Blood Simple: Criterion Collection

After the disastrous experience of making Crimewave (1986) with their friend and fellow filmmaker Sam Raimi, the Coen brothers – Joel and Ethan – parted company with him and decided to make a film on their own. They returned to their hometown and... 

Fletch: The “Jane Doe” Edition

For my money, Fletch (1985) is the best film Chevy Chase ever made. I can put the movie on at almost any time and still find it just as funny, no matter how many times I have seen it. And yet, the film is too often dismissed as just another dated piece... 

Reds: 25th Anniversary Edition

The 1970s saw the rise in prominence of the director in Hollywood and this resulted in many movies being pushed through the system that wouldn’t normally have been made. However, by the time of the Heaven’s Gate (1980) debacle, the rule of the director... 

Tales from the Crypt: Season 1

In the late ’80 and early ‘90s HBO backed an attempt to bring back the famous E.C. comic book Tales from the Crypt in the form of a half hour anthology with a powerhouse group of filmmakers behind the camera that included the likes of Walter Hill,... 

The Jerk: 26th Anniversary Edition

One of the staples of comedy is the dumb guy movie that features a protagonist so clueless and so stupid that he somehow bungles his way through a series of misadventures. Each generation has someone who excels at this kind of comedy: Gene Wilder, Jim... 

The Glass Shield: Special Edition

Charles Burnett is one of America’s most underrated filmmakers working today. Unlike his African-American contemporary, Spike Lee, he is not an outspoken personality in his own right, preferring to let the work speak for itself. In many respects, his... 

The Iron Giant: Special Edition

When The Iron Giant was released in 1999, it flew in the face of the current trend popularized by Disney animated musicals. Based on the 1968 children’s book, The Giant: A Story in Five Nights, by late British poet Ted Hughes, The Iron Giant refuses...