Before he changed the face of television with All in the Family and its spin-offs, Norman Lear co-wrote and directed Cold Turkey, a cynical, occasionally blistering anti-smoking comedy that to date, is his only credit as a film director. Prepared …
Blu-ray Review: Desert Hearts (Criterion Collection) Criterion / Spine #902 / 1985 / 92 min / Rated R / Nov 14, 2017
Desert Hearts, based loosely on Jane Rule’s 1964 novel Desert of the Heart, was a groundbreaking film of the time, this was the first lesbian movie that didn’t end in pain, or with one of the women ending up with …
Blu-ray Review: Savannah Smiles Collector's Edition / MVD Visual / 1982 / 100 min / Rated PG / May 22, 2018
Savannah Smiles, an independently produced family film, had the misfortune of hitting theaters in December 1982, just months after E.T. became a box office juggernaut and this little film likely got lost in the shuffle. The next year, Savannah Smiles …
4K UHD Review: Fifty Shades Freed Universal Studios / 2018 / 1 Movie, 2 Cuts / 105 min / Unrated / May 08, 2018
The third and final film adaptation from EL James’ trilogy of zillion selling erotic blockbusters, Fifty Shades Freed is devoid of any spark, sexual or otherwise. Like its predecessor Freed–again directed by James Foley from a screenplay by Niall Leonard–is …
Blu-ray Review: Blaze (1989) Kino Lorber / 1989 / 118 min / Rated R / May 01, 2018
In 1959, the great state of Louisiana found itself knee deep in scandal when Governor Earl K. Long (Paul Newman, Harper) Huey’s shrewd little brother began a relationship with a stripper named Blaze Starr (Lolita Davidovich), who at 28, was …
Blu-ray Review: Backstabbing for Beginners Lionsgate Films / 2018 / 108 min / Rated R / Apr 24, 2018
Released straight to disc and digital, Backstabbing for Beginners sounds like the title of an episode of How to Get Away with Murder than the serious political thriller it promises to be. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a …
Blu-ray Review: The Philadelphia Story (Criterion Collection) Criterion / Spine #901 / 1940 / 112 min / Not rated / Nov 07, 2017
Based on the 1939 play by Philip Barry, adapted for the screen by Donald Ogden Stewart and an uncredited Waldo Salt, The Philadelphia Story is a high point for three Hollywood legends–Cary Grant (Operation Petticoat), Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who’s Coming …
4K UHD Review Saving Private Ryan (20th Anniversary Edition) Paramount Pictures / 1998 / 169 min / Rated R / May 08, 2018
There have been many great films about the atrocities of war. Each tells their story in a different way—from a different angle or perspective. Each have brought tales of heroism and intrigue; while a select few have been brave enough …
Blu-ray Review: The Greatest Showman 20th Century Fox / 2017 / 105 min / Rated PG / Apr 10, 2018
Kicking off with a with a musical number that quickly draws you into a world of larger than life escapism, The Greatest Showman mimics the kind of over-the-top production numbers that help make La La Land a phenomenon in 2016. …
Blu-ray Review: Father Figures Warner Bros. / 2017 / 113 min / Rated R / Apr 03, 2018
Filmed in 2015 and not released in the United States until December 22, 2017 (the same day as Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Father Figures tells the story of two fraternal twin brothers, Peter (Ed Helms) and Kyle (Owen Wilson), …