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The Saragossa Manuscript Is the Pick of the Week

When a movie is loved by such diverse folks as Martin Scorsese, Luis Bunuel, and Jerry Garcia, you know it ...
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Petite Maman Is the Pick of the Week

I don't get out, practically at all, so this PotW is going a little different, just like a few of ...
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In the Line of Duty: I-IV Is the Pick of the Week

Michelle Yeoh recently became the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award. She won it for her starring role ...
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Branded to Kill 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Please bare with me. I don't get out much, nor have instant access to all the cinematic things that a ...
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Anna May Wong Collection Is the Pick of the Week

Well, hello there, old friends. It is your old pal Mat Brewster ready for another round of Pick of the ...
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The Seventh Seal 4K UHD Is the Pick of the Week

Ingmar Bergman wasn't the most upbeat filmmaker. His films were dark, bleak, and pessimistic. But isn't that what life itself ...
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The Maltese Falcon (1941) 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Sam Spade, Ruth Wonderly, the Fat Man, Joel Cairo, Wilmer, and Effie are timeless characters that inhabit The Maltese Falcon, ...
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Inland Empire is the Pick of the Week

Legendary filmmaker David Lynch just may be movie history's strangest and most diabolical director. His films tread a knife's edge ...
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Mildred Pierce 4K UHD Is Pick of the Week

Seeing Mildred Pierce, legendary director Michael Curtiz's celebrated 1945 adaptation of the James M. Cain novel and owning my own ...
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Dazed and Confused Criterion Collection Blu Ray Disc

Dazed and Confused 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Richard Linklater's 1993 classic Dazed and Confused is not the deepest of films about the complexities of teenage life, but ...
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Blue White Red Three Colors Poster Image

Three Colors Trilogy 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

The late, great Krzysztof Kieslowski, legendary Polish filmmaker, remains one of the most renowned directors in the history of cinema, ...
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This Is Not A Burial Its A Resurrection Film Poster

This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection Is the Pick of the Week

This POTW is going to be a little different because the film I'm choosing for this is one I haven't ...
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Imitation Of Life Film Poster Image

Imitation of Life (1934) is the Pick of the Week

Despite the popularity of Douglas Sirk's 1959 version of the celebrated Fanny Hurst novel, I actually prefer the original 1934 ...
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Criterion’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the Pick of the Week

Welcome or welcome back, whichever is applicable. If you have left over gift cards or cash from the holidays and ...
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Carrie 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

What else can one say about Brian De Palma's masterful 1976 Stephen King adaptation Carrie? It's one of the greatest ...
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, legendary genre director Tobe Hooper's wild and viciously bonkers follow-up to his groundbreaking and still ...
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Reservoir Dogs Film Poster Image

Reservoir Dogs 4K UHD Is the Pick of the Week

Iconic filmmaker (and equally iconic film buff) Quentin Tarantino burst onto to scene with his legendary 1992 blood-soaked debut Reservoir ...
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The poster of the movie Aisle releasing November 2022

Daisies is the Pick of the Week

When I first watched Věra Chytilová's 1966 game-changer Daisies, I was immediately struck by its approach to youthful rebellion, its ...
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Return of the Living Dead 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Ever since George A. Romero's masterpiece Night of the Living Dead was unleashed in 1968, everyone wanted to do their ...
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Night of the Living Dead 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

What else can you say about George A. Romero's highly influential 1968 masterpiece Night of the Living Dead?! It's one ...
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Poltergeist 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

What else can one say about Tobe Hopper's 1982 classic Poltergeist that hasn't already been said? It's a film about ...
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Blow Out 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Despite the constant comparisons to Hitchcock, celebrated director Brian De Palma does have a style all his own. Yes, he's ...
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The poster of the movie Childs Play by Tom Holland

Child’s Play 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Let's just get this out of the way. Child's Play (1988), directed by genre icon Tom Holland, still has one ...
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Tenebrae 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

Of course, Dario Argento is one the great Italian masters of horror. His films are usually light of plot and ...
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Marty is the Pick of the Week

Today, 1955's Marty may not seem like an obvious choice for Best Picture, but make no mistake, it was refreshing ...
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The Virgin Suicides 4K is the Pick of the Week

Sofia Coppola has always been a filmmaker of immense interest. She loves zeroing in on the trials and tribulations of ...
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Shaft (1971) is the Pick of the Week

I have to admit that I am not usually well-versed in the films of the now-famous Blaxploitation genre. I have ...
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The Tales of Hoffman is the Pick of the Week

Powell and Pressburger was a filmmaking duo for the ages. Their films were unlike anything you had ever seen, even ...
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Cinema Sentries

Mississippi Masala is the Pick of the Week

Interracial and intercontinental romance isn't as explored in film as often as it should. Acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair's gorgeous 1992 ...
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The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Volume 2 is the Pick of the Week

