DVD Reviews

It used to be, as age progressed, as one generation passed onto the next, that certain things— book, film, sport, whatever—lost their lustre. What was an eagerly awaited activity became old hat or not appropriately engaging anymore ...

The first I heard of this film was that it was gonna star that TV heartthrob from ER (that I had never seen), who had also been chosen to be the new Batman. I was not yet familiar with Robert Rodriguez and and was only just aware of...

Richard Ayoade, probably best known for his role in Britain’s The IT Crowd, accepts as his first directorial challenge, the adaptation of Joe Dunthorne’s quirky, coming-of-age novel called Submarine. A daunting challenge for ...

It’s hard to believe, but this 1984 smash started out life a gritty, straight down the line, action vehicle that ended up in the hands of one Sylvester Stallone. The muscular one had a crack at rewriting it, handed it in, and caused the studio to say ...

George Lucas’s ode to the social phenomenon of cruisin’ is a remarkably candid affair. Often a victim of adlib and off-the-cuff antics and guffaws from its teenage cast, American Graffiti has a unique soul all of its own – even if it doesn’t always land its zingers ...

A movie about making movies always has a sort of bizarre allure to it and Richard Rush’s The Stunt Man, first appearing in 1980, is not a stranger to either quality.  Praised and, in fact, buoyed by print critics back in the day, the film didn’t entirely ...

This is not the Green Lantern movie its fans have waited to see.  Positioned in what is deemed as the “safe zone” between the surprisingly stellar X-Men: First Class and the anticipated release of Captain America, the movie – directed by Martin Campbell...

Based on the novel by Richard Jessup, Norman Jewison’s The Cincinnati Kid is as razor-sharp as the four corners on a deck of cards. Rhythmic and dynamically succinct, Jewison allows the film to breathe in the natural essence of its native soil...

If anything can be said about Quentin Dupieux’s film, know that Rubber will have you identifying with a car tire and never tiring of the puns that tread in the wake of such a statement.  It’s a film where – clocking in at a crisp 85 minutes - your tolerance for ...

Pixar’s revved-up sequel of their 2006 hit film, Cars, is indeed a triumphant overhaul of a film that usually gets dismissed as the least favorite of their titles.  It’s a shiny endeavor that results in the rarest of achievements in that it is actually much better ...

There’s an underdog sense of determination that hounds this low-budget production about the true life adventures of Danny Greene.   Writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh's mobster movie might telegraph a bit more than it should but it is an admirable attempt...

While it isn’t the most perfect of comedies to come along in a great while, Bad Teacher is perfect in its gut-busting politically incorrect antics as one teacher robs, cheats, and swindles her way into a new set of boobalicious implants Straightforward and ...

In the over caffeinated mega-male screaming-is-acting homophobic cinema of Michael Bay, really loud explosions occur just as often as farts do and leave a lingering odor no bottle of expensive cologne can ...

Fresh from surviving The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone and his assembled wrecking crew, Dolph Lundgren quickly returns to the action genre only to direct himself in a revenge-styled flick that’s a nasty little ...

Delivering a gory right jab straight into the face of its viewers, Zombie Holocaust is easily the best cannibal/zombie meat-fest to ever emerge from Italy.  It’s a horror film that specializes in the absurd, the naked, and the fierce; featuring a mighty...

Horrible Bosses, in my opinion, is the real sequel to The Hangover.  It captures the same loose spirit and outlandish antics of that film and is just as hysterically mental without getting insincere and insulting toward its audience. It’s also a simple concept...

Mass-destruction on an apocalyptic level isn’t really a laughing matter…at least not always.  Driven by absurd logic, one-note performances and drive-thru fantasy, director Andrew Marton’s Crack in the World is precisely what happens...

The precarious life – and struggle to avoid death - of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle is illustrated beautifully in Nick Stringer’s Turtle: The Incredible Journey, a film that began its own North American sojourn back in 2009...

The public outcry for the extended editions to arrive on blu-ray sooner than later has been answered with a deafening and rather thorough box set.  Essentially, Peter Jackson’s assemblage of quality transfers and supplemental material shames all other ...

At Hammer Films, resurrection is the flavor of the month.  Once a staple of the Horror community, Hammer films reigned supreme for nearly thirty years producing such classics as The Curse of Frankenstein, Vampire Circus, and ...

With no 3D delights to dangle in front of audiences like a tempting carrot and no computer graphics to shock and dazzle kids either, Winnie the Pooh’s formula to its success rests in its willingness to explore...

Cinematically, it began a decade ago.  Eight films and three hundred billion-fazillion dollars later, the epic conclusion to the mysterious world of muggles and magicians has arrived.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is ...

Loosely adapted from Roger Zelanzy's 1969 short story, Damnation Alley arrives on blu-ray courtesy of those B-movie lovers over at Shout! Factory.  The film, originally made in 1977, cost more to make than Star Wars: A New Hope did and looks ...

Famed writer/director/producer Roger Corman is not one to let a trend pass without notice and monetary capitalization.  Still looking to mine the Star Wars vein of golden riches and fortune and glory in 2980, he mounted his most expensive...

Director Andrew Traucki thrives on inferring undersea menaces.  In 2008, he brought to life alligator attacks in the terrifying thriller Black Water and now, in The Reef, he strands his five-member cast in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and...

Drugs are bad, mkay?  Except when they aren’t.  As bad for you, I should add.  Science suggests that we only use something like 15% of our brain’s potential at any given time (or maybe throughout our lifetime). What a waste.  It’s a...

Turf wars get extraterrestrialized in Writer/Director Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block.  The film is rich in concrete jungle atmosphere and gritty laughs making its urban dynamics so grossly enjoyable. Energetic in its attempts to recapture the ...

For many long decades, people have scanned the horizons and wondered if humans were alone in the universe or if there were other creatures just waiting to communicate with us.  Yet, fear always sets in and our imaginations turn to galactic invasions and ...

Before making some of the finest films of the Silent Era, Buster Keaton (under the financial guidance of Joseph M. Schenck) made nineteen two-reelers that would define his well-known persona as “The Great Stone Face” comedian. Keaton was already established...

There seems to be a resurgence of stylized medieval actioners of late.  From Black Death to Centurion, these mostly independent features are side-stepping traditional Hollywood paths and pursuing a limited release in theatres, then settling into the Home Theatre market ...