Kiss Me, Kate (2024) Movie Review: Kiss Me, Stephanie
By Steve Geise |
It’s everything you would expect from a modern production of the musical, kissed to life by Block’s towering performance.
Didi Blu-ray Review: Ode to the Mostly Good Old Days
By Steve Geise |
Didi introduces us to Chris (Izaac Wang), a troubled teen getting through summer break before starting high school in Fremont, CA.
Dogra Magra Blu-ray Review: Matsumoto’s Swan Song
By Steve Geise |
While it isn’t nearly as bonkers as its premise, it is a thoroughly entertaining and expertly crafted epilogue to Matsumoto’s notable film career.
Book Review: Sunday by Olivier Schrauwen
By Steve Geise |
Schrauwen’s new graphic novel is completely unlike anything else out there, but of all of his works, it’s also the most welcoming and relatable to new fans.
About Dry Grasses Blu-ray Review: Burns Like a Brush Fire
By Steve Geise |
Ceylan’s stunning plot structure and surprising character development combine for an unparalleled cinematic achievement.
Book Review: Innocence and Seduction: The Art of Dan DeCarlo: Expanded Edition by Bill Morrison
By Steve Geise |
DeCarlo may always be remembered first as the “Archie guy”, but the book provides an enlightening look at his full history and his multifaceted career.
Book Review: Crusher Loves Bleeder Bleeder Loves Crusher by Thomas Stemrich and Patrick Keck
By Steve Geise |
Stemrich’s affecting tales and Keck’s inventive cartooning deliver a richly rewarding comics experience well above expectations.
The Threat Blu-ray Review: Battle of Wits Royale
By Steve Geise |
Fukasaku expertly ratchets up the tension throughout the film, turning an initially tense situation into a pulse-pounding game of wits.
Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Smells Like Teen Spirit
By Steve Geise |
Araki’s brand new director-approved digital restorations offer the most complete and technically polished versions of the films ever available.
Book Review: The Farewell Song of Marcel Labrume by Attilio Micheluzzi
By Steve Geise |
Fantagraphics plans for this book to be the first in a series of new US editions of Italian master Attilio Micheluzzi’s archival works.
Book Review: Walt Disney’s Donald and Mickey in Metropolis and Faust by Francesco Artibani, Paolo Mottura, Carlo Chendi, and Luciano Bottaro
By Steve Geise |
Fantagraphics continues their line of Disney adaptations of classic tales with this pairing of Metropolis and Faust.
Book Review: Elise and the New Partisans by Dominique Grange and Tardi
By Steve Geise |
While Grange’s plot misses the forest for the trees, Tardi’s artwork soars above the fray to make sense of it all.
A World Without Thieves Blu-ray Review: Larceny on the Chinese Express
By Steve Geise |
Andy Lau is the main attraction in this 2004 Chinese action drama, but its well-crafted plot is the true champion.
My Love Affair with Marriage Blu-ray Review: Animation, Songs, and Science
By Steve Geise |
Writer/director Signe Baumane spent over seven years creating this whimsical animated feature film about a young woman’s struggles with romantic relationships.
The Alaskans: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: The Man with the Golden Dream
By Steve Geise |
While the lackluster writing keeps it from being a classic, the series has its simple charms and is an impressive showcase for Roger Moore.
Book Review: Pinocchio: An Illuminated Edition by Carlo Collodi, Mike Mignola, and Lemony Snicket
By Steve Geise |
There’s a reason that this public-domain text has a premium price point, and Beehive more than justifies the expense with this gorgeous keepsake product.
Arctic Circle: Season 1-3 DVD Review: Panic in Lapland
By Steve Geise |
This Finnish TV series is hampered by a bland leading character and actress, a rotating supporting cast, and a meandering, overlong first season.
Book Review: Kate Carew: America’s First Great Woman Cartoonist by Eddie Campbell
By Steve Geise |
At the start of the 20th century, when female employment of any kind was a rarity, Kate Carew was an absolute unicorn as a trailblazing newspaper cartoonist. Starting from illustration assignments, she eventually shifted into comic strips and illustrated interviews with famous subjects. Recognizing that most people have never heard of her, fellow cartoonist Eddie…
The Apartment (1996) Blu-ray Review: No, Not the Billy Wilder One
By Steve Geise |
Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci star in writer/director Gilles Mimouni’s BAFTA-winning romantic thriller.
Book Review: Iris: A Novel for Viewers by Lo Hartog van Banda and Thé Tjong-Khing
By Steve Geise |
The first-ever Dutch graphic novel is a candy-colored, head-spinning trip through a prescient vision of our near future as imagined over 50 years ago.
My Penguin Friend Movie Review: Homeward Bound in the Southern Hemisphere
By Steve Geise |
Based on a true story, the film utilizes real penguins and beautiful location photography to capture the essence of a remarkable relationship.
Book Review: Future by Tommi Musturi
By Steve Geise |
Finnish cartoonist Tommi Musturi presents a compendium of his self-published 10-issue anthology series of the same
Swan Song (2023) DVD Review: Revelatory All-Access Pass to the Creation of a Ballet
By Steve Geise |
Chelsea McMullan’s documentary follows the entire production process of the Swan Lake ballet by a legendary retiring artistic director.
Warehouse 13: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: All of the Artifacts in One Place
By Steve Geise |
A decade after the conclusion of its five-season broadcast run, Warehouse 13 has finally been compiled into one complete Blu-ray box set.