As everyone knows and has always said, Hitchcock is the ultimate "Master of Suspense". When it comes to their own ...
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From the Journals of Jean Seberg is the Pick of the Week

Iconic actress Jean Seberg was ahead of her time. She was also a woman of her time, having a few ...
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Jockey is the Pick of the Week

This week may not have the most notable releases, but there are a few that I will highlight, including a ...
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The Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD is the Pick of the Week

What else can one say about The Godfather saga? The whole trilogy (at least parts 1 & 2) set the ...
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Hester Street is the Pick of the Week

As I mentioned in my recent review, I think that Hester Street, the late Joan Micklin Silver's fantastic 1975 film, ...
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Alligator 4K Ultra HD is the Pick of the Week

Some ideas sound really absurd on paper, but when they're put on the screen, they sometimes manage to sneak up ...
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Cinema Sentries

Miller’s Crossing is the Pick of the Week

The Coen Brothers are a dynamic directing duo for the film history books. They don't make films within one particular ...
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Cinema Sentries

The Piano is the Pick of the Week

As I mentioned before, acclaimed director Jane Campion still seems to be undervalued and understated in most film circles (which ...
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Cinema Sentries

The Celebration is the Pick of the Week

Although I have only seen one film from the Dogme 95 movement, which was Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves ...
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Cinema Sentries

All My Sons is the Pick of the Week

Happy New Year, CS readers. Hope to see you around these parts often throughout 2022. Arthur Miller was an important ...
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Cinema Sentries

Krampus: The Naughty Cut is the Pick of the Week

As a person who has somewhat gotten over the holidays, I prefer my Christmas movies to be bleak, mean-spirited, and ...
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Cinema Sentries

Mulholland Dr. 4K is the Pick of the Week

Singular filmmaker David Lynch is one of the most original directors in the history of film. His stylish, and at ...
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Cinema Sentries

La strada is the Pick of the Week

Italian neorealism was an influential but rather short new wave of cinema. The movement held a mirror up to portray ...
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Cinema Sentries

Deep Red is the Pick of the Week

The legendary Dario Argento is arguably the Italian master of horror. Despite their fairly standard plots, his films seem to ...
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Cinema Sentries

Misery 4K is the Pick of the Week

What else can one say about director Rob Reiner's still iconic 1990 adaptation of Stephen King's 1987 novel that hasn't ...
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Cinema Sentries

Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films is the Pick of the Week

When legendary filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles passed away last week, it understandably caused a ripple in film history, especially in ...
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Cinema Sentries

Mona Lisa is the Pick of the Week

Neo noirs are contemporary films from 1970s and '80s that do take themes and elements from classic noirs, but they ...
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Cinema Sentries

Ashes and Diamonds is the Pick of the Week

When it comes to war, there is the always the complicated struggle between fulfilling a sense of duty, or rebelling ...
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Cinema Sentries

Nashville is the Pick of the Week

The late, great filmmaker Robert Altman remains one of the most beloved directors in the history of cinema. His use ...
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Cinema Sentries

The Dead Zone (Collector’s Edition) is the Pick of the Week

As many of us know, Stephen King is the modern master of literary horror. Most of his works delve deep ...
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Cinema Sentries

Working Girls is the Pick of the Week

Prostitution continues to be a stigmatized profession. Most people look down upon it, meaning that they think that it is ...
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Cinema Sentries

Pariah is the Pick of the Week

There are always films in the LGBTQ genre that center on white gay society and their issues of growing up, ...
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Cinema Sentries

Streetwise/Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell is the Pick of the Week

Documentaries are not always front-and-center in the film spectrum, and that rattles me. Documentaries have the powerful ability to showcase ...
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Cinema Sentries

Mommie Dearest Is the Pick of the Week

When it comes to cautionary tales of celebrities and their children, I think 1981's Mommie Dearest is the mother of ...
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Cinema Sentries

National Lampoon’s Animal House 4K is the Pick of the Week

There have been many comedies about college life, such as Revenge of the Nerds, Old School, and Neighbors. As fun ...
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Cinema Sentries

Speed 4K is the Pick of the Week

Say what you will about the '90s, and I'll most likely agree with you. Just like the 1980s, it was ...
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Cinema Sentries

Memories of Murder is the Pick of the Week

Seeing Bong Joon Ho's Parasite awhile back, I realized that I've missed out on a lot of great, and unique ...
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Cinema Sentries

Thundarr the Barbarian: The Complete Series is the Pick of the Week

Over the past couple of years, I finally caught up with Steve Gerber's run on Howard the Duck, a subversive ...
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Cinema Sentries

World of Wong Kar Wai is the Pick of the Week

The great Wong Kar Wai, now-iconic filmmaker, has become one of the masters of modern contemporary cinema. He's one of ...
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Cinema Sentries

