Book Review: Daughters of Snow and Cinders by Núria Tamarit
When a determined young adventurer sets out into the wilderness in search of gold, she quickly encounters threats from the ...
Read More 
One Way Passage Blu-ray Review: Book This Voyage
When a convicted murderer gets extradited from Hong Kong to San Francisco, the last thing on his mind is falling ...
Read More 
Sick of Myself Movie Review: The Dark Side of Narcissism
Writer/director Kristoffer Borgli’s new film is the darkest of black comedies, at least until the comedy runs out. He imagines ...
Read More 
The Hunters: Complete Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Review: A Man Called Backström
A grumpy old retired cop is slogging through his golden years as a security guard at a start-up gold mine ...
Read More 
iMordecai DVD Review: Judd Hirsch Strikes Gold in His Golden Years
iMordecai is the Taxi TV series reunion I never knew I needed, starring alums and fellow Oscar nominees Judd Hirsch ...
Read More 
Secret Defense Blu-ray Review: Twisty Secrets Hampered by Indefensible Direction
This French drama gets off to a promising start when a scientist named Sylvie (Sandrine Bonnaire) learns that her father ...
Read More 
Arsène Lupin Collection Blu-ray Review: Two Hits and a Miss
The famous fictional thief arrives on Blu-ray in this new collection of three of his French theatrical adventures. The Lupin ...
Read More 
Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection 4K UHD Review: First 4K Contact
Following up on last year’s six-movie 4K box set of the original Star Trek movies, Paramount has moved on to ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Heavy Bright by Cathy Malkasian
A young girl is tasked with a seemingly impossible quest: to hunt down and destroy 999 black eggs closely held ...
Read More 
Knockabout Blu-ray Review: Sticks, Shticks, and Slapstick
Arrow Video continues their new series of Sammo Hung releases with this action comedy from early in his directorial career. ...
Read More 
Make Believe Seattle 2023 Review: Smoking Causes Coughing
If you’re in the Seattle area this weekend, Make Believe Seattle Film Festival is making its debut with a fascinating ...
Read More 
The Son of the Stars Movie Review: Rare ‘80s Romanian Cartoon Gets Blu-ray Release
Thanks to Deaf Crocodile Films, U.S. viewers will finally get the chance to watch this Romanian sci-fi rarity. The film ...
Read More 
Book Review: Ephemera: A Memoir by Briana Loewinsohn
Briana Loewinsohn’s debut graphic novel heralds the arrival of an intriguing new talent already operating at a masterful level. Her ...
Read More 
Book Review: Mickey and Donald: For Whom the Doorbell Tolls
In 1999, a teacher at Disney’s Italian school for cartoonists presented his students with a prompt: select a short story ...
Read More 
Book Review: Evita: The Life and Work of Eva Perón by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Alberto and Enrique Breccia
Fantagraphics continues their series of Alberto Breccia releases with this graphic biography of the polarizing Argentine icon, Eva Perón, popularly ...
Read More 
Millionaires’ Express Blu-ray Review: Chinese Bullet Train
After shining a light on the rise of the Hong Kong film industry with their phenomenal Shaw Brothers box sets, ...
Read More 
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom Blu-ray Review: Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast
London, 1968. It’s the height and epicenter of the Swinging Sixties, and hip housewife Mrs. Blossom (Shirley MacLaine) is content ...
Read More 
Love on the Ground Blu-ray Review: Much Ado About Nothing
This 1984 French drama follows actors rehearsing a play, a time-worn concept of a show within a show dating back ...
Read More 
Emily Movie Review: Frances O’Connor’s Directorial Debut Soars to Wuthering Heights
First-time writer/director Frances O’Connor reimagines the final years of writer Emily Brontë’s life in this stunning period drama, heralding her ...
Read More 
Let’s Hope It’s a Girl Blu-ray Review: Italian Film, Continental Cast
While this Italian film was a critical success in its native land in 1986, winning seven of its national awards ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jerome Mulot
The latest work from powerhouse French graphic novelist duo Ruppert and Merlot imagines a world much like our own with ...
Read More 
That Man Bolt Blu-ray Review: That Man Hammer
At first glance, this movie seems to bear all the hallmarks of a blaxploitation classic: its prime 1973 release date, ...
Read More 
Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be Movie Review: Adventures in Real and Imagined Past
This thoroughly charming French animated feature takes a unique approach in its storytelling. Rather than solely recounting the fictional adventures ...
Read More 
Broker Movie Review: The Korean Shoplifters
Japanese writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda continues his cinematic explorations outside his native land and language with this dysfunctional relationship drama set ...
Read More 
The Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Review: Spins Its Stylish Wheels
This 1968 UK/France co-production boasts star turns from Alain Delon and Marianne Faithfull in their prime, automatically making it an ...
Read More 
5-25-77 Blu-ray Review: A Long Time Ago in a Town Far, Far Away
For sci-fi starved ‘70s youth, the arrival of Star Wars was a watershed moment forever etched in our collective memories. ...
Read More 
Entre Nous Blu-ray Review: Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves
Writer/director Diane Kurys borrowed from her own family history to craft this story about two women finding their way in ...
Read More 
Three Thousand Years of Longing Blu-ray Review: George Miller’s Genie
Writer/director George Miller enables his whimsical side in between Mad Max movies in this modern riff on the Aladdin myth. ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Man Who Fell to Earth by Dan Watters and Dev Pramanik
The creators of this new graphic novel were faced with three apparent approaches to its production: craft an adaptation of ...
Read More 
Private Desert Blu-ray Review: Troubled Characters Seek Their Oasis
Daniel is in a rut. As a disgraced macho cop with anger management issues, he spends his days in Brazil ...
Read More 
Carmen (2022) Blu-ray Review: Welcome to Malta
When a lifelong servant of the church finds herself out on the street, she’s faced with an uncertain future that ...
Read More 
Bullet Train Blu-ray Review: Snakes on a Train
Stuntman-turned-director David Leitch (Deadpool 2) helms this crime caper featuring a colorful collection of scheming assassins gathered on a bullet ...
Read More 
Going Places Blu-ray Review: Traveling Nowhere, Reaching Enlightenment
The title of this 1974 French film is somewhat ironic, considering the rudderless path of its twenty-something drifter characters. Co-written ...
Read More 
TV Review: Love & Rockets: The Great American Comic Book
After 40 years of ongoing publication, the Love & Rockets comic book is long overdue for a celebratory retrospective. Thankfully, ...
Read More 
A Fugitive from the Past Blu-ray Review: An Epic from the Past Finally Reaches USA
Director Tomu Uchida’s sprawling 1965 crime drama has finally arrived on home video for the first time outside of Japan. ...
Read More 
The House of the Lost on the Cape Blu-ray Review: House of Lost Time
Two girls and their elder move into a remote country home and set about cleaning it up for their residence. ...
Read More 
South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition Blu-ray Review
It’s hard to imagine the trials and tribulations that must have befallen Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to reach the South Pole ...
Read More 
Rain 90th Anniversary Blu-ray Review: Luminous Joan Crawford Drives the Clouds Away
When a massive monsoon wallops the tiny South Pacific location of Pago Pago, it traps an assortment of colorful travelers ...
Read More 
Karmalink Blu-ray Review: Dreams of Treasure and Past Lives
When a teenage boy starts having dreams about his past lives, he discovers that he may have the key to ...
Read More 
If…. Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: If Only It Had a Plot
This 1969 UK film has exactly one notable claim to fame: Malcolm McDowell’s first star turn in a film just ...
Read More 
Neptune Frost Blu-ray Review: The Revolution Will Be Televised
This feature film from recording artist Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman is undeniably ambitious, boasting an enticing amalgamation of Afrofuturist ...
