Of the top three baseball based films of all time, only 2 have made their way to Blu-ray, Field of Dreams and The Natural, at least until now. While I love both of these films, the very best baseball themed film is Bull Durham, which fortunately, was finally released on Blu-ray this week. While I was more than pleased with the look and sound of The Natural, Field of Dreams was another matter altogether and was a disappointment in the video department. Would Bull Durham prove to be more like The Natural or more like Field of Dreams. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray release of Bull Durham is as disappointing as Field of Dreams. Read the full story

Marked for Death was made at the peak of Steven Seagal’s popularity. The year it was released, it was one of 20^th Century Fox’s top grossing films next to Home Alone. It may not be Seagal’s best film, but looking back I remember it having its moments. However, after 20 years, does it still hold up?

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One of my most cherished Christmas presents as an adolescent was a boxed set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.  To the fertile mind of a 12-year old, these were the best books ever, igniting a life long affinity for fantasy literature.  What made the books even more special is the prose used allowed a reader to form strong visions in their own mind of the characters, places, and action contained therein.

After reading the books, I was excited to discover that an animated version of the book existed, and lobbied hard to get my buddies to rent it when we were having a movie night.  And after we all sat back and viewed the movie, we looked at each other with the same expression on our faces: “What in heck was that?”

So the question is, after 28 years of watching various forms of animation, have I gained a new appreciation for Ralph Bakshi’s labor of love?  Does being on Blu-ray make the movie any better? Read the full story

There have been a plethora of films made over the years about Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan and their roles at the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone in the then Arizona Territory back on October 26, 1881. For the most part these films had the history wrong and never told the true story of what really happened leading up to the gunfight as well as the aftermath, detailing who the parties were as well as their motivations, along with providing a more well rounded, fleshed out and historically accurate (at least by Hollywood standards) account of some very complex personalities. That is what the film Tombstone sets out to do, all the while providing and interesting an entertaining experience for the audience. Do they succeed? Read the full story

As a film reviewer, it is almost embarrassing to admit that I have viewed none of the films created by directors in the French New Wave.  In my defense, I can offer that this “new wave” took place before I was born, and that by the time I was able to cultivate a taste for movies, many of the “new wave’s” inventiveness had already been co-opted by others.

This led me to two important questions I hope to answer in my review.  Firstly, if subsequent movies have taken advantage of a once-new filmmaking technique, does this make the originating movies any less relevant?  And secondly, can entertainment value survive in what is considered “experimental” cinema?  Although films can have artistic merits on their own, they must still be accessible to the common movie viewer.  Read the full story

The pairing of Jack Lemon and Walther Matthau was a staple of 70’s and after the two had basically been declared retired from acting; they headlined Grumpy Old Men together. Surprisingly it became a financial success and was received fairly well among critics. The film gave new life to their careers and the pair went on to make a series of films together, including a sequel to ‘Grumpy’; Grumpier Old Men. How do the two films hold up on Blu-ray and is this double-feature release a worthy representation of the milestone in these actors’ classic filmography?

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Horror films have been a big part of movie making since its earliest days, nothing is more exciting than going into a movie and letting your imagination run away with implausible horrors that still make you wonder… what if? In the early 1900′s it was Dracula, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera, etc. The thought of such villains lurking around in our world could really get our hearts racing. Then mid century the thrills started to change. Terrestrial horrors, demonic plague, and of course end of times. Legends like Vincent Price and Alfred Hitchcock made their way into our imaginations, finding new ways to leave us startled. Read the full story

Jackie Chan had gained notoriety through the 70′s impressing the masses with his unique style of martial arts and ability to choreograph a scene incorporating comedy, kung fu, and all sorts of props. However, none of his early films could prepare him for the mainstream success he had received from 1978′s Drunken Master. The film is still highly regarded and was the catalyst that has made Jackie Chan Asia’s biggest action star, and made him the most recognizable face in China. Throughout the 80′s Jackie Chan became more well known for his action comedies and his death defying stunts which he would always perform himself. Read the full story

