James Plath covers film reviews, literary adaptations, and a large range of home video releases for MovieMet. His criticism is attentive to storytelling, performance, and the way a release speaks to both longtime cinephiles and general audiences.
Perhaps there is no greater testament to the enduring strength of Shakespeare’s plays than the rich, incredibly varied interpretations th
When I first heard about “Big Hero 6,” its homonym main character Hiro, and his brother Tadashi, I wondered how Disney would be able to deliver a robotics story involving Japanese-named characters
Tough guys and kids. What is it that makes them so fascinating? In “Leon: The Professional” an assassin reluctantly “adopted” a girl whose family was murdered and taught her the trade. In the 2010 Sou
Ever have the feeling that when your day starts off on the wrong foot, it’s going to be one stumble after the next, until you can go to bed and get a fresh start the following morning? That’s what ha
Kids who love “Frozen” owe a big thank-you to the Disney staffers who made “101 Dalmatians.” Animation had grown to be such an expensive proposition that it took 600 people to bring the previous f
In 2007, a British audiologist named S.J. Watson wrote a psychological thriller about a woman with amnesia who, like the protagonist in “50 First Dates,” could not build short term memories because th
It had to happen. With so many gritty, sex-filled dramas on cable TV and with prostitutes taking center stage in such series as “Deadwood,” you knew that eventually there’d be a melodrama set entirel
Ursula K. Le Guin fans won’t recognize her Earthsea series in this 2006 Studio Ghibli animated adaptation—at least that’s what Le Guin thinks. And Hayao Miyazaki was of the opinion that his son, Goro,
What do you get when you cross “Casablanca” with “The Sun Also Rises,” “The Dawn Patrol,” and “Beauty and the Beast”? If you animate it and throw in your own vision (and a few seaplane pirates), you
During Shakespeare’s time, men dressed like women because women weren’t allowed onstage. But there’s always been a fascination (fetish?) with men donning dresses. Tyler Perry as Madea makes just about
“Pom Poko” is one of three new-to-Blu Studio Ghibli titles from Disney, along with “Porco Rosso” and “Tales from Earthsea,” that are scheduled for February 3 release. Based on an idea by Hayao Miy
I’ll say this for South Korean cinema: what they do, they do with style. And “The Pirates” has plenty of it. Director Lee Seok-hoon pays obvious homage to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise
When “Glee” debuted in 2009 and excited fans so much that they started calling themselves “Gleeks”—short for “Glee” geeks—I thought the show would have a lifespan of a boy band. Just a flash in the pa
According to a 2013 World Health Organization global review of violence against women, roughly 40 percent of murdered women were killed by a boyfriend or husband. That’s a pretty frightening statistic
The Hollywood Foreign Press announced the winners of the 72nd Annual (2015) Golden Globe Awards at a gala today, with co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler offering up a funny final perfomance, if the
Aspiringly trashy in a nervy, low-budget kind of way, “88” takes a standard revenge thriller and folds it into origami convolutions of narrative that include murder, gunfire, lip stitching, gratuitous
Movie Metters tend to like outrageous things, and **“Archer”**seems to be especially popular with our audience. When I reviewed Season 1 of “Archer,” the animated spy spoof that airs on FX, I called
There seem to be two types of zombie films. One will be a serious take full of symbolism and you will never hear the actual word “zombie.” The other will be a balls-out Zomedy where chaos reigns and e
I never saw Season 1 of “The Newsroom,” but that didn’t keep me from getting instantly hooked on the second—one that earned Jeff Daniels an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Mayb
I don’t think I’m unique in saying that when it comes to biopics of music icons I’m wanting two things, really: insight into their lives, and a full complement of music to make me remember and appreci
Edith Wharton is known for three novels: The House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), and The Age of Innocence(1920), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. But she wrote much more than tha
A documentary that brims with both an old-fashioned spirit of adventure and a self-congratulatory hubris, “James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge 3D” takes you to the “last frontier on Earth”, the deep
I left the Marvel Universe when I started college and return there only to check my “stash” in the attic occasionally, so my memory of the Guardians of the Galaxy is hazy. Maybe everyone else’s is,
“The Hundred-Foot Journey” goes a surprising number of places for such a short trip. It’s a love story, a story about culture clash, an underdog success story, and a movie that celebrates food—albeit
They had it all. They wanted more. While that may sound like the motto of America’s wealthiest 1 percent, it’s the tagline to "Satellite," an indie film from writer-director Jeff Winner (“You A
When Disney released “Planes” in 2013 and advertised that it was “from above the world of ‘Cars,’” they invoked Pixar’s highly successful animated auto-racing adventures. But, as I wrote in my review,
Hell hath no fury like a woman (or, apparently, Baby Boomer) scorned. Disney’s live-action “Maleficent” has irked and annoyed more than a few of the generation that saw the studio’s animated “S
Fans of “The Wonder Years” have been waiting for the series to finally come to DVD, and patiently so, because they know the problem: getting permission for the series’ backdrop ‘60s and ‘70s music
The main body of this review was written by James Plath for the 2004 DVD release of “La Dolce Vita” (1960) by Koch Lorber. The Video, Audio, Extras, and Film Value sections were written by Christopher
Motown. It was a nickname for Detroit, but more people knew it as Berry Gordy’s record label—one that specialized in soul, pop, and rhythm and blues. Just as Chess Records became synonymous with the
When Disney first brought “Sleeping Beauty” to DVD in 2003, they did so after a painstaking five-year restoration, and the result was breathtaking. Even in standard definition the colors were pris
It was way back in 1959 when Disney made their first sporting film loosely based on a real event, and that movie—“Third Man on the Mountain”—inspired the Matterhorn bobsleds at Disneyland. No new att
In the same way “Left Behind” puts a faith-based spin on the apocalyptic genre, **“Persecuted”**takes a similar approach to the political/conspiracy thriller, pitting a man of strong religious convict
The creators and writers for “Reign,” a popular CW series, must have been fans of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books, because they chose to ignore history and follow the more fantastic (and yes,
Sordid. Adjective. Involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt. If you’re a film critic who’s tasked with reviewing the indie flick **“Sordid Lives,”**you start
Philip Seymour Hoffman died in February 2014, but he was such a prolific actor that we’ll be seeing him well into the near future. **“God’s Pocket”**is the first of his 2013-14 projects to reach home
If**“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”**feels more like a ‘70s conspiracy thriller, that’s because it is one. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were heavily influenced by espiona
Impactful. Aside from the “Ken Burns Effect”—the documentarian’s trademark slow pan and scan and pullback on a still photograph to give it cinematic life—you’d have to say that the distinguishing c
William Randolph Hearst did everything he could to prevent Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” from playing in theaters because the maligned “hero” of that film, Charles Foster Kane, was obviously Hearst. Th
Zombie movies are big again, and a sub-genre that’s emerged in recent years is the zombie Western. “The Quick and the Undead” may have kick-started the trend back in 2006, because a number of zombie W
“Bee People” looked like a film that was going to tell me more about something that I already know: that honeybees are in steep decline, and that anyone who appreciates the little things in life (
*Man is a religious animal . . . the only religious animal that has the true religion—several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’
Pixar takes the same kind of pride and care with their “Toy Story” characters as Walt Disney did with his beloved Mickey Mouse. Whether it’s a major motion picture, a half-hour TV special, or one of t
"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" and "Fun and Fancy Free" are being billed as a 2-Movie Collection, but this release could just as easily have been called a 3-Movie Collection. Also includ
The people who made “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” must suffer from Jan Brady Syndrome—the second child who’s forever in the shadow of an older sibling. In the case of this 1971 Disney blend of live
Sometimes critics can overanalyze a book or film when it can be as simple as one thing: the “wow” factor. People were flat-out wowed by “[The Little Mermaid](http://moviemet.com/review/little-mermaid
With “Bears,” DisneyNature proves one thing beyond a doubt: the studio that once “owned” the nature film market with its True-Life Adventures—imaginatively shot wildlife shorts and longer, Oscar-w
"Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers" is that rare Disney animated feature that’s tough to recommend, even for youngsters in the family. Made in 2004 as a direct-to-video offering, the Mi
“Hercules” has always struck me as an underrated film—maybe because it has a little more attitude than your typical Disney animated feature. Like Avis or Chicago, it tries a little harder to be hi
With **"Isabelle Dances into the Spotlight,"**American Girl celebrates 10 years of being in the filmmaking business. What began as a way to add historical backstories to dolls that “came” from certain
Walt Whitman famously began his poem “Song of Myself” with the phrase “I celebrate myself,” then ended with “I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.” He celebrated life, and part of life
It’s seldom that a DVD set is packaged like a Blu-ray collection, but maybe the 100th Anniversary of World War I was enough for Warner Bros. to make an exception. This **“World War I Centennial Commem
If "Rio" showed that 20th Century Fox Animation had finally moved into Disney’s neighborhood, with "Rio 2" they’ve taken off their shoes and propped their feet up on the coffee table. This talente
I’m one of those who reads a movie title like it’s a headline, and the tagline as if it were a subhead. So initially the cover packaging for “Made in America” made no sense to me: “Dream It. Do It.” T
Directors working with Robin Williams have often expressed the same concern: How do you get the naturally manic comedian to tone it down, just a little? But it was a non-issue for Mike Nichols (“The
Based on Charlotte Gray’s book Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike, this first-ever Discovery Channel scripted series was shot in six episodes and aired as a three-part miniseries. **“Kl
“The First World War” aired in 2003 as a 10-part miniseries. Since then, this 500-minute history—which was based on a book by Oxford professor Hew Strachan and directed by Corina Sturmer, Marcus K
I like Kevin Costner, and I like action films about hit men. But “3 Days to Kill” felt more like 117 minutes to fill, with screenwriters Luc Besson and Adi Hasak throwing in so many clichés that,
If you’re a fan of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, the question you want answered immediately is whether this Blu-ray collection is worth buying. I get it. But whether YOU get it depends o
My family and I have this ongoing argument about “Napoleon Dynamite.” They think he’s a fairly normal character who is as the studio describes: listless and alienated. I think he’s got some develo
My wife sighed it best. “Why is it that in every film about an elderly couple, one of them has to have a serious illness, usually some kind of dementia?” I don’t know, but at times “Still Mine”
Girls love horses, or so says conventional wisdom. It’s why My Little Pony was so big in the toy industry, and why girl-and-her-horse books and film adaptations like “Black Beauty” were so successful.