Read More 
The Gilded Age: The Complete First Season DVD Review: Manhattan Abbey
While this period drama originates on HBO and is based in New York, its DNA is wholly derived from the ...
Read More 
Night Gallery: Season Two Blu-ray Review: The Gallery Expands
If you started your Night Gallery Blu-ray collection with the Season One set (as I reviewed here), the first thing ...
Read More 
My Old School Movie Review: Something Is Rotten in Scotland
In 1993, a 16-year-old boy named Brandon Lee enrolled at a secondary school in an upscale neighborhood in Scotland. A ...
Read More 
The Nan Movie Review: Bad Grandma
Before Catherine Tate gained recognition in the U.S. with her turns as a Doctor Who companion and a boss in ...
Read More 
Giallo Essentials [Black Edition] Blu-ray Box Set Review: Back in Black
Arrow Video is back with their third limited-edition box set exploring three lesser-known giallo films from the early 1970s. In ...
Read More 
Hero (1997) Blu-ray Review: The Heroic Return of Shaw Brothers
This classic Hong Kong action movie has two big draws for me: a star turn by Takeshi Kaneshiro and direction ...
Read More 
Book Review: Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator by Sofia Warren
A young Latina politician runs for and wins office in New York as a virtual unknown, ousting a veteran incumbent ...
Read More 
The Clock Blu-ray Review: Judy Garland’s Time
By 1945, 23-year-old Judy Garland was already a screen veteran with 20 leading roles to her credit. She was also ...
Read More 
Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Review: A Whole New World
Following a brief U.S. theatrical run, this charming new anime is now making its way to home video. The story ...
Read More 
The Red Shoes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: 15 Minutes in Heaven
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s classic 1948 film treads a well-worn path of backstage drama at a stage production, but ...
Read More 
Uncharted Blu-ray Review: Charted in the Video Games
As I watched the thrilling mid-air action scene that opens Uncharted, I realized that it seemed familiar to me. That’s ...
Read More 
Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray Box Set Review
Following quickly on the heels of Arrow Video’s five-film Chabrol box set, this second box set is smaller but contains ...
Read More 
Saturday Fiction Movie Review: Return of the Queen
Lou Ye’s latest film has a huge ace: a star turn by Gong Li. After rising to art house prominence ...
Read More 
Paris, 13th District Movie Review: The City of Light Romance
Writer/director Jacques Audiard’s latest film follows four young adults as they navigate the ups and downs of dating and professional ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Junction by Norm Konyu
Far too rarely, a graphic novel lands in the market with such an assured sense of style and substance that ...
Read More 
Man’s Favorite Sport? Blu-ray Review: Rock Out of Water
Rock Hudson stars in this romantic comedy about the author of a well-known fishing guidebook who has never actually fished, ...
Read More 
Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-5 Blu-ray Review: One Pickle, Two Crows, and a Multiverse of Mirth
Rick and Morty is the rarest of TV phenomena: a series so popular that the studio keeps releasing “complete” series ...
Read More 
Blue Skies Blu-ray Review: Holiday Inn Revisited
While most musicals would be lucky to have one of the three powerhouses featured in Blue Skies, this film suffers ...
Read More 
Lies & Deceit: Five Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray Box Set Review
Arrow Video’s latest box set shines a light on the works of French New Wave director Claude Chabrol. Although he’s ...
Read More 
The Three Musketeers (1948) Blu-ray Review: Night of 100 Stars
MGM’s 1948 version of this classic tale is full of stars but short on clear direction. The first act plays ...
Read More 
Drive My Car Movie Review: A Sublime Journey
As the least-known contender in this year’s Oscar Best Picture nominees, Drive My Car has the best opportunity to surprise ...
Read More 
Catwoman: Hunted 4K Ultra HD Review: DC Goes Anime
DC’s latest animated film answers the question you probably never asked: what would a DC film look like as anime? ...
Read More 
The Lover 4K UHD Collector’s Edition Review: Fall in Love Again
Famed director Jean-Jacques Annaud’s adaptation of this steamy semi-autobiographical tale by author Marguerite Duras caused a sensation upon its 1992 theatrical ...
Read More 
Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition] Blu-ray Review: Masked Killers, Disrobed Victims
Arrow Video’s second box set collection of giallo classics is now available, arriving less than a month after the first ...
Read More 
West Side Story (2021) Movie Review: Spielberg Keeps It Real
In Steven Spielberg’s vision of 1950s New York City, the West Side resembles a bombed-out warzone. That’s largely due to ...
Read More 
Giallo Essentials [Red Edition] Blu-ray Box Set Review: Mixed Bag, Solid Box
Just in time for the holiday gift giving season, Arrow Video has repackaged three individual Blu-ray releases from 2018/19 into ...
Read More 
Night Gallery Season One Blu-ray Review: Rod Serling’s Other Series Gets a Fresh Coat of Paint
Rod Serling will always be most closely identified with The Twilight Zone, but his follow-up series is finally getting Blu-ray ...
Read More 
Mad Max Anthology 4K Ultra HD Box Set Review: Work in Progress
You know how all major video games launch with issues that have to be fixed after release? Well, sometimes it ...
Read More 
Freud Blu-ray Review: Montgomery Clift Exorcises His Demons
This mid-career effort by legendary director John Houston is overlong, clinical, and ponderous, and yet Montgomery Clift’s tortured lead performance ...
Read More 
Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Review: Don’t Sleep on This Joyous Delight
Doris Day leads an engaging cast in this fairly conventional but highly entertaining musical. She stars as a young dancer ...
Read More 
The Bitter Stems Blu-ray Review: Argentine Noir
Alfredo Gasper is a hard-working newspaper reporter in Argentina who has become disillusioned about the trajectory of his stalled career. ...
Read More 
Audrey Hepburn 7-Movie Collection Blu-ray Review: More Loverly Than Ever
This collection of Audrey Hepburn’s most memorable starring roles has been available on DVD since early 2019, but has only ...
Read More 
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality Video Game Review: Allons-y!
Licensed video games are always fraught with the peril of hardcore fan expectations vs. actual gameplay. Add in the burden ...
Read More 
Change of Habit Blu-ray Review: Easy Habit to Break
This offbeat film bears the distinction of being Elvis Presley’s final acting role, which is about the only remarkable thing ...
Read More 
Becoming Cousteau Movie Review: From Exploration to Conservation
Decades before David Attenborough became a household name in the U.S., Jacques-Yves Cousteau was the king of nature documentaries. Along ...
Read More 
Come September Blu-ray Review: Hudson Rocks the Riviera
Rock Hudson is in prime leading man form in this beautifully photographed 1961 romp through the Italian Riviera. Hudson plays ...
Read More 
On Broadway DVD Review: Start Spreading the News
After an unprecedented 18-month shutdown caused by the pandemic, Broadway finally started reopening many shows last month. Oscar-nominated director Oren ...
Read More 
Blithe Spirit (2020) Blu-ray Review: Bland and Unspirited, But Mann and Fisher Shine
Noel Coward’s play has been adapted for the screen multiple times dating back to 1945, but it’s been long enough ...
Read More 
The Nowhere Inn Movie Review: Make Plans to Check In
St. Vincent decides to try out smoking during the production of her concert tour documentary film, declaring to her friend ...
Read More 
Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD Review: 4K, The Final Frontier
In celebration of the 55th anniversary of the debut of the Star Trek TV series this month, Paramount has released ...
Read More 
In the Good Old Summertime Blu-ray Review: You’ve Got Snail Mail
Modern Hollywood gets plenty of well-deserved grief for rebooting stories before the originals have even faded from memory, but it’s ...
