As an adolescent, I heard about director Ang Lee’s films — Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Sense and Sensibility (1995), The Ice Storm (1997) — but it was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) that would be my entry point into… Read More ›
Films To Watch
Let the gales of song guide you to director Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE,” coming to home video from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
One can never really predict what we’ll discover with art — what emotions, what memories, what reactions will be triggered through an artist’s work. When I first learned of writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s BELLE, I presumed, like most, that it would… Read More ›
Available on home video, you can ride or die with “Turning Red” never leaving your side.
After landing on Disney+ in March to a largely positive bang, director Domee Shi’s feature-length debut Turning Red is headed home for purchase. Much like the Oscar-winning Encanto from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Shi’s Pixar film explores generational trauma through… Read More ›
Director Vittorio De Sica’s fantastical dramedy “Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano)” is the latest release to join the Criterion Collection.
“You have to keep me in shoes.” Of all the stories my late grandmother Naomi Pearl Russin Royal told, the one involving my late grandfather’s proposal and her response always amused me. As she told it, she had larger feet… Read More ›
Before the multiverse explodes into madness, journey though the final entry in the “Homecoming” Trilogy with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on home video.
“When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen? They happen because of you.” – Peter Parker, Captain America: Civil War (2016) Since 2016, actor Tom Holland as had the unenviable… Read More ›
Say “Yes!” over and over with “Marry Me” on home video now.
Trigger Warning: Marry Me contains several scenes involving lights flashings, predominantly from cameras. Be advised in case you have any kind of light sensitivity. Sometimes, when it comes to picking a movie, we want something easy. Not to say it… Read More ›
Return to Woodsboro in the latest entry of the beloved “Scream” franchise, now on home video.
Legacy — those who create it rarely live to see it last. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has a line in which legacy is described as “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see grow.” In 1996, master filmmaker Wes… Read More ›
Nadine Crocker’s drama “Cont;nue” explores venturing on when all seems lost.
**Trigger Warning: The film involves self-harm and suicidal ideation.** There are two phrases that repeat often in my head. The first is an old one, “depression lies.” Not sure where it came from — a meme, a research article, a… Read More ›
Korean thriller “Midnight” weaponizes perception, creating a deceptively devious night of horror.
There are some films that come along and you think to yourself “I need to see this.” It’s how I felt with the announcement of Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), but… Read More ›
Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts present a limited-edition steelbook of Satoshi Kon’s “Millennium Actress.”
Generally speaking, each of director Satoshi Kon’s films are beloved by critical and general audiences. Each one is revered for its ability to entertain whether evoking thrills, drama, or laughter; each one considered for more mature audiences, despite being constructed… Read More ›
Paramount commemorates 15 years for Antoine Fuqua’s “Shooter” with a first-time 4K UHD limited-edition steelbook.
It’s fair to say that by 2007 Mark Wahlberg had established himself beyond the musician that captivated audiences with his good vibrations. He’d terrified us as obsessive boyfriend David McCall (Fear), dazzled us as a big bright shining star as… Read More ›
Documentary “Crows are White” is a surprising exploration of the intersection of faith and truth. [SXSW Film Festival]
On Mt. Hiei in Japan lives a secretive sect of Buddhists who push their bodies to their limits in order to achieve enlightenment. Seeking guidance, documentarian Ashen Nadeem travels to the monastery in hopes of chatting with Kamahori, a monk… Read More ›
Sports drama “National Champions” offers precious few special features in its home release amid a highly rewatchable film.
In an equitable world, there’s balance and fair play. There’s a general sense that a deal made between parties will be advantageous to both, making their lives enriched in some fashion. But when it comes to collegiate sports, the deals… Read More ›
Return to the Matrix one last time via the home release of “The Matrix Resurrections.”
Throughout the special features, one thing that keeps repeating from original franchise actor Keanu Reeves is the comment that people have been telling him since the release of 1999’s The Matrix that the films changed their lives. It may seem,… Read More ›
Explore Zamunda a bit more with the home release of “Coming 2 America.”
When it came to film releases in 2020, the modus operandi was “make it work.” Sometimes that meant stalling until a theatrical release was possible and sometimes that meant selling to a streamer. In the case of Eddie Murphy’s Coming… Read More ›
The answers offered within the bonus features for Camille Griffin’s “Silent Night” home release create more questions.
According to the 2021 TIFF Q&A with Silent Night writer/director Camille Griffin and cast members Keira Knightly (Atonement), Matthew Goode (The King’s Man), and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), their film was one of the last to wrap production in… Read More ›
If you’re going to walk the “The Green Mile,” the 4K UHD remaster makes the bittersweet prison drama a visual treat.
Prison movies come in a variety of flavors. There’re comedies like the various incarnations of The Longest Yard, science fiction horror like 1992’s Alien³, action like 2013’s Escape Plan, and dramas like 2001’s The Last Castle. If I had to… Read More ›
Matthew Vaughn’s lengthy spy drama “The King’s Man” brings with it equally lengthy bonus features on its home release.
Writer/director Matthew Vaughn is a name synonymous with hyper-violence and comedy thanks to projects like Kick-Ass (2010) and The Kingsman series, but he’s also responsible for writing/directing Stardust (2007) and X-Men: First Class (2011), as well as the script for… Read More ›
Writer/director Rian Johnson’s “Looper” celebrates its 10th anniversary with a 4K UHD release.
10 years ago, writer/director Rian Johnson wasn’t known as the divisive director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), he was a still new entity with only two features under his belt: Brick (2005) and The Brothers Bloom (2008). Then… Read More ›
Explore the technical marvels that brought “Last Night in Soho” to life via copious home video bonus features.
2021 was a pretty good year for writer/director Edgar Wright. After taking a three-year break between projects, the Baby Driver (2017) creator brought the award-winning documentary The Sparks Brothers (2021) and supernatural thriller Last Night in Soho (2021) to theaters…. Read More ›