie about Thor Aackerlund and been perfectly happy.
Read MoreDiamonds Are Forever Movie Review: All Flash and Little Substance
Sean Connery’s return to the role of James Bond is less than thrilling.
Read MoreLa Promesse Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Stunning Breakout from the Dardenne Brothers
The Dardennes’ 1996 tale of a boy’s moral struggle with his father’s illegal-immigration ring is captivating.
Read MoreOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service Movie Review: The Name’s Lazenby, George Lazenby
It’s Bond like you’ve never seen him before: that awkward transitional boyfriend.
Read MoreBachman & Turner: Live at the Roseland Ballroom NYC DVD Review: Taking Care of Business for Longtime Fans
The music veterans show they still know how to rock after 40 years.
Read MoreNektar, Brainticket, and Huw Lloyd-Langton: Space Rock Invasion DVD Review: The Next Best Thing to Being There
The double-DVD set contains a lot of great musical moments.
Read MoreThird Star Movie Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Leads the Way
Boring and uninspired buddy movie deals with impending death by mostly ignoring it.
Read MoreBernie Is the Pick of the Week
In a slow week, something I’ve never heard of gets picked.
Read MoreHercules, Samson and Ulysses [Ercole sfida Sansone] DVD Review: Sea Monsters! Lion Strangling! Hamstrings!
The last major peplum flick from the director of the original Hercules.
Read MoreThe Bourne Identity (2002) Movie Review: Nobody Does The Right Thing
If you were to wake up floating in the ocean with two bullet wounds in your back, who would you like to be?
Read MoreDeath Wish II / Death Wish 3 / Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-rays Review: The Cannon Days
Five years. Three films. One ass-kicking elderly star.
Read MoreDoctor Who: Spearhead From Space (Special Edition) DVD Review: One of the Franchise’s Very Best
The introduction of the Third Doctor, in living color.
Read MoreThe Hedgehog [Le Hérisson] (2009) DVD Review: Eccentric Esoteric French Fare. Golly Gee.
No, it’s not another documentary on Ron Jeremy. Thank God.
Read MoreKidnapped (1938) DVD Review: An Engaging if Forgettable Adventure Film
One of many adaptations of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, this version of Kidnapped is a sturdy adventure tale.
Read MoreHondo (1953) Blu-ray Review: John Wayne Delivers a Standout Performance
If you find yourself hankering for a western, you can’t go wrong with John Wayne in Hondo.
Read MoreMisfits: Season One DVD Review: Anti-Superheroes Who Would Make Superman Weep
After weathering a fierce storm, five outcast teenagers serving community service discover they have the gift, and curse, of superpowers.
Read MoreDoctor Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy DVD Review: A Serviceable Children’s Adventure
It falls well short of the great heights the program has achieved.
Read MoreThe Beatles: Their Golden Age DVD Review: A Short, but Information-packed Documentary on the Fab Four
Les Krantz narrates this hour-long documentary on the most successful band of all time.
Read MoreMr. Belvedere Rings the Bell DVD Review: The Character’s Cinematic Swan Song
A delightful (albeit admittedly minor) comedy.
Read MoreRiffTrax Live: Manos: The Hands of Fate Review: Worst Movie Gets the Best Riffs
I’m glad to have my 1990s love back in my life.
Read MoreTrue Wolf Movie Review: Don’t Be Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
Documentary recounts the full life of a wolf raised by humans.
Read MoreYou Only Live Twice Movie Review: All of the Charm, Action, and Womanizing You Expect
Though flawed on a number of fronts, the film still entertains.
Read MoreThunderball DVD Review: James Bond in High-Stakes Action at Sea
The fourth film in the franchise finds Bond trekking to the Bahamas to save the world from nuclear destruction.
Read MoreLisztomania DVD Review: An Outrageous Biopic from Ken Russell
You may not learn much about Franz Liszt from Russell’s defiantly excessive film, but it’s a must-see anyway.
Read MoreAstonishing X-Men: Torn DVD Review: More Astonishing Motion, Less Astonishing Story
Better motion comic effects but a lesser story make for a fun if unastonishing hour of entertainment.
Read MoreJay and Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging in the UK DVD Review: Friendship Never Gets Old
Three full performances of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes chatting on stage in the UK.
Read MoreCommunity: The Complete Third Season Is the Pick of the Week
This quirky meta comedy makes me laugh.
Read MoreCelebrate Samuel Fuller’s Centenary with Verboten! (1959) from the Warner Archive Collection
An odd war film from the director of Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss demands rediscovery.
Read MoreShock Corridor and The Naked Kiss Criterion Collection DVDs Review: Two Signature Films from Samuel Fuller
Very different projects connected by their filmmaker’s storytelling sensibilities.
Read MoreScalene Movie Review: Crazy Women Desperately Seeking Justification
One character starts with a mental handicap; the other two strive to prove theirs.
