The Vagrant (1992) Blu-ray Review: Baffling, but Never Boring Horror Film
By Kent Conrad |
A brisk if tone-deaf horror comedy about a homeless man who won’t leave is baffling in good and bad ways.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Blu-ray Review: Puss Meets Death for the Ninth Time
By Kent Conrad |
Visual invention, fun adventure and unexpected poignancy make this a surprisingly welcome return of the Shrek spin-off.
Book Review: The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1925-1927
By Kent Conrad |
A new hardcover collection of Krazy Kat’s Sunday strips is still baffling, head shaking and beautiful.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 4K UHD Steelbook Review: Grinding Relentless Horror Classic
By Kent Conrad |
The grimy horror redefining classic re-emerges on 4K with a filmic presentation that emphasizes the grueling naturalistic film.
Kubo and the Two Strings 4K UHD Steelbook Review: Stop-motion Tribute to Samurai Cinema
By Kent Conrad |
Newly on 4K UHD, this stop-motion tribute to Japanese cinema is an unparalleled technical feat.
The Boxtrolls 4K UHD Steelbook Review: Charming, Odd, Ugly Beautiful?
By Kent Conrad |
Laika’s third (and weirdest) stop-motion movie about a child growing up with lovable eccentric monsters shines on 4K.
Book Review: Talespin: Flight of the Sky-Raker and Other Stories: The Disney Afternoon Adventures Vol. 2
By Kent Conrad |
A collection of several comic reprints mostly from the Disney Adventures magazine has fun stories from various Disney Afternoon shows.
Three Colors Trilogy Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Enigmatic Masterpieces About People Connecting
By Kent Conrad |
Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski’s famous trilogy, and final films, bring their visually arresting and enigmatic stories to 4K.
El Vampiro Negro (1953) Blu-ray Review: An Argentinian “M”
By Kent Conrad |
An interesting and entertaining remake of Fritz Lang’s great thriller shifts the stories perspective with limited success.
Silent Running 4K UHD: Sci-Fi Hippy Dreams Dying
By Kent Conrad |
Visually impressive ’70s sci-fi film has an ecological message, if not a lot of story.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 4K UHD Review: Calamitous Christmas Classic
By Kent Conrad |
Clark Griswold’s disastrous attempt to manufacture a perfect Christmas has laughs and looks great on the new 4K UHD.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles 4K UHD Review: Thanksgiving’s Annual Lesson
By Kent Conrad |
John Hughes first movie about adults embodies the lesson of Thanksgiving: that sometimes the most important thing is just to get along.
Contraband (1980) Blu-ray Review: Explosively Violent Crime Action
By Kent Conrad |
Lucio Fulci’s drama about cigarette smugglers tells its crime story with horror movie levels of violence and gore.
Elf (2003) 4K UHD Review: Farrell and Favreau Hit
By Kent Conrad |
John Favreau’s engaging holiday modern classic, starring Will Farrell, shines on 4k.
The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Review: Which Mother Will Prove Superior?
By Kent Conrad |
A power struggle in a convent reveals hypocritical structure of the church in this beautifully shot if unengaging historical drama.
The Company of Wolves 4K UHD Review: Little Red’s Wolf Fetish
By Kent Conrad |
A dream-like riff on the Little Red Riding Hood story is at times mesmerizing, and at more times unfocused.
The Kindred (1987) Blu-ray Review: Practical Effects, Impractical Storytelling
By Kent Conrad |
A late ’80s practical effects showcase has an overbusy story that simultaneously has too much and not enough going on.
Casablanca 4K UHD Review: Here’s Looking at UHD
By Kent Conrad |
The 4K rerelease of the indelible Hollywood classic is as memorable as ever, and now looks better than ever.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray Review: ’80s Friendly Alien Invasion
By Kent Conrad |
Spielberg’s second great alien encounter film is now 40 years old, and just as powerful as when it was new.
Blind Fury (1989) Blu-ray Review: ’80s Action Meets Japan Pulp
By Kent Conrad |
In this adapted samurai film, Rutger Hauer’s a blind swordsman who wanders America, righting wrongs and teaching about manhood.
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) Blu-ray Review: Canuxploitation Slasher Slog
By Kent Conrad |
Canada produced slasher movie boasts “six bizarre murders”, actually boasts bizarre plot twists that strain credibility and storytelling.
Army of Darkness 4K UHD Limited Edition Steelbook Review: Long Live the Medieval Dead
By Kent Conrad |
The third Evil Dead film turns from horror to adventure as Ash brings his accomplished incompetence to the Middle Ages.
The Lost Boys 4K UHD Review: Flashy ’80s Vampire Flick
By Kent Conrad |
Joel Schumacher’s story of teenage vampires terrorizing a California beach town is an often fun, often irritating mess.
Le Corbeau Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Poison Pen French Noir
By Kent Conrad |
A once suppressed mystery about a writer of poison pen letters made in France during the German occupation.
The Old Man Movie Blu-ray Review: Cows Udders End the World
By Kent Conrad |
An Estonian animated comedy takes an absurd premise (unmilked cows explode catastrophically) and builds a surprisingly coherent film around it.