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is the Pick of the Week

As many film buffs know, legendary filmmaker Sam Peckinpah remains one of the greatest and most unpredictable directors in the ...
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Cinema Sentries

Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks is the Pick of the Week

Well, hi there. It has been a long time since I've written one of these. Dave has done such a ...
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Cinema Sentries

Smooth Talk is the Pick of the Week

There have been so many tales of adolescence and teenage portraits of sexual and social mores than most people can ...
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Is the Pick of the Week

Since Sam Raimi introduced Spider-Man into the summer blockbuster tradition 16 years ago, there have been no fewer than seven ...
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Cinema Sentries

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the Pick of the Week

Towards the end of Captain America: Civil War, there is a sweeping scene in which Captain America and Black Widow ...
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The Hateful Eight is the Pick of the Week

Last Friday, I loaded the family into the car and we spent Easter weekend in our old stomping grounds in ...
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Black Mama, White Mama is the Pick of the Week

Every once in awhile you have to ask yourself whether you want the much beloved, critically acclaimed, and highly influential ...
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Brooklyn is the Pick of the Week

Though it was nominated for a slew of awards (including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Actress at the Academy Awards), ...
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Macbeth (2015) is the Pick of the Week

What's left to say about Shakespeare? What could I possible write that would convey his brilliance? Nothing of course. He ...
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Creed and Room are the Picks of the Week

The Oscars will be airing in a few hours from when I'm writing this (and likely a few hours before ...
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Fargo: Season Two is the Pick of the Week

When they announced they were making a TV show out of the excellent Coen Brothers films, Fargo, I was skeptical. ...
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Black Mass Is the Pick of the Week

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to watch gangster movies. There is just something about the ...
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Cinema Sentries

Spectre is the Pick of the Week

I have many fond memories of watching James Bond. I remember my dad taking me to see him in the ...
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Bridge of Spies Is the Pick of the Week

We're less than a month away from the Oscars and I've seen exactly three of the nominated films - four ...
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Doctor Who: Series Nine, Part Two is the Pick of the Week

I have very vague memories of watching Doctor Who as a kid. This was the '80s when the long=scarfed Tom ...
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Criterion’s Inside Llewyn Davis is the Pick of the Week

Many times in these pages I've mentioned my extraordinary love for both the Criterion Collection and the Coen Brothers. When ...
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The Martian is the Pick of the Week

I subscribed to the auteur theory before I even knew what that was. That is to say as I began ...
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Sicario is the Pick of the Week

A great big thanks to Davy for helping me out last week. Extra credit since I gave him about a ...
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Bone Tomahawk Is the Pick of the Week

Since everyone is getting over the Christmas holidays, I think they are just too stuffed with food and having to ...
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Pan is the Pick of the Week

If the weeks leading up to Christmas are a bonanza for home-video collectors, then the actual week of Christmas is ...
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Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is the Pick of the Week

It's easy to get cynical and annoyed with all the remakes, reimaginings, rehashes, and sequels that seem to come out ...
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Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two is the Pick of the Week

When I picked Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as my Pick of the Week back in April of ...
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Cooties Is the Pick of the Week

I don't know about you, but I had a mighty fine Thanksgiving. The weather outside was frightful, but inside was ...
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Ikiru is the Pick of the Week

Not long ago my aunt was diagnosed with cancer. They initially thought it was in her lungs, which made for ...
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The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Is the Pick of the Week

I remember distinctly the first time I ever watched a Hayao Miyazaki film. I was still single, but heavily into ...
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Mr. Holmes is the Pick of the Week

By my count, there have been over 800 kajillion filmic adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. Within the last few years we've ...
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Pixar’s Inside Out is the Pick of the Week

It was a tough October. I got strep throat and followed it with a nasty virus that turned into an ...
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Edgar Allan Poe’s Black Cats Is the Pick of the Week

Autumn is by far my favorite season. The dog days of summer slip into the cool, crisp nights of fall. ...
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Jurassic World Is the Pick of the Week

I was 17 when Jurassic Park came out in 1993. Even then, I knew it wasn't a great film, artistically ...
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Nakatomi Plaza Die Hard Collection is the Pick of the Week

Forgive me if I begin this Pick of the Week with a bit of a rant. In all forms of ...
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Tremors 5: Bloodlines Is the Pick of the Week

I was 14 when the original Tremors came out. I loved it. We all did, my family and me. It ...
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Mad Max: Fury Road Is the Pick of the Week

My parents were early adapters to the home-video market.  They were given a Betamax sometime in the early '80s, but ...
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Two Days, One Night Is the Pick of the Week

My DVD/Blu-ray collection is divided up into a few different categories.  There are TV shows, foreign films, my main collection, ...
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Day For Night is the Pick of the Week

As someone who has never made a film but absolutely loves watching them, I'm completely fascinated by movies about making ...
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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Is the Pick of the Week

