The Uninvited
April 24, 2009
In the last year, actress Elizabeth Banks’ career has really taken off with appearances in high profile films like Definitely, Maybe, W., and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Thrown into this mix is a modest horror film called The Uninvited (2009) that,...
No Country for Old Men: 3-Disc Collector’s Edition
April 3, 2009
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...
Primal Fear: Hard Evidence Edition
March 9, 2009
Primal Fear (1996) is a classic example of a talented actor transcending his role, turning a character into something special and memorable. What was originally marketed as a vehicle for Richard Gere became a breakout role for then-up-and-coming Edward...
In the Electric Mist
March 3, 2009
In the Electric Mist (2008) marks legendary French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier’s first North American-made motion picture and, based on the troubles he encountered while making it, perhaps his last. Tavernier, a big fan of American crime fiction (he...
White Dog: Criterion Collection
January 6, 2009
White Dog (1982) was Samuel Fuller’s last Hollywood film and arguably his most controversial. No easy feat from the man who tackled racism with Shock Corridor (1963), patriotism with Pickup on South Street (1953), and made deeply profound anti-war films...
Eagle Eye: 2-Disc Special Edition
January 5, 2009
Eagle Eye (2008) sees Shia LaBeouf reunited with director D.J. Caruso and producer Steven Spielberg, both of whom helped put him on the map with Disturbia (2007). That film liberally ripped off Rear Window (1954) and this new one takes on the paranoid...
Burn After Reading
December 19, 2008
As they did with Fargo (1996), the Coen brothers followed up the Academy Award-winning crime thriller No Country For Old Men (2007) with a comedy, in this case Burn After Reading (2008), a farce set in Washington, D.C. The Coens have adhered to the pattern...
The Lady Vanishes: Criterion Collection
December 18, 2008
The Lady Vanishes (1938) marked Alfred Hitchcock’s last British film before he made the move to Hollywood and greater fame and fortune. It also demonstrated what the Master of Suspense could do with very little money. Once in America, he would have...
Europa: Criterion Collection
December 15, 2008
Most people associate Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier with the kitchen sink realism of Dogme films Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000), or the minimalist theatricality of Dogville (2003) and Manderlay (2005). However, before these...
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: Criterion Collection
December 9, 2008
Based on John le Carre’s best-selling novel of the same name, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) is a classic example of the cold war espionage tale. It also provides a decidedly sober, more realistic antidote to the James Bond films that were...
