Book Review: Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas by Alonso Duralde
Christmas time is a time for many things, and one of the things that I most enjoy are the movies. ...
Read More History Presents: The Definitive WWI & WWII Collection DVD Review: Nirvana in a Box for War Buffs
At the close of the Second World War, Winston Churchill was quoted as saying, “One must regard these thirty years ...
Read More Very Extremely Dangerous (2012) DVD Review: A Life of Utter Chaos
Three-time felon Jerry McGill (1940 - 2013) was a musician whose life was the stuff of legend. Very Extremely Dangerous ...
Read More Book Review: Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: Daily Cartoons 1929-1930
The new Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Daily Cartoons 1929-1930 from the Library of American Comics is a fond look ...
Read More The Prosecution of An American President DVD Review: Former Manson Prosecutor Takes on George W. Bush
Vincent Bugliosi is best known as the prosecutor of Charles Manson, and for writing the book Helter Skelter (1974) about ...
Read More Book Review: The Art of Greg Spalenka by Greg Spalenka
The name Greg Spalenka may or may not be a familiar one to you, but once you have seen his ...
Read More Radio Free Albemuth Movie Review: Faithful Adaptation of the Philip K. Dick Novel
One of Philip K. Dick's (1928-1982) finest inspirations was VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System), which he first laid out ...
Read More Hearts and Minds (1974) Criterion Collection Review: A Riveting Documentary of the Vietnam War
The Academy Award-winning Hearts and Minds is the most riveting war documentary I have ever seen. The raw footage and ...
Read More Mama’s Family: The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review: Firing on All Cylinders
Mama's Family was one of the most popular recurring skits on the old Carol Burnett Show, so it was not ...
Read More Jurassic Park Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review: Mondo Releases John Williams’ Music on Vinyl
We are obviously big fans of the movies around here, and the soundtracks to those films can be equally compelling. ...
Read More SIFF 2014 Review: Strictly Sacred: A Film about Girl Trouble
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) may not be Cannes, or Tribeca for that matter, but it sure was the ...
Read More The Class: The Complete Series DVD Review: An Updated, Expanded Friends
Warner Archive have been releasing some very interesting DVD sets this year, especially in the realm of “lost” television programs. ...
Read More Midsomer Murders: Village Case Files DVD Review: Probably the Greatest Current British Mystery Series
Midsomer Murders is probably the greatest British mystery series currently on the air. The show is in its 17th season, ...
Read More Book Review: Popeye: The Classic Newspaper Comics, Volume One: 1986-1989 by Bobby London: Absolutely Fabulous
When it comes to reprints of classic comics, The Library of American Comics from IDW Publishing are the absolute gold ...
Read More Little Feat: Live in Holland 1976 Review: Featfans, Rejoice!
They call themselves “Featfans,” and are to Little Feat what the Deadheads are to the Grateful Dead. Recently the Featfans ...
Read More Search: The Complete Series DVD Review: About 40 Years Ahead of Its Time
Search was a show that aired for one season back in 1972-73, and if you do not remember it, join ...
Read More DC Comics Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures Volume 1 DVD Review: They Cannot Be Beat
DC Comics are one of the oldest and most successful comic-book publishers of all time. They have also made some ...
Read More Mr. & Mrs. Murder: Series 1 DVD Review: Worth a Look
Thanks to Acorn Media, I have discovered some great shows from outside of the U.S., and had high hopes for ...
Read More The Bigamist (1953) DVD Review: A Sensitive Treatment of the Subject
I must admit that my prurient interests were piqued by the title of The Bigamist (1953). This Ida Lupino-directed film ...
Read More Eric Clapton: The 1970s Review DVD Review: Between Cream and 461 Ocean Boulevard
The video company Sexy Intellectual specialize in unauthorized biographies, such as From Straight to Bizarre: Zappa, Beefheart, Alice Cooper and ...
Read More Mama’s Family: The Complete Third Season DVD Review: A Blast from the Past
Spin-offs have been a part of the television world for many years now. As a matter of fact, there is ...
Read More Last Stand of the 300 and Other Famous Greek Battles DVD Review: Grand Theft Auto at Thermopylae
Remember when The History Channel actually showed programs of historical interest? For a lot of people (generally men), those history ...
Read More Tess Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Polanski’s Vision of Victorian England
Tess is an unforgettable film, and one of the finest of Roman Polanski's career. The fact that it lost to ...
Read More Midsomer Murders: Set 23 DVD Review: Britain’s Finest Mystery Series
For murder mystery fans, I believe there is no better show on the air right now than Midsomer Murders. The ...
Read More Killing Kennedy Blu-ray Review: The Assassination Fox News Style
If Killing Kennedy did not present itself so seriously, I would swear that it was a parody of the whole ...