I have a good friend who is probably the smartest guy I've ever met.  I like to joke that he's ...
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Orphan Black: Season Three is the Pick of the Week

I have this completely random rule that I have to watch at least 10 movies every month.  Now to all ...
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White God is the Pick of the Week

As a certain Italian schlockumentary once reminded us many moons ago, it's a dog's world out there. And some distant ...
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Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau is the Pick of the Week

As an extreme film lover, I'm always torn between variety. Sometimes, there is too much to choose from, and it ...
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The Fugitive: The Complete Series is the Pick of the Week

Hello, PotW readers. Mat 's desktop computer went to that great IT department in the sky over the weekend, so ...
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The Imitation Game is the Pick of the Week

Whenever a film based upon real events comes out, there is always a lot of discussion over how historically accurate ...
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Into the Woods is the Pick of the Week

A funny thing happened on the way to posting this week's pick. Yesterday, I wrote the words you will read ...
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The Soft Skin is the Pick of the Week

Before she became a stay-at-home mom (and forced me to get a real job, le sigh) my wife taught French ...
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Pride (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

When I'm not writing about movies and televisions shows, I run The Midnight Cafe, a little blog that deals in ...
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Arrested Development: Season 4 Is the Pick of the Week

So often when writing this series I have to admit that I haven't seen the things that I pick, or ...
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Guardians of the Galaxy Is the Pick of the Week

My recent visit to Wizard World solidified the fact that while I like geeky things I am not in anyway ...
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Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years Is the Pick of the Week

I've been blogging now for a little over ten years. I started back in 2004 when my wife and I ...
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Drunk History: Seasons 1 & 2 Is the Pick of the Week

I have an unusual sense of humor. I generally don't find the things that the apparent majority of people find ...
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Cinema Sentries

It Happened One Night Is the Pick of the Week

When I bought my first DVD player back in 1999 I vowed that I would only buy really great movies ...
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Lots of TV Series Sets Are the Picks of the Week

You've got to love the (extended) Christmas season. It seems like every year it gets pushed farther and farther up ...
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Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection Is the Pick of the Week

For nearly as long as I can remember and certainly for as long as I've taken cinema seriously, I've been ...
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Deliver Us from Evil (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

In case you've been stuck inside without any form of media (or a calendar) over the last month, Halloween is ...
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Snowpiercer Is the Pick of the Week

My in-laws have been spending the week with us. Mostly this is just swell as they are wonderful people who ...
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X-Men: Days of Future Past Is the Pick of the Week

I like the idea of X-Men more than I usually like the execution. The mutant concept with all of the ...
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Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition is the Pick of the Week

There is a fairly constant discussion in my home over the television.  Or rather how much of it my child ...
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Chef Is the Pick of the Week

In college, I had a friend who majored in theater. One day he hit me up to help him out ...
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The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology and Halloween: The Complete Collection Are the Picks of the Week

A couple of years back I decided to finally sit down and watch the notoriously graphic horror movie A Serbian ...
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Eraserhead Is the Pick of the Week

People always carry on about how wonderful children are - how amazing and beautiful they can be, how they change ...
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A Long Way Down Is the Pick of the Week

I first heard of Nick Hornby through the movie version of his musically obsessed book High Fidelity. The film stars ...
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Line of Duty: Series 2 Is the Pick of the Week

It seems like forever since I've had a really challenging pick of the week. Hardly at all this summer have ...
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Blandings: Series 2 Is the Pick of the Week

I can't remember when I first heard of P.G. Wodehouse.  He seems to just always exist in my memory.  I ...
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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Is the Pick of the Week

Some folks wax nostalgic about the days when MTV actually played music videos; I get all teary eyed thinking about ...
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The Railway Man Is the Pick of the Week

My wife, like all red-blooded women (and more than a few red-blooded men) loves Colin Firth.  She practically drools anytime ...
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Community: The Complete Fifth Season is the Pick of the Week

We finally got high speed internet last Wednesday.  It is a little ridiculous how excited I am about it.  I ...
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Noah (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

I went to see Noah with a group of friends on opening weekend. We were a pretty diverse bunch in ...
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The Essential Jacques Demy Is the Pick of the Week

Living with my parents is beginning to take its toll. After much looking and consideration, we decided to move into ...
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Under the Skin is the Pick of the Week

Random story: my father recently got on my mother's computer which is set up slightly different than his own device. ...
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Nymphomaniac Volume I & Volume II Is the Pick of the Week

I suppose every film lover keeps some sort of list of films they feel they should watch at some point. ...
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Cannibal Holocaust Is the Pick of the Week

In the small town in Oklahoma where I grew up, we had a surprisingly big video store. They had taken ...
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Cinema Sentries

A Hard Day’s Night Is the Pick of the Week

A few weeks after we got married my wife and I caught a showing of A Hard Day's Night at ...
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The Grand Budapest Hotel Is the Pick of the Week

