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

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy - 4K Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 13 January 2021; Written by Christopher Symonds

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In annuls of home media, there are few titles regarded as legendary as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Not only because of Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation, but in the sheer depth of content and effort made in exploring every facet of the creation of these films. From ...

Bright Hill Road - Movie Review

Details: Published: 10 January 2021; Written by Loron Hays

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Guilt. It can do a number on the soul - especially when it is trying to heal from a trauma which proves to be unyielding. This is the tricky territory of Bright Hill Road, the new thriller from director Robert Cuffley, a film which manages to prove to be both intense and unsettling thanks to a tightly focused ...

It Happened One Night: Criterion Collection (1934) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 10 January 2021; Written by Loron Hays

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“She’s afraid of the big bad wolf. Tra la la la laaaaaa.” It Happened One Night remains a phenomenal romantic comedy. After all these years, this pre-code American film - which was made when being a reporter was idolized and the screwball comedy was only just hitting its stride - still hits all the perfect notes as ...

Panic aka Bakterion (1982) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 07 January 2021; Written by Loron Hays

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This Italian-Spanish co-production is a shoddy-looking horror film. Know that first. Panic, also known as Bakterion) is also quite interesting in its own way, weaving a tale about scientists who create something they cannot even hope to control through failed bacteria experiments, as it has more ...

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - Movie Review

Details: Published: 08 January 2021; Written by Frank Wilkins

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So, let’s get this out of the way, right off the top: No, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is not as funny as the first one. However, it is damn funny and might very well be a more important film ...

Go/Don't Go - Movie Review

Details: Published: 06 January 2021; Written by Loron Hays

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It is a life based on day-in, day-out routine, etched out in earnest atmosphere as Adam (Alex Knapp, who also wrote and directed this movie) embraces the isolation and sameness of his existence in this future-set thriller. Adam is seemingly alone on the third rock from the sun, but determining the cause ...

The Last Shift - DVD Review

Details: Published: 25 September 2020; Written by Frank Wilkins

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When asked how the training of his replacement is coming along, Stanley (Richard Jenkins, The Visitor) mumbles to his manager, “I just don’t think he’s a good fit here.” Stanley would know. After all, we’s worked the late night drive-thru shift at Oscar’s Chicken and Fish, a run-down fast food spot in ...

A Night in Casablanca (1946) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 03 January 2021; Written by Loron Hays

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The Marx Brothers are coming! The Marx Brothers are coming! Well, after a bit of exposition that is as Casablanca (and others like that film) get a big kiss-off thanks to the parody on display throughout the 86-minutes that make up A Night in Casablanca. This REEL CLASSIC might not be the ...

Paramount Presents: The Golden Child (1986) - Blu-ray Review

Details: Published: 30 December 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 ...

Some Like It Hot: Criterion Collection (1959) - Blu-ray Review

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

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It’s hard to conceive in this era of remakes that some redos in the history of cinema go on to become classics in their own right. For genre fans, John Carpenter’s The Thing is often cited as a prime example. For comedy, however, Billy Wilder’s beloved cross-dressing romp, Some Like It ...