Blu-Ray Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a series of books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black that chronicles the adventures of the Grace children; twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the eponymous Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of faeries that they never knew existed. The mansion itself […]
Blu-ray Review: Batman – The Movie, Special Edition
Though I wasn’t born yet when the original Batman series first captivated audiences when it premiered in January of 1966 on ABC, I watched the series in the eighties, whenever it showed up in syndication. Always a fan of superheroes, Batman and Superman has always topped my list of favorites. There is something about Batman, […]
DVD Review: 10,000 BC
In all honesty, I approached 10,000 BC with a healthy dose of skepticism. I wanted the film to be good, but I had my doubts even before I turned on my DVD player. The film was directed by Roland Emmerich, the fellow who brought us the memorable Independence Day (1996), but then proceeded to helm […]
DVD Review: The Sword in the Stone – 45th Anniversary Edition
Originally released on December 25, 1963, The Sword in the Stone holds the distinction of being the last animated feature released while Walt Disney was still alive. The film, based on T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, tends to get overlooked when film historians consider Disney’s animated film output in the pre-computer era; Most […]
DVD Review: The Odd Couple – The Fourth Season
The Odd Couple is a kind of rarity in television. Based on the 1968 film that starred Jack Lemmon as Felix and Walter Matthau as Oscar, many feel that the series starring Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar equaled or surpassed the quality of the film. Both Tony Randall and Jack Klugman […]
DVD Review: Rails & Ties
After watching Rails & Ties, I couldn’t help but feel the film could’ve and should’ve been better. Rails & Ties marks the directorial debut of Alison Eastwood (daughter of Clint), and she should be applauded for taking on such difficult material for her debut behind the camera. While I found the first thirty five minutes […]
DVD Review: Bonneville
The lack of good roles in films for actresses over forty has been an issue almost since cinema began. Through the years, there have always been a few female stars; Katherine Hepburn immediately comes to mind as an actress who could still get a good leading role in an excellent film. For the most part […]
Blu-ray Review: There Will Be Blood
Hands down, Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the most talented actors working in films today. He resists the temptation to turn out movie after movie, often taking three, four even five years between big screen performances. However, each time he graces the screen whether he’s playing a man with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot […]
DVD Review: The Andromeda Strain
As an avid movie watcher, I find myself continually wondering why Hollywood seems so obsessed with remakes. Is it because it’s easy just to reheat ideas that have already been done, or do some entertainment honchos really feel they can improve an old piece of material? Recently, A&E broadcast a four hour mini-series called The […]
DVD Review: Funny Games
With films like Cache and Piano Teacher, Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has shown a desire to observe unsettling human behavior and dramatize the response to it. That said, the purpose of Funny Games is to provoke and disturb the audience as much as possible. While Funny Games is likely to scare some to the point […]