If ever there was a film in need of updating, it’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” a 1947 fantasy-comedy designed to showcase the talents that star Danny Kaye had for song, dance, comedy, and multi
Fairy tales. When we’re young we believe in them, until we realize that, in real life, the dragon isn’t always slain, and a frog that’s kissed is all too often just what he appears: a fat old croaker.
“The Carol Burnett Show” is a tough one for me to review, because it’s a variety show, and that brand of television is nearly extinct. Only “Saturday Night Live” carries forth, and with more comed
“The King of Comedy” is a strange film. It stars Jerry Lewis, but cast against type in a serious dramatic role. It’s about an aspiring stand-up comedian with a goofy name (Robert De Niro as Rupe
Like many kids of my generation, I loved the original “Little Rascals” comedy shorts—not as much as “The Three Stooges,” but enough to feel some measure of excitement when one of them was rerun on tel
With a movie franchise, too often the law of diminishing returns applies. Creative teams lose their energy as a series goes on . . . and on, and sameness creeps in. We’ve seen it with the Barbie franc
In my This Week column, I used the word “inane” to describe Vince Vaughn’s latest comedy, and I stand by that language. But “Delivery Man” is also surprisingly entertaining, if you’re able to chec
When Fox got back into the animation game in 1994, I and probably half the world envisioned the kind of spirited competition the studio gave Disney during the Golden Age of cartoon shorts. But that ha
Not 10 minutes into “Barbie: The Pearl Princess” my daughter remarked, “I like these movies, but they really need to do something different. Every time it’s either a princess, a fairy, or a mermai
“Wicked Blood” is a strange film. There’s no other way to put it. It’s a standard mafia double-cross movie with a mob boss and henchmen and small-time drug trafficking and an underling that tries
Nazis. Like zombies, they just keep coming back. Sometimes AS zombies. But in**“Iron Sky”** the last remnants of the Third Reich are star trekkers. Having escaped to the dark side of the moon followi
Director Steve McQueen told BBC News that his wife, a historian, was the one who suggested he make a film about slavery, and it was she who discovered an obscure 1853 memoir by Solomon Northrup for hi
“The Agony and the Ecstasy” is aptly titled. There are moments in this 1965 historical drama that are almost agonizing to watch, while other scenes tend toward the sublime. That wasn’t the intent
2013 was a good year for animation, with audiences enjoying high-profile titles like “Monsters University” and “Frozen” (Disney), “The Croods” (DreamWorks), “Despicable Me 2” (Universal), “Cloudy with
My teenage son liked **“Thor: The Dark World”**better than the first film, and so did more than 140,000 “users” at the Internet Movie Database, who gave it a collective 7.5 out of 10, compared to a 7.
If Robert Rodriguez hadn’t thrown experimental bio-weapon-created zombies at audiences back in 2007 with “Planet Terror,” the plot of “Code Red” would seem more impressive. But this 2013 action-h
Bruno Barreto (“Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands”) and his screenwriters faced a difficult challenge with **“Reaching for the Moon,”**a period drama set in the ‘50s: to tell the story of a relationship
The English civil war—a struggle for the crown and titled lands that was fought between the houses of York and Lancaster—lasted 30 years (1455-1487). Dubbed the War of the Roses, it was a period in En
A screenwriter friend of mine once remarked that there were only two kinds of movies: ones in which the hero leaves his home/land and encounters something or someone that challenges him, and ones in w
As I re-watched**“In the Heat of the Night”** on Blu-ray, I was struck by two things: how much this film, like “Cool Hand Luke,” evokes the Sixties, and how, incredibly, it still manages to feel timel
The stage version of A Chorus Line, which opened in 1975, won nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and remains the sixth longest running Broadway show, ever. With music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyr
“Frankenstein: The Real Story” is really a compilation of three programs that aired separately on the History Channel and A&E: “It’s Alive! The True Story of Frankenstein” (A&E, 1995), “Frankenste
When I reviewed Season 1 of **“Archer,”**the animated spy spoof that airs on FX, I called it a curious blend of office humor and James Bond parody, with a little “Arrested Development” thrown in for g
When the film version of “Mary Poppins” opened in 1964, fans of the P.L. Travers books made the inevitable comparison and concluded that they were apples and oranges. Disney had transformed the first
My teenage son has read every one of the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, and as our family watched “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” the sequel to the 2010 fantasy-adventure
Writer-director Peter Berg must have paid attention to the criticism that “Zero Dark Thirty” received last year: that there was too much behind-the-scenes drama and not enough focus on the actual SEAL
Musicals often make the transition from stage to screen, but operas? Not so much. Opera is highbrow, while movies play to the masses. In the case of “Carmen Jones,” though, the transition had an e
Some TV series get tired and stale after just a few seasons, with writers recycling plots, adding babies, or shaking up the cast to try to breathe new life into them. But **“The Simpsons”**keeps rolli
So many titles are released as special “anniversary editions” that offer no new bonus features or content that it’s almost a relief to see that the “Big: 25th Anniversary” Blu-ray offers two ways
Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski conspired to reinvent the pirate movie, so why would it surprise anyone that they’d give a complete makeover to the legend of “The Lone Ranger”? Zane Grey fans poin
As any movie fan knows, 1939 was a very good year for Hollywood. Not only did theaters show eventual Best Picture winner “Gone with the Wind,” but there was also the genre-defining Western “Stagecoach
“Mary Poppins" stands with “The Wizard of Oz” as one of the all-time great children's films adapted from books, and one reason is certainly the memorable music. Richard and Robert Sherman won an O
I’m a sucker for swashbucklers. Like Jimmy Buffett, I probably should have been a pirate or a seafaring man, but was born too late. Then again, that never stopped Johnny Depp, or those in Hollywood
My daughter isn’t a fan of black-and-white movies. Or dramas. Or old movies. Or ghost stories. Or films made in the old academy aspect ratio of 1.37:1, which translates to today’s widescreen TVs as a
Critic Northrup Frye suggested that the final stage in genre development was parody or self-parody, and you’ll get no argument from [John Wayne](http://moviemet.com/review/john-wayne-film-collection-d
On numerous occasions Katharine Hepburn called Spencer Tracy the love of her life, and they remain one of Hollywood’s golden couples. Trivia buffs probably know that they began their affair in 1941 wh
Muppets. Say the word and different characters spring to mind, so distinctive that it’s easy to focus on their personalities and forget the technical aspects—that it was Jim Henson’s blending of ma
Disney’s “Frozen,” which opened today in 3D and 2D versions, is a princess movie that doesn’t feel like a princess movie—even though there are two of them in it, as well as a handsome prince. It
Our family was really won over by the 2010 Christmas comedy “Nativity!” (which the rest of the world seemed to overlook), but we wondered what we’d think of it after multiple viewings. Is it a sleeper
Nearly every time Disney releases a major animated feature, some fly-by-night outfit tries to catch a tailwind and market a generic DVD by the same title (since titles can’t be copyrighted), hoping th
In a familiar premise, Turbo (Ryan Reynolds) wants more out of life than what his biological limitations or station in life will allow. His is the same spirit that made man want to fly—only this fello
D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” made a bundle of money but was criticized for its amorality, prompted by what, to many, seemed like a glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded by u
In a 1961 Fox film, a crew aboard a nuclear-powered submarine went deep under the sea to try to save the world. In this 1966 feature from Fox, a crew aboard a nuclear-powered submarine is miniaturized
Timing is everything. It was crucial to the success of Operation Overlord--better known as D-Day--and it's always been important in the movie industry. Some very good films managed nothing but Oscar s
Lately Universal seems to be on a two-year cycle with Barbie movies: one year they release two films, the next it’s three. In 2013 the studio has already released the ballet-oriented “Barbie in the Pi
There are so many film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” that it’s tough to keep track of them all. But most of them have one thing in common: they tend to scare the crap out of chil
I like the way way that indie cinema has lately managed to retain the characteristics that set indie pics apart from commercial movies, but jettisoned the notion that happy or uplifting endings are to
Watching **“The Internship,”**I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was reliving “Stripes” all over again—only instead of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as the laid-back, unconventional “leaders” of a bun
