Blu-ray Review: 1984 (Criterion Collection)
Michael Radford’s 1984 is a rather faithful retelling of George Orwell’s novel of the same name. Published in 1948, 1984 predicts the fall of Western Culture. In the year 1984, civilization has been decimated by war and civil unrest. Oceana is the last thriving totalitarian superstate in the world. Ruled by the Party under the […]
Watership Down (Blu-ray) (Criterion Collection)
Not simply a cartoon about bunnies, Watership Down is not a film for children. An adaption of Richard Adams’ massive, complex novel, director Martin Rosen has fused concrete scripting, a wonderful original score, and unforgettable characters with excellent voice casting to create a mesmerizing and unflinching look at animals and their behavior—violence and all. All […]
More Than Honey (Blu-ray)
Visually stunning, More Than Honey is a fascinating look at the lives of bees. Swiss filmmaker Markus Imhoof’s grandfather made, and lost, a fortune in the honey trade. “The bees fed our family,” he explains in a voice-over. “Granddad owned no less than 150 colonies. He had even built a house for them,” a three-story […]
Blu-ray Review: Indiana Jones – The Complete Adventures
It has been a great year for Blu-ray releases with Jaws, Singin’ in the Rain, and To Kill a Mockingbird among others, having made their way to high definition. Movie fans have been anxiously awaiting the Blu-ray debut of Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures for several years. In finally releasing the films, Lucasfilm Ltd. and […]
Blu-ray Review: Thumbelina
A musical adaptation of the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, Thumbelina, is a striking animated film from 1994 featuring original songs from Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman, and Bruce Sussman. Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman for their Independent Don Bluth Productions, Inc., Thumbelina is the artistic creation of two animators that were moving […]
DVD Review: I, Claudius – 35th Anniversary Edition
I, Claudius is a masterpiece for all time, a vast work of art that renders names like Claudius, Marcellus, Octavia, Tiberius, Augustus, Caligula, Nero, and others vividly, making them utterly human, maybe uncomfortably so. Some of us are that perverted, some of us are that ambitious, some of us are that cruel, some of us […]
DVD Review: The Black Cauldron (25th Anniversary Edition)
Disney/Buena Vista | 1985 | 80 mins. | PG By the mid-eighties, Disney had released a string of lackluster films. In 1985, the ‘House of Mouse’ was poised to release The Black Cauldron. Their most expensive project since Pinocchio, and only the second to be shot on 70mm film (Sleeping Beauty was the first) Cauldron […]
Blu-ray Review: Midnight Express
Sony Pictures | 1978 | 121 mins | Rated R Alan Parker has directed a number of well known films including Fame (1980), Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), Mississippi Burning (1988) and Evita (1996). However, his greatest achievement in film is likely 1978’s Midnight Express, based on Billy Hayes’ book of the same name and […]