Read More Dallas (2012): The Complete Second Season DVD Review: Who Killed J.R.?
Through an extraordinary set of circumstances, the legendary J.R. Ewing actually got a proper send-off from Dallas. In 1980, the ...
Read More LEGO Legends of Chima: The Lion, the Crocodile, and the Power of CHI! Season 1 Part 1 DVD Review
With the theatrical release of The LEGO Movie (2014), the famous building-block company have gone wide with their latest animated ...
Read More Space Voyages DVD Review: The Real Continuing Missions
The Smithsonian Channel's Space Voyages miniseries was one of the best programs I saw last year, and for anyone who ...
Read More Jules and Jim Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Seminal French New Wave Love Triangle
The greatest literature is often inspired by true events, and the story behind Francois Truffaut's Jules and Jim (1962) is ...
Read More Being Human: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review: A Melting Pot of the Supernatural
Giving good-looking vampires their own shows has become standard practice in television these days, so with Being Human, the Syfy ...
Read More The Blue Eyes Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review: Another Strong Entry in the JG Thirlwell Catalog
JG Thirlwell is nothing if not prolific. He has recorded over 30 albums in a variety of styles, under such ...
Read More Book Review: The Mayor of MacDougal Street by Dave Van Ronk
The 2013 reprint of Dave Van Ronk's (1936 -2002) autobiography The Mayor of MacDougal Street (2004) has a cover blurb ...
Read More Fantastic Voyage Blu-ray Review: The Coolest Ship in the Movies
The Proteus is just about the coolest movie ship ever. The only real competition would be the Nautilus from Mysterious ...
Read More The Mod Squad: The Complete Collection Review (Sampler): One Black, One White, and One Blonde
If you are looking for something for the classic-TV enthusiast this holiday season, the people at Visual Entertainment have you ...
Read More The Day Kennedy Died DVD Review: One of the Darkest Days in History
There are a few days in American history when the world just seemed to stop. November 22, 1963 is one ...
Read More MOMO: The Sam Giancana Story DVD Review: Rat Pack Gangster
Sam “Momo” Giancana (1908-1975) was one of the most fascinating gangsters of the 20th century. He has been the subject ...
Read More Tales of the City: 20th Anniversary Edition DVD Review: Wild Times in San Francisco
The six-part mini-series Tales of the City (1993) boasts an all-star cast, including the city of San Francisco itself. The ...
Read More East End Babylon: The Cockney Rejects Story DVD Review: Punk Hooligans for Life
For a guy from the northwest corner of America, watching the story of the Cockney Rejects in East End Babylon ...
Read More Various Artists: Mad Men Christmas Album Review: Smell the Booze, Feel the Christmas Angst
The only question I had about the Mad Men Christmas collection was what took them so long? This 12-song compilation ...
Read More Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Snoopy’s Doghouse Edition) Soundtrack Review
I look forward to the holiday season for a few reasons, and one of them is the undeniable joy of ...
Read More On the Riviera Blu-ray Review: Double the Danny Kaye!
There was a time when Danny Kaye was one of the top entertainers in the world. Although Bob Hope and ...
Read More Book Review: Star Trek FAQ 2.0: Everything Left to Know about The Next Generation, the Movies, and Beyond by Mark Clark
Sometimes I wonder if I am a “Trekkie,” or “Trekker.” What does it take exactly? A working knowledge of every ...
Read More I Married a Witch Criterion Collection DVD Review: Truly Bewitching
Forget Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched; the most beautiful witch of all time is Veronica Lake in I Married a Witch ...
Read More 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Definitive Journey
When Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945) won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 1946, he was recognized as the ...
Read More Two and a Half Men: The Complete Tenth Season DVD Review: Getting Better
The fact that Two and a Half Men survived the firing of Charlie Sheen is nothing short of a miracle. ...
Read More Revolution: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: The Revolution Is Televised
How does one describe a show as wild as Revolution? It is one of the most action-packed, science fiction programs ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors DVD Review: A Classic
Whether you are a new fan of Doctor Who, or have been watching the show since its debut in November ...
Read More The Twilight Zone: The Complete Fifth Season DVD Review: The End of the Line
The fifth and final season of The Twilight Zone aired during the 1963-1964 season, almost exactly 50 years ago. I ...
Read More The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Sixth Season DVD Review: Best Sitcom Since Seinfeld
Is The Big Bang Theory the funniest show on network TV? It is to me, and apparently to a whole ...
Read More American Guerrilla in the Philippines DVD Review: An Interesting Detour
By 1950, it appears that Fritz Lang had gone from being one of the most innovative and daring directors in ...
Read More Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man (Director’s Cut Special Edition) DVD Review: A Must for Fans
Charles Beaumont (1929-1967) is credited with writing 22 episodes of the original Twilight Zone (1959-1964). That number is only about ...
