Kent Conrad

Happy Birthday to Me (1981) Blu-ray Review: Canuxploitation Slasher Slog

Canada produced slasher movie boasts “six bizarre murders”, actually boasts bizarre plot twists that strain credibility and storytelling.

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Army of Darkness 4K UHD Limited Edition Steelbook Review: Long Live the Medieval Dead

The third Evil Dead film turns from horror to adventure as Ash brings his accomplished incompetence to the Middle Ages.

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The Lost Boys 4K UHD Review: Flashy ’80s Vampire Flick

Joel Schumacher’s story of teenage vampires terrorizing a California beach town is an often fun, often irritating mess.

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Le Corbeau Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Poison Pen French Noir

A once suppressed mystery about a writer of poison pen letters made in France during the German occupation.

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Custom Cropped Poster of The Old Man Movie

The Old Man Movie Blu-ray Review: Cows Udders End the World

An Estonian animated comedy takes an absurd premise (unmilked cows explode catastrophically) and builds a surprisingly coherent film around it.

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Event Horizon 4K UHD Review: Atmospheric Space Chiller

Despite a disappointing box office, this space horror film deserves the cult reputation built up in the years since its release.

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Flatliners (1990) 4K UHD Review: Visually Stimulating Psychological Thriller

Flatliners is more beautiful than ever on this stunning 4K release, even if ultimately the thrills run a little… flat.

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Desperate Hours Blu-ray Review: Hostage Thriller Boils Over

Michael Cimino’s last theatrical release has a stellar cast, a fine premise, and a completely insane, unfocused execution.

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The Deer King Movie Review: Beautiful, If Overly Complicated Fantasy

A fantasy anime following in the footsteps of Princess Mononoke that has many interesting parts… maybe too many.

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Edge of Tomorrow 4K UHD Review: Groundhog D-Day

High concept sci-fi thriller that was underappreciated at the box office has a great premise and a decent execution.

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Panda! Go Panda! Blu-ray Review: Proto Totoro Anime Film

Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki make the prototype for the Ghibli films that would rule anime filmmaking for decades afterward.

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True Romance 4K UHD Review: Sick Love, Slick Film

A rare film written but not directed by Quentin Tarantino, it’s beautifully produced if a little hard to love.

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Raiders of the Lost Ark Limited Edition Steelbook 4K UHD Review: Cinematic Adventure Perfection

Steven Spielberg’s unparalleled adventure masterpiece has broken out from the box set to be released on its own on 4K.

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Candyman (1992) 4K UHD Review: Urban Legend, Urban Horror

The original adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story explores the horror of crossing racial and class lines.

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Children Who Chase Lost Voices Blu-ray Review: Fantasy Adventure about Loss

A departure from his usual urban sci-fi, Makoto Shinkai’s fantasy epic delves into a journey under the earth.

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5 Centimeters Per Second Blu-ray Review: A Story about Distance

Makoto Shinkai’s second feature length film is a sequence of related short stories exploring missed opportunities for romance.

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The Place Promised in Our Early Days Blu-ray Review: Sci-Fi Sentimental Teenage Drama

Director Makoto Shinkai’s feature anime debut plays with themes he would later develop more fully in Your Name and Weathering With You.

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12 Monkeys (1995) 4K UHD Review: Time-Travel Tragedy

A psychological thriller, a science-fiction film, comedy and tragedy, 12 Monkeys is Terry Gilliam’s most wide-reaching and accessible film.

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Wild Things 4K UHD Review: High Level Sleaze

Sex, Theft, and murder in south Florida, this is a wildly entertaining crime story with no one to root for.

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 4K UHD Review: End of the Classic Western

John Ford, Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne come together for one of the last classic Westerns, now in 4k release.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 13 and The Gizmoplex Debut Today

The venerable movie commentary show enters a new phase, and a new season on its own streaming platform.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) 4K UHD Review: Loud, Blaring Classic Adaptation

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation goes back to the novel for a faithful, but histrionic and anti-subtle adaptation of the horror classic.

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To Sleep So as to Dream Blu-ray Review: Ode to Silent Japanese Cinema

A startlingly weird directorial debut about detectives searching for a kidnapped girl, made in the style of a silent film.

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The Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD Review: A Restoration You Can’t Refuse

This release brings Francis Ford Coppola’s greatest achievement returns home with both a beautiful restoration and incredible 4K transfer.

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SXSW 2022 Review: In the Court of the Crimson King

Commissioned on their 50th anniversary, this documentary shows the power, and the price, of the legendary band’s discipline.

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The Legend of the Stardust Brothers DVD Review: ’80s Japanese Manic Musical

Directed by the son of Osamu Tezuka, this film is several music videos in search of a story… that somehow works.

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Evil Eye plus The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) Blu-ray Review: Slick in Italian, Murky in American

Arguably the first giallo film has loads of style, even in black and white… but it’s better in Italian.