Read More 
Blind Beast Blu-ray Review: An Assured Vision by Director Yasuzo Masumura
When an alluring young fetish model named Aki visits a gallery exhibiting her nude works, she’s shocked to find a ...
Read More 
Thoroughly Modern Millie Blu-ray Review: Thoroughly Charming
This zany musical was a big hit in the 1960s, garnering huge box office and seven Oscar nominations, along with ...
Read More 
The Daimajin Trilogy Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set: Stone Cold Kaiju Action
What if a Godzilla-sized monster was a living stone statue who battled evil human warlords instead of other monsters? Japan’s ...
Read More 
It Happened at the World’s Fair Blu-ray Review: It Probably Shouldn’t Have
Elvis Presley starred in dozens of films in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and many of them were quite entertaining. This ...
Read More 
Take Me Out to the Ball Game Blu-ray Review: Almost a Home Run
Now that it’s mid-summer, it’s peak time to enjoy the national pastime: baseball…in musical form. Warner Archive rounds the bases ...
Read More 
An American in Paris: The Musical Blu-ray Review: C’est Bon
As live musicals shut down during the pandemic, recorded performances stepped in to help fill the entertainment void. The 2014 ...
Read More 
Years of Lead Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set Review: Transforms Lead into Gold
When most film fans think of Italian genre films of the 1970s, the first term that comes to mind is ...
Read More 
It Happened on 5th Avenue Blu-ray Review: Thoroughly Charming Happenstance
You know how sometimes you stumble across a movie you had no intention of watching but end up really liking ...
Read More 
Irezumi Blu-ray Review: Kiss of the Spider Woman
A wealthy merchant’s daughter becomes a murderous geisha after receiving a huge back tattoo of a spider. At a glance, ...
Read More 
World of Wong Kar Wai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: What a Wonderful World
Wong Kar Wai burst into the international film scene in the 1980s and has remained an icon ever since. While ...
Read More 
Madame Curie Blu-ray Review: Geniuses Oblivious to Their Attraction
Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon portray the Curies in this biographical film about the early career of the discoverer of ...
Read More 
Ziegfeld Follies Blu-ray Review: Two Hours of Follies, Half Hour of Jollies
While movie musicals typically follow a paper-thin plot as a device to string together their songs, this oddity ditches the ...
Read More 
Indiana Jones: 4-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD Box Set Review: Dolby Atmos to the Rescue
Just in time for this month’s 40th anniversary of the theatrical debut of Indiana Jones, this new box set presents ...
Read More 
Just a Gigolo Blu-ray Review: Bowie and Dietrich Make the Best of a Misfire
This Berlin-set film arrived at an opportune time in David Bowie’s career, since he was living in the city for ...
Read More 
Tove Movie Review: Moomin Mama Makes Her Mark
Tove Jansson rose to international fame thanks to her creation of the iconic Moomin characters. Although she passed away 20 ...
Read More 
The Tender Trap Blu-ray Review: Trapped in Dated Attitudes But Still Tender Fun
Frank Sinatra plays a wealthy Broadway talent agent named Charlie whose chief talent seems to be adding girlfriends to his ...
Read More 
Santa Sangre 4K UHD Limited Edition Box Set Review: Jodorowsky’s True Vision
Alejandro Jodorowsky is the quintessential Renaissance man, although he’s most widely known as a feature film director. His true definition ...
Read More 
Flowers of Shanghai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mise-ry en Scene
This Taiwanese movie was based on a novel about “flower houses” of 19th century Shanghai, high class establishments where courtesans ...
Read More 
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Blu-ray Review: Solid Comedy Construction
If I hadn’t watched this new Blu-ray, I never would have realized that the old Tom Hanks comedy The Money ...
Read More 
Masculin Feminin Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Tres Chic
Jean-Luc Godard’s study of young love in Paris pulses with style but doesn’t have much of a story. The film ...
Read More 
Annie Get Your Gun Blu-ray Review: Shoots a Few Blanks but Hits the Overall Target
Prior to its release this week, this classic MGM movie adaptation of an American musical theatre staple has never been ...
Read More 
Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Review: De-Lovely
The obvious draws for this classic MGM musical are the star turn by Fred Astaire and the songs written by ...
Read More 
On Moonlight Bay Blu-ray Review: Day and MacRae Play on the Bay
Booth Tarkington is most famously remembered as the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice ...
Read More 
Book Review: Corto Maltese: Mu, The Lost Continent by Hugo Pratt
Italian comics star Hugo Pratt led a life that was nearly as adventurous as his most famous character, Corto Maltese. ...
Read More 
Three Films by Luis Buñuel Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Don’s Swan Songs
As Luis Buñuel neared the end of his life, he swore each time he made a film that it would ...
Read More 
The Harvey Girls Blu-ray Review: MGM Misses the Bullseye
Despite the top billing of mega-star Judy Garland and some pricey-looking location shooting and hundreds of extras, The Harvey Girls ...
Read More 
Young Man with a Horn Blu-ray Review: Birth of the Cool
Kirk Douglas was a force in Hollywood for so many decades that it's easy to forget that he was a ...
Read More 
Saturday Night Live: The Early Years: The Best of Seasons 1-5 DVD Box Set Review
This new box set cherry picks 33 complete episodes from the first five years of Saturday Night Live, acting as ...
Read More 
The Pirate Blu-ray Review: Choppy Seas Lead to Treasure
On paper, this classic musical has everything going for it. Headlined by the top-tier star pairing of Gene Kelly and ...
Read More 
Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 3 Criterion Collection Box Set Review
Legendary writer/director and noted film buff Martin Scorsese established The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project in 2007 to restore and ...
Read More 
Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Quentin
Writer/director Takashi Miike rose to international fame around the turn of the century with a string of audacious cult classic ...
Read More 
Taste of Cherry Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Not to Everyone’s Taste
Abbas Kiarostami's understated film won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, leading to its initial ...
Read More 
Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shinya Tsukamoto Blu-ray Box Set Review
If you've seen one Tsukamoto film, you definitely haven't seen them all, as evidenced by this amazing new box set ...
Read More 
Wild Palms Blu-ray Review: It’s No Twin Peaks
In the wake of the spectacular rise and fall of the original Twin Peaks, its network ABC was keen to produce ...
Read More 
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Burning Bright
Writer/director Celine Sciamma's latest film is both exhilarating and depressing: spellbinding because of its absolute excellence and disheartening because it ...
Read More 
Watchmen (2019): An HBO Limited Series Blu-ray Review: An Instant Classic
If you come to HBO's Watchmen limited series with a knowledge of the original comic book series and/or Zack Snyder's 2009 movie, ...
Read More 
The Gentlemen Blu-ray Review: Finally, a Real Guy Ritchie Film
Guy Ritchie's latest film is a winning return to the gritty ensemble crime caper format that fueled his rise to ...
Read More 
Superman: Red Son 4K UHD Review: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Communist
DC's latest animated movie explores the question of what would have happened if baby Superman landed in Russia instead of ...
Read More 
Frozen II Blu-ray Review: Call the Police, It Got Robbed of an Oscar Nomination
Frozen II represents a new pinnacle in feature film animation, with dazzling artistic and technical prowess, a surprising and engaging story, ...
Read More 
The Addams Family (2019) Blu-ray Review: Not Creepy or Kooky
The Addams Family is the very definition of Hollywood product, a project so completely lacking any creative spark or reason for ...
Read More 
The Lighthouse Blu-ray Review: A Shining Beacon of Excellence
I wasn't at all familiar with director and co-writer Robert Eggers until this masterful sophomore effort, but immediately added his ...
