In honor of actor Liam Neeson’s birthday on June 7th, Shout! TV is planning a celebratory stream of films on the channel including: K-19: The Widowmaker, Honest Thief, The Grey, and The Marksman. But should only the birthday boy get… Read More ›
history
Filmmaker Ali Weinstein’s “Your Tomorrow” explores the past and present of a publicly-invested third space. [ATLFF]
Third places are an important part of any community. They provide individuals, young and old, a place to congregate outside of home and work/school, to relax with various kinds of leisure activities. For the Ontario, Canada, community, this includes Ontario… Read More ›
Showcasing a terrific vulnerable performance from Jeffrey Wright, Julien Schnabel’s fluid and impressionistic biopic “Basquiat” comes home in a beautiful new edition, courtesy of Criterion.
It is more fitting than ironic that an impressionistic biopic about the acclaimed neo-expressionist painter Jean-Michel Basquiat would also be written and directed by another painter. For his directorial debut (the first in a line of acclaimed releases including Before… Read More ›
Documentary “The Spirit of Halloweentown” seeks to investigate the relationship between the real St. Helens and its inhabitants separate from its cinematic connection. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Since debuting in 1998, Disney’s Halloweentown has spawned a total of four films and at least one marriage (co-stars Kimberly J. Brown and Daniel Kountz of Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge). It’s developed quite the fanbase since the original Halloweentown, turning… Read More ›
“William Tell” translates the heroic myth into a by-the-numbers historical fiction.
Content Warning for implied sexual assault. In the subgenre of historical epics, there are those based on real events (Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Rob Roy (1995)) and those inspired by legend (Excalibur (1981); Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)). In… Read More ›
“A Complete Unknown” comes to home viewing like a rolling stone.
When we think of Bob Dylan, we often reflect on his profound impact on music, culture, and politics. Over the decades, he’s transcended the role of a mere musician, becoming a cultural icon whose voice and influence have defined multiple… Read More ›
“Amadeus” still rocks at 40: Warner Bros. debuts exhilarating 4K restoration of the theatrical cut.
The ‘80s were a decade of decadence. Whimsical fashion, music, and media reigned pop culture. This was especially true with the films of the era. The year 1984 saw Warner Bros. release both Purple Rain, a semi-biographical concert film starring… Read More ›
“Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse” explores the magnitude of significance of Spiegelman and his graphic novel “Maus.”
When I was in university (all those years ago), I took a class that was essentially called “Understanding Comics” which explored comics as a medium — how it told stories, how it evolved, where it is now, and so on,… Read More ›
Ethics and morals, ambition and purpose are examined in the tense, journalism thriller “September 5,” now on home video.
When creating a film about the morality and ethics of journalism, centering a story around the Munich massacre of 1972 is an inspired choice. September 5 (2024), co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony), is a film about an… Read More ›
“I’m Still Here” tells a narrative as relevant today as in 1970 Brazil.
Oscar hopeful I’m Still Here (2024) opens with where, when, who, and what’s it like. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1970. Eunice Paiva, the wife of a retired left-wing senator is on a beach as armored personnel carriers drive down the… Read More ›
Documentary “Third Act” captures self-realizations and the discovery that they run generations-deep. [Sundance]
History can only be buried for so long before the truth comes out. This relates to large revelations (the purposeful attempts to control and reduce Indigenous populations through residential schools in the U.S. and Canada) and interpersonal discoveries that wield… Read More ›
Come for the chaos, stay for the commentary track on filmmaker Jason Reitman’s home edition of “Saturday Night.”
For 49 years and 50 seasons, the Not Ready for Primetime Players have entertained audiences with positively insane sketches, zeitgeist-hijacking music videos, and musical moments that have shifted entire industries in the live sketch program Saturday Night Live. It’s a… Read More ›
“A Complete Unknown” fails to define the undefinable.
Director James Mangold does not make bad movies. He makes good movies (The Wolverine; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and great movies (Ford V. Ferrari; Copland; Logan). He’s a class-act craftsman but he’s no revolutionary, and neither is… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Saturday Night” director Jason Reitman and casting director John Papsidera.
Join Thomas Manning in this special Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue segment as he interviews director Jason Reitman and casting director John Papsidera on the red carpet for based on a true story film, Saturday Night. Manning dives… Read More ›
“Lavender Men” trips through history with Abraham Lincoln and Elmer E. Ellsworth. [Micheaux Film Festival]
In a year where most corners of the art form — horror, action blockbusters, dramas, comedies, etc. — have been uneven in the wake of the WGA-SAG-AFTRA strikes, it’s been a pretty great year for queer cinema. I Saw the… Read More ›
“1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!” Blu-ray Giveaway
Originally released as limited series from 2022-2023 on The CW, 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!, directed by Roger Lay Jr. and written by Mark A. Altman, is gathered together in one 164-minute production as a new addition to the MVD… Read More ›
A contentious U.S. President receives an equally contentious film in “Reagan.”
I stand by that title. Reagan (2024) is an astonishingly incompetent and cynical attempt to pass off pseudo-religious myth as history. Written by Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys) based on the book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism… Read More ›
“Saturday Night” achieves the impossible in capturing the anarchy of airing the first ever episode of “SNL” [TIFF]
Live from Elements of Madness, its SATURADAY NIGHTTTTTTTTTT! Jason Reitman’s latest (co-penned by Gil Kenan) is one of the most incredibly stacked and impossible ensembles to bring together about the chaotic moments before the first ever episode of Saturday Night… Read More ›
After multiple paused release dates, Hüller and Wolff make “Sisi & I (Sisi & Ich)” worth the wait.
Frauke Finsterwalder’s Sisi & I (Sisi & Ich) sat completed on the shelf for nearly two years after its initial shooting dates, and was even further delayed for release in America by almost an entire other year following its premiere… Read More ›
“The Boys in the Boat” steered clear of any special features on this Blu-ray home release.
It’s really hard to be a physical media advocate and supporter, and I know how that sentence sounds. We’re a dying breed of collectors, but we still exist and wanting the crème of the crop is becoming harder and harder… Read More ›