DVD Reviews

There are few moments in the 1980’s output of horror titles as effective as the opening minutes of Tom Holland’s Child’s Play.  Serial-killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), wearing a righteous brown trench coat, is being chased through the dingy streets of south Chicago by homicide detective  ...

Norm son-of-a-Gunderson! Another re-release? Fargo, the 1996 Coen Brothers black comedy of down-to-earth Minnesota crime, gets remastered in its latest blu-ray release.   This is the film that granted The Coens (Joel directs; Ethan produces; both handle screenplay duties) Main Street  ...

Keanu Reeves is hands down one of the most likeable human beings in the public eye. His gentle ways and easy-going nature have cemented him into the zeitgeist of Hollywood legend. But in the 2010s, we must remember his leading man career was in a bit of a slump, having headlined a series  ...

“You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit, and you know it.” It’s the film that put the legendary Martin Scorsese on the map. And rightfully so. With its bare-bones, energetic filmmaking style, Mean Streets is a gangster flick that kicks you in the face with its ...

Welcome back to the days of high adventure!  Ripped from the pages of Robert E. Howard’s beloved pulp stories, 1982’s Conan the Barbarian and its sequel, 1984’s Conan the Destroyer, not only popularized a new subgenre – the sword-and-sorcery film – but also  ...

Razor-sharp.  This essentially describes the wit of Clue and this new 2023 4K upgrade of the classic comedy.  It’s the movie with three different endings, remember?  And, if you remember that, you also remember that you had to go to different theaters to see the different endings.  It was an ...

If the trailers for Wonka, Warner’s latest revisit of Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel, did nothing to move your “scrumpdillyicious” meter, you aren’t alone. It didn’t tickle our sweet tooth either. Timothée Chalamet seemed all kinds of wrong for the part of Willy Wonka and we just  ...

In which the cult-approved Nicolas Cage fights off demonic animatronic mascots! He even dances in one key sequence as he gets ready for the ultimate battle against the last remaining heavy, ol Willy himself! I mean, seriously, HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG WITH THIS IDEA? ...

I think it’s safe to say that there are not many people out there who’ve been able to experience a lifelong friendship. Yes, everyone has friends. Friendships can last for a few months, a few years, or even a few decades. But it is quite rare that we see a friendship that develops in childhood and lives on  ...

Hong Kong action director stalwart John Woo transitioned to Hollywood movies in the 90s. His kinetic style, use of slow-mo, and many, many doves, quickly became an oft ‘homaged’ technique in the action genre from then on. But back in 1997, it was something revelatory. Combine that with the  ...

You ready for a fun, rollicking feel-good time at the movies? Well, this makes The Road look hopeful. You would have to be from space, or a right nit wit, to think a film based on a story from the master of horror, Mr. Stephen King, was gonna bring the light and fluffy. But there is a dog! No folks ...

James Cameron has acquired a well-deserved reputation as something of a Midas within the realm of films. It doesn’t seem to matter what topic he chooses to tackle, when they land on the silver screen, copious bank will manifest. He already had proved his metal through the 80s and early 90s ...

After director Renny Harlin Died-Harder, he became an in-demand action director, and who better to star in his new flick that action flick champion of the 80s, Sylvester Stallone. With a story about a besieged team of mountain rescuers, being forced to help a bunch of villains regain millions of ...

Seems the world can’t get enough of serial killer thrillers, no matter the decade. In the 90s, Morgan Freeman hit a home run in David Fincher’s Se7en, and would be offered many of its ilk in the following years. Whether business decision or serendipity, Freeman would be cast as Alex Cross ...

Cowabunga! Color me shell-shocked, my dudes and dudettes!  I freakin’ love Mutant Mayhem!  Featuring the voice talents of Nicolus Cantu, Brady Noon, Micha Abbey, Shamon Brown, Jr, Ayo Edebiri, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and John Cena, this all-star ...

“It’s not a tumor!” Teaching isn’t for everyone.  That’s a fact.  I’m not sure it’s even for me and I have been doing it for 30 years now.  But when there’s a flick about a tough cop who must pose as a kindergarten teacher to find the whereabouts of the wife and child of a drug ...

Higher. Further. Faster.  And with a whole hell of a lot of Flerkens.  The sequel to Captain Marvel is fun, quick, full of some sweet action beats, and it is exactly what Marvel Studios needs when it comes to their output.  Hell, it is what we, the fans, need, too, as it sends a message loud  ...

Alexander Payne's latest venture, The Holdovers, is a captivating departure for the acclaimed director as he delves into the realm of period drama for the first time. With a stellar cast featuring the incomparable Paul Giamatti, the vibrant Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and the promising  ...

With such classics as Black Christmas, Krampus, and Silent Night, Deadly Night, the Christmas holiday season has long been the principal beneficiary of the holiday-themed slasher film. Well, step aside ye old yule tide, there’s a new season in town ...

Can humans create robots that are more human than humans? Should they? Your own personal experiences with technology may very well determine your like or dislike of the new film called The Creator. Anyone who has attempted to troubleshoot a computer problem via conversations  ...

Tori and Lokita, two African migrant children, are living in a harsh and busy Belgian city. Tori (Pablo Schils), only a 12-year-old boy, and Lokita (Joely Mbundu) a 17-year-old girl, say they are brother and sister. They work together, protect each other, and are fully dependent on one another for pretty much  ...

“I can take care of myself, thanks.” Georgie is capable. Georgie is resourceful. Georgie is smart. But Georgie is also twelve…and perhaps a bit over her head. The facts of the matter are, well…tragic to say the least. Georgie (played by the extraordinary newcomer Lola Campbell) has recently lost ...

Rape! Torture! Dismemberment! Welcome to the farm, cuz! Based on the traumatizing true story of a pig farmer turned fiend to all females for almost two decades in Canada, Pig Killer arrives just in the nick of time to celebrate Thanksgiving!  That’s right, Robert “Willy” Pickton and his  ...

“Just one more thing . . . “ The rumpled trench coat.  The cheap cigars.  The coy aloofness.  And those mental games.  That’s right, Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk) is back and this time he’s appearing clearer than ever thanks to Kino Lorber’s handling of the  ...

I’ve been waxing lyrical recently on some critically revered flicks and their rare confluences of casting, writing and execution to form classics for the ages. But it’s not just drama masterpieces that spawn a classic. If those elements are present, even the most critically ignored genres, such as  ...

Those holding onto faith that filmmaker David Gordon Green can successfully revive the franchise that birthed one of the most iconic demonic possession films of all time can finally take a breath and put down the prayer beads. The wait is over. The Exorcist: Believer is here. Now. In theaters...

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  ...