Over the last few years, I've regularly complained that the local cineplexes all show the same overblown blockbusters and none ...
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True Detective: Season 1 Is the Pick of the Week

A big thanks to Gordon for handling this column last week while I was away. As he noted I've moved. ...
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Barbary Coast Is the Pick of the Week

I don't know if Mat's mentioned it, but he and his family are in the process of moving to another ...
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An Adventure in Space and Time Is the Pick of the Week

Though I do remember watching some Tom Baker-era Doctor Who as a kid, one probably needs to call me a ...
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The Monuments Men Is the Pick of the Week

It occurs to me that the Classic Hollywood Star no longer exists. Stars like Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, and Audrey ...
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Her Is the Pick of the Week

Spike Jonze is an immensely talented, eternally creative, and absolutely brilliant artist. Yet I can't say that I really like ...
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Veronica Mars (2014) Is the Pick of the Week

There has been so much great TV playing over the last decade that its really impossible to keep up with ...
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Mr. Selfridge: Season 2 Is the Pick of the Week

I'll probably be labeled a terrible dad for admitting this, but there has been a lot of television watching in ...
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Master of the House Is the Pick of the Week

You know its a slow week for new releases when a friggin' Tyler Perry movie is the number-one seller on ...
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Philomena Is the Pick of the Week

My wife tends to avoid sad films, sad songs, sad everything. She says life is tough enough on its own ...
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August: Osage County Is the Pick of the Week

I was born and raised in Oklahoma. This isn't necessarily something I'm proud of. I mean I didn't really do ...
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Broadchurch: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

It is a little embarrassing to say now, but I came to Doctor Who a bit late in the game. ...
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The Wolf of Wall Street Is the Pick of the Week

About this time every year when we get our tax refund back, the wife and I give ourselves a hundred ...
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American Hustle Is the Pick of the Week

My mother often says I was born in the wrong decade - that I should have grown up in the ...
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Inside Llewyn Davis Is the Pick of the Week

If I were to remove my critic's hat when you asked me to name my favorite director, I'd likely go ...
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12 Years a Slave Is the Pick of the Week

The 86th Academy Awards show was on last night. It was watched by a lot of people. Usually I'm one ...
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Gravity Is the Pick of the Week

I'm really not a Sandra Bullock fan. She's attractive and certainly charming, and I really can't knock her acting chops, ...
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Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season Is the Pick of the Week

In the months after my daughter was born, I watched an enormous amount of movies and television. As anyone who ...
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Ender’s Game Is the Pick of the Week

In the world of science fiction I consider myself a fan, but not a fan-boy. By which I mean that ...
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Dallas Buyers Club Is the Pick of the Week

I believe I first saw Matthew McConaughey as "past his prime, but still picking up high school girls" David Wooderson ...
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Blue Jasmine Is the Pick of the Week

When I was a pubescent teenager, I used to stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights watching the USA ...
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Rififi Is the Pick of the Week

In the middle of Jules Dassin's 1954 film noir Rififi, which is the father of all heist movies, lies a ...
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Top of the Lake Is the Pick of the Week

Some weeks you gotta ignore the masses and pick what you want. Okay, admittedly I pretty much do that every ...
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Don Jon Is the Pick of the Week

Welcome back. I decided to take last week off because me, the wife and the wee one were off visiting ...
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Prisoners Is the Pick of the Week

While I am very much a fan of horror, gore, violence, and bloody, anger-filled cinema, my wife is most certainly ...
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Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project Is the Pick of the Week

With some regularity we invite various people, usually university students, over to the house to watch films. Several of them ...
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Dead Like Me: The Complete Series Is the Pick of the Week

I really thought that the first week of December would find us with loads of great new releases. I really ...
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Breaking Bad: The Complete Series Is the Pick of the Week

Who knew a show about an average, normal guy turned very, very bad (or as show creator/runner Vince Gilligan used ...
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The World’s End Is the Pick of the Week

The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy is not so much a trilogy as it is three films made by the same ...
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Nosferatu (1922): Deluxe Remastered Edition Is the Pick of the Week

My transition from a kid who really liked going to the movies to a full-blown cineaste was long and slow. ...
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The Right Stuff: 30th Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week

Halloween has just ended. Thanksgiving is still weeks away. Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas? The makers ...
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Monsters University Is the Pick of the Week

Pixar. Its name is associated with quality. The company almost single-handedly ushered in a new era of brilliant animation that ...
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The Vincent Price Collection Is the Pick of the Week

Aside from Christmas, I can't think of another holiday that guides people's viewing habits like Halloween. Horror movies become all ...
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Love Actually: Tenth Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week

For much of my life I was a hum-bug. I hated Christmas and all its crass commercialism. I do like ...
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Much Ado About Nothing (2012) Is the Pick of the Week