Read More 
Lucy in the Sky Movie Review: No Diamonds Here
Hey, did you hear about the new astronaut movie starring Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm directed by Noah Hawley, the ...
Read More 
Hustlers (2019) Blu-ray Review: Hustles the Audience
Inspired by a true story, Hustlers follows a group of conniving strippers as they turn the tables on their clients for illicit ...
Read More 
63 UP Movie Review: The Best Reality Show of All Time
Decades before we were deluged with a never-ending stream of “reality” TV shows, a British TV crew selected a group ...
Read More 
All About Eve Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: All the World’s a Stage
Best Picture Oscar winners don't always age well, but as All About Eve approaches its 70th anniversary, it's every bit as entertaining ...
Read More 
The Wizard of Oz 4K UHD Review: Somewhere Over the HDR Rainbow
Dorothy and the gang are back in a sparkling new 80th anniversary edition of the classic film, released in 4K ...
Read More 
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines 4K Ultra HD Review: All Hail the Princess
The latest DC animated film starts off poorly, with a prolonged 10-minute origin story on Wonder Woman’s home island of ...
Read More 
Midsommar Blu-ray Review: Unsettling in Any Season
Midsommar is marketed as a horror film, but it's so different from the typical entries in that genre that it really ...
Read More 
Dilili in Paris Movie Review: Michel Ocelot’s Love Letter to the City of Light
In his latest feature film, veteran animation auteur Michel Ocelot immediately toys with audience perceptions by opening on what appears ...
Read More 
Anna 4K Ultra HD Review: La Femme Anna
A tough, beautiful woman faces seemingly impossible odds as she battles her way to freedom. Can you name that Luc ...
Read More 
The Koker Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Rise of Abbas Kiarostami
This series of Iranian films is a trilogy in only the loosest sense, as they don't share overlapping casts or ...
Read More 
Batman: Hush 4K Ultra HD Review: The Bat, the Cat, and Villains Aplenty
DC's animated films tend to be adaptations of their classic comic-book works, with this story in particular being one of ...
Read More 
Missing Link Blu-ray Review: Missing Story, Finding Artistry
Missing Link is the latest film from the animation wizards at Laika, the tiny U.S. studio responsible for gems including Kubo and ...
Read More 
The Doors: The Final Cut 4K Ultra HD Review: Break on Through
Although the movie is named after the band, it's really all about the rise and fall of Jim Morrison. The ...
Read More 
The Batman Four Film Collection 4K UHD Review: Long Live the Bat
It seems impossible now, but 30 years ago there was only one blockbuster cinematic superhero: Batman. In celebration of the ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 5, 1985-1986 by Stan Lee, Floro Dery, and Dan Barry
In its early years, the daily Spider-Man comic strip had typically followed a comfortable pattern of Spider-Man facing off against ...
Read More 
Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki Blu-ray Review: Return of the King, or Don Quixote?
Workaholic anime legend Hayao Miyazaki has “retired” so many times after completing difficult films that each announcement is met with ...
Read More 
Batman Ninja Blu-ray Review: East Meets West
Batman Ninja is truly unique in the DC animated universe, not only because of its radical premise, but because it ...
Read More 
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Blu-ray Review: The Steampunk World’s Greatest Detective
Nearly 30 years ago, DC Comics launched an ongoing series of standalone stories set outside their normal comics continuity, eventually ...
Read More 
Superman / Batman: Apocalypse Blu-ray Review: Destined to Be a Fan Favorite
Here's a recipe for surefire fanboy satisfaction: pair the two most recognizable superheroes in the world with their most well-known ...
Read More 
Batman and Harley Quinn Blu-ray Review: Poison, But Not the Ivy Kind
After 10 years and 30 animated films, the brain trust behind the DC Universe Animated Original Movies is long overdue ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 4, 1983-1984 by Stan Lee, Fred Kida, and Floro Dery
With Fred Kida in control on daily art duties, Stan Lee started his writing chores in 1983 with nearly four ...
Read More 
Book Review: Batman: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Vol. 3, 1969-1972
Long before most of us were reading the funny pages, Batman was finishing up a six-year comic strip run fueled ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 3, 1981-1982 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Fred Kida
After taking over the art duties from comic strip originating artist John Romita Sr., Stan Lee's brother Larry Lieber continued ...
Read More 
Justice League vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Review: That’s So Raven, Damian
DC appears determined to cater to all manner of Justice League fans this year. If the dark, brooding Batman V Superman ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 2, 1979-1981 by Stan Lee and John Romita
st The trouble with a daily serialized story is how long it takes for anything to happen. Thanks to IDW's ...
Read More 
Sisters (2015) Blu-ray Review: Forty-Six Candles
Sisters might sound like a sibling relationship comedy, but it actually joins Hollywood's long, proud heritage of ribald comedy films ...
Read More 
SPECTRE Blu-ray Review: Ghosts of Bond’s Past
After the nearly universal acclaim and gigantic box office for the previous Bond outing, Skyfall, any follow-up was likely to ...
Read More 
Bridge of Spies Blu-ray Review: Spielberg’s History Tour Reaches the Cold War
For the last decade, Steven Spielberg has been stuck in the past as a director, churning out one historical film ...
Read More 
Bitter Rice Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Beauty of the Downtrodden
Long before Dino De Laurentiis was a noted Hollywood producer, he produced Italian films such as this 1949 drama. Interestingly, ...
Read More 
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Blu-ray Review: Diminishing Returns
While the first Maze Runner film delivered moderate thrills and sci-fi adventure, the sequel seems to be running in place. ...
Read More 
Jellyfish Eyes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Surprisingly Unsurprising
The most surprising thing about unconventional artist Takashi Murakami's first feature-length directorial effort is that it is entirely conventional. Based ...
Read More 
Trainwreck Blu-ray Review: Apatow Wrecks the Comedy
Judd Apatow's latest directorial effort has its problems, but first-time leading lady Amy Schumer isn't one of them. Working from ...
Read More 
A Special Day Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Special Performances from Italian Screen Legends
The setup for this Italian film is deceptively simple, but belies the impact of the performances by its two stars, ...
Read More 
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games DVD Review: Ponies No More
You know how kids are good for exposing you to stuff you otherwise never would have touched? This film is ...
Read More 
Empire: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: Birth of a Dynasty
The pilot episode of this series is a huge mess. Stuffed with a random assortment of seemingly unrelated scenes, frequent ...
Read More 
Pitch Perfect 2 Blu-ray Review: Re-Introducing Hailee Steinfeld
The Barden Bellas are in trouble. After winning the hearts of a cappella aficionados and casual fans everywhere, both within ...
Read More 
Stray Cat Rock Review: Bento Box of ’70s Delights
Starting in 1970, Japan's Nikkatsu studio produced the five films presented here, labelling them all under the Stray Cat Rock ...
Read More 
Orphan Black: Season Three Blu-ray Review: Maslany Clones a Success
The latest season of Orphan Black is easily superior to Season Two for one reason: more Tatiana Maslany. Where the ...
Read More 
Insurgent Blu-ray Review: Improved FX Help It Surge Above Its Predecessor
The films of The Divergent Series have firmly established themselves in the second tier of young-adult literature adaptations, joined by ...
Read More 
Book Review: The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection Vol. 1, 1979-1981 by Stan Lee and John Romita
Let's face it: daily newspaper comic strips have never been a great way to follow serialized stories. When a story ...
Read More 
Five Easy Pieces Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: One Easy Role to Nicholson’s Stardom
A year removed from his breakout supporting turn in Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson moved to headliner status in this 1970 ...
Read More 
Teen Titans Go!: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: Polarizing Superhero Hijinks
Like much of DC's animated fare, this series has its share of fans and detractors, but not for the typical ...