Read More The Twilight Zone: The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review: Charles Beaumont Is the Star of This Season
The original Twilight Zone aired for five seasons (1959-64), on CBS. Like most of the people I know, the first-run ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Green Death: Special Edition DVD Review: Hello, Giant Maggots; Goodbye, Jo Grant
“So the fledgling flies the coop,” states the Doctor in one of the opening scenes of The Green Death. It ...
Read More Frank Zappa: A Token of His Extreme DVD Review: FZ TV Circa 1974
In 1974, Frank Zappa recorded a concert for television titled A Token of His Extreme. It was intended as a ...
Read More Book Review: The Greatest Bad Movies of All Time by Phil Hall: A Great Compendium
The celebration of the worst films ever made has become something of a cottage industry over the years. Although college ...
Read More Lord of the Flies (1963) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Lightning Struck Twice
William Golding was 43 years old when his first book was published. The year was 1954, and the title of ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited: First to Fourth DVD Review: The Fantastic Four
The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is coming up, and the BBC is pulling out all the stops. There have ...
Read More The Twilight Zone: The Complete Third Season DVD Review: An Epiphany
I had what you might call an epiphany the other night. It happened while I was watching “The Hunt,“ an ...
Read More Safety Last! (1923) Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Silent Comedic Masterpiece
The three comedic geniuses of the silent film era were Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. For various reasons, ...
Read More Things To Come (1936) Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Unforgettable Piece of Cinematic History
H.G. Wells has had a number of books turned into classic films, including The Island of Lost Souls (1932), and ...
Read More Doctor Who: Inferno: Special Edition DVD Review: Murdering Radioactive Mutants Unite!
We are just a few months away from the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and the BBC continues to roll ...
Read More George Gently: Series 5 DVD Review: The Most Intriguing and Intense So Far
As the BBC series George Gently embarks on its sixth series, Acorn Media have been helping us catch up with ...
Read More Book Review: Doctor Who: Harvest of Time by Alastair Reynolds
Forget about the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary, the one that really counts is coming this November, which will mark 50 ...
Read More George Gently Collection: Series 1-4 DVD Review: A Hidden Treasure
In 1955 author Alan Hunter published a novel entitled Gently Does It, which marked the first appearance of the British ...
Read More Book Review: A Quick Guide to Screenwriting by Ray Morton
Just about everybody I know has said words to the effect of “I could write a better movie than that!” ...
Read More 3:10 to Yuma (1957) Criterion Collection DVD Review: You Gotta Trust Delmer Daves on This One
The opening shot of 3:10 to Yuma (1957) sets the film up as perfectly as anything I have ever seen. ...
Read More Star Trek: Generations Movie Review: Passing of the Torch
“Kirk or Picard?” was one of the first questions Dr. Sheldon Cooper asked Dr. Leonard Hofsteder when they first met ...
Read More Parade’s End (1964) DVD Review: A Very Impressive Period Drama
The current success of Downton Abbey is just the latest example of a subject that the English never seem to ...
Read More Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Movie Review: Classic Storytelling
For this fan, the greatest Star Trek movie of all time is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). ...
Read More Richard III (1955) Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Tremendous Film
One of the most striking aspects of the newly restored Richard III (1955) is its magnificent use of color. As ...
Read More Spies of Warsaw DVD Review: A Rare Misstep for the BBC
At their best, spy films incorporate espionage, the old double-cross, corruption, opportunities for incredible rewards, and cold-blooded murder at every ...
Read More Repo Man Criterion Collection DVD Review: Punk All Over
The seamy underbelly of Los Angeles has been explored in numerous films over the years. A few of my favorites ...
Read More One Life DVD Review: Most Impressive
Nature programs have been a staple of family-friendly viewing for decades now. Some have proven to be very popular with ...
Read More Book Review: Doctor Who: The Dalek Generation by Nicholas Briggs
Of all the creatures the Doctor has met in the universe, none are more evil than the Daleks. But what ...
Read More Pat Metheny Group: We Live Here: Live in Japan DVD Review: Brilliant in Every Way
The Pat Metheny Group concert that was recorded for the We Live Here: Live In Japan DVD took place at ...
Read More Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home (2010) DVD Review: A Sobering Look
I guess that every major city in America has a “skid row,” but none can compare to the one in ...
Read More Book Review: Doctor Who FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Famous Time Lord in the Universe by Dave Thompson
In some ways, I have found the history of the Doctor Who television series to be even more fascinating than ...
Read More Elvis Presley: Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (Legacy Edition) Album Review
If you are old enough to remember the original broadcast of Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite, then it ...
Read More Wilson DVD Review: A Forgotten Classic About the 28th U.S. President
As superficial as this may sound, I actually learned a lot from watching Wilson (1944), part of Fox Cinema Archives. ...
