Book Review: The Junction by Norm Konyu
By Steve Geise |
A winning junction of stellar art and spellbinding plot.
Man’s Favorite Sport? Blu-ray Review: Rock Out of Water
By Steve Geise |
Rock Hudson stars in this romantic comedy about the author of a well-known fishing guidebook who has never actually fished, making him sorely out of his depth when he’s forced to enter a fishing competition. He’s also burdened with the annoying but adorable press agent Paula Prentiss who arranged the competition but seems determined to…
Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-5 Blu-ray Review: One Pickle, Two Crows, and a Multiverse of Mirth
By Steve Geise |
A series so popular that the studio keeps releasing “complete” series sets in the wake of each season rather than waiting until the series finally runs its entire course.
Blue Skies Blu-ray Review: Holiday Inn Revisited
By Steve Geise |
Crosby and Astaire are delights performing solo and together.
Lies & Deceit: Five Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray Box Set Review
By Steve Geise |
The five films presented here are completely straightforward, pedestrian affairs without any hint of experimentation.
The Three Musketeers (1948) Blu-ray Review: Night of 100 Stars
By Steve Geise |
In spite of the film’s split personality, it’s worth viewing for the amazing amount and variety of stars.
Drive My Car Movie Review: A Sublime Journey
By Steve Geise |
As the least-known contender in this year’s Oscar Best Picture nominees, Drive My Car has the best opportunity to surprise Western viewers unfamiliar with its story or cast. Thankfully, it takes full advantage of that opportunity, with director and co-screenwriter Ryusuke Hamaguchi somehow managing to turn a minor Haruki Murakami short story into a three-hour…
Catwoman: Hunted 4K Ultra HD Review: DC Goes Anime
By Steve Geise |
The plot lets Catwoman do what she does best: steal stuff.
The Lover 4K UHD Collector’s Edition Review: Fall in Love Again
By Steve Geise |
Now 30 years after its theatrical release, the film has lost none of its power and is instead more stunning than ever thanks to this lush presentation.
Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition] Blu-ray Review: Masked Killers, Disrobed Victims
By Steve Geise |
Arrow Video’s second box set collection of giallo classics is now available, arriving less than a month after the first collection. Unlike the first set, all three of the films presented here are more what one would consider true gialli, with seedy crime plots stuffed with sex and gore. All three films are presented in…
West Side Story (2021) Movie Review: Spielberg Keeps It Real
By Steve Geise |
Spielberg proves to be adept at filming a musical, and is probably the only living director who could have pulled it off this successfully.
Giallo Essentials [Red Edition] Blu-ray Box Set Review: Mixed Bag, Solid Box
By Steve Geise |
The set is the first of a planned multi-volume collection of giallo essentials, intended to provide neophytes and connoisseurs with a treasury of classics.
Night Gallery Season One Blu-ray Review: Rod Serling’s Other Series Gets a Fresh Coat of Paint
By Steve Geise |
The new set contains the feature-length pilot episode as well as all six hour-long episodes.
Mad Max Anthology 4K Ultra HD Box Set Review: Work in Progress
By Steve Geise |
This is the only series where I like each film more than the one that preceded it.
Freud Blu-ray Review: Montgomery Clift Exorcises His Demons
By Steve Geise |
This mid-career effort by legendary director John Houston is overlong, clinical, and ponderous, and yet Montgomery Clift’s tortured lead performance demands attention and rescues the film. The film is less a biography than an exploration of Sigmund Freud’s few seminal research years that led to his groundbreaking work in the field of psychology. Freud teams…
Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Review: Don’t Sleep on This Joyous Delight
By Steve Geise |
So joyous and feel-good that it’s impossible to watch without a smile on your face.
The Bitter Stems Blu-ray Review: Argentine Noir
By Steve Geise |
Alfredo Gasper is a hard-working newspaper reporter in Argentina who has become disillusioned about the trajectory of his stalled career. When he’s drowning his sorrows at an upscale bar one night, he chats with the friendly Hungarian bartender and former journalist named Paar Liudas. Together, they cook up a get-rich-quick scheme to establish a bogus…
Audrey Hepburn 7-Movie Collection Blu-ray Review: More Loverly Than Ever
By Steve Geise |
A must-have for curious newcomers as well Hepburn aficionados.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality Video Game Review: Allons-y!
By Steve Geise |
Licensed video games are always fraught with the peril of hardcore fan expectations vs. actual gameplay. Add in the burden of Doctor Who’s nearly 60-year franchise history and a baker’s dozen of Doctors, each with their own fans and detractors, and it seems foolish to even attempt to adapt the property to the gaming world….
Change of Habit Blu-ray Review: Easy Habit to Break
By Steve Geise |
Elvis Presley’s performance as a doctor running an inner-city clinic is about as lackluster as that nutty premise.
Becoming Cousteau Movie Review: From Exploration to Conservation
By Steve Geise |
A loving and informative tribute to this titan of oceanography and conservation.
Come September Blu-ray Review: Hudson Rocks the Riviera
By Steve Geise |
Rock Hudson is in prime leading man form in this beautifully photographed 1961 romp through the Italian Riviera. Hudson plays an American playboy named Robert who is so well off he can afford to own and maintain an exquisite Italian villa he only visits in September every year. He also maintains a relationship with a…
On Broadway DVD Review: Start Spreading the News
By Steve Geise |
Essential viewing for musical theatre fans as well as students who weren’t around for the historical moments of the last 50 years.
