Le Doulos: Criterion Collection
November 25, 2008
Jean-Pierre Melville was known for making genre films with rambling narratives that delighted in taking all kinds of plot diversions. His seventh film, Le Doulos (1962), based on the novel by Pierre Lesou, deviated from his usual approach to produce a...
Hell Ride
November 13, 2008
The story goes that Quentin Tarantino is a fan of Larry Bishop’s films and when the two filmmakers finally met on the set of Kill Bill (2003); Tarantino reportedly told Bishop that if he wrote and directed an AIP-style biker film he would produce it....
Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films
November 13, 2008
Sony’s latest Icons of Horror box set celebrates Hammer horror films by presenting four classics, beautifully restored and shown in their original aspect ratios. Hammer is best known for revitalizing and reinventing the horror genre during the 1950s...
The 4400: The Complete Series
November 10, 2008
The 4400 made its debut in 2004 as a five episode mini-series that capitalized on the popularity of science fiction television shows like Lost. Seasons two and three quickly followed before it was canceled after a fourth in 2007 due to the Writers Guild...
Deception
October 17, 2008
How can a film starring three marquee names like Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams get an extremely limited theatrical release with very little publicity? Collectively, they have appeared in some serious moneymakers: McGregor with the...
The Happening
October 16, 2008
In retrospect, M. Night Shyamalan peaked with The Sixth Sense (1999), a film that was a massive critical and commercial success. Naturally, it would be the yardstick that every subsequent film he made would be judged by. To Shyamalan’s credit, he tried...
Cassandra’s Dream
May 29, 2008
Cassandra’s Dream (2007) continues Woody Allen’s current string of European-based films. Whether for financial reasons or wanting a change of pace, the New York-based filmmaker left his favourite city in favour of London with Match Point (2005), Scoop...
The Walker
May 21, 2008
After dabbling briefly with a major studio with Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005), writer/director Paul Schrader returns to the relatively safe confines of the independent film scene with The Walker (2007). This new film continues his fascination...
Cloverfield
April 18, 2008
Cloverfield was the first media sensation of 2008 and an excellent case study in canny marketing. A teaser trailer appeared in theaters months ahead and featured a few, brief, tantalizing scenes of chaos in Manhattan with no mention of a title or who...
PTU: Special Collector’s Edition
April 14, 2008
The busy, noisy sounds of the street play over the opening credits of PTU (2003) quickly establishing the film’s gritty, no-nonsense vibe. Four young street punks beat-up an overweight police detective known as Fatty and steal his gun. The Police Tactical...