Read More Scavenger Hunt: An Unlikely Union DVD Review: It’s for the Birds
The new documentary Scavenger Hunt: An Unlikely Union hopes to alert people to an unusual problem. It is the effect ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Ark in Space (Special Edition) DVD Review: Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turnin’
The "wheel in space" was the New Frontier-era notion of what space stations of the future would look like. I ...
Read More Book Review: Hopper: A Journey into the American Dream by Tom Folsom
I had decided on the opening line of my review of the new Dennis Hopper biography Hopper: A Journey Into ...
Read More Mister 880 DVD Review: A Forgotten Counterfeit Gem
I wonder if there has ever been a more charming actor than Edmund Gwenn. In 2013, his name may no ...
Read More The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp: Season 2 DVD Review: Historically Accurate TV Classic
"Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave courageous and bold, Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, long may his story be told..." Those are ...
Read More The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978) DVD Review: A Stunning Achievement
Muriel Spark's Miss Jean Brodie was one of the great literary characters of the 20th century. Her book, The Prime ...
Read More I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney DVD Review: The History of the Godfathers of Grunge
In 1988, the song "Touch Me, I'm Sick" by Mudhoney was the first blast of what would come to be ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror DVD Review: Re-Animating the Doctor
When it comes to resurrecting lost Doctor Who episodes, the people at BBC Home Video have come up with some ...
Read More Undersea Edens DVD Review: A Marvelous Viewing Experience
The Smithsonian Channel are known for their documentary programs, and Undersea Edens is an example of what they do best. ...
Read More The Origins of Oz DVD Review: The Story of the True Man Behind the Curtain
The Wizard of Oz (1939) is one of the most beloved films of all time. It is hard to believe ...
Read More Midsomer Murders: Set 21 DVD Review: The Fictional British County of Midsomer Is Beautiful and Deadly
The fictional Midsomer County is one of the most beautiful areas on British television. It is also home to a ...
Read More Doctor Who: Shada DVD Review: The Doctor Goes to Cambridge to Save the Universe
The story behind Shada is one of the strangest in the long history of Doctor Who. The six-part serial was ...
Read More The Tin Drum Criterion Collection DVD Review: Familial Insanity Mirrors Nazi Germany
For a film that won both the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, The Tin ...
Read More The Story of Math Collection DVD Review: Informative, Fascinating, and Entertaining Study of Mathematics
I would like to preface this review by mentioning that I was about as far from being a “math-lete” in ...
Read More The Point Definitive Collector’s Edition DVD Review: Celebrating Non-Conformity
I must confess that I never really “got” Harry Nilsson. Now don't get me wrong, I like what I have ...
Read More Blackmore’s Night: A Knight in York DVD Review: The Most Ridiculous Real-life Spinal Tap Situation Ever
“King” Ritchie Blackmore and “Queen” Candice Night formed Blackmore's Night back in 1997 to perform Renaissance music. When I first ...
Read More The Yardbirds: Making Tracks DVD Review: Great Performances from the 21st Century Edition of the Band
The Yardbirds are a legendary British band, who will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2013. There have been a ...
Read More The Qatsi Trilogy: (Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Fans Should Be Very Pleased
When Koyaanisqatsi (1983) came out, my girlfriend at the time talked me into seeing it with her. She was very ...
Read More Motorhead: The World is Ours, Vol. 2: Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else Review: Live at Wacken 2011 and More
I remember seeing Motorhead live at (of all places) Bumbershoot in Seattle about ten years ago. Unlike pure music fests ...
Read More Saxon: Heavy Metal Thunder: The Movie DVD Review: About as Rock and Roll as it Gets
Saxon were one of the premier bands of the short-lived, but glorious New Wave of British Heavy Metal, (NWBOHM) which ...
Read More Books Review: Neon Genesis Evangelion Volumes 01, 02 & 03 and Volume 13 by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
The first known screening of the form of Japanese animation referred to as anime was way back in 1917. My ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos Special Edition DVD Review: Earthbound Doctor Saves the Day Again
The budgetary constraints placed upon the BBC during the early '70s resulted in an interesting chapter in the long saga ...
Read More Culinary Masterpieces: Special Edition Box Set Review: Appetizing Flicks
The four films collected in the new Culinary Masterpieces box set provide an alluring glimpse into the world of high-end ...
Read More Woody Herman: Blue Flame DVD Review: An Impressive Story
Although I was born long after the big-band era, I have an abiding appreciation for the music. One of the ...
Read More Rashomon Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Best of the Best
Director Akira Kurosawa (1919-1998) was known as “The Emperor” of Japanese film for a few reasons. For those he worked ...