Read More 
Star Wars Celebration 2015 Review: The Biggest Star Wars Convention in the Galaxy
The biennial Star Wars Celebration took place over the weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center, an occasionally frustrating experience in ...
Read More 
Batman vs. Robin Blu-ray Review: Another Dark and Dangerous Day in Gotham
The title of DC's latest animated film is catchy, but it's also a bait and switch. Sure, Robin briefly toys ...
Read More 
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness DVD Review: The Glorious End of an Era
Studio Ghibli has long garnered acclaim as an animation powerhouse, and yet very little is known about its inner workings ...
Read More 
Atlas Shrugged Part III Blu-ray Review: Fool’s Gold
The final act of this unlikely trilogy spotlights a strong-willed individual who ignores public opinion and forges ahead with his ...
Read More 
The Maze Runner Digital HD Review: Lord of the Labyrinth Flies
Oh great, another teen dystopian flick, right? Yes, The Maze Runner seems like an also-ran following the lead of the ...
Read More 
It Happened One Night Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Original Runaway Bride
It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time in cinematic history when romantic comedies were extremely rare. That ...
Read More 
Unit One: Set 1-3 DVD Review: Hannibal Plays a Cop
Long before international star Mads Mikkelsen terrorized TV viewers with his take on the role of Hannibal Lecter, he acted ...
Read More 
Miss Marple: Volume 1 DVD Review: Old Dames Rule
Agatha Christie's famous fictional heroine has moved from page to screen many times, but this series bears the distinction of ...
Read More 
Snowpiercer (2013) Blu-ray Review: Off to See the Wizard
Chris Evans struck box-office gold with his latest Captain America film this year, but his other recent comic book film ...
Read More 
Neighbors (2014) Blu-ray Review: All Good in This Hood
This summer's breakout comedy hit delivers on its deceptively simple concept via some fresh character development, largely avoiding what could ...
Read More 
Death in Paradise: Season Two DVD Review: Conventional Murder Mysteries, Unconventional Setting
A stuffy English investigator gets transplanted to a laidback Caribbean island to solve their murders and his own misanthropy. Even ...
Read More 
All That Jazz Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Lord of the Dance
Joe Gideon is tired. Tired of women, tired of choreography, tired of drugs, and yet inexplicably driven to continue pursuing ...
Read More 
Orphan Black: Season Two Blu-ray Review: Attack of the Clones
Here's some breaking news: Tatiana Maslany is amazing. Although the Emmys don't seem to recognize her existence, or the existence ...
Read More 
Rio 2 Blu-ray Review: Welcome to the Jungle
Although the first Rio didn't really set the box office on fire or generate frantic demand for further adventures, it ...
Read More 
Hinterland: Series 1 DVD Review: The Prints of Wales
Although we Yanks are mostly familiar with Wales in relation to “Prince/Princess/Duchess of”, it is very much a real place ...
Read More 
Death in Paradise: Season 1 DVD Review: British Mysteries with a Tropical Twist
Given the sheer volume of British mystery series available, it's almost essential to have a hook to differentiate from the ...
Read More 
Ernest & Celestine Blu-ray Review: A Tail of Two Cities
One of the biggest surprise nominees at this year's Academy Awards was this little-seen French animated film. Thanks to its ...
Read More 
Wolverine Weapon X: Tomorrow Dies Today DVD Review: Days of Future Deathloks
Marvel continues their ongoing motion comics conversions with this tale starring the omnipresent Wolverine. While there's no shortage of Wolverine ...
Read More 
Republic of Doyle: Season 1 DVD Review: Conventional Mysteries, Unconventional Setting
Every so often a product crosses our desks that appears to be so unique it demands a closer look. This ...
Read More 
Nikita: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Review: The Short Kiss Goodnight
Nikita's long strange trip from Luc Besson's original 1997 film to her second TV series reaches its conclusion in this ...
Read More 
Out of the Furnace Blu-ray Review: Burning Too Many Fires
Out of the Furnace is a frustrating misfire, made all the more dispiriting by the unwarranted high caliber of acting ...
Read More 
The Hidden Fortress Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Gold Standard
A long time ago in a country far, far away, esteemed director Akira Kurosawa filmed a grand adventure that took ...
Read More 
Book Review: Snowpiercer Vol. 1 & 2 by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette
This French comic is currently receiving renewed international attention thanks to its use as the source material for a new ...
Read More 
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London by Sylvain Cordurie and Laci
With all of the Sherlock Holmes revisionism in movies and TV over the past few years, it's become confusing to ...
Read More 
Borgen: Season 3 DVD Review: Once More Unto the Breach
When we last saw feisty Danish Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg (the stellar Sidse Babett Knudsen), she was calling for a ...
Read More 
Justice League: War Blu-ray Review: Take a Walk on the Darkseid
A few years ago, DC Comics rebooted their entire superhero line under the audacious New 52 plan, throwing out decades ...
Read More 
Book Review: Captain Midnight: Volume 1: On the Run by Joshua Williamson and Fernando Dagnino
A patriotic Nazi-fighting U.S. superhero who disappeared in the 1940s suddenly appears in the present day, seemingly not a day ...
Read More 
Wolverine Versus Sabertooth DVD Review: Not the Best There Is at What Loeb Does
Wolverine and Sabertooth are at the pinnacle of classic comic-book opponents. Jeph Loeb is a reliably impressive writer and TV ...
Read More 
Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review: A Disc Full of Sugar
Never ones to pass up a marketing opportunity, the fine folks at Disney lined up a two-fer with the Blu-ray ...
Read More 
Burn Notice: Season Seven DVD Review: Burning Bridges
USA Network's veteran spy show took a turn for the deadly serious in Season 6 with the murder of a ...
Read More 
Prisoners Blu-ray Review: Trapped in the Maze
Child-abduction movies aren't ranked high on the must-see lists of most viewers, making the stellar cast assembled for this project ...
Read More 
Morrissey: 25 Live Review: November Spawned a Monster of a Blu-ray
OK, it actually came out in late October, but I just watched it and the tagline was too tempting to ...
Read More 
Turbo Blu-ray Review: The Fast and the Cautious
An unusual thing happened in the world of feature film animation this year: DreamWorks didn't release any sequels. The home ...
Read More 
John Cassavetes: Five Films Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Independent Spirit
Whether or not you enjoy the directorial efforts of John Cassavetes, it's impossible to overlook his contribution to the rise ...
Read More 
Nikita: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review: La Reine Nikita
Shows airing on CW aren't generally known for the strength or complexity of their writing, but Nikita has been a ...
Read More 
Luther: Series 3 DVD Review: Panic on the Streets of London
If you're looking for a feel-good cop show with a tidy resolution at the end of every episode, this is ...
Read More 
Bones: The Complete Eighth Season Blu-ray Review: Going Through the Motions
Bones is the TV equivalent of comfort food. You know what you're getting, you know you won't be challenged in ...
Read More 
Star Trek: Into Darkness Blu-ray Review: The Wrath of Fans
Remember how in the original Star Trek film series the even-numbered movies were the best? Apparently the current revisionist Abramsverse ...
Read More 
From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Review: The Son Also Rises
Goro Miyazaki is in a tough position. As the son of beloved living legend Hayao Miyazaki, and a budding anime ...
Read More 
Epic Blu-ray Review: Heart of Darkness
I don't ever pay attention to MPAA ratings on animated films, because why bother? After decades of reliably mild animated ...
Read More 
The Big City Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Girl Power
Prior to The Big City, director Satyajit Ray had never tackled a contemporary project, choosing to focus on explorations of ...
Read More 
Charulata Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Indian Film, European Sensibility
This is not a Bollywood film, at least not in the accepted modern-day definition of the term. Half a century ...
