Blu-ray Review: Passengers
Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives) and written by Ronnie Christensen, Passengers is a mystery-cum-romance film. The plot is constructed in such a way that all the different plot points come together at the end, for a revelation that resets everything we have learned up to that point. The problem is, Garcia and Christensen are […]
Blu-ray Review: Goldfinger
More than forty-five years after the first James Bond film hit movie theaters, it’s hard to remember when the character felt fresh and different, the plots bold and exciting. Though the first and second Bond films, Dr No (1962) and From Russia With Love (1963), were unquestionably successful, it was 1964’s Goldfinger that became the […]
Blu-ray Review: The Robe – Special Edition
I first saw The Robe when I was about eight years old, at a showing by a local film society. I remember the man who introduced the film telling us that the movie we were about to see was the first film released in CinemaScope. That meant nothing to me then but I would later […]
Blu-ray Review: Cadillac Records
Written and directed by Darnell Martin (I Like it Like That), Cadillac Records chronicles the life of influential Chicago based record company executive Leonard Chess and the singers who recorded for Chess Records. Exploring the musical era from the early 1940’s to the late 1960s, the film examines the creative yet turbulent lives of some […]
DVD Review: Cheech & Chong, Still Smokin’ – I Love the ’80’s Edition
Cheech & Chong may not have invented “stoner” comedy but they sure perfected it. With the exception of their 1985 album, Get out of my Room, I’ve never been a huge fan of their drug based humor. But for their legions of fans, the duo’s routines based on folks who toke the smoke, Richard “Cheech” […]
Blu-ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still
Released only six years after the end of World War II, The Day the Earth Stood Still is widely considered one of the best science fiction films ever made. Director Robert Wise’s 1951 plea for world peace still resonates after all these years. Producer Julian Blaustein set out to make a film that illustrated the […]
DVD Review: 24 – Redemption
Like all non-reality series last year, 24 was affected by the writers’ strike. Unlike most of their contemporaries, 24 decided to delay the series seventh season, rather than have to write a storyline for a shortened run. While on hiatus, 24: Redemption, a two hour television movie was put together to prepare fans for the […]
Music Review: Serena Ryder – Sweeping the Ashes
Back in November of 2007, I reviewed Serena Ryder’s EP I Told You in a Whispered Song. That was my introduction to the Canadian born singer. Nearly two years later, Ryder is set to release a new three song EP titled Sweeping the Ashes that highlights her raspy delivery, emotional lyrics and impressive guitar skills. […]
DVD Review: Son of Rambow
When you watch as many DVDs as I do, the bad ones are forgotten quickly and the good one tend to linger in your mind for awhile. I remember being in a movie theater sometime around May of this year (oddly, I can’t recall the feature I saw that day), where I saw a preview […]
Blu-ray Review: Dark City – Unrated Director’s Cut
Despite the fact that renowned film critic Roger Ebert called director Alex Proyas’ (The Crow) Dark City his favorite film of 1998, the movie received a lukewarm reception at the box office, and many critics felt the story put forth in Dark City was weak, but some still couldn’t help but admire the film. Peter […]