I have a geek confession to make. I'm not really a fan of Joss Whedon. I don't hate him. He's ...
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The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week

I want to say that it is impossible to hate The Wizard of Oz, but if the internet has taught ...
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Doctor Who: The Complete Seventh Series Is the Pick of the Week

I watched Doctor Who periodically as a kid. It wasn't a show I loved, or made sure I was home ...
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The Bling Ring Is the Pick of the Week

Sofia Coppola has only directed five films in her entire career. I've only seen three of them, and I wasn't ...
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Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection Is the Pick of the Week

I grew up in the late '80s/early '90s and slasher flicks informed my early film life. Sort-of. My parents wouldn't ...
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Five Dolls for an August Moon Is the Pick of the Week

It is a weird week for releases. There is a ton of television coming out - both old and new ...
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The Great Gatsby (2013) Is the Pick of the Week

I read The Great Gatsby when I was in high school, or possibly early in college. Whenever it was, I ...
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Amour Is the Pick of the Week

I rarely go to the theatre anymore - too much trouble, too expensive, and audiences are way too obnoxious. Even ...
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The Mindy Project: Season One Is the Pick of the Week

I have an odd relationship with the American version of The Office. For the first few seasons, I loved it. ...
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The Sapphires Is the Pick of the Week

Sometimes it pisses me off knowing that I'm gonna die before so much cool stuff is invented. Every day I ...
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Banshee: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

There is so much good, interesting TV on these days I can hardly keep track. At the beginning of this ...
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Trance Is the Pick of the Week

I don't always love Danny Boyle's movies, but they are always interesting. From the pounding music and jump-cuts of Trainspotting ...
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Evil Dead (2013) Is the Pick of the Week

People love to slag on sequels and especially remakes. Whenever one is announced, the Internet explodes with righteous anger calling ...
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Spring Breakers Is the Pick of the Week

It makes a certain amount of sense that actresses who have spent their childhoods on squeaky clean television shows to ...
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The House I Live In Is the Pick of the Week

Several months ago I made a very deliberate decision to avoid the news in general and politics in specific. It ...
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Upside Down Is the Pick of the Week

Every week as I write this column, I am amazed at just now many movies are released each week. Hundreds ...
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Stoker Is the Pick of the Week

It is a great week to be a movie fan. This week's DVD/Blu-ray releases have a little something for everyone. ...
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Wild Strawberries Is the Pick of the Week

From time to time in this weekly series I like to discuss the ways and means to which I choose ...
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Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season Is the Pick of the Week

With but a half season to go Breaking Bad is very near to completely proving itself to be one of ...
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The Grass Is Greener Is the Pick of the Week

I guess Memorial Day weekend doesn't really rate in the DVD-seller's handbook. There is a whole lot of not-much coming ...
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Rick Steves Europe: All 100 Shows (2000-2014) Is the Pick of the Week

My wife and I love to travel. At last count we have visited 21 other countries. That isn't a brag, ...
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Cloud Atlas Is the Pick of the Week

Sometimes you gotta go with your gut. I tend to take this Pick of the Week thing a little too ...
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Band of Outsiders Is the Pick of the Week

I can't remember the first time I watched a foreign language film. I remember watching some on Bravo (back when ...
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Star Trek: The Next Generation: Seasons 1-3 Are the Picks of the Week

I am not what one would consider to be a trekkie (or a trekker or if you want to get ...
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The Impossible (2012) Is the Pick of the Week

Sometimes it seems that we are constantly engulfed in tragedy. If it isn't a school shooting, it is an earthquake ...
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Django Unchained Is the Pick of the Week

The very last scene of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 shows Uma Thurman's character cuddling with her daughter. It ...
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Hyde Park on Hudson Is the Pick of the Week

Who would have thought that Dr. Peter Venkman could be so poignantly fragile as Herman Blume in Rushmore? Who in ...
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Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One: Avengers Assembled is the Pick of the Week

I am not much for comic book movies.  This is likely due to me not having read many of the ...
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Lincoln Is the Pick of the Week

Time and time again Daniel Day-Lewis proves himself to be our greatest living actor. He doesn't make a lot of ...
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Les Miserables Is the Pick of the Week

For a large part of my life I've been a theatre geek by accident. In high school, I took several ...
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Life of Pi Is the Pick of the Week

It is good to see that in this post-Oscar season we're finally getting large crops of interesting DVD releases. This ...
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Cinema Sentries

Wreck-It Ralph Is the Pick of the Week

Like a million other boys I grew up playing video games. I cannot begin to fathom how many countless hours ...
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The Master (2012) Is the Pick of the Week

Though I had only seen but one of the nominated films, I sat with my wife and watched the entirety ...
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Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season Is the Pick of the Week

I came to George RR Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice through the TV show Game ...
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Cinema Sentries