Read MoreDamon and Pythias DVD Review: Greek Fable of Friendship and Loyalty
A highly entertaining release from the Warner Archive Collection.
Read MoreDangerous Years Movie Review: Bad Boys in a Bad Movie
Marilyn Monroe can serve me a malt anytime, but I don’t think I could watch this film again.
Read MoreDown by Law Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Louisiana Prison Break that Transcends Genre
Jim Jarmusch’s third feature film is nothing short of extraordinary.
Read MoreThe Bourne Legacy Movie Review: Renner 1, Gilroy 0, Mistakes Aplenty
New lead Jeremy Renner delivers the goods, but his screenwriter/director doesn’t.
Read MoreMondo Bastardo: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Dreadful
From Roy Rogers to Jonah Hill, and from Willem Dafoe to Seann William Scott: who makes the grade?
Read MoreMisfits: Season One DVD Review: They’re No Heroes
Super-powered teens fully earn misfits label in this raunchy, occasionally hilarious series.
Read MoreLe Havre Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Light-Hearted, Surreal Take on a Serious Subject
Maverick director Aki Kaurismaki delivers a surreal, lighthearted take on a seemingly deadly serious immigration story.
Read MoreHeaven Strewn DVD Review: A Desert-kissed Exercise in Style
Gurzi’s debut looks the part but lacks a certain something.
Read MoreRed Hook Summer Movie Review: A Trip You Don’t Want to Make
The latest installment of the writer/director’s Chronicles of Brooklyn series is a frustrating misfire.
Read MoreGoldfinger Movie Review: The Series Swings into Full Throttle
The film is one entertaining, but slightly bumpy, ride.
Read MoreCosmopolis Movie Review: A World Full of Fear, Faithlessness, and Doubt
Looking for truth, love, and a better exchange rate on the Won in a stretch limo.
Read MoreLeverage: The 4th Season DVD Review: Like a Needle Stuck in a Groove
For fans only. The rest of us tuned out long ago.
Read MoreThe Sacred Science Movie Review: Searching for Remedies
Worth a watch, but hard to get involved with on a deeper level.
Read MoreMarley Is the Pick of the Week
A new documentary on Bob Marley might just teach me it’s about the music not the posturing.
Read MoreThe Samurai Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Journey Worth Embarking On
Toshirō Mifune is Musashi Miyamoto in this historical epic.
Read MoreMy Wife’s Best Friend DVD Review: A Mid-Century Marriage Put to the Test
When a man reveals his misdeed to his wife, she makes him pay in spades.
Read MoreDeadgirl (2008) Movie Review: Bad Things Happen in the Basement
Welcome to the basement where the dead things live and where gothic horror subject matter makes a welcome return.
Read MoreNew Year’s Evil DVD Review: Exactly What You Think It Is
Thankfully, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Read MoreThe Costume Drama Classic Collection DVD Review: An Embarrassment of Riches
Over 42 hours of classic British costume drama.
Read MoreFrom Russia with Love Movie Review: Checkmate on the Orient Express
In terms of its importance to the franchise, it’s significant in several ways.
Read MoreMansome Movie Review: Lots of Comedians, Little Comedy
Documentary ace Morgan Spurlock misses the mark with this uninspired take on male grooming.
Read MoreDr. No Movie Review: Introducing James Bond
Here’s the one that started it all.
Read MoreGet the Gringo [aka How I Spent My Summer Vacation] DVD Review: Mel Gibson is Back in Action
An enjoyable, exploitative throwback to Mel Gibson’s cinematic past.
Read MoreThe Raconteurs: Live at Montreux 2008 Blu-ray Review: A Consoling Set of Modern Rock
The band impresses on their second world tour.
Read MoreStone (2010) Movie Review: Complex and Intriguing
Just because you’re not doing wrong doesn’t mean you’re doing right.
Read MoreDoctor Who: The Krotons DVD Review: The Typical Troughton Template
The Gonds used to serve their Kroton masters until the Doctor came to lead them to freedom.
Read MoreOccupation: Fighter Movie Review: The Story of a Contender
An inspirational, though not completely objective, look at one man’s dedication to mixed martial arts.
Read MoreOperation Bikini DVD Review: Frankie Avalon and Tab Hunter in World War II!
The lost forerunner to the more-delightful Frankie Avalon days of AIP.
Read MoreWay of a Gaucho DVD Review: An Atmospheric, Unconventional Western that Deserves Better
Jacques Tourneur’s beautiful 1952 Technicolor western is granted a problematic transfer from Fox Cinema Archives.
Read MoreFrontier Marshal (1939) DVD Review: Randolph Scott Steps into Wyatt Earp’s Boots
Not a Western classic, but a very good genre film.
Read MoreSuez DVD Review: For Hardcore Tyrone Power Fans Only
Lame script and near absence of Loretta Young make this purely a Power vehicle.
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