Archive for September 2016
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 3, 1981-1982 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Fred Kida
Stan Lee contributes his most original stories to date, aided by great incoming artist Fred Kida.
Read MoreCharlie Brown’s All Stars! 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD Review: One of the Best
A rarely seen Peanuts special deserves your attention as it turns 50.
Read MoreLos Angeles Podcast Festival 2016 – Saturday Review
What I saw and heard in the ballrooms of the Sofitel Los Angeles.
Read MoreQueen of Katwe Movie Review: In Praise of Smart Women
Mira Nair’s touching tribute to women the world over.
Read MoreKamikaze ’89 Blu-ray Review: Captures the Vision of a Pre-Internet World
A brilliantly bizarre and slightly kinky farewell from Fassbinder.
Read MoreHaunted Honeymoon (1986) Blu-ray Review: Tamer Wilder
Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, and a dragged-out Dom DeLuise star in one frighteningly unfunny feature.
Read MoreValley of the Dolls Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Laughter, Tears, and a Mountain of Dolls!
The Criterion Collection releases the best camp melodrama out there!
Read MoreThe Neon Demon Is the Pick of the Week
This week brings us sinister models, shark attacks, goofy horror flicks, critically acclaimed Polish films, and so much more.
Read MoreMotown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever Six-DVD Set Review: A Happy Anniversary
More than the causal fan needs and delivers more than the hardcore fan will expect.
Read MoreAn American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) Blu-ray Review: Its Cult-classic Status Is Certainly Warranted
Required by law to state “You’ll howl with laughter.”
Read MoreA Town Called Panic: Double Fun Movie Review: The Bad Boys Are Back
Celebrate Art House Theater Day with Cowboy, Indian, and Horse.
Read MoreTop 10 TV Shows That Deserve More Attention
At its best, TV tells unique stories that don’t fit into the limited motion picture format of 90-200 minute limitations.
Read MoreTwilight Time Presents: Something I Can Never Have
From the unconditional (or unwanted) affection of one’s parental unit, to the ever-classic pursuit of maximum financial units, these five flicks have more to offer than just a nude Ornella Muti (although that’s just fine on its own!).
Read MoreDead-End Drive-In Blu-ray Review: Post-Apocalypse, ’80s Style
It’s like a b-grade version of Mad Max, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Read MoreThe Little Murders of Agatha Christie DVD Review: Old Stories Get a French Twist
Numerous classic Christie stories get a new telling for French television.
Read MoreThe Everly Brothers: Harmonies from Heaven DVD Review: An Appreciation of the Duo’s Impact on Early Rock ‘n’ Roll
The rock pioneers set the standard for impeccable harmonies, and wowed audiences with their special blend of rock, country, and R&B.
Read MoreL.A. Confidential (Two-Disc Special Edition) DVD Review: A Masterful Film Noir
A classic film that will long be remembered and appreciated.
Read MoreWarcraft Blu-ray Review: In My Entire Life, I Have Never Felt as Much Pain as I Do Now
Devoid of any originality, credibility, or explanation whatsoever, the big-screen adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment’s massively successful strategy game is a giant, predictable bore.
Read MoreStyx: Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas Blu-ray Review: A Quality Performance Even Without the Band’s Biggest Songs
Instead of having someone else singing some of the songs Dennis DeYoung sang, Styx just completely leaves them out of the rotation.
Read MoreKrzysztof Kieslowski’s Dekalog Review: Completely Worth Your Time
Shows like Breaking Bad and The Wire owe much to how Dekalog lets stories play out.
Read MoreThe Flash (2014): The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Review: At Its Core, The Series Is a Family Drama
An entertaining show that stands out among the glut of superhero programs.
Read MoreBeauty and the Beast (25th Anniversary Edition) Is the Pick of the Week
This week brings us a Disney classic, David Bowie with crazy hair, an early Coen Brothers film, teenaged turtles, and more.
Read MoreThe Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962) Blu-ray Review: Truth in Advertising?
Twenty-three years after my first attempt at watching it, this Riccardo Freda/Barbara Steele gothic horror movie about a necrophiliac surgeon still can’t raise the dead to save its life.
Read MoreLongmire: The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review: A Thought-provoking Western
I can’t recommend it strongly enough.