Skyfall Is the Pick of the Week

The conclusion of the whole internet debacle is that I now have satellite internet. The commercials all hype the high ...
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Picks of the Last Three Weeks

Cinema Sentries has been without a Pick of the Week, where we comment on the new DVD/Blu-ray releases, for the ...
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 To Rome with Love Is the Pick of the Week

Woody Allen is New York City. The celebrated director set the majority of his films in the city, and often, ...
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The Hour 2 Is the Pick of the Week

With the huge success of Mad Men there have been a number of shows who have tried to capture a ...
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Cosmopolis Is the Pick of the Week

You might have noticed the absence of The Pick of the Week here at Cinema Sentries last week. The reason ...
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Masters of the Universe: 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Is the Pick of the Week

With essentially every television show and movie ever made now available at the click of a button, nostalgia is taking ...
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The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection Is the Pick of the Week

One of the more liberating things about college was to find people just as passionate about movies as I was. ...
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The Dark Knight Trilogy Is the Pick of the Week

With his Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan not only created one of the greatest comic-book adaptations but one of the ...
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Luck: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

You would think that the Tuesday after the big Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday madness that we'd have a week ...
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Doctor Who Limited Edition Gift Set Is the Pick of the Week

Just the other day I was complaining to my wife that the new Doctor Who series is incredibly expensive here ...
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Lawrence of Arabia (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) Is the Pick of the Week

The phrase "They don't make them like they used to" is trite, banal, and way over-used, yet sometimes, it's also ...
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Rashomon Is the Pick of the Week

Not to get too philosophical for a post about upcoming DVD releases, but as I've gotten older the nature of ...
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Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Is the Pick of the Week

Halloween is quite possibly my favorite holiday. I love all the decorations, the excitement of all the little children (and ...
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Blade Runner 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Is the Pick of the Week

There comes a time in every movie fan and critics life when he must make certain admissions. Perhaps it is ...
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Mad Men: Season Five Is the Pick of the Week

I came late to the Mad Men game, not watching an episode until about a year and a half ago, ...
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Prometheus Is the Pick of the Week

Used to be people gathered around the water cooler to chat about television, movies, and music They'd get a refreshment ...
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Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection Is the Pick of the Week

Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays. In the 10 years we've been married, the wife and I have ...
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Bond 50: The Complete 22 Film Collection Is the Pick of the Week

I've always had something of an odd relationship with James Bond. My parents were never huge fans of the franchise ...
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Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Is the Pick of the Week

Through four films and a television series, Indiana Jones has become one of the great heroic icons of all time. ...
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30 Rock: Season 6 Is the Pick of the Week

In 2006, network television released two separate series about the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of Saturday Night Live-esque sketch comedies. Studio 60 ...
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The Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection Is the Pick of the Week

I'm a child of the '80s therefore I am a Star Wars man. As a kid, I watched the original ...
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Homeland: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

A few weeks back my family and I took a vacation in Florida. We surfed, we swam, we walked, we ...
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Bernie Is the Pick of the Week

There are times when I feel really clued in. On those days I'm caught up with and can talk intelligently ...
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Community: The Complete Third Season Is the Pick of the Week

It took me awhile to catch onto Dan Harmon's smart, quirky, meta-comedy Community, but now that I have, I have ...
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Marley Is the Pick of the Week

In my mind there is a connection between Bob Marley and Che Guevera. I doubt the two ever met and ...
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The Grand Illusion Is the Pick of the Week

Jean Renoir's classic film, The Grand Illusion, has had a long, strange journey since its release in 1937. The German's ...
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The Last Days of Disco Is the Pick of the Week

The original G.I. Joe animated series is currently streaming on Netflix. I loved that show as a kid. I have ...
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Cinema Sentries

Singin’ in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week

Far and away the most popular American film musical ever made, Singin' in the Rain lives up to its reputation. ...
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Muddy Waters & the Rolling Stones: Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981 Is the Pick of the Week

Legendary rock band the Rolling Stones were steeped in the early Chicago blues style (in fact their name comes from ...
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The Pirate Movie Is the Pick of the Week

I was recently reading an article about how It's a Wonderful Life would never have been a much beloved classic ...
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Hinoshi Inagaki’s The Samurai Trilogy Is the Pick of the Week

Sometimes when I look at the new releases one blaring question comes straight to my mind: why haven't I watched ...
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Cinema Sentries

Lina Wertmuller Collection (Love & Anarchy, The Seduction of Mimi, All Screwed Up) is the Pick of the Week

After my sophomore year in college I took some summer classes.  Summer at this college was intensely boring as the ...
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Harold and Maude Is the Pick of the Week

There are a few really interesting titles coming out this week, and I had a hard time deciding which one ...
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Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season Is the Pick of the Week

Whenever I hear people grumble about how bad television is these days, I just roll my eyes and mutter under ...
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Summer Interlude and Summer With Monika Are the Picks of the Week

