Blu-ray Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Criterion Collection)
[Portions of this appeared in a review of an earlier release of the film–RW] Wes Anderson is rarely accused of being boring or dull. The dollhouse aesthetic, hypersytilization, and droll humor are uniquely Anderson. His films often have an aura of timelessness about them, even if set in the present day. The dialogue may be […]
Blu-ray Review: Motherless Brooklyn
A film he’s wanted to make since buying up the movie rights since before Jonathan Lessem’s novel was published in 1999, Edward Norton wrote, directed and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. Set in 1950’s New York City, Lionel Essrog (Norton) is a private detective who suffers from both OCD and Tourette’s syndrome (though he has no […]
Mississippi Burning (Blu-ray)
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 out that the film was a dramatization, not a documentary. With that said, Mississippi Burning […]
A Most Wanted Man (Blu-ray)
A former member of the British Intelligence Services MI5 and MI6, John le Carré has established himself as a foremost writer of espionage fiction. Several of his works have been adapted into memorable films including: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (be it the miniseries or the recent film), The Constant Gardner, The Russia House, and The […]
Nymphomaniac: Volume I & II (Blu-ray)
The final installment of director Lars von Trier’s ‘Depression Trilogy’—following the sadistic, Antichrist (2009) and the apocalyptic-drama, Melancholia (2011)—the two-volume, four-hour psychosexual odyssey, Nymphomaniac has proven to be his most controversial film to date. While occasionally fascinating, Nymphomaniac is hardly the sexy romp the title might suggest. Instead, it’s a sad story about one woman’s […]
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Blu-ray)
Wes Anderson is rarely accused of being boring or dull. The dollhouse aesthetic, hypersytilization, and droll humor are uniquely Anderson. You either get it, or you don’t; critics be damned. Anderson’s films often have an aura of timelessness about them, even if set in the present day. The dialogue may be updated, but the shot […]
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Criterion) (Blu-ray)
20th Century Fox released a fairly impressive Blu-ray of Fantastic Mr. Fox back in 2010. However, Criterion is renowned for producing wonderful looking, and sounding editions packed with special features. This release is no different; I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this release might show up on a few “Best […]
Blu-ray Review: Finding Nemo (Three-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Right up there with the Toy Story franchise, Finding Nemo is one of Pixar’s finest efforts to date. Equal parts comedy, family drama and adventure, this story about a father and son is wonderfully executed. In case you’re one of the few not familiar with Finding Nemo, here’s a recap: Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) […]
Blu-ray Review: John Carter
Cited as the inspiration for several science fiction films (Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Avatar, among them), Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “A Princess of Mars” finally made it to the big screen after years of development, as John Carter. Given its impressive budget of $250 million, it’s unfortunate that a novel that influenced so many films […]
Blu-ray Review: Platoon
1986’s Platoon is a semi-autobiographical film. Writer/director Oliver Stone, who served as an infantryman in Vietnam, integrated several of his own experiences into the film. The main characters are based on people Stone served with. The lead and narrator, Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), is based on Stone himself. Of all of the great Vietnam epics–Apocalypse […]