As you may know, I had the pleasure of being able to review the Blu-ray releases of the first and second seasons of Dexter, one of the most original and intriguing shows in the history of television. Not being a Showtime subscriber, I was not able to catch the third season and I was anxiously waiting to receive the season 3 Blu-ray to see just what type of mayhem Dexter would get involved with next. Well, season 3 has arrived on Blu-ray and here is the review. Read the full story

For me, Sling Blade was one of those films that fell through the cracks. I never was able to see it in the theater and for some unknown reason, I never got around to renting it on DVD. One of the benefits of being able to do these Blu-ray reviews is that I am able to catch up on films that are truly worthwhile and original films and well worth a look. One of the films that fits that description perfectly is Sling Blade. Read the full story

I will admit up front that I am not an Adam Sandler fan. I find his films to be juvenile at best and insulting at worse. I guess he is what I will call an acquired taste and one that isn’t for me. However, in The Waterboy, Adam Sandler hits his all time low point, at least me me (right alongside the inane inane Zohan film). However, The Waterboy has made its debut on Blu-ray so I placed it in the Blu-ray player for a spin. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t. Read the full story

“Two Yoots. What is a Yoot?” Asks the Judge. “I am sorry Your Honor, youths, 2 youths.” replies Vinny. That is just but one of the many funny scenes in My Cousin Vinny, a 1991 comedy making its high def debut on Blu-ray. My Cousin Vinny is one funny movie, which is just as funny today as it was when it was released in 1991. Some comedies don’t hold up all that well over time, especially those with more period sensitive humor. Not so with My Cousin Vinny which remain fresh 18 years later. How does it look on Blu-ray? Unfortunately, not as good as I had hoped. Read the full story

Movie stars without a doubt lead very glamorous lives. The money, the fame and lavish living are all very attractive. Of course, there is a downside. The paparazzi, the lack of privacy and the like. There is also another factor that often goes unnoticed and that is the lengths to which some actors go to get into their character and make them as authentic as they can. This brings me around to the work of Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull where he becomes Jake LaMotta, the former middleweight boxing champion in the 1940′s and 1950′s. Read the full story

There are only so many hours in a day. That along with the fact that I do not subscribe to Showtime are two of the reasons I did not catch the first season of Dexter during its initial run. In addition, the subject matter of the series didn’t sound very appealing so I even missed its debut on CBS.  However, I just returned from a trip to Paris where adverts for Dexter appeared in every Paris Metro or RER station. In fact, there were so many adverts for Dexter that I half expected to see a poster for Dexter hanging in the Louvre. Therefore, I thought why not give this release a spin when I got back. I am glad I did. Read the full story

Pierce Brosnan only got to play James Bond for four films, which is unfortunate when you watch a film like Die Another Day. He’s always had a great presence in the part, but watching this movie gives you tremendous appreciation of what he brought to the character and to the franchise. In such a short time he made the part his own in a way that only Sean Connery had done before. Read the full story

The title of Roger Moore’s 5^th Bond film actually comes from a short story written by Fleming and not a novel as most of the earlier films did. To make up for the limited source material another Fleming short, Risico, was added to the mix and the screenplay would draw from both works. I’ve already said that Moore is my least favorite Bond, but I have to admit that I like For Your Eyes Only quite a bit. Coming on the heels of one of the absolute worst Bond films ever, Moonraker, it was a welcome return to a simpler adventure that relied more on the characters than gadgets and out of this world locations. Read the full story

Thunderball was actually the first James Bond story that began life, not as a Fleming novel, but a film screenplay. Long before Harry Saltzman acquired the film rights to the novels, Fleming himself considered bringing Bond to film. He worked with screenwriter Kevin McCoy to write an original James Bond film. Fleming eventually grew discouraged trying to make the film, and the story elements were used to create a new Bond novel instead. When the book was released, Kevin McCoy realized that he had created many of these story elements and sued for his share of the credit and money. This would make the Thunderball story a unique one in the James Bond collection. Read the full story