I've barely made a dent in the 64 films that director Ingmar Bergman made in his lifetime, but the handful ...
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Sherlock: Season Two Is the Pick of the Week

I have a very mixed relationship with Sherlock Holmes - I am both utterly fascinated with the character, and more ...
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Being John Malkovich Is the Pick of the Week

I suppose it is fair to say that the majority of filmgoers primarily see films based on who is in ...
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La Haine Is the Pick of the Week

My wife teaches French at university while I stay at home and raise our one-year-old daughter. It is an unconventional ...
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George Harrison: Living in a Material World Is the Pick of the Week

One of my dark, secret musical confessions is that I don't particularly like George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass. ...
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The Organizer Is the Pick of the Week

A couple of weeks ago I talked about how, in choosing each week's pick, I pretend someone gives me a ...
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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Is the Pick of the Week

Say what you will about Tom Cruise's personal life, his weird religion, or his lack of real acting chops, but ...
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The Iron Lady Is the Pick of the Week

I've been doing these Pick of the Week posts for awhile now and so I've developed a sort-of rule system ...
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Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey Is the Pick of the Week

Since nearly the moment she was born my daughter has loved Sesame Street. She's entranced by it. For the longest ...
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David Lean Directs Noel Coward Is the Pick of the Week

This week, the Criterion Collection is releasing a boxed set of four films written by playright Noel Coward and directed ...
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The Muppets (2011) Is the Pick of the Week

Like millions of other kids I grew up watching many of Jim Henson's creations including Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, ...
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The Adventures of Tintin (2011) Is the Pick of the Week

My wife is a nerdy Francophile - she adores everything French especially its arts. I didn't know it before we ...
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Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

I got about half-way through Game of Thrones when it first came out before tuning out. This was not long ...
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Cinema Sentries

Hugo Is the Pick of the Week

I think I mentioned before in this series that I haven't seen very many films in the theatre this year. ...
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J. Edgar Is the Pick of the Week

There's an old Seinfeld joke where Jerry and George are talking about bringing a date to a party. Jerry insists ...
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The Rum Diary Is the Pick of the Week

For the last week my wife and I have both had terrifically terrible head colds. We create create quite the ...
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Downton Abbey: Series Two Is the Pick of the Week

In the first few weeks after my daughter was born my wife, my mother-in-law, and myself spent a great deal ...
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The Magnificent Ambersons Is the Pick of the Week

Years ago when I was just out of high school (or possibly just out of college - who can remember ...
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U2: From the Sky Down Is the Pick of the Week

You know it is a heck of a week for movie releases when the top seller on Amazon is a ...
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Belle de Jour Is the Pick of the Week

My wife is a Francophile, that is to say she is a great lover of all things French. She learned ...
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Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season Is the Pick of the Week

I'm generally terribly behind on my TV watching. I am, what they call now, a cord cutter. I don't have ...
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Justified: The Complete Second Season Is the Pick of the Week

This first week of January has already picked up some steam from the dismal choices we had in the last ...
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The Borgias: Season One Is the Pick of the Week

If I was in charge of releasing movies each week I don't suspect I would put my big pictures out ...
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Cinema Sentries

Midnight in Paris Is the Pick of the Week

My brother is four years older than me so when I was just a kid he was a lusty teenager ...
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Cinema Sentries

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Is the Pick of the Week

If it isn't already distinctly clear from reading my weekly picks, let me state it directly now: I rarely get ...
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The Lady Vanishes (1938) Is the Pick of the Week

With Christmas right around the corner one would imagine the movie studios would be releasing a slew of awesome movies ...
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30 Rock: Season 5 Is the Pick of the Week

If it were up to Mat Brewster the regular guy, the non-writer, the man with the statuesque physique but ever ...
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12 Angry Men Is the Pick of the Week

There are several interesting films coming out on Blu-ray this week and it was hard to just pick one of ...
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Is the Pick of the Week

I came to the Harry Potter universe a little late. I didn't see the first movie until the fourth one ...
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Cars Collector’s Edition Is the Pick of the Week

For the longest time it seemed that Pixar could do no wrong. Over the last 16 years they have consistently ...
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Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection Is the Pick of the Week

I'm not entirely sure I've ever seen a Laurel and Hardy film. In fact, the only Laurel and Hardy anything ...
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Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 40th Anniversary Edition Is the Pick of the Week

Roald Dahl wrote children's books that are full of dark, sardonic humor, mean and nasty villains, and a complete lack ...
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Cinema Sentries

The Tree of Life Is the Pick of the Week

Terrence Malick has only directed five feature films in his nearly 40-year career. I'd say he lacked ambition except that ...
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Ken Burns’ Prohibition Is the Pick of the Week 

It is a great big week for Blu-ray releases, but I've got to give the edge to a regular DVD ...
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