Read More 
Smiley’s People Blu-ray Review: The Man with the Olden Gun
George Smiley is the polar opposite of James Bond. They're both spies for the British Secret Intelligence Service, but Smiley ...
Read More 
Orphan Black: Season 1 Blu-ray Review: Black is the New Black
There's a point in this sci fi series that one clone is asked to temporarily impersonate another clone and you ...
Read More 
The Life of Oharu Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Downward Spiral
While watching this film, I was reminded of another tale of a classy lady who gradually becomes marginalized: Anna Karenina. ...
Read More 
Wolverine: Origin DVD Review: The Best There Is at What He Does.
Ever wonder about how Wolverine got his start? So did the rest of the Marvel Comics Universe and its readers, ...
Read More 
Borgen: Season 2 DVD Review: Nothing’s Rotten in Denmark
Who knew Danish politics could be so much fun? Picking up a year after the first season, this collection finds ...
Read More 
Todd & the Book of Pure Evil: The Complete Second Season DVD Review: Once More with Feeling
A group of high school outcasts battles supernatural beasties and their dastardly principal. Oh, and there's a musical episode. Nope, ...
Read More Marketa Lazarova Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Defiantly Experimental
You know how Game of Thrones gets really confusing with the various warring clans populated by so many characters that ...
Read More 
Slugterra: Slugs Unleashed DVD Review: Arrested Development
For those new to this vibrant and expertly animated series, Slugterra is an underground land populated with many different types ...
Read More 
Burn Notice: Season Six DVD Review: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
If you've never watched USA Network's long-running crime/action show, here's a quick recap: faithful U.S. spy gets blacklisted by his ...
Read More 
Vexed: Series 2 DVD Review: A Vexing Decline
After only one season, co-star Lucy Punch is gone. While that wouldn't be a big deal for a show with ...
Read More 
LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite Blu-ray Review: Holy Bricks, Batman!
I recently slammed the achingly buffoonish LEGO Star Wars Blu-ray while lamenting that LEGO would have been much better served ...
Read More 
George Gently: Series 5 Blu-ray Review: Murder Most Groovy
With a seemingly unending stream of British mystery series in play, it's becoming increasingly difficult for relatively recent arrivals to ...
Read More 
The Syndicate: Series 1 DVD Review: Mo Money Mo Problems
This British TV drama about lottery winners gets off to a shaky start until we get to know the downtrodden ...
Read More 
Inhumans DVD Review: Welcome Back, Old Friends
Marvel has released quite a few motion comics in the past few years, but none as surprising a choice as ...
Read More 
Gate of Hell Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Not Quite Heavenly, but Far from Hellish
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, this Oscar-winning Japanese film has fallen off the radar over the past few decades ...
Read More 
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out DVD Review: The Force Is Weak with This One
I love all of the LEGO video games. Love love love them, and play all of them to completion. A ...
Read More 
Lincoln Blu-ray Review: History Can Be Entertaining in the Right Hands
Lincoln is one of those films I had to force myself to watch. As a Very Important Film from esteemed ...
Read More 
Borgen: Season 1 DVD Review: The Far West Wing
This Danish political drama recently received some unexpected U.S. traction when author Stephen King took to the pages of Entertainment ...
Read More 
Badlands Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Birth of a Legend
Forty years ago, writer/director Terrence Malick's first feature film announced the arrival of an important new voice. Through the ensuing ...
Read More 
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Friends Forever DVD Review: Berry Bland
Once upon a time, Strawberry Shortcake was aimed squarely at little girls. Originating as a greeting card character, then expanding ...
Read More Life of Pi Blu-ray Review: Piscine in the Wind
Ang Lee fully deserves his Oscar win for successfully bringing this seemingly unfilmable project to screen, but the end result ...
Read More 
Sansho the Bailiff Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Ties That Bind
Based on the movie title, one would expect Sansho to be the main character. One would be wrong. In fact, ...
Read More 
Atlas Shrugged Part II Blu-ray Review: Critic Shrugged
After middling returns for the first movie, it's surprising that this second installment even exists. For that fact alone, the ...
Read More 
Argo Blu-ray Review: Sealed with a Presidential Kiss
A funny thing happened on Lincoln's way to Oscar domination: Argo came back from the dead. With a stunning slew ...
Read More 
Slugterra: Return of the Shane Gang DVD Review: Pre-Teenage Dream
Deep beneath Earth's surface, tribes of various humanoid characters live and do battle with adorable little slugs. Why slugs? Because ...
Read More 
House of Cards (UK) Trilogy Blu-ray Review: Long Live the King
Have you finished your binge marathon viewing session of the new Netflix series starring Kevin Spacey? If so, you're ready ...
Read More 
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 Blu-ray Review: Supes vs. Bats, We All Win
Warner Bros Animation's concluding adaptation of Frank Miller's classic comic book series (Part 1 review) contains the fight every superhero ...
Read More 
Misfits: Season Two DVD Review: Last of the Greats
What is it about the BBC that makes them incapable of maintaining original casts on their shows for prolonged periods ...
Read More 
Twenty Twelve: The Complete Series DVD Review: Past Its Sell-By Date
This irreverent British mockumentary series about the inner workings of the London Olympics planning committee takes a fantastic premise and ...
Read More 
Ivan’s Childhood Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: War is Hell, but Looks Superb
On the surface, this film might not seem to offer much enticement for viewing considering its decidedly downbeat subject matter ...
Read More 
56 Up Movie Review: Still Going Strong After Nearly 50 Years
For nearly 50 years now, a group of ordinary English citizens have been participating in an ongoing sociological study that ...
Read More 
TV Review: Doctor Who: The Snowmen
Santa Claus brought Doctor Who fans a new companion this year, and she proves to be a keeper. As 19th ...
Read More 
The Hour Series 1 Blu-ray Review: Would Have Been Better at That Length
As we gear up for the imminent home video release of series 2, let's take a look back at series ...
Read More 
Beasts of the Southern Wild Blu-ray Review: An Acquired Taste
Director Benh Zeitlin‘s film is this year's Little Indie That Could, a micro-budgeted, challenging art house effort that defied long ...
Read More 
Purple Noon Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Talented Mr. Delon
Remember The Talented Mr. Ripley? Director Anthony Minghella's 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's crime novel helped launch Jude Law to ...
Read More 
Ice Age: Continental Drift DVD Review: Drifting into Murky Waters
Scrat’s back for more frosty adventures, but unfortunately so are the rest of those other boring characters. As anyone who ...
Read More 
Call the Midwife: Season One Blu-ray Review: Call a Doctor, My Retinas Are Burned
Author Ayelet Waldman calls the memoirs that served as the basis for this series “tremendously moving”. I agree, but in ...
Read More 
Kaijudo: Rise Of The Duel Masters: Creatures Unleashed DVD Review: Rise of the Enjoyable Merchandising Tie-In
What do you get when you cross giant monsters and sweet martial arts fighting? Kaijudo! I didn't initially figure out ...
Read More 
La Jetee / Sans Soleil Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Stay for the Stills, Run from the Motion
Director Chris Marker's two most well-known works have been compiled into one Criterion release, but only one of them is ...
Read More 
Hawkins: The Complete TV-Movie Collection DVD Review: Jimmy Stewart, TV Star
Did you know Jimmy Stewart starred in a TV show? Actually, he headlined two series during his illustrious career, with ...
Read More 
DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk DVD Review: New Series Soars Above the Competition
DreamWorks Animation finally has a truly great animated series. While they have previously produced the Penguins of Madagascar and Kung ...
