Posts Tagged ‘Warner Archive’
Hit Man (1972) Blu-ray Review: Tyrone in Action and Pam Grier’s Performance Make It Well Worth Watching
It feels like they had watched Get Carter and then a few months later tried to recreate it from memory.
Read MoreBlack Eye Blu-ray Review: The Hammer Builds a Winner
Fred “The Hammer” Williamson stars in this mid-’70s crime drama, which for the right audience is really all you need to know.
Read MoreThe Tall Target Blu-ray Review: Abraham Lincoln Gets a Film Noir
Warner Archive presents the film in an absolutely lovely-looking new transfer.
Read MoreThe Beast with Five Fingers Blu-ray Review: Peter Lorre Does His Thing with Awesome Special Effects
Peter Lorre at his manic best.
Read MoreThe Alaskans: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: The Man with the Golden Dream
While the lackluster writing keeps it from being a classic, the series has its simple charms and is an impressive showcase for Roger Moore.
Read MoreThe Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Review: Pre-Code Lunacy with Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy
There’s also the “big parade of torture devices” that appear and mark the movie as a horror picture and not an action/adventure outing.
Read MoreMr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) Blu-ray Review: Hitchcock Comedy, for Better or Worse
Hitchcock’s screwball comedy about a married couple who find they weren’t married starts promisingly but never gets off the ground.
Read MoreAct of Violence (1948) Blu-ray Review: Terrific Film Noir with Heart
It is a dark-as-night film noir with deeply complex morals and a surprisingly modern take on PTSD.
Read MoreStand and Deliver Blu-ray Review: A Classic Classroom Drama
Stand and Deliver stands as a solid story of the positive effects a strong leader and teacher has on a group of youths
Read MoreLooney Tunes Collector’s Choice Vol. 2 Blu-ray Review: Another Wonderful Collection of Classic Cartoons
Vol. 2 expands upon the previous volume’s offerings in the number of cartoons available and the decades from whence they debuted.
Read MoreGentleman Jim Blu-ray Review: Still Packs a Punch
A lighthearted drama that packs a punch and has some good laughs.
Read MoreBefore Night Falls Blu-ray Review: Expresses the Overall Importance of Artists and Their Art
A profound, evocative portrait of liberation against extreme boundaries.
Read MoreLittle Women (1933) Blu-ray Review: Sentimental but Sweet
In a world so full of awfulness, I’ve become a sucker for any little kindness, even when it is only found in a movie.
Read MoreWichita Blu-ray Review: Wyatt Earp’s Origin Story
Even when they aren’t great, there is something calming about a Western.
Read MoreGay Purr-ee Blu-ray Review: Judy Garland Gets Animated
This animated musical is a fine send-off for Garland’s collaboration with her Wizard of Oz songwriters, and a fitting coda for her monumental career.
Read MoreThe Broadway Melody Blu-ray Review: Give My Regards to the Warner Archive Team
While the backstage exploits are familiar to the genre, it’s a fun snapshot of a bygone era for both film and theater.
Read MoreDu Barry Was a Lady Blu-ray Review: All Show, Little Story
Even by the admittedly low bar of plot development in classic movie musicals, this story is so half-baked it may as well just be called a musical revue.
Read MoreCimarron (1931) Blu-ray Review: An Epic Western and a Product of Its Time
Cimarron (1931) is melodramatic, slow in places, and a product of its time, both cinematically and in its politically incorrectness, but an enjoyable 124 minutes overall.
Read MoreLooney Tunes Collector’s Choice Vol. 1 Blu-ray Review: A Good Start to Becoming a Cartoon Collector
A good roster of characters among a good roster of cartoons.
Read MoreHey There, It’s Yogi Bear! Blu-ray Review: Ready for His Close-up
Expanding Yogi’s adventure from a 7-minute short to an 89-minute movie works for the most part.
Read MoreClash by Night (1952) Blu-ray Review: A Fritz Lang Dud
The actors save it.
Read MoreStorm Warming Blu-ray Review: A Flawed but Hard-hitting Expose of Small Town Corruption
t is perfect? No. Is it relevant? Unfortunately, yes.
Read MoreOne 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.
Read MoreThe Night of the Iguana Blu-ray Review: A Long Night’s Journey into the Soul
All of the actors are fantastic in their roles.
Read MoreAttack of the 50 Foot Woman Blu-ray Review: Maybe If She Were a Little Taller This Would Be Good
Out of all the schlocky 1950s science fiction out there, I don’t know why this one is one of the more popular ones.
