4K UHD Review: Awakenings (35th Anniversary Edition)
After a successful acting career in sitcoms including The Odd Couple and Laverne and Shirley, Penny Marshall turned her attention to directing with two comedies, 1986’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and 1988’s Big, a bonafide hit, taking in over $150 million at the Box office. 1990 saw her take on a drama with Awakenings, loosely based […]
Blu-ray Review: The Last Tycoon
Based on the unfinished F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name, 1976’s The Last Tycoon marks the first time Robert De Niro played an even remotely likable character. Set in the 1930’s, the film follows Monroe Stahr (De Niro, a thinly veiled Irving Thalberg) a young Hollywood mogul as he navigates studio politics as […]
4K UHD Review: Mean Streets (Criterion Collection)
Universally recognized as the film that put Martin Scorsese on the map, Mean Streets not only established his signature style, but launched the careers of Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. It effectively captures the aimless street life of its protagonists. Though the filmmaking lacks the polish of later Scorsese works, its gritty intensity makes […]
4K UHD Review: Dirty Grandpa
[amazon_link asins=’B07C9QR83J’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’moviegazett03-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ddcf2223-70b9-11e8-9b66-b10a4a0b8299′]Dan Mazer is the long-time writing and producing partner of Sacha Baron Cohen and has worked with him on various projects, including Borat and Brüno. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Mazer’s directorial debut, Dirty Grandpa would rely so heavily on “shocking, inappropriate humor.” Unfortunately, unlike Borat, Dirty Grandpa […]
Blu-ray Review: The Godfather – Part II (2017 Reissue)
[amazon_link asins=’B06XNS686F’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’moviegazetteo-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’676d7908-3a7d-11e7-b890-0f0b8ae6332e’] One of the few sequels in film history to be regarded by many as better than the first, The Godfather: Part ll was recently reissued on Blu-ray by Paramount with the same transfer, audio, and commentary track from director/ co-writer Francis Ford Coppola but sporting new cover art and […]
Once Upon a Time in America: Extended Director’s Cut (Blu-ray)
Director Sergio Leone, best known for spaghetti westerns like The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars, turned down the chance to direct The Godfather to work on his own mobster epic, Once Upon a Time in America. Ultimately, it took ten years and six script writers from Italy and the […]
Grudge Match (Blu-ray)
Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone starred in two of the greatest boxing films in movie history: Raging Bull and Rocky. Grudge Match, directed by Peter Segal and credited to three screenwriters, may have intended to recapture the magic of the earlier films, but it’s terrible. I dare say it’s painful to see icons like […]
Blu-ray Review: New York, New York
In 1977 director Martin Scorsese was on a roll. Hot off the critical and commercial success of Mean Streets, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Taxi Driver, he was given free rein to do whatever he wished. His pet project was very complex: a blending of cinema verité and the elaborate musical sequences of the […]
Blu-ray Review: Raging Bull (30th Anniversary Edition)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1980 | 129 mins. | R Released on Blu-ray for the first time in 2009, Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull returns to high definition for its thirtieth anniversary with some additional special features. As I sit down to write this, my first impulse is to proclaim Raging Bull Martin Scorsese’s greatest film. However, that […]
Blu-ray Review: Goodfellas – 20th Anniversary Edition
Warner Bros. | 1990 | 145 mins. | Rated R Like The Godfather, I have watched Goodfellas at least half a dozen times over the years, and waffled back and forth as to which is the better film. After twenty years, I’ve decided that there may be no clear answer. However, one thing is certain: […]