There Will Be Blood: Special Collector’s Edition
April 17, 2008
After the highly unconventional romantic comedy, Punch-Drunk Love (2002), many speculated about what writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson would do next. In a bold move, he decided to adapt Upton Sinclair’s novel, Oil! about ambitious oil tycoons in...
Juno: Two-Disc Special Edition
April 14, 2008
Juno was The Little Miss Sunshine (2006) of 2007 – the little independent film that could. Once the studio realized that it had a successful crowd-pleaser on its hands, the film was promoted from the art-house circuit to the multiplexes. Actress Ellen...
The Ice Storm: Criterion Collection
March 14, 2008
Director Ang Lee has had a fascinatingly diverse career. He’s tried his hand at the literary adaptation with Sense and Sensibility (1995), the Civil War epic with Ride with the Devil (1999), a period martial arts tale with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
Dan in Real Life
March 12, 2008
While it’s true that many “serious” actors try their hand at comedy (or, in the case of Alec Baldwin and Robert De Niro, make a career out of it), it is equally true that many comedic actors want to be taken seriously. Some, like Bill Murray and...
Things We Lost in the Fire
March 10, 2008
The dreaded Oscar curse affects so many actors who win one of those golden statuettes. For some reason, after they win an Academy Award their choices in film roles is simply awful. Just look at what Kevin Spacey and Nicolas Cage have done since they won...
No Country for Old Men
March 7, 2008
After two lackluster efforts – the bland romantic comedy, Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and the unnecessary remake of The Ladykillers (2004) – the Coen brothers return to form with a vengeance with No Country for Old Men (2007). Even though it is an...
The Fugitive: Season 1, Volume 2
March 5, 2008
Created by Roy Huggins and produced by the legendary Quinn Martin, The Fugitive ran from 1963 to 1967. At its heart is a basic premise that is genius in its simplicity. Dr. Richard Kimble (Janssen) comes home to spot a one-armed man (Raisch) running from...
Blue State
February 22, 2008
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And with those iconic words, spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong, we landed on the Moon. It was the first time that a human being visited another world. Documentary In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)...
Becoming Jane
February 19, 2008
Having broken through to the mainstream with The Devil Wears Prada (2006), actress Anne Hathaway tries her hand at the period film, a necessary step for anyone who wants to stretch themselves and demonstrate that they have range. Still early in her career,...
This Sporting Life: Criterion Collection
February 14, 2008
Based on the novel by David Storey (who wrote the screenplay himself), This Sporting Life (1963) marked the feature film debut of Lindsay Anderson and features a ferocious performance by Richard Harris as Frank Machin, a professional rugby player. We...
