The Spirit of the Beehive
October 17, 2006
The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) begins with the words, “Once upon a time…” and we are transported to a small village in the Castilian Plain in Spain, 1940 on the tail end of a horrible civil war that has ravished the country. The village seems...
Point Break: Pure Adrenaline Edition
October 17, 2006
Generally panned by critics upon its release, Point Break (1991) has gone on to enjoy something of a minor cult following among action film fans who enjoy its breathlessly choreographed action sequences involving daring bank heists, car chases, skydiving...
The Dick Cavett Show: Hollywood Greats
October 12, 2006
In our current soundbite culture the art of conversation is dead. Talk shows (both day and night) are merely vehicles for actors, authors and musicians to promote their latest movie, book or record. They are given very little time to have a conversation...
Backdraft: 2-Disc Anniversary Edition
October 11, 2006
At the time of its release, Backdraft (1991) was regarded by some critics as an admirable if not flawed homage to the profession of firefighting. Of course, compared to the recent Ladder 49 (2004) it seems downright gritty and hard-hitting but still doesn’t...
Thank You For Smoking
October 10, 2006
As more and more cities, states and countries ban smoking in public places (Philadelphia has been one of the latest) and the government tries to make us more conscious of our health, the more pressure is on the tobacco companies to find other, creative...
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective & When Nature Calls
October 9, 2006
It’s safe to say that Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) launched Jim Carrey’s career into the stratosphere. It provided the ideal vehicle for the comedian’s cartoonish antics, most notably his incredibly expressive face and wildly exaggerated body...
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Collector’s Edition
October 8, 2006
While no one predicted the phenomenal success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film (2003), the success of the sequel was pretty much a slam dunk provided that the filmmakers didn’t mess around with the formula too much. They didn’t. In fact,...
Hustle: Season 1
October 6, 2006
Hustle is a BBC television show (that airs on AMC in North America) that focuses on a group of five professional con artists — grifters who plan elaborate schemes to fleece unsuspecting marks (i.e. victims) of their money. Their primary targets...
Grease: Rockin’ Rydell Edition
October 5, 2006
In the late 1970s and early 1980s (culminating with the box office flop of Streets of Fire in 1984), 1950s culture was all the rage and leading this revival was the movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical Grease (1978). John Travolta’s career...
Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection
October 3, 2006
Without a doubt, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) is the most famous samurai film ever made. It spawned countless imitators all over the world, including Hollywood (most famously remade as the also legendary western, The Magnificent Seven). More...