Read More Book Review: All the Emperor’s Men by Hiroshi Tasogawa
For anyone who has seen such masterpieces as as Rashomon (1950) Ikuru (1952), or Seven Samurai (1954), it goes without saying that Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) was ...
Read More Rosemary’s Baby Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Masterful Film
There have been countless movies that were either so shocking, or just captured the zeitgeist of the culture so well ...
Read More Nazi Collaborators DVD Review: A Worthy Addition to any WWII Buff’s Library
The 13-episode, four-DVD set Nazi Collaborators offers yet another fascinating perspective on the events of World War II. It has ...
Read More Review: If You Like Quentin Tarantino… by Katherine Rife
The new If You Like… series of books from Limelight Editions focus on items that fans of a particular director ...
Read More The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye DVD Review: Should be Titled Plastic Surgery Disasters
At its core, the tale of Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye is a heartbreaking love story. As everything the musical ...
Read More Alcatraz: The Complete Series DVD Review: Lost on the Rock
Is Alcatraz "Lost on the Rock?" Well, sort of. J.J. Abrams is the mastermind of both shows, and he brought ...
Read More Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season DVD Review: End of Days on Wisteria Lane
“There's nothing more peaceful than a night on Wisteria Lane, until someone comes along, and disturbs the peace,” says Mary ...
Read More Doctor Who: Planet of Giants DVD Review: Reconstructing the Doctor
The legendary BBC program Doctor Who holds the world’s record for the most episodes of any series. The count is ...
Read More Holy Flying Circus DVD Review: A Pythonesque Look at the Controversy Surrounding Life of Brian
Monty Python’s Flying Circus debuted on the BBC way back in 1969. To call it “ground-breaking” is an understatement. The ...
Read More Terra Nova: The Complete Series DVD Review: A Missed Opportunity
Terra Nova was a show that I had high hopes for. When it premiered on the FOX network in September ...
Read More The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season DVD Review: Their Funniest Season Yet
Although The Big Bang Theory got off to a rough start early on, the ratings have improved dramatically over time. ...
Read More Book Review: An Askew View 2 by John Kenneth Muir
Director Kevin Smith’s production company is called View Askew, which made the title of John Kenneth Muir‘s filmography An Askew ...
Read More The Lieutenant: The Complete Series Part Two DVD Review: Gene Roddenberry Sows the Seeds of Star Trek
The Lieutenant was the first TV series created by legendary Star Trek guru Gene Roddenberry. The show ran for one ...
Read More SpokAnarchy! DVD Review: An Excellent Documentary
Spokane, WA is about as unlikely a place I can think of to have developed a thriving punk scene in ...
Read More Queen: 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. Even though there were ...
Read More Lonesome Criterion Collection DVD Review: Groundbreaking Cinema That Should Not Be Missed
Paul Fejos (1897-1963) directed something of a “lost” classic with Lonesome (1928). The Criterion Collection have just released a digitally ...
Read More The Zombies: Live at Metropolis Studios, London DVD Review: A Real Treat for Fans
Of all the great British rock acts of the “60s, I have always felt that the Zombies never really got ...
Read More Planet Dinosaur DVD Review: Some of the Best CGI Dinosaurs Ever
The new BBC Video release Planet Dinosaur DVD contains all six half-hour episodes of the series, which originally aired in ...
Read More Nektar, Brainticket, and Huw Lloyd-Langton: Space Rock Invasion DVD Review: The Next Best Thing to Being There
For those so inclined, the Space Rock Invasion Tour of 2011 was a once in a lifetime event. The lineup ...
Read More Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space (Special Edition) DVD Review: One of the Franchise’s Very Best
The first Doctor Who serial to be filmed in color was Spearhead From Space (Story #51), and originally aired January ...
Read More Damon and Pythias DVD Review: Greek Fable of Friendship and Loyalty
The film genre was called “Swords and Sandals,” and it was quite popular, for a while at least. I guess ...
Read More The Costume Drama Classic Collection DVD Review: An Embarrassment of Riches
Besides music, one of the greatest British exports in the field of entertainment is the “costume drama.” Programs such as ...
Read More Frontier Marshal (1939) DVD Review: Randolph Scott Steps into Wyatt Earp’s Boots
The story of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona has been told ...
Read More They Came to Blow up America DVD Review: A Propaganda Piece Through and Through
Such terror! Such suspense! Such propaganda! Oh, wait, we weren’t supposed to notice that, where we? They Came To Blow ...
Read More Van der Graaf Generator: Live at the Metropolis Studios, London Review: Who Doesn’t Love the Prog?
Van der Graaf Generator were one of those groups who could have only flourished in the late ’60s English psychedelic ...
Read More Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers: Live at the Metropolis Studios, London Review: An Electrifying Set Spanning Nelson’s 40-Year Career
I must admit that when I heard that Bill Nelson was planning to revisit some classic Be Bop Deluxe tunes ...
