DVD Reviews

Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws is considered the first summer blockbuster. A film that everybody and their dog went to see and raked in an obscene amount of money. With a shower of green in their eyes, Hollywood immediately cordoned onto this and thus the never-ending pleasure/ailment  ...

In 1986, director Oliver Stone delivered a war film to counter all the John Wayne-esque, American:good/Foreign opponents:bad narratives of the past with Platoon. As a Vietnam War vet himself, he had a unique place within the industry to show the shades of grey within any fighting force, forcing  ...

The late and great Wes Craven will forever be known as the father of Freddy Krueger. But that wasn’t all he accomplished. A horror mainstay, no question, but also a commercial pioneer (not once, but twice) who triggered a renaissance for cold genres. Not only did he put New Line Cinema on the ...

In 2009, filmmaker James Cameron warned us about the dangers of poor stewardship of our planet’s natural resources with his ground-breaking film, Avatar. And in the process, he not only created a world of extraordinary imagination and beauty, he also created the world’s  ...

When it was first announced that Piranha, the 1978 original spoof of Jaws, which was directed by Joe Dante, written by John Sayles, and produced by Roger Corman was going to be remade, an audible groan was heard from the masses. This would never work so...

Director: Daniel Alfredson
Writer: Jonas Frykberg
Cast:Noomi Rapace; Michael Nyqvist; Lena Endre

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, The final movie based on Stieg Larsson’s wildly popular Millennium Trilogy, sadly rides off, not into a glorious sunset to bask in the proud achievement of having wrapped up the series on a high note, but rather into a hospital Intensive Care Unit to lick its bedsores. Director Daniel Alfredson and screenwriter Jonas Frykberg (who also collaborated on the second installment) should have been reminded to change the bed sheets and occasionally roll this yawner over.

The opening scene of The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the new film by director Fede Alvarez, hints at something really special. The darkened scene features actress Claire Foy’s character in full-on black leathers, with lighted cigarette dangling from her rigid lips, and shorn locks ...

Living in Rome in the 1970s, being accepted for their abnormalities is nothing but a fantasy to Clara (Penélope Cruz) and her female-born, 12-year-old son, Andrew (Luana Giuliani). In sequences of black-and-white, writer/director Emanuele Crialese presents to us visions from Andrew – based  ...

It’s been five years since Robert Mccall (Denzel Washington) slayed the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and went back to his marital home. For this originally never guaranteed third entry, you better believe I was first in line to see it opening day. Are these movies the pinnacle of Washington’s  ...

In Between Two Worlds, it’s described there is a job crisis in France. Rampant unemployment, people living paycheck to paycheck, and many trying to scavenge up the harshly limited hours from any job they can just to try and make ends meet. But what are these people really like? What are their ...

There’s a delicious element of B-movie camp that snakes its way through the frames of director Neil Jordan’s new film called Greta. Jordan knows he has crafted a technically astute psychological thriller with tinges of Hitchcock and Fincher. But the moments where he  ...

It was with no small degree of excitement in 2001 that we learned Anthony Hopkins would reprise his Oscar-winning turn as Hannibal Lecter for the sequel to Silence of Lambs. Almost as quickly, our hearts would break when both Silence director, Jonathan Demme, and Jodie Foster both  ...

In general, it seems (at least to me) that remakes are almost never a good idea. It’s quite hard to name a remake that is even able to hold a candle to the original version. But that doesn’t stop many studios and directors from taking on the challenge. And with Michel Hazanavicius’s latest project ...

Never before have the loves of speed and killer tunes come together so magically as they do in filmmaker Edgar Wright’s latest, a genre-crossing masterpiece with music on the brain and burnt rubber in its soul. It’s called Baby Driver and it’s a mob movie. It’s also a heist movie ...

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content and brief strong language.
Runtime: 120 mins.
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Simon Kinberg
Cast: Angelina Jolie; Brad Pitt; Vince Vaughn; Chris Weitz... complete cast
Tagline: June 10.
Genre: Action/Thriller
Memorable Quote: "You're home early. I missed you. I missed you too."

It’s hard to believe that the cinematic adaptation of a 60s TV hit is almost thirty years-old! But here we are! Dead Reckoning PT1  makes the seventh entry into Tom Cruise’s action magnum opus. The man is now in his 60s and, whether you like his work or not, always ALWAYS gives  ...

For those coming into the world of Hannibal cold, hang onto your hats. Cinematically, (ignoring the Michael Mann adaptation Mindhunter, where Brian Cox played him), we met Anthony Hopkin’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter for the first time in Silence of the Lambs, the second novel in Thomas  ...

Only a couple of years ago now, Eureka in the UK released a beautiful big box edition in 1080p, replete with gorgeous artwork and decent special features. Sadly, the transfer of that release left me wanting, so imagine my thrill when I heard Kino Lorber were going to release a new 2160p ‘native  ...

With the release of No Hard Feelings, Bottoms, and now this film, Joy Ride, it feels like the raunchy sex comedies that became of staple of late 90’s/early 2000’s pop culture are making a very strong comeback in 2023. With a story that goes completely off the rails, Joy Ride is full  ...

In a cinematic world often dominated by gritty action movies and complex time-bending dramas, Barbie is a cotton candy-colored breath of fresh air, serving up a delightful dose of sweet entertainment that is both inoffensive and visually captivating ...

If ever there was an example of true worth over box office receipts (which is understandably important to the studios, but a financial one only) it is Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption. Cruelly, this film’s almost universal lauding didn’t translate to profitability. But that in no way  ...

MPAA Rating: R for violence, sexual content and nudity.
Director: Anton Corbijn
Writer: Rowan Joffe
Cast: George Clooney; Irina Björklund; Johan Leysen
Genre: Drama | Thriller
Memorable Movie Quote: "Consider it your last job"
Release Date: September 3, 2010
DVD Release Date: December 28, 2010

Owing its DNA to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cocoon, the latest alien flick to invade theaters is a sweet and charming little gem called Jules. While it will never carry the same impact as either of those films, and will most assuredly go largely overlooked, you would be doing yourself  ...

“This is where I ended up. This is where I’m supposed to be.” After premiering at the Sundance film festival to much universal acclaim, Celine Song’s astounding directorial debut, Past Lives, has finally made its way to a nationwide audience. And it being one of my most anticipated  ...

In 1970, to finally get a film starring the handsome and poised Alain Delon and the charming and rugged Jean-Paul Belmondo (the definition of cool), the expectations were understandably high for any audience member that was a fan, big or small, of French cinema. Even today, seeing the two ...

Roman Polanski’s American debut arrived with Rosemary’s Baby in 1968 and, to this day, the film remains a blistering masterpiece of mood, art, and mayhem. There’s a reason this tale is considered by many to be the benchmark of filmic horror entertainment.  Celebrated by fans of horror and ...

Remember those childhood fears of things that go bump in the night? Well, they may not be just be our imagination after all. What if there actually were creatures hiding in the closet? ...

What if dogs could actually talk? Would they speak with wholesome back porch country witticisms, or would sailors blush at the saltier side of man’s best friend? If we believe what the new live-action dog movie called Strays is selling ...

When you hear the name Stephen King, like most, you can be forgiven for instantly thinking of evil clowns and all manner of horrific imagery. He is, after all, the master of horror. But both in his wheelhouse, novels, and in the world of film adaptations King proves again and again that horror is but ...

The name John Hughes is synonymous for Gen-Xers with classic comedy and the 1980s. The man wrote and/or directed hit after hit during that time that, although usually focused on the youth of the time, transcended age to universal appeal. We’re getting into the fourth decade of his work being  ...