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

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume IV: An Act of Murder (1948) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 20 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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An Act of Murder, in which a very uncompromising and stubborn judge learns a tough, tough lesson about guilt and morals, is perhaps one of the most forward-thinking film noir offerings in that it comes from the point of view of a man who defends a very strict and outdated view of law and ...

Haunted Honeymoon (1986) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 19 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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...in which the Golden Age of Radio meets the Chiller Comedies of the 1940s. No wonder Haunted Honeymoon was a box office bomb, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be ignored. The film, with over-the-top characters and spooky atmospheres, is damn funny ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume IV: Calcutta (1946) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 17 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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“Two gin slings . . . with ice.” With that famous line, Alan Ladd (Shane) as American pilot, Neale Gordon, begins to fall for Virginia Moore (Gail Russell, The Uninvited). He doesn’t want to, but he can’t help himself. Hell, one look at her engaging beauty and I would, too. Holy cow is she a looker ...

Two Ways To Go West - Movie Review

Details: Published: 17 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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The darkness in Two Ways To Go West hits hard. It's also unapologetic, making it essential viewing for anyone inspired by independent filmmaking ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume 1: A Bullet for Joey (1955)

Details: Published: 16 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Okay, so A Bullet for Joey, directed by Lewis Allen (Appointment with Danger, The Perfect Marriage) and starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft, doesn’t exactly fit so tidily into the whole film noir genre, but that doesn’t keep it from sharing certain elements of that cinematic world ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume 1: Big House, U.S.A. (1955)

Details: Published: 16 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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From stunning, widescreen vistas in Colorado's Royal Gorge National Park to some deftly handled underwater scenes (filmed in Santa Monica, California), Big House, U.S.A. does not disappoint, going dark with the gruesome murder of a kid at the beginning ...

The Tent - Movie Review

Details: Published: 16 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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The new comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson called The Hustle is an almost identical remake of the 1988 classic comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels which starred Michael Caine and Steve Martin - itself a remake of Marlon Brando’s Bedtime Story. I say “almost” because ...

Greyhound (2020) - Movie Review

Details: Published: 17 July 2020; Written by Frank Wilkins

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Tom Hanks is in command yet again. In his fifth turn as the commander of one vessel or another (sixth if you count the shrimp boat Jenny), the esteemed actor dons the double stripes of captain once again, this time in Greyhound as Captain Krause in charge of the USS Keeling (callsign: ...

Pretty in Pink: Paramount Presents Edition (1986) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 15 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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“You don’t want to go out. You don’t want to go home. What do you want to do, Andie?” The pink, volcanic ensembles. The cast - Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, and Andrew McCarthy - bringing their best acting to a BRILLIANT script ...

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema, Volume I: Storm Fear (1955) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 14 July 2020; Written by Loron Hays

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Classic film noir - with its emphasis on atmosphere and futility - simply doesn’t get any more claustrophobic than in Cornel Wilde’s directorial debut, Storm Fear. A classic thriller which has West (The Naked Prey) starring, producing, and directing ...