Read More The Sinking of the Laconia DVD Review: A Top-Notch BBC Program
The second RMS Laconia was a Cunard ocean liner built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson as a successor to ...
Read More Jimi Plays Berkeley DVD Review: Flawed but Fascinating
The newly re-mastered film Jimi Plays Berkeley (1971) is an incredible document of its time. Back in the late ’70s, ...
Read More Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks DVD Review: A Very Suspenseful Story
”Exterminate! Exterminate!” Don’t you just love it when the Daleks show up on a Doctor Who series? The newly released ...
Read More Book Review: If You Like The Terminator, Here Are Over 200 Movies, TV Shows, and Other Oddities That You Will Love by Scott Von Doviak
Love him or hate him, Arnold Schwarzenegger was arguably the action-hero of the ’80s. His roles in films such as ...
Read More This Is Civilization DVD Review: Examining the Controversial Role of Art in Civilization
“Whenever I hear the word ‘culture’, I reach for my pistol,” is a line attributed to the infamous Nazi Luftwaffe ...
Read More Springtime in the Sierras DVD Review: A Prime Example of the Roy Rogers Formula
Is it wrong to be attracted to the most evil villainess in the Sierras? The remastered release of Springtime in ...
Read More Treasure Houses of Britain DVD Review: How the One-Percenters Used to Live
Although I have never been to Great Britain, I am aware of the fact that some of the most beautiful ...
Read More The Gold Rush Criterion Collection DVD Review: One of Chaplin’s Most Acclaimed Films
Although Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp” character remains so iconic, people all over the world are still familiar with it, even ...
Read More Gas Pump Girls DVD Review: A Nearly Perfect Example of a Late-’70s Drive-In Flick
Somehow I missed the “disco-gas-station” phenomenon of the late seventies, and it is a real shame. As a consolation however, ...
Read More The Code DVD Review: An Intriguing Educational Journey
The new Athena two-DVD set The Code is not to be confused in any way with The Da Vinci Code. ...
Read More Harold and Maude Criterion Collection DVD Review: Timeless Classic Has Never Been More Appropriate
The oddest couple in cinematic history have got to be the 20-year old Harold (Bud Cort) and the 80-year old ...
Read More Gene Simmons Family Jewels: Season Six Volumes 1 and 2 DVD Review: An Emotional Season for the Demon
When I first heard that Gene Simmons was finally getting married, the cynic in me figured it was to boost ...
Read More Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp DVD Review: Very Funny Stuff Indeed
For those of us of a certain age, Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp is fondly remembered. The Saturday morning live-action show ...
Read More The Beatles: Yellow Submarine DVD Review: A Great Movie with an Even Better Soundtrack
For their third film, the Beatles kind of phoned it in. Their first, A Hard Day’s Night was brilliant, and ...
Read More Sealab 2020 DVD Review: Underwater Environmentalism for the Kids
I have to admit that as a kid, I was never much into the “action adventure” genre of Saturday morning ...
Read More American Pickers: Volume Three DVD Review: They’re a-Pickin’ and You’ll Be a-Grinnin’
The History Channel (now just called History) has come a long way since their debut on basic cable back in ...
Read More Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved DVD Review: Compelling in Its Scope
The recent 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic has spurred interest in that famous “night to ...
Read More Pawn Stars: Volume Four DVD Review: To Pawn or Not to Pawn in Las Vegas
Remember when pawnshops used to be scary? Maybe it was the area I grew up in, but there was always ...
Read More Book Review: Music on Film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Dave Thompson
As Roger Ebert so memorably put it a few years ago, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show is not so much ...
Read More Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol DVD Review: Don’t Worry, Be Happy or Else
Has anyone ever stopped to consider what the politics of The Doctor might be? I must admit that before watching ...
Read More Being John Malkovich Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Remarkable Achievement
The year 1999 was a strange one. The dot-com bubble was going strong, and the economy was booming. Yet there ...
Read More In Their Own Words DVD Review: Entertaining and Informative
The Athena Company’s series of DVDs provide some of the most entertaining and educational programs I have seen. Their recent ...
Read More Book Review: Film Noir: The Directors by Alain Silver and James Ursini
Film critics Alain Silver and James Ursini are responsible for the brilliant four-volume Film Noir Reader series. Their latest outing ...
Read More A Night to Remember Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Best Film about the Titanic Disaster
The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic will be April 14, 2012, and it is being recognized with ...
Read More The Beat Hotel Movie Review: Expat Writers in Paradise
The lives and works of the Beats are a continuing source of fascination for many. Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, ...
Read More The Doors: Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Making of L.A. Woman DVD Review: The Story of a Truly Great Album and Band
The final album The Doors recorded with Jim Morrison was L.A. Woman in 1970. It may well be their finest ...