When “Cars”(2006) was first announced, I wasn’t terribly optimistic. I thought Pixar’s streak of hits was going to end at six with 2004’s “The Incredibles,” because I had seen Twentieth Century Fo
“Monsters University” makes complete sense as a prequel—the first time, by the way, that Pixar has attempted such a thing. That’s because in the original “Monsters, Inc.” the two main monsters are
“Shrek the Musical” opened at the Broadway Theatre on November 8, 2008 and closed a little more than a year later, after 441 performances. For Broadway, that’s a short to medium run, but it wasn’t
I had heard that the animated Disney Channel series “Gravity Falls” had been well received by audiences and critics, so it surprised me when my teen boy and ‘tween girl refused to watch it with me
The action-comedy buddy-cop movie as we know it really surfaced in the ‘80s. Though coerced-con Eddie Murphy and undercover cop Nick Nolte weren’t on equal footing, they hit all the right notes in a 1
Mention Dean Martin and the average person thinks of his long partnership with Jerry Lewis (1946-1956), or his 1960s “Rat Pack” association with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter
The late Irwin Allen was famous for two things: disaster movies like “The Poseidon Adventure,” and campy melodramas that were so bad they would have been complete disasters had they not been so uninte
Dreamworks Animation has really been pushing Pixar lately, and they’ve done it again with**“The Croods.”** There are eye-popping allusions to “Avatar” and jaw-dropping sequences of cataclysmic clouds
In this 2011 documentary, women share their experiences growing up dark-skinned, and social psychologists tell what effect that had on their psyches and try to explain where the attitude came from tha
For the first time, the entire run of “Mama’s Family”—the ‘80s sitcom starring Vicki Lawrence as a southern matriarch who always has a thing or two to say—is out on DVD. And for the time being, it’s o
Nobody got more mileage out of Hans Christian Andersen’s story of “The Little Mermaid” than Disney. And I’m not just talking about three sequels and countless product tie-ins. Though the studio’s
“A Letter to Three Wives” begins where mysteries often end: with a gathering of “suspects.” Three society wives about to embark as volunteers on a boat excursion for underprivileged children are h
You can cross another Best Picture off your Blu-ray want list. Sony is releasing “From Here to Eternity” in HD for the first time on October 1, and the 1953 military drama still holds up today. It
Post-WWII Atomic Age paranoia produced at least one good by-product: all those wonderfully campy horror flicks that featured mutants grown to enormous size because of radiation. Japan gave us “Godzil
They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but have you tried scorning a tech geek lately? Tony Stark did it years ago, and it comes back to bite him—and the President of the United States—in **
**“The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow”**is a mystery to me. It’s listed as a 2013 TV movie starring the voice talents of Hank Azaria as Gargamel, Fred Armisen as Brainy, and Alan Cumming as Gutsy
The idea of “camp”—performances exaggerated theatrically, for comic effect—has been around since the early 1900s, but it didn’t really take off until the ‘60s, when the definition expanded to include
I once went to an academic conference in London, and after a long, long day of travel finally arrived at the University of London dormitory where I had booked a room. I checked in at the front securit
If someone decides to mount a festival to showcase films whose plots revolve around a wedding, it could go on for months. The latest entry in this burgeoning sub-genre comes from Denmark. **“Love Is A
Those of you who’ve been reading reviews on this site since the early days, when it was named DVD Town, may recall that reviewer [John J. Puccio](http://moviemet.com/review/many-adventures-winnie-pooh
Brock Cole is an award-winning children’s author whose novels for young adults have often been the subject of controversy. More than any of his peers, he’s had his books appear on the American Library
It’s hard to fathom now, but the WWII action-drama “Combat!” aired during family hours on ABC between 1962 and 1967. That is, whole families sat down together to watch this realistic one-hour seri
To a non-surfer, surfing movies always seem to have the same strengths and weaknesses. We get to meet some pretty interesting and crazy guys (by most standards of normalcy), and we get to watch them t
If you’re playing Trivial Pursuit and this question comes up—What was the first film to win a Best Picture Academy Award for Fox?—the answer is “Cavalcade,” a 1933 sweeping drama that follows on
“’The Hot Flashes’ should be appealing enough in its humor and approach to a meaningful, under-appreciated issue that it could become a mainstream hit for an older female audience”—Slant Magazine
Anne: “What would you say if no one came to your funeral?” Georges: “Nothing, presumably.” That line provides one of the few light moments in**“Amour,”** a drama in French by Austrian director Mich
Three years after Jim Henson’s Muppets debuted on American television, the Muppet gang made the leap to the big screen with this 1979 “origin” story of how the ragtag group got together and made it to
It’s tempting to compare **“A Werewolf Boy”**to the “Twilight” series, since both deal with love between a human and a supernatural being, and both were aimed at teenage audiences. But the difference
Of the three titles Disney recently released on Blu-ray for the first time, “Robin Hood” (1973) stands out as the weakest entry, in terms of bot
As I wrote in my review of Season 3, “Community” has found a niche fan base that can appreciate the spirit of community college—home of the Great American Second Chance. Unlike four-year bastions
In the ‘50s, drama meant melodrama, and there’s plenty of good melodrama in “Niagara,” a masterful bit of film noir suspense that’s worthy of Hitchcock. It’s directed by Henry Hathaway, better kno
The first Disney movie with attitude. That's the tagline for this 1988 animated feature, which draws its inspiration from Charles Dickens'Oliver Twist. But instead of setting it in Dickens' Victo
In the words of bumbling TV spy Maxwell Smart, “The Sword in the Stone” missed it by THAT much—Disney’s Golden Age, that is. Most students of cinema date the high point of Disney animation from 19
In November 1956, **“Love Me Tender”**introduced Elvis Presley as an actor. By that time he had already made his TV debut as a performer on “Louisiana Hayride,” singles like “That’s All Right” were pl
“Bus Stop” (1956) is an odd duck. It’s considerably more over-the-top than William Inge’s Broadway play, upon which it’s loosely based, with one of it’s webbed feet dipping directly into the water
Indie films used to be exclusively quirky dramas or dramedies, but something happened over the past who-knows-how-many years to change all that. Small studios and micro-budget filmmakers have turned t
Shin Bet is the Israel Security Agency responsible for protecting that nation against terrorism. Their motto? “Defender that shall not be seen.” Or identified. Except for the leader, we’re told in thi
Although there are a few surprises along the way, **“Cloudburst”**is a relatively simple journey from Point A to Point B. It’s also a mixture of genuine and manipulated emotion, and of organic and sto
Though “Last Resort” started slowly, many industry experts expected that steady growth in a tough time slot opposite Fox’s “X Factor” and NBC’s back-to-back sitcoms (“The Big Bang Theory” / “Two a
Five years after Baz Luhrmann went crazy and cranked out the eccentric and slightly surrealistic musical “Moulin Rouge!,” director Kenneth Branagh did something similar with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s
South Korean director Park Hoon-jeong is on record as saying that he’s a big fan of “The Godfather” saga, and “New World” is his stylish entry into the gangster/mafia genre. Though billed as a thr
“Phantom” (2013), which is “inspired by actual events,” tries to tell the story of a Cold War-era Soviet submarine voyage that almost launched WWIII. But a hokey script laden down with clichés sin
Let me begin this review by admitting I’m too old to find “21 & Over” hilarious. Then again, I was too old when I turned 23 and discovered that there was more to life than getting drunk at the ba
“Movie 43” is a comedy anthology with a simple premise tying together 13 different segments, each directed by a different director: a presumably washed-up screenwriter (Dennis Quaid) pitches a scr
Watching “At Long Last Love,” I wondered if this 1975 comedy-musical featuring the music of Cole Porter was the inspiration for “Across the Universe” (2007), with its all-Beatles soundtrack, or “M
Watching “No,” the 2012 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, it’s hard not to think of the film that won big that year. Like “Argo,” this drama from Pablo Larrain is based on a tr
When I reviewed the Blu-ray of**“Oz the Great and Powerful”** I knew without seeing it that the 3D version would be even more spectacular. Why? Because so many visual elements in the film seemed to be
“Combat!” was the longest-running WWII drama on television, airing on ABC from 1962-1967. And Season 3 was the biggest direct hit with the viewing public. That year, “Combat!” became the 10th most
When I first heard that Disney was planning to make a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” I thought, what next? A prequel for “Gone with the Wind” or “Casablanca”? It seemed both arrogant and ill advised.