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Alligator (1980) 4K Ultra HD Review: Jaws in the Sewers

One of the better Jaws retreads has an unusually intelligent script for a monster movie, and fun monster antics.

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Cinema Sentries

The Capture (1950) Blu-ray Review: Complex Modern Western Crime Narrative

A psychological Western Crime film where a man kills a (supposed) thief, then ends up marrying his wife.

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Cinema Sentries

Rich and Strange Blu-ray Review: Marriage in Crisis

An early Hitchcock comedy about a couple who find out whether their marriage can withstand sudden riches.

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Cinema Sentries

Red Angel (1966) Blu-ray Review: Disturbing War Hospital Drama

Yasuzo Masamura’s dark drama about a nurse who struggles to maintain her humanity in the hell of war.

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Cinema Sentries

The Toolbox Murders (1978) 4K Ultra HD Review: Gruesome Grindhouse Exploitation

Grimy and sleazy, this exploitation film about a murder using power tools becomes interesting in its less lethal third act.

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Cinema Sentries

Shock (1977) Blu-ray Review: Bava’s Final Film

The final film by Mario Bava is a departure from his stereotypical style, but still has some interest and flair.

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Cinema Sentries

Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People Movie Review: Punk is NOT Dead

A hybrid animated documentary/post-apocalyptic trip to the center of an artist’s mind is obscure for the non-initiated, but plenty entertaining.

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Cinema Sentries

Krampus: The Naughty Cut 4K Ultra HD Review: Anti-Santa Extended Edition

This new cut of Mike Dougherty’s Christmas horror film materially improves an atmospheric tale of one boy’s unfortunate Christmas wish.

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Cinema Sentries

David Byrne’s American Utopia Movie Review: Beautifully Filmed but Imperfect Concert

A fantastically performed and produced performance is undermined by some artistic choices, both in the stage show and the filming.

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Cinema Sentries

Wife of a Spy Blu-ray Review: Understated Japanese Spy Thriller

Yu Aoi’s brilliant performance bolsters Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s story in ‘40s Japan of a woman convinced her husband is a spy.

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Cinema Sentries

The Ghost Ship/Bedlam Double Feature Blu-ray Review: Two Val Lewton Suspense Thrillers

Two ’40s films by Val Lewton protégé Mark Robson explore the dangers of authority with atmospheric suspense films.

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Cinema Sentries

Some Came Running Blu-ray Review: ’50s Melodrama Feels Familiar

A Sinatra vehicle, excellently helmed and acted, sounds familiar notes in the story of small town life in the ’50s.

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Cinema Sentries

Middle Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Review: Beautiful Box but Incomplete

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies have beautiful 4K transfers, but have many missing extras.

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Cinema Sentries

Night Has a Thousand Eyes Blu-ray Review: Psychic Thriller a Near Miss

Edward G. Robinson is a phony psychic who develops a real ability to see the future… which ruins his life.

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Cinema Sentries

The Beast Must Die (1952) Blu-ray Review: Argentinian Revenge Noir

A newly restored South American film noir discovery by Uruguayan-Argentinian director Romany Vinoly Barreto.

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Cinema Sentries

Karen Dalton: In My Own Time DVD Review: Sad Songs, Sad Life

An unflinching portrait of a troubled folk singer in the Greenwich Village scene.

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Cinema Sentries

Batman: Year One Commemorative Edition 4K Ultra HD Review: Good Batman Story Unexceptionally Told

Frank Miller’s seminal comic book story of Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman gets a perhaps too faithful adaptation.

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Cinema Sentries

Mad Love (1935) Blu-ray Review: Grotesque ’30 Body Horror

Beautifully shot German expressionist style American horror film, with Peter Lorre’s English debut as a mad doctor.

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Cinema Sentries

Book Review: Hitchcock and the Censors by John Billheimer

A comprehensive study of the wheeling and dealing Alfred Hitchcock had to do get his stories past official Hollywood censors.

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Cinema Sentries

In the Shadow of Hollywood: Highlights from Poverty Row Blu-ray Review: Independent ’30s B-Movies

A collection of four films from the ’30s that showcase the independent productions away from the big studios.

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Cinema Sentries

Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection 4K Ultra HD Review: Four Classic Horrors

Universal releases a 4K collection of their most iconic horror titles from the early 20th century.

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Cinema Sentries

Deep Red (1975) 4K Ultra HD Review: Argento’s Giallo Swan Song

Argento finally perfect his stylish cinematic approach, and pretty much abandons storytelling, in this beautiful baffling murder mystery.

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Cinema Sentries

Demons I & II Blu-ray Review: Italian Gore Shlock Romp

Lamberto Bava’s two Evil Dead meets Dawn of the Dead gorefests are dumb in the best ways possible.

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