Read MoreDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Blu-ray Review: Fredric March Is Quite Wonderful in the Dual Role
What really makes this version special are the special effects.
Read MoreRachel, Rachel Blu-ray Review: A Tender Story of a Woman’s Awakening
A dated but still sensitively crafted character study of repression with a career-defining performance by the great Joanne Woodward.
Read MoreThe Thin Man Goes Home Blu-ray Review: Bring This Comic Mystery to Your Home
There’s enough comedy to go with the mystery to keep the audience entertained as well as engaged.
Read MoreWild Rovers Blu-ray Review: William Holden and Ryan O’Neal Ride into the Sunset
Wild Rovers, a forgotten gem of a western with some solid action, although a bit somber at times but so is Lonesome Dove.
Read MoreThe Frisco Kid Blu-ray Review: A Rabbi and a Bank Robber Ride West
The Frisco Kid is a good, wacky western and an enjoyable way to spend 119 minutes.
Read MoreThe Adventures of Don Juan (1948) Blu-ray Review: Come in with Flynn
A mostly charming, fun-filled adventure.
Read MoreDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) Blu-ray Review: Well Worth Watching to See Spencer Tracy Play Against Type
Where previous adaptations tended to turn the Hyde character into a hideous monster, here the focus is more psychological, more Freudian.
Read MoreThe Clock Blu-ray Review: Judy Garland’s Time
The film often feels like a predecessor of The Out-of-Towners or Date Night, except here the couple are newly introduced and find their mishaps charming instead of additive to already dissolving relationships.
Read MoreThe Three Musketeers (1948) Blu-ray Review: Night of 100 Stars
In spite of the film’s split personality, it’s worth viewing for the amazing amount and variety of stars.
Read MoreGold Diggers of 1933 Blu-ray Review: It’s Perfect
Gold Diggers of 1933 is one of the very best Depression-era musicals.
Read MoreStage Fright (1950) Blu-ray Review: Second-Tier Hitchcock Is Still Good Cinema
Stage Fight is a great deal of fun.
Read MorePrince of the City Blu-ray Review: The NYPD Blues
Sidney Lumet deserves kudos for the way he marshals a large, rotating cast and the many (unsurprising) turns of the plot.
Read MoreAngels with Dirty Faces Blu-ray Review: A Seminal Gangster Classic
The Blu-ray from Warner Archive is solid.
Read MoreParty Girl (1958) Blu-ray Review: Neon Underworld
Fusing ‘30s corn with a vivid and sly, modern feel (at least for the ’50s), Party Girl is a cinematic bon-bon.
Read MoreThe Ghost Ship/Bedlam Double Feature Blu-ray Review: Two Val Lewton Suspense Thrillers
Two ’40s films by Val Lewton protégé Mark Robson explore the dangers of authority with atmospheric suspense films.
Read MoreSome Came Running Blu-ray Review: ’50s Melodrama Feels Familiar
A Sinatra vehicle, excellently helmed and acted, sounds familiar notes in the story of small town life in the ’50s.
Read MoreLullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Review: Don’t Sleep on This Joyous Delight
So joyous and feel-good that it’s impossible to watch without a smile on your face.
Read MoreMad Love (1935) Blu-ray Review: Grotesque ’30 Body Horror
Beautifully shot German expressionist style American horror film, with Peter Lorre’s English debut as a mad doctor.
Read MoreThe Naked Spur Blu-ray Review: A Classic ’50s Western
The high-definition presentation from the Warner Archive should please fans of the movie and those new to it.
Read MoreTex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 Blu-ray Review: Another Must-own for Fans of Avery and Animation
Avery and his team demonstrate a creative and boundless imagination and a great talent for bringing their comedic ideas to the screen.
Read MoreA Night at the Opera Blu-ray Review: A Comedy Classic
Thankfully, losing 25 percent of the act didn’t translate into losing 25 percent of the laughs because this film.
Read MoreStraight Time Blu-ray Review: The Jailbird Blues
More than any other element, the acting makes the movie tick.
Read MoreThe Window (1949) Blu-ray Review: The Boy Who Cried Murder
Taut noir thriller about a story-telling boy who witnesses a real murder is brisk, engaging, and beautifully shot.
Read MoreIn the Good Old Summertime Blu-ray Review: You’ve Got Snail Mail
This 1949 Judy Garland vehicle that is an update of the 1940 Jimmy Stewart movie, The Shop Around the Corner,
Read MoreThe Herculoids: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Review: The Adventures of the Exotic Eight
The animators’ creativity and talent is apparent in the settings, the characters, and the Herculoids in action.
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