My wife and I loved “The West Wing,” so we were interested to see **“House of Cards,”**an American political drama that’s actually an adaptation of a 1990 BBC miniseries—which itself was based on the
“Breaking Bad” took up where “Weeds” left off, with an average person facing financial woes turning to drugs as a way of solving the problem . . . but with the drug progressing from marijuana, in
I’m going to go out on a limb here and venture a guess that most people have seen a porno movie at least once in their lives. Those who have will agree that there’s nothing artistic about them and no
What’s fascinating about “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” is that it’s the kind of property that Disney usually produces as a live-action adventure. Not all the dots connect in this 2001 feature, and t
There will be no spoilers in this review, for the simple reason that, try as I did, I couldn’t make it till the very end. I didn’t care, and when that happens there’s only one thing to do: turn off th
After watching John Cusack play a cold-blooded Black Ops agent in “The Numbers Station,” I’m convinced that I could probably handle the job. All you have to do is look numb and detached as you wal
He was only 5’9,” but he stood taller because he was a Barrymore. Contemporary moviegoers know John Barrymore as the grandfather of Drew, and the two of them share this much in common: they struggled
Before I re-watched “The Verdict”—new to Blu-ray this week—I could only recall one image from the film: that of star Paul Newman as alcoholic attorney Frank Galvin, playing pinball in a dark bar.
In**“Brubaker,”** a 1980 prison movie, Robert Redford plays Henry Brubaker, the newly appointed warden to Wakefield State Prison, where, for the first half hour we see him admitted as an inmate and ob
“The First Time” is the second feature film from writer-director Jon Kasdan—Lawrence’s son—and it has some good things going for it. The screenplay is well constructed, for one, and the film showc
“Viva Zapata!” is a tough film to review—almost as tough as “Song of the South” would be if Disney had the cojones to release that picture—because just about all the Mexicans are played by Caucasi
Yesterday I saw a news story about a 41-year-old Miami plastic surgeon who allegedly attacked his girlfriend over a Facebook posting, forcing her head into a toilet, then stuffing a rag in her mouth a
Is there anyone on the planet who hasn’t heard of Bob Marley? Or heard at least one of the Jamaican reggae legend’s songs? His greatest hits album, “Legend” (1984)—released t
Time Life just released “China Beach: The Complete Collection” in a handsome boxed set that features all four seasons in individual keep cases, for those who’d rather ditch the box and put them on
“Shanghai Noon” isn’t just a fun pun on the Gary Cooper classic Western, “High Noon.” It’s a clever variation on the buddy cop picture, with Jackie Chan showing both his comic chops and his martia
“Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War” is a 26-part series that initially ran on Canadian television. All 13 hours are presented on 4 DVDs in this excellent Time Life DVD set, which tells the story o
I was anxious to watch**“Delhi Safari”**because it’s the first animated feature from India that I’ve run across, and the first Indian 3D animated film—though it’s only being released stateside in DVD.
As a young boy who collected bugs, butterflies, rocks, and basically anything in the natural world that could be captured and observed for a while in a 10- to 50-gallon tank, I was a big fan of Disney
Between “The Commitments” (1991) and “Almost Famous” (2000) there was another movie about the music scene that’s overlooked. And that’s surprising, since **“That Thing You Do!”**was Tom Hanks big-scre
**“The Bible: The Epic Miniseries”**carries a blue-and-white Dove symbol on its back cover, but it’s awfully tiny and doesn’t actually say “Family Approved.” After watching this popular HISTORY Channe
**“H2O: Just Add Water”**is an Australian TV series obviously intended for teen and pre-teen audiences. But the creators and writers add a lot more than water. Every episode of this 2006 series, which
I loved animated films as a kid, and still do. But as with live-action films, there still has to be an interesting (and hopefully original) plot, characters we care about, and strong, believable dialo
**“Howdy Kids: A Saturday Afternoon Western Roundup”**ought to be called “Howdy Boomers,” because the people most likely to grab a copy are the ones who grew up watching these half-hour TV Westerns. T
In 2008, newly elected President Barack Obama announced he would assemble a cabinet inspired by Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln—the same book tha
As I wrote in my review of Season 1, **“H2O: Just Add Water”**is an Australian TV series obviously intended for teen and pre-teen audiences. But the creators and writers add a lot more than water. Eve
Curious George is one those children’s lit characters that’s so prominent it’s easy to think of him as having always existed. But George’s history is actually quite brief. The husband-wife writer and
“Rust and Bone” is an odd title for a film, and after watching it I still couldn’t tell you what it means. Then again, “Rust and Bone” is an odd film as well. If you had the subtitles and volume s
There are two Hitchcocks, really. First, there’s the one who’s taught in film classes. Alfred Hitchcock directed 67 films, and not one of them—not “Rebecca,” not “Notorious,” not “Strangers on a Trai
After watching “Zero Dark Thirty” with us, my mother-in-law quipped, “Zero Stars Thirty,” but then softened. “Two stars.” That’s probably still a little harsh, but I have to side with her rather
Call him Pi. He’s a legend among sailors and a man who can spin a good yarn. So can Yann Martel, whose 2001 novel was the basis for this live-action/CGI film from Ang Lee, which recently won four Os
“Mulan” is a wonderful piece of Disney animation and storytelling that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.**“Mulan II”**may be less inspired, but it’s also one of the best direct-to-video sequels
When "Shrek" took a playful slap at the sun-is-shining, birds-are-chirping world of Disney animation, audiences were absolutely delighted. What audacity, we read from all the reviewers. But let’s not
The Disney philosophy for its animated features has been fairly simple: make a movie that will appeal to adults as well as children, and balance every laugh with a tear. That changed somewhat with "Be
Like "Pinky and the Brain," each episode of "Phineas and Ferb" begins the same way, with the two main characters wondering what to do. But rather than trying to take over the world in every episod
*Funny and uplifting?*A drama about a wealthy quadriplegic and his caretaker, who happens to be an ex-con from the projects? It sounds more like the weeper of the week. Or a crime scene waiting to hap
It’s hard to watch a documentary focused on the American health care system these days and not draw comparisons to Michael Moore’s “Sicko.” Moore has a knack for taking a serious, hot-button issue, an
When “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Brave” came out of Disney-Pixar studios last year, it felt like a case of babies being switched at birth. But it really was the Pixar gang that produced “Brave,” a pr
“H2O: Just Add Water” is an Australian TV series obviously intended for teen and pre-teen audiences. But the creators and writers add a lot more than water. Every episode of this 2006 series will
After seeing “Skyfall”—the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise—I’m not inclined to argue who’s the best Bond, who’s the ultimate Bond villain, who’s the best Bond “girl,” or who sang the best Bo
Babar isn’t your average elephant:He’s French . . . well, insomuch as he’s the creation of French children’s book author Jean de Brunhoff, who first wrote about “le petit elephant” in *Histoire de
By mid-May of 2012, sales of 3D TVs increased by 74 percent . . . but according to the NPD Group, which released the report, just 14 percent of people surveyed said they expected to buy a 3D TV someti
Scholastic Video—part of the New Video Group—has assembled a distinguished series of books-on-video that use original drawings and sometimes modify them or animate them to make them more film-friendly
**“Animaniacs”**is the kind of cartoon series that will either rivet you to your seat or have you running for the exits. Produced by Steven Spielberg and aired on TV during the ‘90s, these animated s
Onscreen, Kevin James is a likeable guy. He just needs to pick projects that release his inner Doug Heffernan—that Everyman package delivery driver from “The King of Queens” who knew his limitations,
“Seven Psychopaths,” which is written and directed by Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”), invites comparison. You almost get a sense of déja vu as you watch. In terms of pacing and structure, it feels
*When there’s a smile in your heart There’s no better time to start It’s a very simple plan You can do what the birdies can At least it’s worth a try You can fly! You can fly! You can fly! You can fly
