Steve Geise

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman DVD Review: Murakami Gets Animated

Writer/director Pierre Földes stitches together unrelated Haruki Murakami short stories into a cohesive narrative in this animated feature film.

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Book Review: The Planetoid and Other Stories by Al Feldstein and Joe Orlando

This collection presents Joe Orlando’s first two dozen classic EC sci-fi comics in chronological order as published between 1951-54.

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Book Review: Nudism Comes to Connecticut by Susan Schade and Jon Buller

After creating more than 60 children’s books together, this work represents both the couple’s first work for adults and first graphic novel.

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Tommy Guns Blu-ray Review: Blasts Conformity to Smithereens

Angolan-Portuguese director Carlos Conceição announces his arrival on the global stage with this blisteringly original, confounding film that defies categorization.

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Film: The Living Record of Our Memory DVD Review: Boiling the Preservation Ocean

This new documentary takes a look at film preservation and restoration efforts underway around the world.

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Joy House Blu-ray Review: Love and Death on the French Riviera

Guess who will prevail in this deadly battle of wits, superbly enhanced by its impeccably cool era, setting, score, and stars.

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Book Review: Listen, Beautiful Márcia by Marcello Quintanilha

Award-winning Brazilian graphic novel follows the life of a virtuous and hard-working nurse who isn’t defined by her home in the favela.

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Anna May Wong Collection Blu-ray Review: To Wong Blu, Thanks for Everything

While Wong’s work has been fairly obscure in recent times, this set succeeds in returning her to the conversation and making her films easily accessible.

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Book Review: Daughters of Snow and Cinders by Núria Tamarit

Núria Tamarit’s new graphic novel tracks her heroine’s path from the fringes of frontier society to the icy heart of the wilderness.

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One Way Passage Blu-ray Review: Book This Voyage

A brisk and satisfying rollercoaster ride through an improbable romance set amongst the elegance of Depression-era high seas travel.

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Sick of Myself Movie Review: The Dark Side of Narcissism

Kristoffer Borgli’s film is decidedly thought-provoking and blisteringly original, anchored by strong performances and brisk, assured direction.

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The Hunters: Complete Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Review: A Man Called Backström

The new DVD set is a great introduction for new Backström viewers and a welcome return of an old friend for veteran fans.

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iMordecai DVD Review: Judd Hirsch Strikes Gold in His Golden Years

First-time writer/director Marvin Samel has crafted a hidden gem that is sure to be embraced by all viewers who manage to unearth it.

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Secret Defense Blu-ray Review: Twisty Secrets Hampered by Indefensible Direction

The twisty story unfolds into a tale of unresolved family trauma that has the potential to explain two deaths while possibly leading to more.

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Arsène Lupin Collection Blu-ray Review: Two Hits and a Miss

Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray collection is a fantastic look at the famous gentleman thief’s classic mid-20th century French interpretations.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection 4K UHD Review: First 4K Contact

This 4K box set release feels long overdue, but the superior technical results indicate that it was worth the wait.

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Book Review: The Heavy Bright by Cathy Malkasian

Malkasian’s graphic novel is stuffed with fascinating characters and themes all brought to life through masterful writing and dreamy artwork.

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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.

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Make Believe Seattle 2023 Review: Smoking Causes Coughing

Quentin Dupieux’s new film is both a delirious send-up of superhero movies and a delightful homage to cheesy schlockfests of the past.

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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.

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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.

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Book Review: Mickey and Donald: For Whom the Doorbell Tolls

This Disney comic collection is an innovative lab experiment utilizing Ernest Hemingway’s works as a jumping-off point for inspired creativity.

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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, Evita.

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Millionaires’ Express Blu-ray Review: Chinese Bullet Train

Book a return trip to the glory days of Hong Kong action cinema with this new restoration of an early Sammo Hung classic.

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The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom Blu-ray Review: Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast

Shirley MacLaine leads a flighty tale of comic marital infidelity set in London in the Swinging Sixties, long on style but short on logic.

