Cirkus Columbia Movie Review: A Fairly Good Motion Picture
By Critical curmudgeon |
Directed by Danis Tanović, Cirkus Columbia was the Bosnian entry for the 2010 Best Foreign Language Oscar. It is a ...
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A Hollis Frampton Odyssey Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Essential Collection of Avant-Garde Treasures
By Dusty Somers |
The Films There isn’t much experimental film represented within the Criterion Collection library, but when the good folks there do ...
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W.E. Blu-ray Review: Evidently, Madonna Didn’t Have Enough Material for One Whole Film
By Luigi Bastardo |
Whenever a singer ventures over into the world of motion pictures, the results are usually dire. Let’s take Madonna’s career ...
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Sergeant Deadhead DVD Review: All Involved Should Be Sent to Leavenworth
By Rons Reviews |
Look, no one is going to confuse Frankie Avalon with an Academy Award-winning thespian, but he appeared in some fine ...
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Tiny Furniture Criterion Collection DVD Review: Lena Dunham’s Semi-Autobiographical Micro-Budget Mumblecore
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by handyguy Nearly every character in Tiny Furniture is annoying, irritating, exasperating - and that's exactly what makes the ...
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Immortals Blu-ray Review: Both a Must-See and Not Worth the Price of a Rental
By Chad Derdowski |
When I saw previews for Immortals last year, I was on the fence. Visually, it looked quite appealing but it ...
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Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance Movie Review: The Politics of Dance from the Ground Up
By Michelle Prather |
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance does what ballet so often fails to do: it draws laymen into a world perceived ...
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The Organizer Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Relevant in Today’s Political Climate
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Lisa McKay The Organizer, a 1963 film from Italian director Mario Monicelli and one of this month’s new ...
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Saving Grace (1986) DVD Review: An Unsentimental Look at True Religion
By Dusty Somers |
A gently comedic drama about finding religious fulfillment in action rather than ceremony, the little-seen 1986 film Saving Grace is ...
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Hamlet (1996) Blu-ray Review: The Medium’s The Thing That Makes This Version So Special
By Gordon S. Miller |
No film is more deserving of being encased within a book than Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet, the first silver-screen adaptation to ...
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The Merchant of Venice (2004) Movie Review: Pacino Wants a Pound of Flesh
By Gordon S. Miller |
For those of you who didn’t read the Cliffs Notes in school, here’s a synopsis: Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) needs to ...
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Richard III (1995) DVD Review: A Great Introduction to the Bard’s Works
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Richard Eyre’s stage production, this retelling of Shakespeare’s Richard III is transported about 500 years forward into an ...
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The Convoy Collection DVD Review: Highway to Haul
By Luigi Bastardo |
A good exploitation filmmaker is quick to cash in on a craze. Unfortunately, most of the bad ones are, too. ...
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Reporting on the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day 3 and 4
By Lorna Miller |
My longest day of the festival appropriately started with The Longest Day (1962), a star-studded World War II action film ...
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Pal Joey Blu-ray Review: Joey’s Definitely a Pal of Mine
By Luigi Bastardo |
”Some guys have a system with horses, and I got a system with dames. It’s a snap. You treat a ...
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Pokemon the Movie: Black & White DVD Review: One of the Better Entries in the Franchise
By Todd Karella |
Ash Ketchum is still on his long journey to become the world’s greatest Pokémon trainer. During his many travels he ...
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Late Spring Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Moving Look at a Family’s Season of Change
By Steve Geise |
Writer/director Yasujiro Ozu is widely regarded as one of the most important Japanese directors of all time, generally second only ...
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Thirst (2009) Movie Review: Korean Gothic Horror And Blood Disease
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Mule Thirst (2009) directed by Chan-wook Park is something as oddly inspired as a Korean vampire movie loosely ...
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Reporting on the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day 1 and 2
By Lorna Miller |
The 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival returned to Hollywood from April 12th through April 15th for their third edition. I ...
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Pharaoh’s Curse (1957) DVD Review: Silly, Dumb, and Very Enjoyable
By Luigi Bastardo |
It’s too bad that Joe Flaherty’s epic SCTV character Count Floyd never hosted an actual bona fide version of “Monster ...
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Young, Violent, Dangerous DVD Review: A Healthy Dose of Italian Cheese
By Luigi Bastardo |
There’s nothing worse than a tale of good boys gone bad. Well, actually, there are: in the case of the ...
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The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride DVD Review: Simba Can’t Be Proud of This
By Rons Reviews |
Released straight to video in 1998, the new Blu-Ray combo pack hit store shelves on Mar. 6th 2012. Expectations should ...
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Swamp Water Blu-ray Review: Jean Renoir Comes to America
By Luigi Bastardo |
The legendary Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia has always presented its share of challenges. For some, it’s a difficulty in pronouncing ...
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Picnic (1955) Blu-ray Review: William Inge’s Play Comes to Life
By Luigi Bastardo |
Sometimes, all it takes is for one stranger to come-a-roamin’ into town for everything and everyone to change. In the ...