“Searching for Sugar Man” is generating a lot of positive energy.It received Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Documentary.The Blu-ray cover announces a 100 percent “fresh” rating from
Sony Pictures Animations’ **“Hotel Transylvania”**cost an estimated $85 million to make and it broke even shortly after its second week in theaters . . . a big reason why there’s already a “Hotel Tran
Normally Woody Allen reserves his cinematic love letters for New York City, but in 2011 he shared his passion for Paris in “Midnight in Paris,” and he does the same with Rome in **“To Rome with Love,”
When I noticed that “The Wise Kids” was a Christian-themed drama involving Southern Baptist teens, I assumed it was the work of Sherwood Pictures—the film ministry offshoot of the Sherwood Baptist
I still, for the life of me, can’t figure out why anyone would want to be on a reality show. Aside from the ever-present intrusive cameras there’s the daily pressure to be “interesting” or “entertaini
Frankenweenie. Like “Frankenhookers,” the title alone is enough to make you giggle. That’s giggle, mind you. Mel Brooks may have squeezed laughs out of audiences with “Young Frankenstein,” but in
When I think of Zorro, I think of Guy Williams in the popular Disney TV series, or I think of Antonio Banderas in two more recent films. I do not think of Alain Delon (“Rocco and His Brothers,” “Le Sa
This past New Year’s Eve, my wife and I turned on both of our options for a musical countdown on TV and thought, This is the best they can do for the biggest, ball-dropping party of the year? What hap
It took Disney a while to get up to speed in the area of interactive TV shows for toddlers and tykes, but in 2006 the Disney Channel pulled out all the stops, borrowing a few ideas from the old “Micke
“World without End” was an eight-episode miniseries based on the novel by Ken Follett and intended as a sequel to the 2010 miniseries “The Pillars of the Earth.” But this sequel, which aired in 20
The seven or so Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are popular with the grade school set because they expresses a point of view that many young readers can identify with: the smart kid, the essentially good
In the 1990 Paul Verhoeven classic, Arnold Schwarzenegger played a man who kept having recurring dreams of Mars and wanted to go on a virtual vacation there to see if he could find out more. But there
“Babes in Toyland” was 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert that was frequently produced at the community theater level and first made into a movie in 1934 starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Disney
Amy Tan burst onto the literary scene with her 1989 novel,The Joy Luck Club, which tells the story of four Chinese immigrants whose 30-year tradition of friendship and mahjong is interrupted when on
Robin Cook is a doctor who found his second calling as a novelist writing bestselling medical thrillers—31 of them, to date. Coma (1977) was his first major novel and probably his best known, because
**“The Simpsons”**became the longest running scripted primetime TV series in 2009, and before that it set records for being the longest running American sitcom and longest running animated TV series.
There are seven not-so-magnificent reasons why I wanted to give “Ice Age: Continental Drift” a lousy rating:The plot is right out of Saturday morning cartoons. The screenwriters just HAD t
I don’t have to tell gamers that “Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn” is based on the “Halo” video game series that began in November 2001—a series so popular that it helped establish and solidify Xbox’s p
Although**“Heavyweights”**is a 1995 film, it’s a throwback to the early Disney live-action films that coasted on their premises and were content to provide lightweight entertainment and nothing more.
There’s a joyous scene in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” in which the bayou residents of an isolated Louisiana community nicknamed “The Bathtub”—so named because they live on the other side of a po
Here’s one for the trivia games: What movie did Warren Beatty make after he and Dustin Hoffman stunk up the theaters with “Ishtar,” Elaine May’s contemporized version of the old Crosby-Hope “road” pic
“The Odd Life of Timothy Green” isn’t really so odd. A junior-high age kid gets picked on at school, he falls for a girl who’s taller and more popular than he is, he plays soccer (sort of), and de
Now, if all of you could just look into this neuralizer while I talk about “Men in Black 3”. That really was a young Tommy Lee Jones from the Sixties you saw in time-travel flashback, not Josh
Thanks for the adventure. Now go have yourself a new one. So a dying Ellie has written in her adventure scrapbook, one she had previously left blank in order to fill with pictures when she finally
After watching “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” I racked my brain trying to think of another stoner film that didn’t have drugs in it—not even drug references—and I’ve been coming up empty. I
“Finding Nemo” has to be one of the most-anticipated Blu-ray releases—especially after this year’s theatrical re-release of the film in 3D. The 2003 animated adventure has now grossed over $900 mi
If you can’t wait to hear Hugh Jackman sing the role of Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables” when it opens in theaters on December 25, you might consider picking up a copy of the 1999 London stage revival
Fictional characters coming to life are nothing new. Before “Ruby Sparks” we most recently saw it in “Stranger than Fiction,” where Will Ferrell realized he was a fictional character and tried to
I’m not sure if Charles Dickens would be amused or appalled at the wide range of adaptations of his enduring cautionary tale, but it seems like just about everyone has had a crack at the Scrooge story
If Pixar has become a victim of its own success, you could use the “Pixar Short Films Collection: Vol. 2” as Exhibit A to show that the studio has become more commercial—even before they hooked up
A lot of people—probably none so much as Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker/Spidey in the first three films from Sam Raimi—raised their eyebrows when Sony announced that **“The Amazing Spider-Man”
PBS Distribution recently released two series on Blu-ray and DVD: “Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl” and **“Broadway: The American Musical.”**Watching the latter, I couldn’t help but think that it couldn’t ha
In 2009, TV Guide named “Friends” Number 21 on their list of the Top 50 Shows of all-time, and it could have gone higher. Over 10 seasons fans became incredibly close to this group of twentysomethings
Count me among those who thought the first Blu-ray release of**"Patton"** was just fine. But the anti-DNR crowd complained loudly enough so that Fox apparently heard and remastered the 1970 Best Pictu
Thirteen is supposed to be unlucky. Many hotels don’t even have a 13th floor. But for the Pixar Animation crew it’s just another number in their unbelievable string of hits: [“Toy Story” (1995)](http:
David Lean’s 1962 biopic of T.E. Lawrence is a long movie (227 minutes) that was a long time in the making (24 months in pre-production, plus 14 months of shooting). Small wonder, then, that **“Lawren
It’s curious how Christmas mythology has evolved in cinema. With “Miracle on 34th Street” the concept of letters to Santa being answered was tackled head-on, reassuring youngsters everywhere that San
Note: Jim Plath provides his thoughts on "Fantasy Island" while William Lee contributes the episode rundown as well as the video, audio, and film value portions. **"Fantasy Island" according to Jim
“Company,” for those who haven’t heard of it, is a musical comedy that debuted on Broadway in 1970 and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, and, when it was revived a
Twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—as an individual performer and as a member of the influential Buffalo Springfield folk-rock band—Neil Young has had a storied career, though it was r
Fox recently unveiled the first wave of titles in the Filmmakers Signature Series, a handsome low-priced Blu-ray series featuring a director-approved HD transfer and a 26-page (28, counting covers) fu
Ben Franklin was wrong when he wrote how “nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” If he had lived into the age of cinema, he probably would have added “disappointing sequels” to the
Some films grow on you. Others start to weigh like a growth, or a scruffy beard and dirty clothes that you just can't wait to shed—like the four hillbillies that young Pete is trying to escape in this
From the moment that we’re shown a clip of each character’s situation in England that has them ripe to retire not at Southend-On-Sea or Swansea, but in India, we know that their adventure in this come
“Prometheus” was arguably the biggest film of 2012, grossing more than $400 million and producing a buzz like no other film. It began as the fifth installment of the “Alien” series, but at some po
I’m no expert on Tinker Bell. Peter Pan (complex) maybe, but not Tink. So for this film I’m relying on my 10-year-old daughter, who falls within the target age range of the Tinker Bell films that Disn
