Archive for September 2019
The Shining 4K UHD Is the Pick of the Week
Kubrick’s 1980 polarizing horror masterpiece headlines a rather slow week of new releases.
Read MoreMemory: The Origins of Alien Movie Review: From Whence a Legend Came
How Crohn’s disease became a chestburster.
Read MoreIn the Aftermath Blu-ray Review: An Odd Mishmash of Live Action and Animation
An art-house Japanese animated film gets a terrible American treatment.
Read MoreAlways in Season Movie Review: Not an Easy Watch, but an Important One
The powerful history of one family’s search for justice in the face of centuries of terror.
Read MoreFive Cool Things and El Camino
Come read about all the cool things I discovered this week.
Read MoreRon’s Regal Unlimited Report #1: All the Bad Movies You Want
Took in Ad Astra, Good Boys, and Villains over the weekend.
Read MoreJudy Movie Review: Renee Zellweger Elevates Glorified Wikipedia Entry
Incredibly by the numbers with an emotive and committed Renee Zellweger performance.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episode Eight ‘Don’t Get Above Your Raisin”
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and so we get the final chapter in Ken Burns’s outstanding documentary.
Read MoreUn Coeur En Hiver Blu-ray Review: A Man Without Feelings
In a cinematic landscape filled with emotionless psychopaths, it is thrilling to find one who is a nice guy.
Read MoreDogtooth Blu-ray Review: Takes the Theme of Bad Parenting to an All-time High
Director Yorgos Lanthimos crafts a disturbingly hilarious portrait of twisted family life.
Read MoreDC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Review: Legendary Fun
This series keeps getting better and better.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episode Seven ‘Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way’
In this episode, we see the biggest stars of this era are the folks who got successful doing things their way and expanding the genre’s perceived boundaries.
Read MoreThe Circus Is the Pick of the Week
A 1928 Charlie Chaplin gem headlines a new week of great releases.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episode Six ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken?’
During this era, the country found itself in a turmoil that affected everything, including country music.
Read MoreAnna 4K Ultra HD Review: La Femme Anna
Luc Besson returns to his favorite plot subject: a resourceful woman in peril
Read MoreAd Astra Movie Review: A Wonderfully Philosophical Sci-Fi Opus
A career-best Brad Pitt carries this simplistic gem about the wonders and perils of space.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episode Five ‘The Sons and Daughters of America’
In this episode, Burns shows that the country’s societal upheaval made its way into the music.
Read MoreThe Major and the Minor Blu-ray Review: Wild Comedy from Billy Wilder
The Major and the Minor may have been the first Hollywood film directed by Wilder, but it is also one of his best.
Read MoreToni Morrison, The Pieces I Am DVD Review: Dense with Content That Pulls in the Viewer
A compelling look at the life of Toni Morrison and the world she worked to change through the power of words.
Read MoreFive Cool Things and Ric Ocasek
Let’s hope next week is cooler than this one.
Read MoreHussy Blu-ray Review: You’ll Wonder If You Haven’t Seen It Before
Even a saucy Dame Helen Mirren can’t save this clunker.
Read MoreThis Magnificent Cake! Blu-ray Review: This Magnificent Movie!
A beautifully crafted anthology and one worthy of an Oscar nomination in the animated short films category.
Read MoreLos Tigres del Norte at Folsom Prison Movie Review: A Collective Concert of Shared Heritage
The norteño supergroup pays homage to Johnny Cash and to Latinos everywhere through heartfelt time spent at this California prison.
Read MoreWho Saw Her Die? Blu-ray Review: Bond Does Giallo
George Lazenby should have been a star.
Read MoreDownton Abbey Movie Review: Fans Are Invited Back for a Royal Visit
With only a two-hour run time, it was always going to be hard to get enough screen time for all the main characters, and it was made even harder with most of the stories that focused on new ones.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Capsule Reviews: ‘Pain and Glory’ and ‘Bad Education’
Two terrific yet polar opposite depictions of the middle-aged gay perspective.
Read MoreSupergirl: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Review: Too Much Preaching
A little less self-righteousness, a little more superhero action would help this show a lot.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episodes Three and Four
An intriguing concept presented is that in addition to talent, chance encounters can be just as important to an artist’s career.
Read MoreRock & Roll Hall Of Fame: In Concert DVD Review: Tell Tchaikovsky the News
It makes a very convincing argument that those pesky rumors of rock’s imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated. Tell Tchaikovsky the news, indeed.
Read MoreThe Chairman Blu-ray Review: Mr. Peck Goes to China
Gregory Peck and J. Lee Thompson team up for a third and final time in this dullard of a spy flick.
Read MoreEcho in the Canyon Blu-ray Review: You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
An important chapter in the history of rock is examined by those involved with it and those influenced by it.
Read MoreThe Beatles: Made on Merseyside DVD Review: Offers Little New Information
New or casual Beatles fans may find the documentary to be interesting only if they are largely unfamiliar with the group’s history.
Read MorePolyester Is the Pick of the Week
John Waters’s 1981 biting domestic classic tops a week of solid releases.
Read MoreFantastic Fest 2019 Review: Koko-di Koko-da: Horror Through Repetition
Dying over and over shouldn’t be fun, but Koko-di Koko-da sure is a creepy joyride.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: Dev Patel Dazzles in ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’
A work of uplifting, majestic art.