The Linguini Incident (Director’s Cut) Blu-ray Review: The Bowie Film That Almost Got Away
By Steve Geise |
Once upon a time, David Bowie played a romantic lead in a US feature film that received virtually no theatrical release in the US.
Book Review: Braba: A Brazilian Comics Anthology
By Steve Geise |
Fantagraphics ventures deep into South America with this new graphic novel anthology featuring short works by 16 Brazilian artists.
Anselm Blu-ray Review: Wim Wenders Continues His Fascination with the Arts
By Steve Geise |
Whether you’re a fan of Kiefer or completely unaware of his career, Wenders offers an inviting foray into his amazing body of work.
DogMan Blu-ray Review: The Silence of the Dogs
By Steve Geise |
Writer/director Luc Besson’s latest effort focuses on the jailhouse interactions between a deranged criminal and the psychiatrist assigned to his case.
Victims of Sin Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Zoot Suit Riot
By Steve Geise |
Under writer/director Emilio Fernández’s firm hand, it’s presented in a wholly logical and measured progression filled with inspired choices.
Sympathy for the Underdog Blu-ray Review: Crime Takes a Holiday
By Steve Geise |
Anchored by Tsuruta’s incredible performance, Fukasaku’s film lives up to its title by generating massive sympathy for its inspiring underdog.
Tribeca 2024 Review: Satisfied
By Steve Geise |
The film’s specific focus yields a winning portrait of Goldsberry’s early motherhood years and her time with Hamilton.
Tribeca 2024 Review: Luther: Never Too Much
By Steve Geise |
Director Dawn Porter takes a deep dive into Luther’s past to examine the winding path he took to reach the pinnacle of his profession.
Tribeca 2024 Review: Desire: The Carl Craig Story
By Steve Geise |
Carl Craig is a fascinating subject for a documentary, and writer/director Delaloye does a fine job of capturing his multifaceted, eclectic career.
Book Review: Prince Valiant Vol. 28: 1991-1992 by Hal Foster, John Cullen Murphy, and Cullen Murphy
By Steve Geise |
The latest volume does ample justice to the character, continuing the story with consistently entertaining adventures played out in Murphy’s kinetic art.
Tribeca 2024 Review: They All Came Out to Montreux
By Steve Geise |
Oliver Murray dives headlong into the history of the Montreux Jazz Festival and its creator, Claude Nobs, in this fascinating new documentary.
Book Review: Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies: The Collected Conceits, Delusions, and Hijinks of New Yorkers from 1974 to 1995
By Steve Geise |
Whether you’re a longtime fan of the strip or a complete neophyte, this amusing stroll through New York history offers a wealth of indelible scenarios.
Tribeca 2024 Review: Boys Go to Jupiter
By Steve Geise |
Glander has created a welcoming and fully realized universe here, one that is worthy of multiple repeat viewings to savor its details.
The Old Oak Blu-ray Review: When the Bough Breaks, the Village May Fall
By Steve Geise |
The Old Oak is a fitting coda to Loach’s career of socialist realism, a final mighty branch on the tree of his life in film.
A Story of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu
By Steve Geise |
Previously released on Criterion DVD in 2004, this Ozu double feature finally gets a Blu-ray upgrade with newly improved technical specs.
Book Review: My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two by Emil Ferris
By Steve Geise |
After a seven-year gap, Emil Ferris returns with the eagerly anticipated conclusion of the story of Karen Reyes, a monster-obsessed 10-year-old girl.
You’ll Never Get Rich Blu-ray Review: A Wealth of Talent
By Steve Geise |
This 1941 musical is blessed with an abundance of talent, led by co-stars Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth and songs by Cole Porter.
The Little Drummer Girl Blu-ray Review: Keaton Marches to Her Own Beat
By Steve Geise |
Keaton’s performance never really lets you forget that she’s acting, which makes her an oddly fitting choice to play an actress in over her head.
The Peasants Blu-ray Review: Drama with a Fresh Coat of Paint
By Steve Geise |
A conventional drama with, quite literally, a fresh coat of paint used as little more than a crutch grant it more attention than it deserves.
Heroes: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Review: Save the Cardboard, Save the World
By Steve Geise |
The episodes haven’t been remastered, so if you have prior Blu-ray releases there’s really nothing new here aside from the improved and complete packaging.
The Crime Is Mine Movie Review: 2 Broke Girls
By Steve Geise |
Ozon’s comedy is mainstream French cinema, designed for the multiplex instead of the art house, but made with impeccable craft.
Colt .45: The Complete Series Blu-ray Box Set Review: Revolving Peacemaker
By Steve Geise |
This is clearly the definitive presentation of the series, and one of the best black and white reproductions I’ve ever seen in movies or TV.
Book Review: How War Begins: Dispatches from the Ukrainian Invasion by Igort
By Steve Geise |
While the nature of its ongoing subject precludes a satisfying conclusion, it is a fascinating look at civilian perseverance in an active war zone.
The Fox (2022) DVD Review: Two Against the World
By Steve Geise |
This German/Austrian co-production dramatizes the real-life story of an Austrian soldier who adopted a fox cub during World War II.
Book Review: Anna by Mia Oberländer
By Steve Geise |
In German cartoonist Mia Oberländer’s charming debut graphic novel, Anna struggles with life as a giant in a community of normal-sized peers.
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell DVD Review: Inside the Heart of Vietnam
By Steve Geise |
Pham’s debut feature film revolves around a young man’s attempt to help his five-year-old nephew after the sudden death of his sister-in-law.