DVD Reviews

There’s a reason Cats had such a successful Broadway run as one of the longest-running musicals in history with over 7,000 performances spanning some 18 years. Many reasons, actually. The biggest being the brilliant songs and catchy tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber. They are simply wonderful, and  ...

Expectations are at an all time high for Director Christopher Nolan. Coming off of the one-two pop culture punch that was The Dark Knight followed by Inception, it might be a little unreal of audiences to expect another shock or surprise from him. In only the ...

As smooth (like butter) as David Tennat’s tight leather pants, director Craig Gillespie’s remake of Fright Night is an equally revealing look at the how, the why and the when of remake necessities ...

RRated: R for strong brutal bloody violence and terror throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
Runtime: 120 mins.
Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Rob Zombie
Cast: Malcolm McDowell; Brad Dourif' Tyler Mane ... complete cast
Tagline: Evil Has A Destiny.
Genre: Horror
Memorable Quote: "He has come back for his baby sister. " ... more quotes
Release Date: August 31, 2007
DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007

Ten films.  15 discs.  It previously seemed impossible.  Considering the myriad of copyright owners, the directors involved, and all the producers in the franchise’s checkered and somewhat spotty past, a definitive Halloween collection seemed as far-fetched of an idea as  ...

“They’re here.” Living in suburbia is HELL in and of itself. There, I said it. It doesn’t help matters at all to learn that your house - no matter how American it may seem - is built on top of a cemetery in which only the headstones were removed ...

The Men Who Stare at Goats has two things going for it right from the get-go. First, its title is so deliciously irresistible it grabs immediate attention. Not quite as boiled-down and succinct as Snakes on a Plane, but definitely more clever. Secondly, we're captivated by an opening title-card ...

There's a poetic moment one of many impactful minutes - in Up in the Air when George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham, finds himself standing nervously outside of his girl's front door and his warm emotions always coolly checked and packed tightly in his luggage become transparently excited...

Considering that first-time director Tony Gilroy, whose previous writing credits include the Bourne trilogy, also penned the lawyer-cum-Lucifer thriller, The Devil's Advocate, it doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to discern where the legal profession falls on his hierarchy of moral fitness. (Or ...

There's a bitter irony casting a pall over one of this year's smartest and most entertaining films. Not one that's likely to ruin the experience of watching Charlie Wilson's War however. In fact, our knowledge of Afghanistan's role in the events of 9/11, coupled with the way director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin handle their ...

Rated: R for strong vampire violence and gore, language, sexuality and some drug use.
Runtime: 94 mins.
Director: P.J. Pesce
Writer: Janice Fischer & James Jeremias
Cast: Gabrielle Rose; Tad Hilgenbrink; Corey Feldman.
Tagline: Never grow old. Never die. Never know fear again.
Genre: Comedy | Horror | Thriller
Memorable Quote: "I'm Edgar Frog, surfboard shaper and vampire hunter. "
Release Date: July 29, 2008
DVD Release Date: July 29, 2008

MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug content.
Director: Dario Piana
Writer: Evan Charnov, Hans Rodionoff
Cast: Corey Feldman; Tanit Phoenix; Casey B. Dolan
Genre: Horror
Memorable Movie Quote: "A father can't murder his own children. That would be in bad taste."
Release Date: No theatrical release.
Blu-ray Release Date: October 12, 2010.

MPAA Rating: Not rated by the MPAA.
Runtime: 138 mins.
Director: Federico Fellini.
Writer: Federico Fellini
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni; Claudia Cardinale; Anouk Aimee
Tagline: A picture that goes beyond what men think about - because no man ever thought about it in quite this way!
Genre: Foreign
Memorable Quote: "All the confusion of my life... has been a reflection of myself! Myself as I am, not as I'd like to be."
Release Date: June 25, 1963 (USA)
Blu-ray Release Date: January 12, 2010
Distributor: Criterion Collection, The

There’s a locker room scene between Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg – about two-thirds of the way through the film – that best defines the unbalanced problems with David O. Russell’s The Fighter.  Here you have the dynamic acting chops of Bale going...