Read MoreTV Review: Country Music: Episodes One and Two
Harlan Howard declared, “Country music is three chords and the truth.”
Read MoreThe Quiller Memorandum Blu-ray Review: Next Time Make It a Mission Statement
A stacked cast can’t make this limp anti-Bond spy thriller the least bit interesting.
Read MoreSupernatural: The Complete Fourteenth Season Blu-ray Review: An Emotional Season with the Show’s Most Shocking Cliffhanger
Season 14 delivers what is expected with solid stories, a mix of comical moments, and familiar characters that are real and believable.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: Riz Ahmed is a Powerhouse in Sound of Metal
Incredibly rhythmic with an awards-worthy turn from Riz Ahmed.
Read MoreFive Cool Things and Friday the 13th
I might be getting old, but I’m still watching cool things.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Capsule Reviews: ‘Jojo Rabbit’ and ‘Knives Out’ Allow Change in Directorial Pace
Two solid examples of auteur directors using franchise cache to make bold, original material.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ Is Incredibly Wondrous
A meticulously crafted tribute to the kindness of a beloved icon.
Read MoreTrue Believer (1989) Blu-ray Review: Blisteringly Performed Courtroom Drama
Briskly paced, excellent acted late ’80s drama stars a disillusioned James Woods and a young, idealistic Robert Downey Jr.
Read MoreThe Case of Hana & Alice Blu-ray Review: An Animated Slice of Life
GKIDS brings us this animated prequel to Shunji Iwai’s Hana & Alice which is a lovely, episodic, charming day in the life of a burgeoning friendship.
Read MoreJohn Carpenter’s Vampires Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Review: Put a Stake in It
Were this directed by anyone but John Carpenter, it would be a cult classic, but as it is one can only wonder what went wrong.
Read MoreReap the Wild Wind Blu-ray Review: An Antebellum Epic of Thrilling Adventure and Questionable Romance
For those seeking classic Hollywood adventure, Reap the Wild Wind will fit the bill.
Read MoreChained for Life (2019) Movie Review: Unchained Filmmaking
A darkly funny and scathing examination on how Hollywood treats disability.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Capsule Reviews: Two Cannes Favorites Make a Big Splash
Parasite and Portrait of a Lady on Fire prove to be TIFF highlights.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: ‘Waves’ Is Emotionally Shattering and Immersive
A poetically visceral indie gem.
Read MoreDial M for Murder Is the Pick of the Week
An odd 1954 Hitchcock thriller caps off a week of low-key releases.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: Jennifer Lopez Is Oscar Worthy in ‘Hustlers’
A solid crime dramedy that acts as a tremendous showcase for Jennifer Lopez.
Read MoreThe Snake Pit Blu-ray Review: One of the First and Best Motion Pictures to Bring Mental Illness to Life
A controversial, watershed classic that taps into a relatable topic that afflicts many of us.
Read MoreTIFF 2019 Movie Review: Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx are the Strong Force of ‘Just Mercy’
An old-fashioned courtroom drama with strong political urgency and exemplary performances.
Read MoreWizard World Tulsa 2019 Review: My Last Con, This Time I Mean It
I’m too old (and grumpy) for this stuff.
Read MoreFive Cool Things and JoJo Rabbit
With a week this cool, it is hard to believe it’s still technically summer.
Read MoreThe Flavor of Green Tea over Rice Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Gentle Ozu Comedy
Grandmaster filmmaker Ozu’s minor, observant comedy about the growing differences between a middle-aged married couple.
Read MoreThe Koker Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Rise of Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami’s mid-career trio of films announced him to the international film community
Read MoreThe Lavender Hill Mob / The Man in the White Suit Blu-rays Review: An Alec Guinness Two-Fer
Alec Guinness shows off his comedic side in the two classics from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Read MoreAkio Jissoji: The Buddhist Trilogy Blu-ray Review: New Wave Filmmaking, Naked Ladies
Challenging, evocative films from the Japanese New Wave that contemplate aspects of the Buddhist religion, with lots of sex.
Read MoreAlps Blu-ray Review: Weird, Wild, and Confusing
Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow-up to Dogtooth is an obtuse, obfuscated, thrilling piece of filmmaking that is worth the watching even if you come out of it completely confused.
Read MoreScooby-Doo, Where Are You! Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Mystery Mansion Review
A fabulous package arrives to celebrate 50 years of Scooby-Doo.
Read MoreBook Review: Cult Filmmakers: 50 Movie Mavericks You Need to Know by Ian Haydn Smith
Smith’s essays make a compelling case for all of them, which will leave readers eager to seek out their films.
Read MoreKind Hearts and Coronets Blu-ray Review: An Influential Cinema Landmark
The 1949 black comedy masterpiece from Ealing Studios gets a new upgrade, courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Read MoreDoctor Who: Planet of the Spiders DVD Review: Jon Pertwee Exits the Series
Although the end of Jon Pertwee’s run, this serial is a good introduction to the character, the mythology, and the actor in the role.
Read MoreFists in the Pocket Is the Pick of the Week
A darkly funny 1965 slap in the face to family values headlines a week of releases.
Read MoreArrow: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Review: Nothing Can Keep Down the Green Arrow and His Team
While the show has remained true to its original vision and quality, it’s not too difficult to see the end coming.
Read MoreStraight Forward: Series 1 DVD Review: Should Have Taken a Curve
This Danish/New Zealand co-production is full of bad storytelling, but it still hooked me enough to keep watching.
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