2016’s Train to Busan (Busanhaeng) is a marvel of a film. Directed by Yeon Sang-Ho and co-written with Park Joo-Suk, the story of a zombie outbreak in South Korea beautifully balances the emotional stakes (father-daughter) with the larger scope implications… Read More ›
Films To Watch
Arrow Video’s new 4K restoration of “The Last Starfighter” will have you feeling ready to take on the Kodan Armada.
You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada. These seemingly innocuous words displayed across an arcade cabinet as an unseen voice declares them are, in fact, a glorious call to… Read More ›
Bring home Jim Jarmusch’s philosophical warrior tale “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,” now available from Criterion.
Originally released in 1999, writer/director Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is the latest film to receive the Criterion treatment. The film is a rare oddity in that is very much of its period, yet is absolutely… Read More ›
“Face The Music” with Bill & Ted from the comfort of your own couch.
When writers Chris Matheson (A Goofy Movie) and Ed Solomon (Men in Black) first created the characters of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted Theodore Logan, they likely didn’t expect their creations to grab hold of the world for more… Read More ›
Paramount Pictures releases a special steelbook edition of “It’s a Wonderful Life” just in time for the holidays.
By this point in cinema and television history, everyone knows the fictional story of George Bailey, or someone like him. An individual so aggrieved by their circumstances that they wish with all their might for a change. But as Oscar… Read More ›
15 years later director James McTeigue’s “V for Vendetta” remains a prescient exploration of the cost of fear.
It’s been 15 years since James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta hit theaters. Adapted from the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic book miniseries, V for Vendetta took the Margaret Thatcher-era conservative versus anarchism themes and made them more contemporary for American audiences… Read More ›
In the mood for something nasty? Discover an old-fashioned gore-fest in new home release “Haunt.”
I love horror movies. I love my subscription to Shudder. I love Halloween. However, in recent years, I can’t say that I haven’t been drawn to the realm of “elevated horror” more and more. The term “elevated horror” in and… Read More ›
Stephen Frears’s genre-bending crime story “The Hit” offers a philosopher’s tongue amid a road movie structure.
It’s difficult to say what qualifies a film for the “Criterion treatment.” They’ve restored a variety of films believed lost like Brute Force, produced updated versions of award-winning stories like Taste of Cherry, and they’ve produced first-run (or as close… Read More ›
Alex Wolff’s “The Cat and the Moon” is a strong directorial debut from a creator just getting started.
Your age likely defines how you know actor Alex Wolff. If you’re my age (near 40), then films like The House of Tomorrow (2017), Hereditary (2018), and the two new Jumanji (2017, 2019) films are your touch points. If you’re… Read More ›
Unexpectedly, “Spontaneous” offers much needed catharsis during a time of pandemic.
It’s in the strangest of places that we often find that which affirms life. It could be a sunrise, a child’s laugh, a taste of pumpkin spice pick-a-thing, a song you’ve heard a million times, or a film you’re experiencing… Read More ›
Enjoy the delightful “Roman Holiday” for the first time on blu-ray thanks to the Paramount Presents label.
Three-time Oscar winning film Roman Holiday is the latest Paramount catalogue title to join the Paramount Presents label and fans of the 1953 comedic romance have a lot to be excited about. It’s not just that Paramount has gathered previous… Read More ›
Documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy” is a compelling proclamation that our democratic republic cannot function when we devalue the voting process.
Let me ask you something: What is the responsibility of the legislative branch of the United States government? Where does the Constitution of the United States place the final authority on decisions in our country? Which officer presides over an… Read More ›
Observe the birth of the modern police procedural in Jules Dassin’s “The Naked City,” restored via the Criterion Collection.
From modern programs like Lucifer, The Flash, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Blue Bloods to more classic ones like Law and Order, The Mod Squad, and Hill Street Blues, each of these procedural variants owe their existence in large part to the… Read More ›
Now available via the Criterion Collection, director Jules Dassin’s “Brute Force” remains as explosive an indictment of prison reform today as in 1947.
Released June 30th, 1947, Jules Dassin’s (Rififi) Brute Force opened and took audiences and critics by storm. The film, a prison break picture, would startle and terrify as it depicted life inside prisons as one of moral decay, not because… Read More ›
“The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum” explores the price of turning a blind eye to yellow journalism and government surveillance
How often do you read or see something that excites you, titillates you, and perhaps even angers you? As we grow ever closer to a presidential election, it seems almost daily that such an occurrence happens. Articles, photos, and videos… Read More ›
WB Home Entertainment releases four adventurous catalogue titles in 4K UHD for the first time.
It’s showtime! Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is dropping not one, not two, but four new 4K UHD editions from their vast catalogue: Richard Donner’s The Goonies (1985), Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988), and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes:… Read More ›
Explore the depths of the oceans in director Ayumu Watanabe’s manga adaptation “Children of the Sea.”
One of the things I love about GKids Films, a distributor of Asian animated films, is the absolute variety and high quality of each production they release in the U.S. The films they release range from stop-motion (My Life as… Read More ›
Arrow Video’s restoration of classic horror camp “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” is worth the price of admission.
As a kid with a profoundly accelerated imagination, there was no way I would ever watch something horror-related even though I frequently wanted to. Scoping out the VHS cover art while waiting in line at Kroger’s or hitting my local… Read More ›
Charlie Kaufman’s “i’m thinking of ending things” pulls off the seemingly impossible task of adapting Ian Reid’s book with ease and grace.
When I read a book, I feel accomplished. When I read a book based on a film, I feel elitist. When I read a book based on a film before its release, I feel completely untouchable. I know I shouldn’t,… Read More ›
Character drama “The King of Staten Island” comes home with plenty of in-depth bonus features.
Inspired in-part by his own real-life trauma, comedian Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live) crafted a story in partnership with director Judd Apatow (This is 40) and writer/producer Dave Sirus that presents a fictional tale of heartache, profound pain, and, ultimately,… Read More ›