Cinema Sentries

A history of the electric guitar and the people who love them.

If you think this is going to be just another home-invasion story, please come on in.

Clouds of Sils Maria’s currency is poignance, and in that sense it is infinitely wealthy.

Disney’s latest is a mixed bag of political inquiry and film noir.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Evocative and intriguing, and worth checking out.

Errol Morris looks at obsession, sex, and media in Tabloid.

Rifftrax gets down and dirtier than normal with Tommy Wiseau’s magnum opus of ridiculousness.

“We’re just weird enough to enjoy it!” – Bill Corbett

The bloated runtime leaves little time for characterization, but a whole lot of time for things to go BOOM!

One of 2014’s best films hopes to discover new eyes on Blu.

Covering Tarantino’s body of work and his rai·son d’ê·tre for each film.

“What I hope for the audience: that they will be thrilled and challenged.” – Meryl Streep