In Charlie Chaplin’s two-role classic, The Great Dictator, we get his final salute to the silent films of his youthful exploits and the first words ever spoken by The Tramp.  It’s a haunting film; one that mocks Hitler and dictators in general (before it was en vogue to do so...

With faces frozen in horror, Death’s carriage arrives for the terrible soul of David Holm.  A reckless sinner, fouled with drink and consumption, and responsible for a great many grievances and other human suffering is Holm and it seems Death, that strict master, is ...

When the Golden Age of Horror goes off the deep end with all its pre-Hollywood Production Code perversions, the result is a long out of print masterpiece of makeup and maniacal terror.  Island of Lost Souls, from 1932, is proudly released in all its unedited ...

What do bathtub toy boats and plastic helicopters have in common with a dude in a monster suit?  Hint: the action takes place in Japan.  That’s right.  Godzilla, the mother of all mega-monster movies, is returning to run rampage through your home entertainment ...

What could be worse than being in Florida with a Category 5 hurricane bearing down on the state? No, the answer is not “waking up to discover that you now live in Boca Raton.” The answer we’re looking for is to awaken from the nightmare of your neighborhood now ...

As a self-confessed hound of the horror genre, I find myself happily unleashed in cinematic cemeteries and very familiar with the format of a good haunt.  It takes quite a bit of atmosphere and gore to jar me these days.  Starry Eyes, directed and written by  Kevin Kölsch and ...

Charles Bronson is back! Our fearless avenging angel has taken to the streets once again to kick a whole lot of criminal ass. Thank GOD. I already feel safe knowing that his 32-caliber nickel Colt revolver is blazing out of its 4-inch barrel again ...

Amongst the many memorable moments that occur during director Ridley Scott’s new film The Martian, is one particularly moving episode that perfectly illustrates that the director “gets it” and that his film has been constructed with loads of loving care and meticulous attention  ...

Like The King of Rock n’ Roll himself, Baz Luhrmann’s new film, deceptively titled Elvis (more on that later), is bold, brash, and over the top. This should come as no surprise as the Moulin Rouge! director – subscriber to the Auteur Theory of filmmaking – is known for his distinctive style and  ...

A large part of the fun and playfulness of the Toy Story films has always been the self-aware recognition that a human child’s playthings are inanimate objects that come to life when humans aren’t around. What a great bit that has always served the franchise well ...

Beginning with a pixelated Atari-like Universal logo, complete with the familiar sounding bleeps and squawks from that gaming system as it blips out the usually orchestrated Universal Studios theme music, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World announces its thunderously playful attitude as a sugary  ...

The first impression I get from writer/director Christos Nikou’s Apples is that it bears a strong resemblance to that of the films by fellow Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Blending deadpan, black comedy with a degree of tragedy, Nikou, like Lanthimos, is keen on showing the awkward  ...

On its surface, Where the Crawdads Sing appears to be a rather maudlin murder mystery wrapped within the sappy folds of a modern YA romance. But a calculated look beneath its mucky veneer reveals something much more compelling. Something much deeper than even its swampy setting  ...

Intelligent horror. Yes, such a thing actually exists. Granted, that’s not always what the hordes of hungry horror fans looking to fulfill their bloodlust want from the genre, but for those who like their spilled blood and severed body parts served with a touch a class, do I have a film for you! ...

D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, a groundbreaking film that is quickly approaching its 100^th anniversary, is still – to this day - a controversial film igniting the fear and loathing that invites the gnashing of teeth and tearing of flesh ...

One of the most highly regarded science fiction films of the 1950s; this Gordon Douglass directed cautionary tale about a small township under siege by irradiated mutant ants has influenced countless filmmakers for generations. Remember the awesome egg ...