In 2009, a firestorm erupted over the release of "The French Connection" on Blu-ray. Though director William Friedkin said in an introduction to the film that the Blu-ray represented the best vers
As you wish? Maybe. But there seem to be as many editions of “The Princess Bride” as there are Dread Pirate Roberts. There was the initial release, then two-disc “Buttercup” or “Dread Pirate Ro
As a Cubs fan, I’m still reeling from the team’s 101-loss season, but having “A League of Their Own,” one of my all-time favorite baseball movies, come out on Blu-ray for the first time is some co
Maybe it’s the London fog, or the peg-legged bat with his in-your-face fangs. Maybe it’s the villainous rat tinkling a bell to punish a drunken mouse for a slip of the tongue by feeding him to his gia
The main body of the review was written by Jim Plath on the occasion of the 2004 SD release of “Eating Raoul” by Sony. The rest of this reviews has been written by Christopher Long, and addresses the
Mention John Huston and a film buff is apt to start speaking rapturously about the director’s debut, “The Maltese Falcon” (1941)—or perhaps “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Key Largo,” “The Asphal
Disney is all about wishes, so when Walt decided to turn the popular fairy tale “Cinderella” into a full-length animated feature, he used Charles Perrault’s version, in which the Frenchman introduced
Creature features were one of the more offbeat and just plain fun by-products of the nuclear age, when just about any living thing could grow large enough to ravage cinematic cities and we’d believe i
I can give you several reasons why I shouldn’t like “Hart of Dixie”:It’s “Northern Exposure” without the indie edge and truly quirky characters.It’s an unabashed romantic dramedy in the tr
I was 13 when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes made their fall 1963 debut in a Marvel comic—a group that originally featured Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Thor as they banded together to fight The Hulk. Maybe
Like “Arrested Development” and “The Office,”“Modern Family” is shot using a lot of hand-held cameras and quick pans, pull-backs and zooms, with no laugh-track and a snappy narrative style. Like
“The Carol Burnett Show” is a tough one for me to review, because it’s a variety show, and that brand of television is nearly extinct. Only “Saturday Night Live” carries forth, and with more comed
In 2004, Universal Pictures and Mattel made the first Barbie film to feature original music, and “Barbie as The Princess & the Pauper” did well as direct-to-video installment in the popular animated s
From the mean streets to the clean streets . . . and cul de sacs. That’s the leap single dad George (Jeremy Sisto, “Law & Order”) makes when he panics after finding a condom in the bedroom of his 16-
You’ve got to give James Cameron credit. He’s a fearless filmmaker, and it turns out that he’s just as fearless when it comes to daring stunts . . . like boarding a three-person submersible and descen
America is a dog-loving country. There are so many canines in my neighborhood that when I take a walk I can almost feel people looking at me funny, wondering why I’m not attached to something on a lea
I’ve said in the past that for a TV video series that's based on a collection of books solely designed to promote a line of dolls and accessories, the American Girl films are really quite good. In cas
In previous decades, TV heroes were near perfect or only slightly flawed—unless, of course, they were private investigators, in which case they were lovable crime solvers who used inside connections t
Kenny Ortega’s claim to fame is that he choreographed and directed the “High School Musical” series that became a bona fide phenomenon. But his first Disney movie came 14 years earlier with “Newsies,”
“Darling Companion” sounds like the title of an Oxygen or Lifetime TV movie. Unfortunately, though it’s directed by Lawrence Kasdan (“The Big Chill”) and features a slew of stars, it also plays li
TV and film adaptations of successful children’s books can be dicey. What makes for a good read sometimes doesn’t make for compelling film or TV show. Things have to be changed, things have to be cut,
“Glee” is a musical soap opera, and Season 3 features the series’ trademark near-nonstop performance numbers and plenty of suds. How soapy? Three screen minutes hardly pass before one character i
The Golden Age of Disney animation is associated with Walt Disney and the “Nine Old Men” who animated and directed the studios features during the early years. Disney died in 1966, four years before “
I was hesitant to pop in the 35th Anniversary Edition of “The Rescuers,” because, as fans of the 1977 Disney animated film know, it’s always been a little rough-looking: heavy grain, indistinct ed
Though a pirate-lover, I’ll confess that I never got into Talk Like a Pirate Day. But give me Errol Flynn as “Captain Blood,” Burt Lancaster as “The Crimson Pirate,” or more recently the listing port-
The New York Post called it “Toddlers & Tiaras” meets “Real Housewives,” which normally would be enough to send me running in the opposite direction, rather than watch the Lifetime reality series **“[
You had to know that one day America’s community colleges would provide the fodder for a TV sitcom. Filled with “non-traditional students”—that is, not your newly minted high school grads who see four
“Bernie” is a curious film. Based on a real murder story, it’s a blend of mockumentary and dark comedy, with Jack Black playing assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede, who ingratiated himself wit
After watching “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure,” I found myself both admiring this sequel and noting things about it that are peculiar to sequels and TV animation. That leaves me torn be
There seem to me three levels of Disney animation: the feature films, the TV-style full-length movies and sequels, and animated versions of the A.A. Milne beloved books for children. The latter, in Di
In my This Week column I wondered whether it was worth the upgrade to go for the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray of “Spaceballs,” and after watching the movie and the bonus features I’m thinking probably
Five animated Disney features come to Blu-ray on August 21, with the most high-profile being “Pocahontas,” which is being marketed in a 2-Movie
Baby Boomers will fondly recall Disney’s True-Life Adventures, a series of short films and full-length features that introduced viewers to the seals of “Seal Island” (1948), the beavers of “Beaver Val
Like anything else, in cinema when you start with a good idea, it’s hard to go TOO wrong. A professional hit man going back to his high school reunion? It’s the ultimate fish-out-of-water comedy premi
Fun, but fluffy . . . and flakey. That is, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” is a lot like Romy (Mia Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow)—two twentysomething Valley Girls who think that life
Cyrano de Bergerac was a real French dramatist whose exploits inspired Edmond Rostand to write an 1897 play that made de Bergerac forever famous. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of the story of this
When Movie Met was still DVD Town, several people emailed to tell us that they thought we shouldn’t bother reviewing old movies, because people know them well enough; rather, we should concentrate on
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since “Adventures in Babysitting” played in theaters—that is, until you look at the fashions. It’s pure ‘80s, in all its poofy-haired, shoulder-padded
Whitney Houston shines in her most underrated film, a 1996 remake of “The Bishop’s Wife” directed by Penny Marshall (“A League of Their Own,” “Big”). If you check out the Internet Movie Database (imdb
The Three Stooges were and remain a cultural institution, despite every generation having the same debate about whether all the eye-poking, head-sawing, and physical abuse produce laughs at some socia
The History Channel made history this year with “Hatfields & McCoys,” a three-part miniseries that earned 16 prime time Emmy nominations—a record for History Channel productions. Part 1 drew an au
Except for a dog and a vulture, the animals in “Home on the Range” look nothing like Disney characters, drawn in a more angular style and with harsher details. And the overall look of the backgrou
Tomorrowland may be a success at the theme parks, but Disney hasn’t had much luck venturing into animated space. Apart from “Lilo and Stitch,” which was as all about Hawaii except for a few visiting a
Unless you’re a sucker for scenery—and as John J. Puccio pointed out in his DVD review, “Under the Tuscan Sun” is gorgeous to watch—you’l
My daughter loves dogs, but like a lot of people since “Marley & Me” she’s skittish around new dog movies, afraid that she’ll invest her time and emotions only to have to watch the cute little thing d
Like “A River Runs through It,” this Lasse Hallström film incorporates fishing as metaphor, with shots of salmon, the river, and fly-fishing running intermittently through the narrative so that it bec
