Cinema Sentries

What’s worth reading this month.

Director Ridley Scott and writer Drew Goddard show us a crowd pleasing blockbuster.

An exciting glimpse into the making of one of the most exciting films of the year.

Arielle Holmes gives a frightening and cathartic performance based on her personal memoirs.

“Miracle” boasts a “population of 9,261 – 0 Departures.” It is this special spot that beckons Kevin Garvey and family to leave Mapleton, NY.

A look back at one of Marvel Comics’ first big-screen adaptations.

Every bit as vivid, eye-popping, and gut-punching as the film, but slowed down enough that it can sit on your coffee table.

It’s a wonderful blend of acting, writing, and directing.

Our own mortality is the most scariest creature of all.

If you think this write-up is all over the place and confusing as hell, then you know how I felt about that 60 minutes of my life.

Disney’s latest has great effects but squanders a decent plot in a contrived love story.

The new special intricately weaves three different threads of plot and leaves the viewer with dozens of puzzles to tide them over until the next season.

Some of the best action sequences in years are on display in Wilson Yip’s latest martial-arts romp!

Not my favorite film of the year, but a bold and unbridled effort nonetheless.

Despite its talent, Mojave trades on incomprehension as opposed to tension.

An uneven, yet informative look into a dimension of sight and sound.

It has some interesting things to say about writing and America and simply being alive.

A really great bookend to an amazing career by an amazing band.

A difficult film to recommend to even the most die-hard Walt Disney fan.

How the 1968 Debates between William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal shaped our current news reporting.

An entertaining movie with serious themes that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

If you’re a fan of Christmas movies, you’ll definitely enjoy it.

What’s on your wish list?

Creed ranks as one of the top films in the Rocky franchise while creating a beautiful new road to travel.

Genre? Cast? Plot? Storytelling? What factors entice you to tune in to a show, or take a pass?

Beyond Mars is beyond awesome.

It’s got enough heart and good intention to almost make you overlook its flaws.

The Inhabitants thinks about venturing into new territory but too often falls into convention despite solid acting and storytelling.

HBO’s newest series creates a complex and confusing web of intrigue worth watching and rewatching.

Two “thinking machines” face off in this excellent pastiche that pits Sherlock Holmes against a Victorian precursor to the computer.

Excellent performances abound in this simultaneously bouncy and somber biopic.

Director Alex Gibney’s book report on Walter Isaacson’s more impressive exploration of the Apple founder.

The documentary reveals the darkness and the light behind the man who invented the mouse.

LEGOs + Superheroes = the Best of All Possible Worlds.

Alicia Silverstone shows she’s still clueless in this 1990s erotic thriller lacking in both areas.

Super shenanigans, madcap hijinks and tomfoolery… they sure don’t make Men of Steel like this anymore.

Little life or suspense is contained in this sluggish Hitchcock homage.

Twilight Time releases this beautifully rendered ode to art and life for the first time on Blu-ray.

A dark and gritty alternative to the bleak and dreary comics.

If you are the kind of person who watches a Dante movie waiting for the Dick Miller appearance, and then get excited when you see him, this is for you.

A slow-burn examination of drugs and police corruption is revealed in Kino’s recent Blu-ray release.

Bravo for Alex Toth!

Twilight Time releases this underseen 1990s noir.

While not as raunchy as The Room, Sharknado 2 has the Rifftrax guys doing what they do best.

For fans of ’80’s action / exploitation / genre films, this disc is a must-have.

Sometimes a “Dream Team” is better left to the imagination.

MTV-esque white trash masquerading as a surf movie.

The dialogue is snappy and clever, and those improbable story lines are fun.

Kristen Wiig made a bold venture in doing this film.