Read MorePaperback Review: Madeline Kahn – Being The Music, A Life by William V. Madison
A genuine and uncompromising biography of one of the most legendary women in the history of comedy.
Read MoreFathom Events Presents Snowden Live
With Snowden, Oliver Stone proves he’s still got stories to tell.
Read MoreDead-End Drive-In Blu-ray Review: The Australian Escape From New York
This Ozploitation feature could have been a spinoff in the Mad Max universe.
Read MoreToto: Live at Montreux 1991 DVD Review: Shows a Band in Transition
This 1991 performance showcases the band’s versatility and captures one of their last performances as an original quartet.
Read MoreThe Story of the Last Chrysanthemum Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Early Masterwork
A wonderful tale of love and loss at the Kabuki theater.
Read MoreThe Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959) Blu-ray Review: Beheading Your Way
The outright evil, bloodthirsty cousin of ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon’ makes its long-awaited splash to home video courtesy a beautiful HD release by Olive Films.
Read MoreThe Girlfriend Experience: Season 1 Blu-ray Review: A Secret Life Has Consequences
Maybe this show can make the audience care about it as much as some of Christine’s clients care about her.
Read MoreAll Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records DVD Review: Not Enough Focus on the Fall
From its humble beginning in a drug store in Northern California to its grim demise.
Read MoreWizard World Richmond 2016: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
“I love beard!”
Read MoreThe Monkees: Season 2 DVD Review: The Monkees Take Control
The TV series that best exemplifies the 1960s.
Read MoreAliens: 30th Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week
This week brings us a special anniversary, a ghost story sequel, a comic book nerd’s dream come true, and lots of classic films getting nice upgrades.
Read MoreMarauders Blu-ray Review: A Bank Heist Movie Worth Watching
If the story had been tightened up a little bit, this movie would have gotten a lot more attention and been more successful.
Read MoreThe Night Manager (Uncensored Version) Blu-ray Review: Beautiful Spies
Mysterious characters, beautiful scenery, loads of intrigue, The Night Manager has everything you want in a spy story.
Read MoreValley of the Kings (1954) DVD Review: The Other Precursor to Indiana Jones
The Warner Archive Collection digs up a significant artifact from cinematic history, albeit from a print which has sadly been desecrated.
Read MoreSupernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season Blu-ray Review: The Winchesters May Have Just Been Defeated by Their Own Writers
What other challenge can you bring to the Winchesters that can compete with the one and only God?
Read MoreForbidden Hollywood, Volume 10 DVD Review: The End of an Era? Not Quite!
The Warner Archive Collection unveils its final ‘Forbidden Hollywood’ set with a fine gathering of controversial and naughty gems from the pre-Code days.
Read MoreThe Arrow Video Roundup for September
What’s new from Arrow Video U.S. this month?
Read MoreBook Review: Star Trek: The Classic UK Comics, Volume 1 (1969-1970)
I’d highly recommend looking inside Volume 1 before buying it.
Read MoreFemale Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Review: These Ain’t Your Father’s Women-in-Prison Films
A terrific collection of some really wonderful genre films is maligned by less than stellar video quality.
Read MoreSeven Miles from Alcatraz DVD Review: Prison Breaks for Patriotism
A minor WWII flick about Nazi spies featuring John Banner as the bad guy makes its way to DVD courtesy the Warner Archive Collection.
Read MoreArrow: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Review: Darkness Consumes Several Characters as Loyalties are Tested
Arrow’s fourth season pushes several characters to their limits.
Read MoreFathom Events Presents The NeverEnding Story
Watching my daughter fall in love with these characters as I did when I was a child is well worth the price of admission.
Read MoreMoney Monster Is the Pick of the Week
This week brings us a World War II film from Carol Reed, Bryan Cranston as a president, Salma Hayek in an Italian fairy tale, and George Clooney’s charm.
Read MoreHaunted Honeymoon (1940) / A Fine Pair / Brotherly Love (1970) DVDs Review: Reverse Power Flux Couplings
Three uniquely different looks at the fine art of bad romances arrive on DVD courtesy the Warner Archive Collection.
Read MoreKristen’s Book Club for September 2016
What’s worth reading this month?
Read MoreWizard World Richmond 2016 Preview
To quote Opie Winston, “I got this.”
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