Read More 
The Watch Blu-ray Review: The Don’t Watch
Remember how funny many of Saturday Night Live's Digital Shorts were? Remember the ones that weren't, such as most of ...
Read More 
Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable DVD Review: Astonishing Cassaday
I forgot how much I love John Cassaday's artwork. While writer Joss Whedon was the unquestionable star of the Astonishing ...
Read More 
Rashomon (1950) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Restoration Shows Improvements, Not Perfection
If you're reading this review, chances are you're fully familiar with this classic film and just have two questions: how's ...
Read More 
Vera: Set 2 DVD Review: Murder, She Grumbled
There's something irresistible about old-timers solving crimes, although the quality of those crime shows isn't always timeless. Thankfully, this vehicle ...
Read More 
Thundercats Nintendo DS Video Game Review: Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats NOOOOOO!
One of the most pleasant surprises of the current golden age of animated shows is Cartoon Network's Thundercats reboot. Regrettably, that pleasure ...
Read More 
Flight Movie Review: Robert Zemeckis and Denzel Washington Soar, Script Crashes
After spending most of the last decade laboring over a string of motion-capture CG films I'd prefer to forget, director ...
Read More 
Copper: Season One Blu-ray Review: Dodge This Bullet
Not content to just rebroadcast programming from the UK, BBC America has entered the arena of original scripted programming with ...
Read More 
The Walking Dead Video Game Review: A Scary Good Time
Creator Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse tale isn't just chewing up comic book racks and TV ratings, it's also terrorizing video ...
Read More 
Kingdom: Season One DVD Review: No Treasure Here
A long time ago in a country far, far away, two young comedians were introduced by Emma Thompson while all ...
Read More 
The Forgiveness of Blood Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Nik Full of Angst
Remember Maria Full of Grace? Writer/director Joshua Marston's 2004 film about a Colombian drug mule garnered international acclaim and recognition ...
Read More 
Moonrise Kingdom Blu-ray Review: Love in the Time of Eccentricity
There's no mistaking a Wes Anderson movie, and with his latest work he's more distinctive than ever. That's both a ...
Read More 
Waterloo Road: Series 1 DVD Review: The Headmaster Ritual
This long-running UK drama series has been airing in its native land since 2006 and has appeared on BBC America, ...
Read More 
Tomorrow Never Dies Movie Review: Enter The Dragon
I've seen all of the Bond movies. I've read all of the original Fleming novels. And yet, this DVD is ...
Read More 
Rock of Ages Blu-ray Review: Overstuffed Rock That Lasts Ages
Sherrie and Drew are destined to meet and fall in love. She's just a small town girl, livin' in a ...
Read More 
Wallander Series 3 DVD Review: No Loki, Still Heavenly
In between filming Wallander series 2 and 3, star Kenneth Branagh directed a little art house film called Thor. In ...
Read More 
Children of Paradise Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Cinematic Paradise
At first glance, this film might seem like a poor candidate for greatness, or even relevance in our era. It’s ...
Read More 
Vexed: Series 1 DVD Review: A Brief Burst of Genre-Bending Hilarity
The hilarious opening scene of this offbeat cop show sets the tone for the rest of the series. A man ...
Read More 
Sacrifice (2010) DVD Review: Not Worth Your Time Sacrifice
Highly esteemed director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) spins an intriguing revenge yarn in his latest film but is undone ...
Read More 
Injustice (2011) DVD Review: The Vigilante Barrister
Over the course of its five episodes, this miniseries very slowly reveals its true intention. What starts out as a ...
Read More 
Quadrophenia Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: We Are the 5.1 Mods
Even if you’ve seen this film before, you’ve never seen it like this. Boasting a complete restoration including a new ...
Read More 
Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
I’ve just returned from a dream world of magic populated by classic fairy tale characters experiencing modern angst. No, it’s ...
Read More 
Third Star Movie Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Leads the Way
”I’m 29 today. Won’t see 30.” With that opening line, Third Star clearly defines its theme and outcome, tracing the ...
Read More 
True Wolf Movie Review: Don’t Be Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
Wolves have traditionally been vilified as vicious, bloodthirsty predators not worthy of any human compassion. This documentary aims to influence ...
Read More 
Astonishing X-Men: Torn DVD Review: More Astonishing Motion, Less Astonishing Story
Continuing the Astonishing X-Men motion comics saga initiated in previous DVDs Gifted and Dangerous, this latest disc covers issues 13-18 ...
Read More 
Jay and Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging in the UK DVD Review: Friendship Never Gets Old
Now that the London Olympics are over, it’s time to turn our attention to these other notable American heroes staking ...
Read More 
The Bourne Legacy Movie Review: Renner 1, Gilroy 0, Mistakes Aplenty
A couple of things become clear early on in the new Bourne movie: Jeremy Renner is an excellent choice to ...
Read More 
Misfits: Season One DVD Review: They’re No Heroes
The review excerpt used as a marketing tagline on this series proclaims “Heroes with Buffy-esque snark”, which is a fair ...
Read More 
Le Havre Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Light-Hearted, Surreal Take on a Serious Subject
The setup for this film is straightforward: a poor aging French shoe-shiner helps a young African illegal immigrant evade capture ...
Read More 
Mansome Movie Review: Lots of Comedians, Little Comedy
Morgan Spurlock continues his prolific output of documentary feature films with this look at modern male grooming. While the topic ...
Read More 
Suez DVD Review: For Hardcore Tyrone Power Fans Only
Tyrone Power and his frequent co-star Loretta Young team up once again in this tale that aims to inject some ...
Read More 
Metropolitan Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Two Decades Later, I Still Don’t Get It
Writer/director Whit Stillman’s debut film received massive critical accolades following its 1990 theatrical release, including a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination. ...
Read More 
Wrath of the Titans (2012) Blu-ray Review: Wrath of the Critic
When you think back to the reimagined Clash of the Titans released two years ago, what memories come to mind? ...
Read More 
Love Is News DVD Review: The News Is Good
While I’m familiar with the name of leading man Tyrone Power, I realized before watching this film that I’m almost ...
Read More 
Midsomer Murders: Set 20 Blu-ray Review: Crime and Bemusement in the English Countryside
Deep in the English countryside, there’s a fictional county with an alarmingly high murder rate. Despite its fairly low population, ...
Read More 
LEGO Ninjago Masters of Spinjitzu: Season One DVD Review: A Fun but Lightweight Extended Toy Commercial
Four pizza-loving teen ninjas battle the forces of evil under the tutelage of their wise old sensei. Teenage Mutant Ninja ...
Read More 
The Samurai Trilogy Criterion Collection DVD Review: Mifune in His Physical Prime
Japanese screen legend Toshiro Mifune is most closely associated with the directorial efforts of fellow legend Akira Kurosawa, and yet ...
Read More 
American Reunion Blu-ray Review: Reunited and It Feels So Good
The kids from American Pie are all physically adults now, but the guys are still as juvenile as ever. On ...
Read More 
Doc Martin Series 5 DVD Review: Baby Makes Three, Doesn’t Spoil the Chemistry
This show may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its offbeat cast of characters continue to delight those willing ...
Read More 
Shame (2011) Blu-ray Review: A Shameful Waste of Michael Fassbender’s Acting Talent
Shame is one of those whiny, self-involved New Yorker tales that makes most normal folks cringe. It’s further hampered by ...
Read More 
Wallander: The Revenge Movie Review: Original Book Author Contributes a Terrific Film Plot
Believe it or not, Stieg Larsson didn’t corner the market on Swedish crime fiction with his Dragon Tattoo (aka Millenium) ...
Read More 
Summer with Monika Criterion Collection Blu-Ray Review: Bergman in Love
This early success from director Ingmar Bergman follows a completely straightforward and conventional path to its obvious conclusion, offering little ...
