Archive for February 2021
The Vigil Movie Review: A Minimalist Exercise in Paralyzing Grief
An insidiously eerie yet affecting experience.
Read MorePaleyFest LA 2021 Full Line-up Announced
The country’s premier television festival features conversations with the cast and creative teams from television’s most acclaimed and most popular shows.
Read MoreCrisis (2021) Movie Review: Surprisingly Disappointing
With heavy inspiration drawn from movies like Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, Nicholas Jarecki’s Crisis takes a look at America’s addiction to opioids via three separate stories and makes as effective a statement as Mr. Garrison when he tells the kids of South Park, “Drugs are bad, m’kay.” Even with an A-list cast, and an intriguing setup,…
Read MoreOn Moonlight Bay Blu-ray Review: Day and MacRae Play on the Bay
Doris Day and Gordon MacRae are mesmerizing and ultimately elevate the project into a pleasant diversion as we root for their characters to find happiness.
Read MoreHarley Quinn: The Complete First And Second Seasons Blu-ray Review: Very Adult, Very Funny
Remember back in the day when you were a child and you could turn on the television and watch Saturday morning cartoons? They were silly and fun and filled with cartoon violence of anvils dropping on people, or of getting hit by a truck only to see stars or tweeting birds circling their heads. Harley…
Read MoreLady Sings the Blues Blu-ray Review: Good Morning Heartache
Allow me to state this upfront: In Lady Sings the Blues (1972; dir. Sidney J. Furie), Diana Ross gives a colossal performance as troubled jazz singer Billie “Lady Day” Holiday (1914-1959). But for Ross, the film would be a garden-variety showbiz bio-drama—a solid depiction of Holiday’s drug woes and the segregated times in which she…
Read MoreScooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob DVD Review
Mystery Inc. meets King Arthur and the hijinks take precedent.
Read MoreBook Review: Vision & the Scarlet Witch: The Saga of Wanda and Vision
Tying in with Disney+’s WandaVision, the two limited series from the 1980s are what make the book worth owning,
Read MoreSmooth Talk is the Pick of the Week
There have been so many tales of adolescence and teenage portraits of sexual and social mores than most people can shake a leg with. However, only a few of them manage to age well and provide a certain of relevancy and real-world humanity. Joyce Chopra’s strangely lyrical 1985 portrait Smooth Talk, is definitely one of…
Read MoreRowan & Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Series DVD Review
Previously an exclusive from Time Life, the landmark variety show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Series is now available at retail locations. The 37-disc set presents 140 unedited episodes that aired over six seasons from January 22, 1968 to March 12, 1973. As I mentioned in my review of The Complete First Season, “The…
Read MoreChop Shop Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Miracle of Independent Cinema
A tough, but absolutely profound portrait of the complex bond of siblings on the outskirts of society.
Read MoreMan Push Cart Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Essential Cinema
A bleak, beautifully simple, and emotionally involving portrait of the immigrant experience.
Read MoreJSA: Joint Security Area Blu-ray Review: Death on the DMZ
Chan-wook Park’s early film about a murder on the Korean border is one of the filmmaker’s most mainstream thrillers.
Read MoreBook Review: The Complete Dick Tracy, Volume 27: 1972-1974 by Chester Gould
The outstanding artwork and familiarity of the core characters kept my interest.
Read MorePretty in Pink (35th Anniversary) Movie Review: Still Pretty, Still (Very) Pink
Hit soundtrack, ’80s nostalgia, and ideal casting aside, does the cult classic hold up after a quarter of a century? Yes.
Read MoreFear of Rain Blu-ray Giveaway
Cinema Sentries has teamed up with Lionsgate Home Entertainment to award one lucky reader a Fear of Rain Blu-ray Combo. It is currently available to own via purchase on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. For those wanting to learn more, read from the publicity notes below: For teenager Rain Burroughs (Madison Iseman), a diagnosis with schizophrenia means…
Read MoreLovecraft Country: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: We Are Not Monsters
Slipshod storytelling mars an otherwise nifty twist on old pulp fiction.
Read MoreMandabi Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Unexpected Money Leads to Lots of Problems
Ousmane Sembène’s second feature film gets a stacked release from Criterion Collection.
Read MoreSan Francisco Blu-ray Review: The King of the Barbary Coast Finds His Queen
An Old Hollywood disaster epic with star power a-plenty gets a sharp Blu-ray transfer.
Read MoreBaby Doll Is the Pick of the Week
Elia Kazan’s still provocative 1956 pot boiler headlines a new week of releases.
Read MoreThe Last Starfighter Blu-ray Review: Tailor Made for 1980s Gamers
The Last Starfighter is tailor made for 1980s gamers.
Read MoreMalcolm & Marie Movie Review: A Frustratingly Distressing Acting Showcase
A 106-minute nonsensical shouting match.
Read MoreJack and the Beanstalk (1952) Blu-ray Review: Abbott and Costello Meet the Giant
Two not-so-classic comedies from the very much classic comedy duo get a 4K upgrade.
Read MoreCriterion Announces May 2021 Releases
How many will you be buying?
Read MoreLegendary Comics Announces ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Publishing Program
The robust offerings include all-new prequel graphic novels, two children’s books, a behind-the-scenes art book, a novelization, and a special anthology of past stories.
Read MoreBeautiful Girls (25th Anniversary) Movie Review: Love in the ’90s
What is nice about Beautiful Girls and makes it so enjoyable to watch is the how the guys and the girls deal with the same issues.
Read MoreBook Review: Wolverine: Weapon X Omnibus by Cerasini, Mack, and Matthews
Wolverine: Weapon X Omnibus comes packed with three solid novels that Logan / Wolverine fans will be glad to spend a couple weeks with.
Read MoreThe Parallax View Is the Pick of the Week
A creepy 1974 political thriller takes the top spot of a new week of releases.
Read MoreMario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Blu-ray Review
It may have had more success if the family at the center of the story wasn’t named Corleone.
Read MoreBook Review: For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library, Volume Five (1993-1996) by Lynn Johnston
Nearly two decades in, Lynn Johnston’s groundbreaking series remains as effortless, hilarious, relatable, and real as ever.
Read MoreTremors (1990) 4K Ultra HD Review: Monster Movie in Perfection
An extras-packed new release of the early ’90s monster movie that, in its very small way, is kind of perfect.
Read MoreMore Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story Movie Review
It’s good to leave the audience wanting more, which “More Than Miyagi” does.
Read MoreSundance 2021 Review: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
An important documentary about music, about the Black experience, and about American history.
Read More2021 Golden Globes Winners Announced
Hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the fourth time, the Golden Globe Awards will air live coast-to-coast on NBC on Sunday, February 28.
Read MoreThe Go-Go’s Movie Review: Girls Rock. Duh.
Viewers will be wondering by the end why the band has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (this film could be clearly used as a video application).
Read MoreDo the Right Thing 4K UHD Is the Pick of the Week
The new 4K edition of Spike Lee’s still provocative and fiery 1989 masterpiece takes the top spot this week.
Read MoreSundance 2021 Review: Playing with Sharks
A wonderful, inspiring story that shows one person can make a difference in improving the world.
Read MoreThe Court Jester Blu-ray Review: Danny Kaye Stars in a Comic Masterpiece
Get it. (And once you’ve) Got it. (You’ll see how) Good (it is).
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