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Love on the Ground Blu-ray Review: Much Ado About Nothing

Director Jacques Rivette delights in pulling the curtain back on a playwright’s odd creative process, but fails to develop a compelling plot.

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Large view of emily, emma mackey

Emily Movie Review: Frances O’Connor’s Directorial Debut Soars to Wuthering Heights

Frances O’Connor reimagines the final years of Emily Brontë’s life in this stunning period drama, heralding her arrival as a creative force to be watched.

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Lets hope its a girl, a film poster

Let’s Hope It’s a Girl Blu-ray Review: Italian Film, Continental Cast

The film is best for fans of Deneuve and Ullmann, as its paper-thin, meandering plot only serves as grist for its girl-power mill.

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Book Review: The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jerome Mulot

This graphic novel imagines a world much like our own with one difference: the presence of huge, harmless creatures who have been integrated into society.

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That Man Bolt Blu-ray Review: That Man Hammer

Fred “The Hammer” Williamson stars in a broadly entertaining action movie that caters to his imposing physicality and enchanting charisma.

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Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be Movie Review: Adventures in Real and Imagined Past

This charming French animated feature combines the fictional adventures of Nicholas with the real-life story of his creators.

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Broker Movie Review: The Korean Shoplifters

As he did in Shoplifters, writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda once again challenges us to embrace characters that our instincts tell us to shun.

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The Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Review: Spins Its Stylish Wheels

If ultra-suave Alain Delon with young Marianne Faithfull in a black leather catsuit is enough to rev your engine, the film delivers in spades.

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5-25-77 Blu-ray Review: A Long Time Ago in a Town Far, Far Away

Patrick Read Johnson’s largely autobiographical ode to ’70s sci-fi finally lands in our galaxy 18 years after it was filmed.

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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 the aftermath of World War II.

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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.

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Book Review The Man Who Fell to Earth Poster

Book Review: The Man Who Fell to Earth by Dan Watters and Dev Pramanik

The book is at its best after the comic concludes, thanks to a hefty bonus section with stills and information about the film’s production.

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Private Desert Blu-ray Review: Troubled Characters Seek Their Oasis

This Brazilian film lingers in memory due to its incandescent performances and its examination of an unconventional love story.

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Carmen (2022) Blu-ray Review: Welcome to Malta

As a breezy Mediterranean trifle, it’s worth watching for the scenery, the mostly upbeat plot, and the commanding performance by McElhone.

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Bullet Train Blu-ray Review: Snakes on a Train

Director David Leitch overcomes the space constraints of the train to deliver an amusing, action-packed thrill ride that never feels overly confined.

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Going Places Blu-ray Review: Traveling Nowhere, Reaching Enlightenment

Blier’s film is a marvel, a story about small-time crooks that manages to steal our hearts.

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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.

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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.

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The House of the Lost on the Cape Blu-ray Review: House of Lost Time

Kawatsura has the technical chops to put together a warm, good-looking film, but his treatment of the story is simply too precious to deliver any kind of payoff for viewers.

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South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition Blu-ray Review

Due to the lack of any strong directorial hand or narrative flow, the footage largely feels like watching someone’s vacation movies, albeit a vacation in an endlessly fascinating environment.

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Rain 90th Anniversary Blu-ray Review: Luminous Joan Crawford Drives the Clouds Away

New restoration shines a light on a fascinating project anchored by Crawford’s spellbinding performance.

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Karmalink Blu-ray Review: Dreams of Treasure and Past Lives

The film moves very well, both in pacing and camerawork.

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If…. Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: If Only It Had a Plot

While McDowell shows clear signs of the counterculture fire that would erupt in A Clockwork Orange, his efforts are in service of a clearly lesser film.

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The poster of the movie Neptune Frost

Neptune Frost Blu-ray Review: The Revolution Will Be Televised

This passion project by writer/composer/co-director Saul Williams is a kinetic, thought-provoking work that represents his strongest artistic statement to date. 

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The Gilded Age: The Complete First Season DVD Review: Manhattan Abbey

Aside from the setting and U.S. cast, the show feels like it belongs on BBC, which has its pros and cons. 

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