Read More 
Certified Copy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Certified Original
An esteemed English author named James Miller (William Shimell) has written a book on the value of copies versus original ...
Read More 
Sherlock: Season Two Blu-ray Review: It’s Elementary That You Must Watch This
My keen powers of observation have allowed me to deduce that you’re thinking “Another Sherlock Holmes project? Enough already!” Sure, ...
Read More 
The Secret World of Arrietty Blu-ray Review: Another Ghibli Gem
Even when legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki isn’t officially helming films for Studio Ghibli, his touch is so ingrained in ...
Read More 
Hell on Wheels: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review: The Boiling Melting Pot
This AMC series didn’t seem to get much attention during its first season, especially in comparison to the network’s critical ...
Read More 
The Avengers (2012) Movie Review: Merry Marvel Mayhem
After years of planning and audience baiting through individual Marvel superhero films, the massive Marvel team-up finally arrives in U.S. ...
Read More 
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Blu-ray Review: The Spy Who Went Out in the Cold
Decades before last year’s theatrical adaptation, John le Carre’s classic espionage novel was the basis for this BBC TV miniseries. ...
Read More 
Late Spring Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Moving Look at a Family’s Season of Change
Writer/director Yasujiro Ozu is widely regarded as one of the most important Japanese directors of all time, generally second only ...
Read More 
Frozen Planet Blu-ray Review: BBC Hits the Poles
Following the huge worldwide success of their previous epic nature projects Planet Earth and Life, the BBC cameramen don their ...
Read More 
Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous DVD Review: Joss Whedon Earns His Marvel Stripes
Before helming this summer’s Marvel team-up blockbuster film The Avengers, Joss Whedon earned his Marvel Comics bona fides in the ...
Read More 
David Lean Directs Noel Coward Criterion Collection DVD Boxset Review: Box of Delights
Although best remembered for his widescreen epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, and The Bridge on the River ...
Read More 
Secret Pleasures DVD Box Set Review: Asian Grab Bag
This box set of fairly recent films takes a grab-bag approach, carrying no real unifying theme other than a focus ...
Read More 
In the Garden of Sounds DVD Review: Who Says Blindness is a Disability?
Wolfgang Fasser went blind in his early 20s, the victim of a rare genetic disease. “Victim” may be the wrong ...
Read More 
The Last Temptation of Christ Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Still Controversial
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, famed director Martin Scorsese sparked a firestorm of controversy via the release of ...
Read More 
Todd & the Book of Pure Evil: The Complete First Season DVD Review: Join the Cult
Just in time for tonight’s Second Season premiere on FEARnet, the complete First Season DVD box set is now available. ...
Read More 
Vanya on 42nd Street Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Timeless Theatrical Experiment
Seemingly random individuals are filmed roaming the streets of New York’s Broadway area before separately converging on a dilapidated theater. ...
Read More 
Justice League: Doom Blu-ray Review: Action Triumphs over Plot
DC’s latest animated movie pits its greatest superheroes against some of their most dangerous foes, meaning it’s light on plot ...
Read More 
World on a Wire Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Nature of Unnatural Reality
Two business colleagues at a supercomputer research facility are enjoying a pleasant conversation before one of them declares that he ...
Read More 
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Blu-ray Review: The 19th Best Christmas Movie of All Time
Harold and Kumar aren't the ideal characters one would envision for a frothy Christmas movie or a senses-shattering 3D experience, ...
Read More 
Three Outlaw Samurai Criterion Collection DVD Review: Three is the Magic Number
When peasants stage an uprising against their greedy local magistrate, they find an unlikely ally in the form of a ...
Read More 
After Fall, Winter Movie Review: Love in the Time of Desperation
A lonely writer wanders around the streets of Paris before stumbling into an exciting new romantic relationship that reinvigorates his ...
Read More Belle de Jour Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: How Severine Got Her Groove Back
A young, wealthy housewife goes for a horse-drawn carriage ride in the idyllic French countryside with her dashing husband. So ...
Read More 
Glee: The Concert Blu-ray Review: Fun Performances, Lame Interludes
The Glee concert film captures a moment in time of a pop-culture phenomenon that had already started its slow march ...
Read More 
Tokyo Drifter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Style Over Substance
Iconic director Seijun Suzuki’s film isn’t very impressive from a story standpoint, but is packed with wall-to-colorful-wall visual flair. It’s ...
Read More
West Side Story 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review: The Story’s Not the Thing
For a 50-year-old, this film still has great legs. It’s certainly not without its shortcomings, but this new HD remaster ...
Read More 
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva DVD Review: Animated Sleuthing Success
Professor Layton’s Nintendo DS puzzle-game series introduced the characters carried over to this all-new feature-length anime movie. The games don’t ...
Read More 
Fanny & Alexander Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Bergman’s Documentary Trumps Feature Film
As a newcomer to Fanny & Alexander, I was surprised to learn that the original format of the project was ...
Read More 
Atlas Shrugged Part One DVD Review: Who Is John Aglialoro?
After languishing in development hell for nearly 40 years, the film adaptation of author Ayn Rand’s magnum opus finally reached ...
Read More 
Blue Velvet 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Review: Just As Good As You Remembered It
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Blue Velvet is being released in a feature-packed Blu-ray edition highlighted by the inclusion ...
Read More 
Cars 2 Blu-ray Review: Stuck in Neutral
After over 15 years of unparalleled critical and commercial feature film success, it was inevitable that Pixar would hit a ...
Read More 
Batman: Year One Two-Disc DVD Review: Rise of the Bat
Twenty-five years ago, DC Comics opted to reboot the Batman mythos in an attempt to expand his origin story and ...
Read More 
Kuroneko Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Things That Go Bump In The Night
Although classified as a horror film, Kuroneko isn’t very scary. Instead, it delivers atmosphere and oddities, making it more akin ...
Read More 
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Blu-ray Review: Few Pirates, No Caribbean, But Still Fun
After Captain Jack Sparrow’s confusing and overblown third outing nearly sank the entire Pirates franchise, there was a palpable sense ...
Read More 
Harakiri Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Samurai Condition
When a bedraggled masterless samurai, or ronin, approaches the estate of a large warrior clan and asks for permission to ...
Read More 
Terri DVD Review: The Outsiders
High school alienation isn’t new subject matter for films, but Terri takes alienation to the extreme with its focus on ...
Read More 
Angel of Evil DVD Review: The Italian Mesrine
Angel of Evil is a gripping study of a career criminal as he robs banks, escapes prisons, and breaks hearts ...
Read More 
Dum Maaro Dum DVD Review: Crime in Paradise
Goa. Just the name conjures up images of sunkissed Indian beachside bliss for electronic dance music fans around the world, ...
Read More 
Book Review: Star Wars Omnibus: The Complete Saga Episode I – VI: Greedo Shoots First Here Too
The comic book adaptations of all six Star Wars films are fairly straightforward and faithful for the most part, but ...
Read More 
The Phantom Carriage Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Impressive Ghost of Cinema Past
I don’t spend much time watching silent films, especially foreign silent films, but The Phantom Carriage has me rethinking that ...
Read More 
The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman DVD Review: Three Tales, One Blade, Zero Entertainment
I was hoping for some originality in this film, a fresh take on martial arts period drama. It boasts a ...
Read More 
Bridesmaids DVD Review: A Star Is Born
Don’t let the title and picture fool you: this movie is all about Kristen Wiig. Sure, there’s an ensemble cast ...
Read More 
Brand New Day Blu-ray Review: Fast Forward to the Songs
An Australian musical with singing Aborigines, hippies and priests? What could go wrong? While the film clearly falls into the ...
Read More