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Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous DVD Review: Joss Whedon Earns His Marvel Stripes
By Steve Geise |
Before helming this summer’s Marvel team-up blockbuster film The Avengers, Joss Whedon earned his Marvel Comics bona fides in the ...
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The Darkest Hour (2011) Blu-ray Review: Attack of the Imperceptible Intruders
By Luigi Bastardo |
“I’m trying to keep my freak-out on the inside!” —Sean (Emile Hirsch), as he and his pals are attacked by ...
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Domain (2009) DVD Review: A Magnetic Lead Performance Saves a Muddled Script
By Dusty Somers |
Béatrice Dalle’s extraordinary ability to sensually descend into madness will be forever enshrined in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Betty Blue, a film ...
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Wizards 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review: Artwork Trumps Story
By Gordon S. Miller |
Wizards found writer/director Ralph Bakshi expanding his scope as an artist. His previous films were social satires set on the ...
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Pray for Death DVD Review: Recalls the Heyday of the Ninja
By Chad Derdowski |
Pray for Death stars Shô Kosugi as Akira Saito, a humble businessman living in Tokyo and moving up the ranks ...
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A Night to Remember (1958) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Stunning Presentation for a Genuine Classic
By Luigi Bastardo |
“I don’t think the Board of Trade regulations visualized this situation.” —Capt. Edward John Smith (Laurence Naismith), upon learning his ...
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Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass DVD Review: Occasionally Impressive but Ultimately Uneven and Boring
By Chad Derdowski |
Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass tells the story of John Glass, a man who awakens from a cryogenic ...
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Surviving Progress Movie Review: A Wake-Up Call About the Progress Trap
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Mary K. Williams “We tend to delude ourselves that these changes always result in improvements from the human ...
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Nightmares (1980) DVD Review: Australia’s Contribution to the Slasher/Giallo Genres
By Luigi Bastardo |
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And, while they may be correct in their assumption, they ...
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The Lion King 1 1/2 Special Edition Combo Pack Review: One Movie, Less Than 1/2 a Story
By Rons Reviews |
The Lion King 1 1/2 Special Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack hit store shelves on March 6th and was advertised as ...
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We Bought a Zoo Blu-ray Review: A Whole Hell of a Lot Better Than Buying the Farm
By Luigi Bastardo |
As soon as you see the words “From the Director of Jerry Maguire” on the cover of We Bought a ...
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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Blu-ray Review: Both Extremely and Incredibly Shameless
By Dusty Somers |
The Film I’m not sure if it’s the nauseating amount of precious quirk or the hammering lack of subtlety that’s ...
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The Passion of the Christ Movie Review: Too Much Good Friday, Not Enough Easter Sunday
By Gordon S. Miller |
Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ is about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ (Jim ...
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The War Room Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Men Behind the Man from Hope
By Will McKinley |
It takes a lot to out-charisma Bill Clinton, but legendary political strategist James Carville does it in The War Room, ...
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Hornets’ Nest (1970) DVD Review: Not Really Recommended but Good for a Gander
By Luigi Bastardo |
As anyone that can even vaguely recollect their years in school can attest to, kids can be cruel. And Rock ...
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To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Review: Do the Right Thing
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly acclaimed film ...
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David Lean Directs Noel Coward Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Four Distinctly British Films From a Fruitful Partnership
By Dusty Somers |
Before his name became synonymous with the widescreen epic, David Lean began his directorial career working closely with playwright Noël ...
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Blu-ray Review: A Scintillating Espionage Thriller
By Chad Derdowski |
Based on John le Carré’s 1974 spy novel of the same name, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was released in 2011 ...
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Dazed and Confused Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Authentic, Evocative Slice of Life
By Gordon S. Miller |
Set on the last day of school on May 28, 1976 in Austin, Texas, writer/director Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused ...
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War Horse Blu-ray Combo Pack Review: Worth Watching Though Poorly Paced
By Lorna Miller |
While the title indicates that this is a war movie, it is much deeper than that. It is a film ...
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Sinners and Saints (2010) Movie Review: What Was I Thinking?
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Mule You know how sometimes you look at the specs for a movie and it has some decent ...
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Ann Arbor Film Festival 2012 Review: Palaces of Pity and THX 1138
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Ben Platko Palaces of Pity Consisting of beautifully disjointed scenes, and echoing The Fountain, Palaces of Pity exists ...
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Ann Arbor Film Festival 2012 Review: Films in Competition, and Films by Phil Solomon
By Cinema Sentries |
Films in Competition Honestly, I wasn’t terribly thrilled about attending this selection of competition films, namely because of Soft Palate. ...
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Strange Fruit: The Beatles’ Apple Records DVD Review: Gets to the Core of the Company
By Kit O'Toole |
On May 11, 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney arrived in New York to announce a new business venture. Three ...
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Ann Arbor Film Festival 2012 Review: Poetic Injustice and The Strawberry Tree
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Ben Platko Poetic Injustice – Short Films from the Arab World The “Poetic Injustice” program of short films ...
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Ann Arbor Film Festival 2012 Review: Student Film Showcase and Out Night
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Ben Platko Student Film Showcase There’s something special about the raw creative talent of student filmmakers. Experimental festivals ...
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