Like the genre itself—indie comedies—the title will repel some people and attract others. I was intrigued, especially given the cover art and the premise. This one’s about a test-tube-baby genius who
Paul Newman received eight Best Actor Oscar nominations over the course of his illustrious career, winning only once. He wasn’t recognized for memorable performances in “Cool Hand Luke” or “The Hustle
It’s probably an overstatement to call it a “phobia,” but I’m fearful of small-budget romantic comedies. The cover packaging almost always looks as if it were shot by the same guy who poses high schoo
"Make love? But no one's done that for hundreds of centuries. " "In some things, the old-fashioned ways are best, after all. " Austin Powers, eat your heart out: 1968's "Barbarella" was satirizing th
“Mirror Mirror” is a strange film, and not in a “Big Fish” way. It’s as if director Tarsem Singh (“Immortals”) couldn’t decide whether to go with indie quirkiness, tongue-in-cheek comedy, revision
The year America turned 200 was the last time prior to **“The Artist”**that a mostly silent film—Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie”—was featured in a major theatrical release. But the bigger milestone is that
“Evita” has more in common with an opera than it does a movie musical. Apart from a few words scattered here and there, no one has any dialogue that isn’t sung, rather than spoken. For film audien
I had never heard of**“Newsies,”**and since it’s a Disney live-action musical, that’s no small thing. As it turns out, the 1992 offering was the first feature-length film directed by Kenny Ortega (“Hi
The difference between “formulaic” and “contrived” is often the difference between a light comedy and its sequel. That’s certainly the case with “Sister Act” and **“Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
I was never a fan of TV’s “21 Jump Street” because I was way older than the target audience—so I came to the 2012 action-comedy with a fresh pair of eyes and no expectations. Well, other than having s
“A Bag of Hammers” is a 2011 dramedy that’s indie through and through. The characters and situations are quirky, the dialogue is smart (or at least it tries to be), the soundtrack is alternate roc
Dr. Harvey Karp and The Happiest Baby, Inc. have just rereleased DVDs of “The Happiest Baby on the Block” and “The Happiest Toddler on the Block”—both based on bestselling books by the same na
The history of television is full of novelty sitcoms, like “My Mother the Car” (about a man’s dead mother who comes back as an automobile), “My Favorite Martian” (about a Martian who rooms with an Ear
There are so many TV shows that, especially if you don’t have pay cable, it’s tough to keep up. Somehow I’ve managed to miss “Entourage,” the HBO series that’s loosely based on the early Hollywood yea
Like “Schindler’s List” (1993),**“In Darkness”**tells the story of a gentile who saves a number of Jews from the Nazi holocaust. But while O
“Franklin & Bash” was promoted in the UK as “’Ally McBeal’ with balls,” and I think that’s fair. Like the popular late ‘90s series, this one is a comedy-drama involving lawyers whose antics are ju
I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to write this review, but the devil made me do it. When “Ghost Rider” (2007) cruised onto Blu-ray, I gave it a good [review](http://moviemet.com/review/ghost-rider-blu-r
As I watched “Chicago in Chicago,” a sold-out concert recorded in 2010 at the Charter One Pavilion in the city where the group formed, I was struck by the fact that the musical group Chicago has had a
I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to write this review, but the devil made me do it. When “Ghost Rider” (2007) cruised onto Blu-ray, I gave it a good [review](http://moviemet.com/review/ghost-rider-blu-r
I’m a sucker for all things medieval. That period in history fascinates me as much as the Roman Empire or the Wild West. Knights, ladies, castles, codes of honor, jousts . . . it’s all so essentially
In the Sixties, Mad Magazine debuted a Cold War version of the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons, but with a pair of coyotes. “Spy vs. Spy” featured one spy in white and the other, identically
Here’s a simple quiz: You’re at the multi-plex and three movies are playing. Which one are you apt to see, based on the title alone? a) "A Princess of Mars" b) "John Carter, Warlord of Mars" c) "John
Curiously, this past decade the entertainment industry seems to have been gripped by an Armageddon and post-Apocalyptic fever that almost rivals the Cold War atmosphere I experienced growing up. But i
In 1939, “Stagecoach” became the first so-called “adult” Western, bringing a new kind of complexity and seriousness to a genre that had mostly wallowed in B-movie Gulch. But it took television a while
You do not feel guilty when you squash a fly . . . and I think that means something. We’ve all played this game. What if you could have ONE super power, which one would you choose? And who hasn’t,
In 2003, Steve Martin and Queen Latifah made their only film together: “Bringing Down the House,” which, if you can believe the box blurbs, Larry King said is “one of the funniest movies ever.”
Steve Martin fans can create some space on their shelves with the purchase of the 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray of “Father of the Bride,” because the three-disc set includes “Father of the Bride” a
In 1989, British audiences saw a made-for TV movie about a young solicitor (lawyer) who was sent to a tiny, isolated village on the salt marshes to settle the estate of a childless woman who had recen
I grew up on Westerns, so it doesn’t take much to hook me. But people under 50—those who can’t remember when Westerns ruled television and box-office cowboys rode off with big gate receipts—apparently
On numerous occasions Norman Mailer told interviewers that Hemingway was a big influence. That’s clear in the writing, but especially obvious from his lifestyle. Born 24 years after the burly, bombast
Unlike many fantasy series, the “Underworld” franchise isn’t based on novels or comic books. It comes straight from the minds of screenwriters Len Wiseman, Kevin Grevious, Danny McBride, and John Hlav
Margaret Thatcher’s place in history is secure. With 11.5 years in office, her time as Britain’s prime minister was the longest of the 20th century. She’s also the only woman ever to hold the position
I don’t get it. “Men in Black II” had a bigger budget than the original 1997 film. Barry Sonnenfeld was onboard to direct again, and Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones signed on to repeat as agents L
In his DVD review, Movie Met’s John J. Puccio noted that **“Men in Black”**was among the funniest movies of the ‘90s—so popular that it became the hi
I visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) when I was in South Korea last November, and it was a strange experience. Technically, North and South Korea are still at war, since the Korean War ended
I have not read The Loop, a novel by Joe Coomer that was named a New York Times Notable Book. I have seen the movie it was based on, though, and I can report that “A Bird of the Air” is not a notabl
It was the largest ship of its time, carrying 2,223 passengers and crew on its now-infamous maiden voyage. But she was fitted with only 20 lifeboats, and because of low fills and confusion just 710 pe
For a time, everything that producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg touched turned to gold. Seventies' gold—which makes it open-shirt, heavy-link, neck-chain gold, meaning Spelling and Goldberg
If I were making a movie that was in any way derivative, I’d try to camouflage the fact. But Music Box decided to capitalize on the association, changing the original title (“Goethe!”) to **“Young Goe
On April 24, Sony will release DVDs of two anime TV series starring Marvel heroes: X-Men” and “Iron Man,” the latter a 2010 12-episode continuing storyline about Tony Stark’s expansion into Japan
George Clooney recently joked that the pressure is off him to do nudity, now that Michael Fassbender is working. We’re not five minutes into “Shame” before Fassbender’s big swinging dick—there’s
It took awhile for “Dark Shadows” to pick up a head of steam. When it was first introduced into the 1966 ABC daytime television line-up, “Dark Shadows” was all about Victoria Winters (Alexandra Mo
Hello Wisconsin! I can’t vouch for the other seven seasons, but “That ‘70s Show: Season 1” is the best TV show I’ve seen that didn’t crack the Nielsen Top 30. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, the charact
Winch. Largo Winch. It might not have the same cachet, but this 2008 French film features the same kind of hero, plot, exotic locations, femme fatales, exaggerated action sequences—even music—as th
“I expected it to be more about animals.” My wife said it, but we were all thinking it. Though the family agreed that “We Bought a Zoo” was a solid film, it also felt like a California version of “Th
“Nobody’s been through what we’ve been through . . . not since the San Francisco earthquake.” “Everyone in this frickin’ city is on painkillers or booze.” “Depressed? Angry? Anxious? Aren’t we all.”
