Posts Tagged ‘Warner Archive’
Gentleman Jim Blu-ray Review: Still Packs a Punch
A lighthearted drama that packs a punch and has some good laughs.
Read MoreThe Devil Doll Blu-ray Review: Tiny Human Dolls Help Lionel Barrymore Get Revenge
The Unholy Three mashed up with Psycho, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Child’s Play’s Chucky.
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 MoreAdventures 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.
Read MoreIt Happened at the World’s Fair Blu-ray Review: It Probably Shouldn’t Have
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.
Read MoreTake Me Out to the Ball Game Blu-ray Review: Almost a Home Run
A Warner Archive release that I would point to if asked to recommend one of their titles from a technical perspective.
Read MoreI Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes Blu-ray Review: Limp Mystery Noir
Based on a novella by Cornell Woolrich, this film takes a thin premise and does little with it.
Read MoreIt Happened on 5th Avenue Blu-ray Review: Thoroughly Charming Happenstance
The story is sweet, heartwarming, and wholly enjoyable nearly 75 years later.
Read MoreMadame Curie Blu-ray Review: Geniuses Oblivious to Their Attraction
The chemistry between the actors is undeniable, especially since they had already teamed together in the six-time Oscar-winning film, Mrs. Miniver.
Read MoreZiegfeld Follies Blu-ray Review: Two Hours of Follies, Half Hour of Jollies
While it’s not consistently enjoyable, the overwhelming caliber of talent and the many high-quality production numbers make it a worthwhile curiosity.
Read MoreThere Was a Crooked Man… Blu-ray Review: Revisionist Western Could Have Used a Few More Revisions
It is all but saved by its cast who are easy to enjoy interacting with each other and charming in their star power.
Read MoreDrunken Master II Blu-ray Review: Pinnacle Chan Martial Arts
A solid (if bare bones) release of some of Jackie Chan’s most impressive martial arts antics.
Read MoreThe Tender Trap Blu-ray Review: Trapped in Dated Attitudes But Still Tender Fun
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.
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