Blithe Spirit (2020) Blu-ray Review: Bland and Unspirited, But Mann and Fisher Shine
By Steve Geise |
Noel Coward’s play has been adapted for the screen multiple times dating back to 1945, but it’s been long enough since any recent attempt that someone had to make another run at it. While the cast is strong, the conventional direction by Edward Hall is uninspired, making this a fairly unspirited take on the Coward…
The Nowhere Inn Movie Review: Make Plans to Check In
By Steve Geise |
Her completely unconventional film is certain to find a devoted fan base, even as it risks disappointing her most ardent supporters hoping for more music.
Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD Review: 4K, The Final Frontier
By Steve Geise |
The new box set achieves its main purpose.
In the Good Old Summertime Blu-ray Review: You’ve Got Snail Mail
By Steve Geise |
This 1949 Judy Garland vehicle that is an update of the 1940 Jimmy Stewart movie, The Shop Around the Corner,
Blind Beast Blu-ray Review: An Assured Vision by Director Yasuzo Masumura
By Steve Geise |
The film is at its best when the captive Aki starts poking apart the relationship dynamic between the fully grown but totally dependent man and his nurturing old mother.
Thoroughly Modern Millie Blu-ray Review: Thoroughly Charming
By Steve Geise |
Kino Lorber has opted to provide the full roadshow version of the film.
The Daimajin Trilogy Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set: Stone Cold Kaiju Action
By Steve Geise |
Generally overlooked in the West, but thanks to this expertly produced new box set the films have a much better chance to connect with discerning kaiju fans.
It Happened at the World’s Fair Blu-ray Review: It Probably Shouldn’t Have
By Steve Geise |
Elvis is totally fine in the film, but he’s hampered by a bizarre script and a lackluster leading lady in the icy Joan O’Brien.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game Blu-ray Review: Almost a Home Run
By Steve Geise |
A Warner Archive release that I would point to if asked to recommend one of their titles from a technical perspective.
An American in Paris: The Musical Blu-ray Review: C’est Bon
By Steve Geise |
A fun, engaging show that is well worth a look by all musical theatre fans.
Years of Lead Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set Review: Transforms Lead into Gold
By Steve Geise |
Arrow Video’s new box set aims to shine a light on poliziotescchi, police action films that generally took a more serious, realistic approach to their mayhem.
It Happened on 5th Avenue Blu-ray Review: Thoroughly Charming Happenstance
By Steve Geise |
The story is sweet, heartwarming, and wholly enjoyable nearly 75 years later.
Irezumi Blu-ray Review: Kiss of the Spider Woman
By Steve Geise |
Another gem in Arrow Video’s rapidly expanding roster of spectacular niche films, and well worth adding to the library of all fans of Japanese cinema.
World of Wong Kar Wai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: What a Wonderful World
By Steve Geise |
This incomplete masterwork is still far and away one of the best and most important sets ever released by Criterion.
Madame Curie Blu-ray Review: Geniuses Oblivious to Their Attraction
By Steve Geise |
The chemistry between the actors is undeniable, especially since they had already teamed together in the six-time Oscar-winning film, Mrs. Miniver.
Ziegfeld Follies Blu-ray Review: Two Hours of Follies, Half Hour of Jollies
By Steve Geise |
While it’s not consistently enjoyable, the overwhelming caliber of talent and the many high-quality production numbers make it a worthwhile curiosity.
Indiana Jones: 4-Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD Box Set Review: Dolby Atmos to the Rescue
By Steve Geise |
Just in time for this month’s 40th anniversary of the theatrical debut of Indiana Jones, this new box set presents the first four films in 4K UHD for the first time. No Blu-ray discs of the films are present, although all bonus features are stored on a separate Blu-ray. The dashing adventurer Dr. Jones (Harrison…
Just a Gigolo Blu-ray Review: Bowie and Dietrich Make the Best of a Misfire
By Steve Geise |
Although the film was a critical and commercial disaster, it’s worth a watch thanks to its amazing cast and its peculiar uniqueness.
Tove Movie Review: Moomin Mama Makes Her Mark
By Steve Geise |
Tove is beautifully staged and photographed, looking far more accomplished than its meager budget would seem to support.
The Tender Trap Blu-ray Review: Trapped in Dated Attitudes But Still Tender Fun
By Steve Geise |
While the film leans too heavily on its original source material as a play to be an essential classic film, it’s a satisfying trap for fans of the cast.
Santa Sangre 4K UHD Limited Edition Box Set Review: Jodorowsky’s True Vision
By Steve Geise |
Santa Sangre is truly like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Flowers of Shanghai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mise-ry en Scene
By Steve Geise |
Criterion is to be commended for giving this new restoration a full-featured U.S. Blu-ray release.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Blu-ray Review: Solid Comedy Construction
By Steve Geise |
Cary Grant and Myrna Loy have very convincing chemistry, no doubt greatly aided by their prior two screen pairings.
Masculin Feminin Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Tres Chic
By Steve Geise |
The film achieves Godard’s objective of showing what life was like for Parisians in their early twenties in the 1960s.
Annie Get Your Gun Blu-ray Review: Shoots a Few Blanks but Hits the Overall Target
By Steve Geise |
The film is an important piece of Broadway and Hollywood history that is long overdue for Blu-ray treatment.
Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Review: De-Lovely
By Steve Geise |
The obvious draws are the star turn by Fred Astaire and the songs by Cole Porter, but co-star Eleanor Powell nearly steals the show.
On Moonlight Bay Blu-ray Review: Day and MacRae Play on the Bay
By Steve Geise |
Doris Day and Gordon MacRae are mesmerizing and ultimately elevate the project into a pleasant diversion as we root for their characters to find happiness.