Mat Brewster

Marie’s Mind for Murder: Set One DVD Review: The German Mr. Monk

For detective genre fans, Marie’s Mind for Murder is a nice bit of diversionary television.

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The Story of Adele H DVD Review: Of Love and Madness

The tragic true story of Victor Hugo’s daughter.

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Nightcrawler Is the Pick of the Week

This week brings us social commentaries, based-on true stories, foreign horror, and a drugged-up nurse.

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International Settlement DVD Review: A Forgotten, Forgettable Film That Has Its Pleasures

A minor and forgotten B-picture winds up being surprisingly entertaining.

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Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Series 13 DVD Review: The Very End of Poirot

With these five movies David Suchet has now played the detective in every Poirot story Agatha Christie ever wrote.

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John Wick Is the Pick of the Week

After missing a week I’m back talking about Keanu Reeves, the search for happiness, Australian nurses and more.

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ANZAC Girls DVD Review: Ladies at War and in Love

The exciting true story of Australian nurses serving in WWI.

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Above Suspicion: Complete Collection DVD Review: It’s No Prime Suspect, but It Ain’t Half Bad

It’s impossible not to compare it to La Plante’s other series, but it is well worth watching.

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The Drop (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

Rest in peace, James Gandolfini.

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Gone Girl Is the Pick of the Week

This week brings us David Fincher’s latest thriller, an empires final boardwalk, a Hendrix biopic, a space documentary and The Facts of Life.

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Boyhood Is the Pick of the Week

After a week off I’m looking for movies about boys, girls, a former wizard growing horns, and Nick Cage in his most inexplicable role ever.

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The Night Porter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Nazi Love Story

It’s a thin line between exploitation and art.

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Pride (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

It’s a slow week and I’m using that as an excuse to say very little.

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Intruders (2014) DVD Review: Moody Paranormal Thriller Looks Good but Lacks Depth

An interesting premise that’s well executed but not entirely thought through.

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Arrested Development: Season 4 Is the Pick of the Week

Another banner week of releases as Christmas comes near.

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Book Review: Popeye: Classic Newspaper Comics, Volume Two 1989-1998: A Surprisingly Modern and Adult Take On The Classic Character

If you think Popeye is some silly kids comic from a bygone era, think again.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Is the Pick of the Week

This week brings us several Criterions; more Woody Allens; three TV collections; a talking, space-traveling raccoon; and so much more.

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The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears Blu-ray Review: Bizarre, Incomprehensible, and Mesmerizing

A hallucinatory fever dream of a film that is surprising, strange and wonderful.

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Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years Is the Pick of the Week

This week brings us an excellent concert series, some damn, dirty apes, short journeys, vampires, and more.

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Drunk History: Seasons 1 & 2 Is the Pick of the Week

I’m taking a chance that an odd comedy will actually tickle my funny bone.

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The Rolling Stones: From the Vault – L.A. Forum (Live in 1975) DVD Review: It’s Only a Concert Video, but I Like It

The band shows why they remain the very definition of rock and roll.

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Cinema Sentries

It Happened One Night Is the Pick of the Week

The Christmas season keeps bringing all sorts of great stuff.

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Borgen: The Complete Series DVD Review: Danish Politics Fit for Americans

Borgen makes the incomprehensible Danish political system not only understandable but lots of fun to watch.

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Saturday at Wizard World Tulsa 2014: My First Con Experience

My first ever Con found me checking out cosplayers and listening to James Marsters and William Shatner.

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Lots of TV Series Sets Are the Picks of the Week

Halloween is over so its time for the Christmas season and with it lots of big TV collections.

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Book Review: Puck: What Fools These Mortals Be!: Political Cartooning at its Finest

A collection of historic, important, and just a little bit esoteric political cartoons from a bygone era.

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Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection Is the Pick of the Week

Christmas is coming and with it comes big boxed sets and lots of TV collections.

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Earth to Echo Blu-ray Review:  Steven Spielberg’s Lawyers Ought to Be Happy

A nostalgic family film that wants to remind you of classic ’80s adventure movies, but instead made me chuck things at my TV.

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Dr. Katz Live Album Review: The Classic Animated Comedy Live and on Stage

There’s no squigglevision, but the laughs are as strong as they ever were.

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Deliver Us from Evil (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

Surprisingly, it’s a weak week for scary movies, but a good one for everything else.

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Maleficent Blu-ray Review: Gorgeous to Look at, but Hard to Watch

It is an entertaining, well performed, family film that lacks a coherent vision and feels like it was made by a committee instead of a filmmaker telling a singular story.

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Book Review: Percy Crosby’s Skippy: Daily Comics 1931-1933: Long-forgotten Magic

With any luck this collection will bring Skippy back to the public consciousness – it certainly deserves it.

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Snowpiercer Is the Pick of the Week

This week’s releases include a highly acclaimed science fiction movie, several complete television collections, an HBO special, and more.

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Book Review: Owsley and Me: My LSD Family by Rhoney Gissen Stanley with Tom Davis

Making music, love, and enough LSD to get the whole world high.

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The Honorable Woman DVD Review: A Slow, Dense and Immensely Entertaining Thriller

A densely plotted drama that loses none of its depth while remaining thrilling to watch.

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X-Men: Days of Future Past Is the Pick of the Week

The film matched all of the promise of the concept.

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Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition is the Pick of the Week

I can’t wait for my little girl to grow up with me and movies.

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Chef Is the Pick of the Week

I’m not at all a foodie, but I’d like to be.

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The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology and Halloween: The Complete Collection Are the Picks of the Week

As Halloween creeps near its time to start bringing out the big horror collections.

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Eraserhead Is the Pick of the Week

David Lynch’s bizarre, brilliant masterpiece gets the Criterion make-over.

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Line of Duty: Series 2 DVD Review: A Tired Genre Made Good

Series 2 doesn’t stray too far from the premise it set up in Series One, but that’s not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all.

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A Long Way Down Is the Pick of the Week

Despite not liking a good number of his books, I can’t help but love Nick Hornby.

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Book Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s America by Murray Pomerance: Not for the Faint of Heart

My suspicion is unless you are a frenzied scholar this book might notoriously turn you psycho.

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Line of Duty: Series 2 Is the Pick of the Week

This week brings some good TV and some classic monsters.

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Blandings: Series 2 Is the Pick of the Week

P.G. Wodehouse’s wonderful characters make it to the small screen.

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A Young Doctor’s Notebook DVD Review: And You Thought Don Draper Was a Dark Character

Dead babies, botched amputations, and lots of laughs.

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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Is the Pick of the Week

This week sees two foreign releases from Criterion and some excellent television.

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Batman: Assault on Arkham Blu-ray Review: Better than Its Straight to Video Release Implies

Who needs Batman when you’ve got the Suicide Squad?

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The Railway Man Is the Pick of the Week

I’m always interested in seeing the films Colin Firth is in because even if the film’s rubbish, you can count on his performance.

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