Read More The Sitter: Totally Irresponsible Edition DVD Review: Adventures in Bad Ideas
Hollywood is a tough town, and Seth Rogen is the latest to get thrown under the bus, by a friend ...
Read More Public Image Limited: Live at Rockpalast DVD Review: A Must for PiL Fans
When John Lydon formed Public Image Ltd. in 1978, nobody knew what to make of it at first. With the ...
Read More Hell Boats DVD Review: An Island-Based, Low-Budget Dirty Dozen
James Franciscus first came to prominence as Detective Halloran in the great 1958-1959 TV series The Naked City. By the ...
Read More Pianomania DVD Review: Surprisingly Compelling Study of a Master Piano Technician
When listening to master pianists such as Vladimer Horowitz or Keith Jarrett, I wonder if many people consider the actual ...
Read More Vanya on 42nd Street Criterion Collection DVD Review: Chronicling the Last Days of Multiple Eras
As it turned out, Vanya On 42nd Street (1994) was the final film completed by legendary director Louis Malle. Although ...
Read More World on a Wire Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Superb Piece of Science Fiction
What if everything you thought you knew was nothing but a fabrication? This is but one of the many themes ...
Read More Book Review: Reel Culture: 50 Classic Movies You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends) by Mimi O’Connor
Reel Culture: 50 Classic Movies You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends) by Mimi O’Connor is an ...
Read More Book Review: How To Fight, Lie, and Cry Your Way To Popularity (and a Prom Date): Lousy Life Lessons From 50 Teen Movies by Nikki Roddy
Not to put too fine a spin on it, but Zest Books cater to a fairly small, but an incredibly ...
Read More What Do You Say To A Naked Lady? DVD Review: Not Ready for 1970 Prime Time
Allen Funt (1914 -1999) is best remembered for creating the television show Candid Camera. The basic premise of the program ...
Read More Murder By Proxy: How America Went Postal DVD Review: Intriguing yet Offers More Questions Than Answers
There is a phenomenon in this country which we refer to as “going postal.” The term was coined after a ...
Read More The Magnetic Monster DVD Review: A Very Good Science-Fiction Film
With the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world changed forever. Nuclear research and the splitting of ...
Read More Queen: Days of Our Lives DVD Review: They Made the Rockin’ World Go Round
As good a documentary as Queen: Days Of Our Lives is, it is also a bit of a strange beast. ...
Read More From Straight to Bizarre: Zappa, Beefheart, Alice Cooper, and LA’s Lunatic Fringe DVD Review: A Must for Zappa-philes
They called Frank Zappa “The King of the L.A. Freak Scene,” and it was definitely a title he enjoyed. After ...
Read More The Snowtown Murders Movie Review: The Killer is the Step-Dad Beside Me
The Snowtown Murders is the most sickening movie I have ever seen, which was undoubtedly director Justin Kurzel’s intention. The ...
Read More The Looney Tunes Show Season One Volume 2 DVD Review: Bugs and Daffy as The Odd Couple
Although it came out a little over a year ago, I have taken my time in watching all 24 films ...
Read More Tokyo Drifter The Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Blast of Swinging Tokyo
Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter (1966) is a delirious Pop Art explosion. Working under the yoke of the Japanese Nikkatsu Studio, ...
Read More Branded To Kill Criterion Collection DVD Review: Suzuki’s Absurd Deconstruction of Yakuza Crime Films
There has never been a crime film quite like this. Director Seijun Suzuki’s Branded To Kill (1967), did not merely ...
Read More Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live In Montreux 2011 DVD Review: They All Came out to Montreux Again
It certainly makes sense for Deep Purple to record a concert live at Montreux, Switzerland. After all, the opening line ...
Read More Frosty’s Winter Wonderland DVD Review: A Warm Return from Everybody’s Favorite Snowman
There are a lot of reasons that people enjoy the holiday season. For me it is the chance to see ...
Read More Don’t Worry, We’ll Think of a Title DVD Review: The Spy Who Came In From The Catskills
Morey Amsterdam wrote, produced, and directed Don’t Worry, We’ll Think Of A Title (1965) while he co-starred in the TV ...
Read More 12 Angry Men Criterion Collection DVD Review: Explosive Drama in the Jury Room
The stifling, claustrophobic feeling director Sidney Lumet perfected in films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Network (1976) was ...
Read More God Bless Ozzy Osbourne DVD Review: A Side of Ozzy We Have Never Seen Before
It has been nearly a decade since The Osbournes debuted on MTV, and since that time the first family of ...
Read More Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 3 DVD Review: As Fun as Ever
Warner Home Video are now offering the third installment in their Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures DVD series, and ...
