Reel Reviews - Movie Reviews, blu-ray/DVD reviews

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III: The Lady Gambles (1949) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 06 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Lady Luck has no heart at all in this morality tale! The Lady Gambles begins with a stunning beatdown as its star, Barbara Stanwyck, is repeatedly attacked, smacked, and punched by a couple of thugs who feel cheated by her use of loaded dice in a ...

Streetwalkin' (1985) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 07 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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“Mommy, can we come home?” With those words, Cookie (Melissa Leo) and her kid brother Tim (Randall Batinkoff) plead to return to their mother’s house. They’ve been kicked out because her new man hates them both. Their request is denied, so the two wander the bus station as ...

THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition (2001) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 05 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Arthur Kriticos' dream house - full of shatterproof glass cages and sliding steel panels - has arrived. . . but it’s a damn nightmare! Critically hammered and only very loosely based on William Castle’s original film, THIRT3EN Ghosts gets a second chance to make a lasting reflection in the glassy Halls of Horror thanks ...

House of Wax 3D: The Warner Archive Collection (1953) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 04 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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The most successful 3D film of the 1950s has finally arrived on Blu-ray. André de Toth’s House of Wax brought Warner Bros a lot of fortune and fame during its original run in 1953 but the film is also known for something else: the rebirth of Vincent Price ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III: Abandoned (1949) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 04 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Because, sometimes, even babies need the support of the police! Pushing a hard-hitting social commentary, Abandoned - with a colorful set of character names - takes aim at selling unwanted babies as the City of Angels becomes ground zero for black ...

She Dies Tomorrow - Movie Review

Details: Published: 03 August 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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She Dies Tomorrow opens with a close-up of an eyeball. It is, in fact, our lead character’s eyes, and they are full of tears and lights as something incredibly atmospheric and hypnotic takes hold of her vision. This extreme closeup is only the beginning of this incredibly disturbing thriller ...

Breakheart Pass (1975) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 31 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Sometimes a classic film - or one we now consider a classic of its genre - underwhelms in its original run. This is the curious case of Breakheart Pass, a film that continues - every five years or so - to garner more interest in it as it reaches new audiences thanks to Charles Bronson’s ...

Monstrous - Movie Review

Details: Published: 30 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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The Adirondack Mountains are probably best known for their expansive forests and their treacherously high peaks. There are also many wild rivers and streams perfect for traveling upon found around their bases. Deep and darkly beautiful, this area of wildlife is still relatively primal and untamed ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema II: The Female Animal (1958)

Details: Published: 29 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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It is said that when a woman fights for a man, she is like an ANIMAL! Vanessa Windsor (Hedy Lamarr), a spoiled Hollywood star, and her daughter, Penny (Jane Powell), fall head over heels in love with the same man, Chris Farley (George Nader), and they aren’t even aware of the other’s interest in him! Tabloid...

Palm Springs - Movie Review

Details: Published: 31 July 2020; Written by Frank Wilkins

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Hulu and Neon had no way of anticipating the future relevance of the film the pair snatched up at Sundance back in January. Considered quite a risk to shell out $22 million plus for a time-loop romantic comedy anticipated to be a long shot theatrical bet at best and a risky streaming hit ...