Apollo 13: Anniversary Edition
September 25, 2005
With Apollo 13 (1995) Ron Howard firmly entrenched himself as an A-list Hollywood director. Not only was he making the kind of heartfelt, moving picture that attracts a large, mainstream audience, but he had the powerhouse cast to back it up. Previously,...
The Motorcycle Diaries
August 17, 2005
Before Ernesto “Che” Guevara became one of the galvanizing forces behind the Cuban Revolution, he traveled through Latin America with his best friend Alberto Granado on a beat-up old 1939 Norton 500 motorcycle nicknamed “The Mighty One.” He documented...
Ray
August 11, 2005
Ray (2004) traces Ray Charles’ humble beginnings growing up dirt poor in Florida to the rhythm and blues legend that he became. In between, we are given insight into his creative process and the ups and downs of his life and career. Early on he traveled...
The Martin Scorsese Film Collection
August 10, 2005
Martin Scorsese is one of the world’s greatest filmmakers living today. At first, this may seem like so much over-inflated hype, and to be sure, he would be the first to avoid this title, but think, for a moment, about a handful of the films this...
October Sky: Special Edition
August 1, 2005
Based on Homer Hickam, Jr.’s childhood memoirs, Rocket Boys, October Sky (1999) was a surprise sleeper hit and gave actor Jake Gyllenhaal his first of many substantial roles. October Sky is one of those rare family films that isn’t condescending to...
The Battle of Algiers
June 9, 2005
Shot with unflinching detail and in a realistic, documentary style, The Battle of Algiers (1966) documents the Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French from the years 1954-1957. The Criterion Collection has assembled an impressive...
Secret Honor
June 1, 2005
Before Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995) gave us one of the more definitive examinations of controversial American President, Richard M. Nixon, Robert Altman made a little seen cinematic take of his own, entitled Secret Honor (1984). After burning his bridges...
Track Down
April 24, 2005
Track Down (1999) is a movie plagued by a troubled and checkered past. Based on the book Takedown by Tsutomu Shimomura and John Markoff, it chronicled the battle between two computer experts: ace hacker Kevin Mitnick and computer crimes expert Shimomura...
Ed Wood
April 2, 2005
Ed Wood (1994) is a gloriously atmospheric, black and white love letter to cinema. Tim Burton understands that for the devoted cineaste, the best moments in life have often been spent in a darkened movie theatre being enveloped by a film and becoming...
Baadasssss!
March 10, 2005
In 1971, Melvin Van Peebles made Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. It not only became the most successful independent film of that year but it also helped kick start a film genre known as Blaxploitation. These films empowered black actors and actresses...