Read More Island of Lost Souls (1932) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Are We Not Men?
”Do you know what it means to feel like God?” asks the fiendish Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) at one point ...
Read More Criterion Collection Eclipse Series #29 DVD Review: Aki Kaurismaki’s Leningrad Cowboys
Not since the likes of Sigue Sigue Sputnik have a band with so little to offer gained such mass attention. ...
Read More Carlos (2010) Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Extraordinary Movie
From the opening explosion of a car bomb in Paris, through the anti-climactic, somewhat pathetic ending – Carlos is a ...
Read More The Phantom Carriage Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Pinnacle of Swedish Silent Filmmaking
Swedish director Victor Sjostrom’s (1879-1960) The Phantom Carriage (1921) is a profoundly emotional film, and was a seminal influence on ...
Read More The Glory Stompers DVD Review: Another Classic AIP Biker Flick
The year before Easy Rider (1969) made history, Dennis Hopper appeared in the American International biker flick The Glory Stompers ...
Read More Orpheus Criterion Collection DVD Review: Jean Cocteau Constructed a Masterpiece
”Look at yourself in a mirror all your life and you will see Death at work,” says Heurtebise (Francois Perier) ...
Read More Book Review: Lucille Ball FAQ by James Sheridan and Barry Monush
While Lucille Ball (1911-1989) made her name in television, she began her illustrious career in film. The movie was Roman ...
Read More A Big Box Of Wood DVD Set Review: The Ultimate Ed Wood Collection
In analyzing the qualities about two of the most prominent auteurs of the French New Wave, critic Andrew Sarris concluded ...
Read More Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Movie Review: A Study of a Study in Contradictions
As Kenneth Bowser’s new documentary Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune makes clear, folksinger Phil Ochs (1940 – 1976) was ...
Read More Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review: Witness the First Rise of the Apes
Watching the original Planet Of The Apes movies some 40 years after their theatrical release makes for an intriguing look ...
Read More Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 2 DVD Review: Another Helping of the Famous Twosome
Tom and Jerry have been entertaining audiences for over 70 years now, and we still can’t get enough of them. ...
Read More Insignificance Criterion Collection DVD Review: There is Significance in Everything
In 1954, four of the most famous people in the world were Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, Joe McCarthy, and Albert ...
Read More Kiss Me Deadly Criterion Collection DVD Review: Endlessly Entertaining
Appearing at the tail end of the classic era of film noir, Kiss Me Deadly (1955) was a stylishly brutal ...
Read More Anti-Nazi Classics DVD Review: Germans Examine Themselves Through Art
Before, during, and especially after America’s entry into World War II, Hollywood produced an enormous number of films about the ...
Read More Orgasm Inc. DVD Review: The Sick Practices of the Pharmaceutical Industry
As Michael Moore showed us with Sicko (2007) the pharmaceutical industry is ruthless in their pursuit of profits. Since there ...
Read More Old Dracula DVD Review: Bloodsucking Fun with David Niven
Once upon a time there was an audience for pictures like Old Dracula (1975), one who watched movies from the ...
Read More Criterion Collection Eclipse Series #27 DVD Review: Raffaello Matarazzo’s Runaway Melodramas
Raffaello Matarazzo (1909 – 1966) was an Italian director who specialized in some of the most melodramatic pictures to ever ...
Read More The Great Dictator Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Most Courageous Act of His Remarkable Career
Charles Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940) is undoubtedly his most controversial film. It is also one of his greatest. His ...
Read More Diabolique (1955) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Influential Horror that Stands the Test of Time
Henri-Georges Clouzet’s Diabolique (1955) is a classic suspense/horror film. Although Clouzet was maligned as “old guard” by the up and ...
Read More IMAX: Hubble DVD Review: Nothing Short of Spectacular
After seeing IMAX: Hubble, I am kicking myself for not having ventured to the local theatre to see it in ...
Read More Tom and Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 1 DVD Review: Fun Stuff For All
As we all remember, Tom and Jerry were the precursors to the wonderfully subversive Itchy and Scratchy on The Simpsons. ...
Read More Book Review: Music On Film: This Is Spinal Tap by John Kenneth Muir
The fact that This Is Spinal Tap (1984) is considered an iconic film today is almost a miracle, given the ...
Read More Fish Tank Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Struggle to Escape Family Traditions
After viewing the Criterion Collection edition of Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank (2009), I cannot imagine a better title for the ...
Read More Still Walking Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Masterpiece of Japanese Cinema
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Still Walking (2008) has just been issued as part of The Criterion Collection, and is a ...
Read More Looney Tunes Super Stars: Tweety & Sylvester DVD Review: Feline Fwenzy
Feline Fwenzy contains 15 cartoons featuring the famous duo, all directed by the legendary Friz Freling. They date from 1947 ...
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