Inside the Actors Studio: Leading Men

The latest collection of Inside the Actors Studio DVDs feature several acting legends from three consecutive decades: from the 1970s, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, from the 1980s, Sean Penn, and from the 1990s, Russell Crowe. The number of Academy Awards... 

Controversial Classics Volume 2: The Power of the Media

The 1970s was a fertile time for challenging, politically charged movies. Thanks to Easy Rider (1969) a lot of riskier material was getting green-lit by the major Hollywood studios and, in some cases; they were commenting on the current political climate... 

Two for the Money

Director D.J. Caruso got his start in T.V. working on shows like the short-lived Buddy Faro, Dark Angel and edgier material like The Shield and Robbery Homicide Division. He soon migrated to the same kind of dark material with his feature films, The Salton... 

Carlito’s Way: Ultimate Edition

There was a lot of anticipation when Carlito’s Way was released in 1993. Director Brian De Palma had just come off a lukewarm reception for yet another Hitchcock homage, Raising Cain (1992) and was in need of a hit to appease the studios. And so, a... 

The Godfather Part II

Fresh from the phenomenal success of the first Godfather film (1972), Francis Ford Coppola quickly followed it with Part II (1974), a sequel that many consider superior to its predecessor. However, over the years the two parts meld together so seamlessly... 

The Godfather Part III

Why? This is the question that many people asked themselves before and after seeing Francis Ford Coppola’s third (and hopefully last) installment of The Godfather saga. The first two parts were such perfect meditations on violence and the absolute corrupting... 

Heat: Special Edition

After the commercial and critical success of The Last of the Mohicans (1992), filmmaker Michael Mann made his most ambitious film up to that point in his career with Heat (1996). He cast legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as the leads in what... 

The Godfather Trilogy

There are times I feel that I’ve just simply seen too many films. Particularly bad films, the kind of film that just saps your enthusiasm for it all. I’d convinced myself that I liked bad movies, that I actually derived enjoyment from watching...