Cinema Sentries

Book Review: Chappie: The Art of the Movie by Peter E. Aperlo

Gritty, realistic sci-fi doesn’t exactly translate to stunning pre-production design.

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Wizard World Fan Fest Chicago 2015 Review

New fans, lapsed fans, fair-weather fans, broke fans and folks whose kids have been begging them to go to a convention – rejoice! Wizard World has heard your cries!

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Remembering Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015) 

His work will live long and the audience will prosper from it.

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American Sniper Movie Review: Eastwood Hits His Target

Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper unite their considerable talents in what may well be the best Eastwood film yet.

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RiffTrax Live!: Sharknado Review: Chainsaws of Comedy

If you enjoyed MST3K at all, you will want to check this out.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Blu-ray Review: Embraces Optimism over Snarky Fantasy 

Beloved children’s classic from the 1970s finally gets its turn on the big screen.

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Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness DVD Review: Scooby Doo Meets Alien

There’s a mystery to be solved, and it will be solved.

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2015 Oscar-nominated Animated Short Films Review: Feast is Far and Away the Best of the Five

If these are five of the best animated shorts, then it would appear to be a poor year for animated shorts.

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The Party (1968) Blu-ray Review: Psychedelic Comedy of Errors

Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers team up for a subversive, slightly racist classic.

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Favorite Films of 2014

Did we mention yours?

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Wetlands (2013) Blu-ray Review: Filth Presented as Frankness

German director David Wnendt’s misguided and NSFW tale of filthy femininity finds its on to Blu-ray.

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The Wizard of Oz Movie Review: TCM and Fathom Events Lovingly Present a Timeless Classic

Run, don’t walk, to the merry ole land of Oz with TCM and Fathom Events!

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Taken Movie Review: A Fun-tastic Action Revenge Flick

A good old-fashioned bad-guys-getting-their-butts-handed-to-them kinda movie.

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Rye Coalition: The Story of the Hard Luck 5 DVD Review: A Band of Brothers Bound Together

New Jersey underground rockers take a look back at a career unknown.

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Book Review: Wonder Woman: The Complete Newspaper Strips 1944-1945 by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peters

IDW and the Library of American Comics give us a wonderful collection from the Golden Age.

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Book Review: Modern Sci-Fi Films FAQ by Tom DeMichael

The choice of films makes the usefulness of this book; well, not very useful.

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She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry Movie Review: A Sober and Sentimental Reflection

Documentarian Mary Dore’s celebration of 2nd Wave Feminism opens in limited engagements in New York and Los Angeles.

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The Skeleton Twins Movie Review: A Twisted Tale of Those Bound by Blood

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig turn dysfunction into emotional drama in The Skeleton Twins.

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Book Review: Superman: The Golden Age Sundays (1946-1949)

Sometimes goofy, occasionally deadly, and always exciting, it’s Superman as you may not have seen him before.

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Touch the Wall Movie Review: A Tale of Two Swimmers

Missy Franklin strives to make her first while Kara Lynn Joyce aims for her third Olympic Games. Or, why sometimes bronze is just as sweet as gold.

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Book Review: Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show by Tara Bennett

This book relies too much on quotes from famous names and not enough on imparting facts.

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The Compleat Al DVD Review: Vintage Yankovic

If you consider yourself a Weird Al fan, this is worth picking up.

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Style Wars Blu-ray Review: Capturing Street Art in Its Infancy

Original Hip-Hop culture and graffiti documentary gets well deserved restoration.

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Rifftrax Live: Anaconda Movie Review: A Slithering Halloween Treat

Come sail down the Amazon with the Rifftrax crew!

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My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Blu-ray Review: Entertainment for the Entire Family

Equestria Girls proves that friendship and music really is magic.

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Looking for Johnny: The Legend of Johnny Thunders DVD Review: Even in Death, He Still Slings Six-strings

Spanish filmmaker Danny Garcia unravels the mysterious sadness of a guitar god.

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Are You Here Blu-ray Review: Never Fleshes Itself Out

Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakas blow smoke for emotional growth in Matthew Weiner’s feature-film debut.

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Camp X-Ray Movie Review: Exploring the Gray in Guantanamo Bay

Kristen Stewart finally shows her talent in this thought-provoking drama.

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Chef Blu-ray Review: Not the Easiest to Digest

Many small scenes that work by themselves but when strung together they do not connect even though on paper they should.

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The Midnight Special Six-DVD Set Review: Offers a Glimpse at 1970s America

Wolfman Jack’s celebrated ’70s revue sheds light on dim decade.

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Rifftrax Host Mike Nelson Talks Anaconda, Michael Bay, and More

Nelson also covers the joys of Jon Voight, how hard it is to watch movies out of riff mode, and whether he thinks time is a flat circle.

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Doctor Who: Deep Breath DVD Review: You Don’t Need to Hold Your Breath to Bring the 12th Doctor Home

Peter Capaldi’s first outing as the Doctor time-travels onto DVD/Blu-ray.

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Book Review: Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide: The End of an Era

The book is very substantive, and full of information

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Book Review: Brainquake, Samuel Fuller’s Lost Novel

Samuel Fuller’s “lost” noir novel finally gets published in the U.S.

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Rip Kirby: The First Modern Detective: Complete Comic Strips Volume 7, 1962-1964 by John Prentice

The first modern detective meets a master of modern storytelling and finds a convert in this reviewer.

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Wizard World Chicago 2014: You Can Go Home Again

Chad Derdowski returns to Wizard World after a long hiatus…but is there any magic left?

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Favorite Robin Williams Performances

Did your favorite make the list?

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The Dog (2014) Movie Review: What Really Happened on a Dog Day Afternoon

The story of the brash man who robbed a bank for love…so he says.

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Dom Hemingway Blu-ray Review: A Seedy and Sordid Bit of Charm

Jude Law taps into his inner savage brute for the latest from Richard Shepard.

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Book Review: The Killing: Uncommon Denominator by Karen Dionne

A prequel novel every bit as addicting as the TV show.

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A Summer’s Tale Movie Review: Dissecting Love and Sex with Philosophical Precision

Eric Rohmer’s 1996 joyful musing finally gets a U.S. release, sixteen years later.

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Sabotage (2014) Blu-ray Review: A Lesson in Self-Sabotage

A somewhat progressive ’80s throwback eschewing story for blood-letting.

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The Way, Way Back Blu-ray Review: A Coming-of-Age Classic

Awkward teen finds real life is manageable.

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Cinema Sentries

The Unknown Known Movie Review: Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes

The smile may be the “beginning of love,” but it’s also Rumsfeld’s Weapon of Mass Distraction.

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Gremlins 2: The New Batch Movie Review: A Looney Tunes Horror Movie

If there was ever going to be a horror film for the non-horror fan to enjoy, it’s this one.

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I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story Movie Review: A Portrait of an Artist as a Yellow Bird 

Caroll is Big Bird and Big Bird is Caroll, and that is a rare and beautiful thing to watch on screen.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Review: An Optical Feast

Even at his worst, Wes Anderson is one of our best.

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Cinema Sentries

Favorite Movies Adapted from the Stage

Some of the best of both mediums.

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