DVD Reviews

This life can be a long, rambling walk down a twisting highway.  Just ask Mr. Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates), the “junior birdman” who dreams of a cockfighting championship while he puts others to the side in his quest for the title.  ...

1989 would see the last of a trilogy of films that Halloween fans now dub The Thorn Trilogy. This would be the last Halloween film to feature the character of Jamie Lloyd (not played by Danielle Harris sadly) and the first sequel to bring back original Halloween kid Tommy Doyle (with Ant Man  ...

The comedic timing.  The charisma of all involved.  The breaking of the fourth wall.  Hollywood’s definitive leading man!  What’s not to love about Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House as Cary Grant takes his physical comedy and his mannerisms from the office to home construction woes ...

It’s TOTAL DESTRUCTION DAY!  Break out the party favors!  I meant the Geiger counters.  Gather the women ‘round and tell them the news: the sooner they have kids, the better for all of mankind!   Wait.  What?  Welcome to the paranoid world of ...

“That’s what it is all about: rust and decay, ya know. But within that are warm houses and cars.” Originally released in November of 1999, American Movie, director Chris Smith’s documentary about Wisconsin-based filmmaker Mark Borchardt’s trials in getting his feature length independent  ...

A psychological thriller in which Boris Karloff does NOT play a creature of the night?  Say it ain’t so?!  But it’s true.  Isle of the Dead, produced by the legendary Val Lewton, concerns itself with that which haunts Greek nightmares: the Vrykolakas and this female vampire is certainly NOT  ...

Can we talk about Super Fly’s opening for a minute?  Street shot and completely on the - pardon the pun - fly, this engaging opening is one hell of a way to open Super Fly, the late Gordon Parks, Jr. (Three the Hard Way, Aaron Loves Angela) film.  Right away, we are caught up in the  ...

“You either are a star or you ain’t. And honey, I am.” Every once in a while, there is a movie that comes along that leaves you completely awestruck. A cinematic feat that leaves you in a perpetual state of amazement and wonder of how the film was even pulled off. And let me tell you, Babylon is one of those movies. Most similar to his beloved ...

Madness.  Mayhem.  And, of course, MURDER.  This is what follows the anti-archetype characters of M.  It is a thriller that is meant to unsettle the viewer with its hunt for a serial killer, making it an unforgettable REEL CLASSIC ...

Spellbinding science fiction doesn’t get any more outrageous than it does here in The Brain Eaters, a 61-minute schlocky shocker from the Drive-In era of B-flicks.  This is what happens when Small Town, America finds itself at the center of a UFO invasion!  Hide the jars of pickles, Ma and  ...

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Munsters originally ran from 1964 to 1966 and, as it was often cheap and messy, the humor came across in fits and starts as monster caricatures tried to impersonate traditional mother and father roles found in American sitcoms ...

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  ...

Hey, BU-DDY.  Eric is out for blood.  And, really, who can blame him?!  Disfigured when some greedy commercial real estate developers set fire to his house in order to build a mall over it, Erik now hides himself in the air ducts and the subterranean passageways, cutting anyone who dares cross  ...

In which Producer Harve Bennett and Director Nicholas Meyer climb aboard the USS Enterprise, adding a revenge element to the classic crew as the consequences of an episode in the original series entitled “Space Seed” comes full circle. It is, in fact, 1967 meeting 1982 and the scenario works  ...

Suspicions!  Accusations!  It’s all on the screen in this minor film noir classic.  The Suspect arrives on blu-ray thanks to Kino Lorber and I, as a fan of Laughton’s performances, couldn’t be happier ...

Beginning with an explosion which levels a poppy field, Cleopatra Jones is one bad mutha!  Drug trafficking is about to get the red light thanks to her blazing guns. With an undefined beauty and a ...

Ah, yes, the American Dream. It’s what has attracted countless immigrants to the land of opportunity, right? But shortly after arriving, there are so many instances in which said immigrants face the harsh reality that the American Dream seems to be a myth. This type of reality, while seldom told ...

One wouldn’t normally equate Cary Grant with a family movie about adoption and the drama which lies therein, but perhaps that’s why Room for One More (also known as The Easy Way) lingers with viewers.  Grant, playing one half of The Roses, never gets time alone as his house is filled  ...

Dirty O’Neil, released during the same year as The Swinging Cheerleaders and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is yet another on wild romp through exploitation flicks.  It is essentially about the love life of a small-town cop.  Filled to the bring with backseat action, corny one-liners, and lots  ...

“I’m not an animal!” I don’t need to tell you that Robert De Niro is arguably one of the best and most committed actors to ever live. I don’t need to tell you that Joe Pesci’s mere presence in a countless number of films is nothing short of iconic. And I certainly don’t need to tell you that ...

“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 ...

The “Brother Man from the Motherland” returns to settle yet another score!  Can you dig it? Funked up by Isaac Hayes’ incredible score and theme, Richard Roundtree is back in action as Harlem P.I. John Shaft in this trio of signature blaxploitation offerings from directors...

There are literally thousands of vampire films out there. In the sea of bloodsucker tales, it is truly a special occurrence when one stands above the crowd. Stepping away from any genre at all, it’s even rarer when a confluence of director and script produces something that is so perfectly blended  ...

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 ...

Stop Motion animation addicts rejoice!  Monster from Green Hell has been unleashed and, for those few seconds of stop motion glory, it’s worth it! ...

They can’t all be winners now can they? Don’t get me wrong. I love the original Star Trek franchise with a passion and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock has a special place in my heart BUT it just doesn’t survive the scrutiny of a critical lens, you know? The film is flawed in some of the  ...

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  ...

An American Werewolf in London begins with Blue Moon howling across the speakers while pastoral settings flicker by.  It isn’t until we get to “Written and Directed by John Landis” before we see any signs of life and it is a truck full of sheep, with two young American backpackers, David (David  ...

“Bones, there’s a thing out there.” Perfection in sound and vision looks like this. If you don’t get goosebumps over hearing Jerry Goldsmith’s epic preamble in the fully restored Director’s Cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture then you ...

"What a story!  Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, All About Eve continues to shine bright thanks to the dazzling performance of Bette Davis as Margo Channing as she takes Anne Baxter as ...