Written by David Mamet and based on his 1975 play, American Buffalo offers a decidedly pessimistic view of mankind. Though the film starts out slowly, it soon becomes clear that two down-on-their-luck guys, are prepping to pull off some kind…
Disney and Kevin Costner have teamed up for another feel good sports movie, McFarland, USA. While the story itself doesn’t offer anything particularly new, the film’s strength lies in the respect for this true story, and the strong performance from…
A new two-disc collection, Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Surf’s Up Scooby-Doo! features a brand new 22-minute cartoon, “Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie.” Frank Welker provides the voice of both Scooby-Doo and Fred, as the whole gang—Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) Velma (Mindy…
Major Crimes will kick off its fourth season June 8th on TNT. As a huge fan of its mother show The Closer, I wasn’t sure if Major Crimes, which includes most of the cast from The Closer, could survive without…
Based on the hit musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone, 1776 tells the story of the struggle toward independence. In May of 1776, British armed forces are preparing a significant attack against the colony of New York. Under the…
With the success of Coffy, Jack Hill and Pam Grier returned with the non-sequel sequel Foxy Brown, which further cemented Grier as the Queen of Blaxploitation. Unsurprisingly, Foxy is determined to dole out some old-fashioned vigilante justice. Foxy’s boyfriend, undercover…
Loosely based on the FBI investigation into the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964 Mississippi, Mississippi Burning was criticized by some for diverging from the historical facts of the case, but director Alan Parker was quick to point…
When American International Pictures asked writer/director Jack Hill to come up with a female-led blaxploitation movie, he realized that actress Pam Grier—who had starred in a couple of his women in prison films—would be perfect for such a role, and…
Adapted from the successful, yet controversial, 1982 off-Broadway play of the same name by William Mastrosimone, Extremities centers on a rape investigation and the difficulty that its victims have in getting justice from the legal and judicial systems. Released in…
The youngest of three daughters, Altina Schinasi’s (1907-1999) parents were Sephardic Jews of modest means who immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey in the late 19th Century. An industrious man, Altina’s father would amass a fortune from tobacco before her…