Event Horizon 4K UHD Review: Atmospheric Space Chiller
By Kent Conrad |
Despite a disappointing box office, this space horror film deserves the cult reputation built up in the years since its release.
Flatliners (1990) 4K UHD Review: Visually Stimulating Psychological Thriller
By Kent Conrad |
Flatliners is more beautiful than ever on this stunning 4K release, even if ultimately the thrills run a little… flat.
Desperate Hours Blu-ray Review: Hostage Thriller Boils Over
By Kent Conrad |
Michael Cimino’s last theatrical release has a stellar cast, a fine premise, and a completely insane, unfocused execution.
The Deer King Movie Review: Beautiful, If Overly Complicated Fantasy
By Kent Conrad |
A fantasy anime following in the footsteps of Princess Mononoke that has many interesting parts… maybe too many.
Edge of Tomorrow 4K UHD Review: Groundhog D-Day
By Kent Conrad |
High concept sci-fi thriller that was underappreciated at the box office has a great premise and a decent execution.
Panda! Go Panda! Blu-ray Review: Proto Totoro Anime Film
By Kent Conrad |
Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki make the prototype for the Ghibli films that would rule anime filmmaking for decades afterward.
True Romance 4K UHD Review: Sick Love, Slick Film
By Kent Conrad |
A rare film written but not directed by Quentin Tarantino, it’s beautifully produced if a little hard to love.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD Review: Cinematic Adventure Perfection
By Kent Conrad |
Steven Spielberg’s unparalleled adventure masterpiece has broken out from the box set to be released on its own on 4K.
Candyman (1992) 4K UHD Review: Urban Legend, Urban Horror
By Kent Conrad |
The original adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story explores the horror of crossing racial and class lines.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices Blu-ray Review: Fantasy Adventure about Loss
By Kent Conrad |
A departure from his usual urban sci-fi, Makoto Shinkai’s fantasy epic delves into a journey under the earth.
5 Centimeters Per Second Blu-ray Review: A Story about Distance
By Kent Conrad |
Makoto Shinkai’s second feature length film is a sequence of related short stories exploring missed opportunities for romance.
The Place Promised in Our Early Days Blu-ray Review: Sci-Fi Sentimental Teenage Drama
By Kent Conrad |
Director Makoto Shinkai’s feature anime debut plays with themes he would later develop more fully in Your Name and Weathering With You.
12 Monkeys (1995) 4K UHD Review: Time-Travel Tragedy
By Kent Conrad |
A psychological thriller, a science-fiction film, comedy and tragedy, 12 Monkeys is Terry Gilliam’s most wide-reaching and accessible film.
Wild Things 4K UHD Review: High Level Sleaze
By Kent Conrad |
Sex, Theft, and murder in south Florida, this is a wildly entertaining crime story with no one to root for.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 4K UHD Review: End of the Classic Western
By Kent Conrad |
John Ford, Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne come together for one of the last classic Westerns, now in 4k release.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 13 and The Gizmoplex Debut Today
By Kent Conrad |
The venerable movie commentary show enters a new phase, and a new season on its own streaming platform.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) 4K UHD Review: Loud, Blaring Classic Adaptation
By Kent Conrad |
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation goes back to the novel for a faithful, but histrionic and anti-subtle adaptation of the horror classic.
To Sleep So as to Dream Blu-ray Review: Ode to Silent Japanese Cinema
By Kent Conrad |
A startlingly weird directorial debut about detectives searching for a kidnapped girl, made in the style of a silent film.
The Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD Review: A Restoration You Can’t Refuse
By Kent Conrad |
This release brings Francis Ford Coppola’s greatest achievement returns home with both a beautiful restoration and incredible 4K transfer.
SXSW 2022 Review: In the Court of the Crimson King
By Kent Conrad |
Commissioned on their 50th anniversary, this documentary shows the power, and the price, of the legendary band’s discipline.
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers DVD Review: ’80s Japanese Manic Musical
By Kent Conrad |
Directed by the son of Osamu Tezuka, this film is several music videos in search of a story… that somehow works.
Evil Eye plus The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) Blu-ray Review: Slick in Italian, Murky in American
By Kent Conrad |
Arguably the first giallo film has loads of style, even in black and white… but it’s better in Italian.
Alligator (1980) 4K Ultra HD Review: Jaws in the Sewers
By Kent Conrad |
One of the better Jaws retreads has an unusually intelligent script for a monster movie, and fun monster antics.
The Capture (1950) Blu-ray Review: Complex Modern Western Crime Narrative
By Kent Conrad |
A psychological Western Crime film where a man kills a (supposed) thief, then ends up marrying his wife.
Rich and Strange Blu-ray Review: Marriage in Crisis
By Kent Conrad |
An early Hitchcock comedy about a couple who find out whether their marriage can withstand sudden riches.

















