Charles Dickens was to Victorian England what Mark Twain was to America—a writer-celebrity whose work was widely read. People may know him primarily for “A Christmas Carol,” but his novels—Bleak House
I’ve always wondered about animators and visual effects artists. When they’re on their game, do they resent it when the writing team doesn’t produce at the same level—the way an NFL defense must secre
Critics called it “TV junk food,” but this “Happy Days” spin-off really caught on with viewers. Though “Laverne & Shirley” was a mid-season replacement, it still finished #3 in the Nielsen ratings its
Steven Spielberg and I are of the same generation, and when we were still wearing shorts and packing cap pistols there were all sorts of horse movies and TV shows to inspire our play. Girls had “Blac
In 1987, Elisabeth Shue starred in “Adventures in Babysitting,” an action-comedy that followed the trajectory of “The Out-of-Towners” and the tone of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “The Sitter,” whi
I have great gaps in my education and cultural awareness, as if I’ve been oblivious because of constant texting—and I don’t even own a cell phone! I came to **“Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”**completely c
Ralph Bakshi specializes in low-budget animation—animation that thumbs its nose at Disney and established filmmaking conventions. My wife walked past as I was screening the 35th Anniversary Edition of
In an opening voiceover, Matt King (George Clooney)—a successful attorney living on Oahu whose great grandfather married Hawaiian royalty, then inherited a huge chunk of island real estate—says that p
At 158 minutes, David Fincher’s Americanized version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is six minutes longer than the Swedish version but shorter than the sprawling Swedish TV version. I find that
Greek mythology is confusing. It can be dizzying trying to trace the lineage and exploits of just one of the gods, demigods, or half-mortal bastards of the gods. So what do writers Charley and Vlas P
“Tooth Fairy 2” is the direct-to-video sequel to “Tooth Fairy” (2010), which starred Dwayne Johnson. And you have to give The Rock credit. He made sure he was busy when they decided to make “Tooth Fai
What do you do to revive a once-proud franchise that’s been on life-support for at least a decade? How do you breathe life into a brand that hasn’t produced anything really respectable since “Muppets
“A Lonely Place to Die” is a high-concept film with a low budget—one that begins like “127 Hours” but turns into “Deliverance. " That
My teenage son wanted to stay up later after the family went to bed, because we had just watched “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride” and he was hot to see “The Lion King 1 ½.” But the movie wasn’t on
Back in 1999, John J. Puccio posted one of the first DVD reviews of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” calling it “one of Python’s wackiest films, while being one of their most wildly uneven, too.
“The Lion King” (1994) had some pretty intense, Bambi’s-mother-got-shot moments that made an otherwise wonderful animated film a bit iffy for smaller children. Not only was one of the character’s pare
“National Lampoon’s The Legend of Awesomest Maximus” is for people who want to see nudity without the stigma of watching porn, and for those who’d rather suffer through 87 minutes of mostly bad co
There’s only one thing wrong with “The Interrupters”—a 2011 documentary about people who survived their inner city upbringing and are now trying to help others do the same by “interrupting” before
One I’ll soon be a grandpa All the pretty girls will call me “sir” Now, where they’re asking me how things are Soon they’ll ask me how things were I thought of those lyrics by Jimmy Buffett as I wa
Most people know about Pol Pot’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Vietnamese sympathizers because of the 1984 war drama “The Killing Fields.” Most Cambodians, we get the feeling from this new documen
Since Mary Shelley’s cautionary novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was published anonymously in 1818, there have been count
“Hazel” was a half-hour situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1961 to September 1965. Hazel Burke (Shirley Booth) was a live-in maid and housekeeper who has been a part of George Baxte
Is there life after “Zorro”? Surely there must be, but Catherine Zeta-Jones hasn’t managed to find it since clashing swords with Antonio Banderas in two tongue-and-cheek action films. “No Reservations
“5 Star Day” is an indie film, and it shows. All the earmarks are here: the peppy and fun indie music soundtrack, the long takes featuring characters in interestingly framed settings, the smart or wan
When “Some Like It Hot” was such a critical and popular success in 1959—snagging six Oscar nominations and winning Best Costume Design while charming audiences with the trio of Marilyn Monroe and Jack
Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Woody Allen Film Ever. That’s four Oscars . . . and the general consensus. “Annie Hall” remains as glib, intellectual
“The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975” sounds like a rap album, but it’s really a rap sheet on the U.S., summarizing the abuses and prejudices heaped on African Americans during those years as descr
Alfred Hitchcock has a reputation for three things: style, suspense, and his distinctive profile, which turns up in cameo in every film. His 1946 film **“Notorious”**also has a reputation for three th
The “Buddies” live-action talking dog movies are Disney’s biggest direct-to-video moneymaker. “Air Buddies”—a puppy version of the popular “Air Bud” series—was launched in 2006. “Snow Buddies” followe
Like most films about politics, “The Ides of March”—named for the day Julius Caesar was assassinated by his friend, Brutus, and other dissidents—is more the result of observation and compositing t
Cast Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson in a movie and you’re setting the audience up for what they expect will be a riotous comedy. And “The Big Year” could have been. Birding as a subject has
The faces may be new, but not the concept. **“Geek Charming”**is an opposites-attract story set in high school and starring Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”) and Matt Prokop (“High School Musical 3”). It
“Downton Abbey” won an Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries and a Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series. But it didn’t win a top-series BAFTA Award, which is ironic, considering that this British series be
Why is the rum always gone? Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” “It’s bullshit, isn’t it?” Johnny Depp, “The Rum Diary” But in “The Rum Diary,” Depp’s chara
When trouble is near, I am not slow, It’s up up up, and away I go! Powered by the milquetoast voice of 98-pound weakling Wally Cox, “Underdog” flew onto NBC’s animated Saturday morning line-up on O
This is the night, it’s a beautiful night, and we call it bella notte . . . . It turns out that one of the greatest animated love stories of all time was a December/May romance. In one of the bonus
Why is the rum always gone? Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” “It’s bullshit, isn’t it?” Johnny Depp, “The Rum Diary” But in “The Rum Diary,” Depp’s chara
New Jersey has gotten a lot of TV exposure over the last decade, and I wouldn’t exactly call it positive. Whether you’ve watched the mob action of “The Sopranos,” the ready-to-rumble “Real Housewives
“Designing Women” peaked its fifth season, finishing #6 in the Nielsen ratings behind “Roseanne,” “Murphy Brown,” “Cheers” and “Home Improvement” (tie). And it’s worth noting that three of the top
Two primetime sitcoms in the Fifties focused on a child in the family: “Leave It to Beaver” (1957) and “Dennis the Menace” (1959). Both series ended in 1963, but “Dennis the Menace,” which was based o
Unlike some critics, I don’t have a problem with advocacy films. It’s just that too often advocacy ends up taking the place of aesthetics when filmmakers either try too hard to win converts or else pr
Note: In the following joint Blu-ray review, Yunda Eddie Feng joins John in commenting on the film, with John also writing up the Video, Audio, Extras, and Parting Thoughts. **The Film According to
“Real Steel” has all the brainless fun of Rock’em Sock’em Robots and the heart and rousing fight sequences of “Rocky.” If you’ve seen “Rocky,” you know pretty much the whole story of “Real Steel,” wh
America in Primetime” is a four-part documentary that aired Sundays on PBS between October 30 and November 20 this past year. Fans of TV will enjoy seeing the wide array of clips and recent interviews
Years ago I entered a classroom, sat on a desk facing my students, and was so astounded by the vacant looks on their faces that I invited them to come up and sit on the desk beside me to share the vie
“The World According to Garp” (1982) may have shown the world that the stand-up comic and star of TV’s “Mork & Mindy” had some acting chops, but “Good Morning, Vietnam” proved that Robin Williams coul
The premise is certainly intriguing enough. Based on the book by Beverly Lewis, "Saving Sarah Cain" concerns a self-absorbed yuppie whose life abruptly changes when she travels to Lancaster County, Pe
“Life, above All” has the feel of a cinematic fable. It’s the kind of win-for-losing drama that Hemingway might have written if Santiago were a schoolgirl in a South African community beset by AIDS, r
The box copy for “Medea” reads, “In this haunting tale, Medea sacrifices everything to win the heart of Jason, captain of the Argonauts, but when he spurns her love, Medea exacts a scorching revenge t
*As a cook, tastes and smells are my memories, and I’m in search of some new ones. So I’m leaving New York and hoping to have a few epiphanies around the world. I’m looking for extremes of emotion and
“Moneyball” is reminiscent of “Jerry Maguire.” It’s a sports movie that’s more about people than it is about sports, which makes it appeal to a wider audience--even my wife, who’s not a big fan of
“Glee: The Concert” is “Glee: The 3D Concert” without the 3D. Audiences who were reluctant to plunk down extra money to see the film in 3D may have made the right choice, because other than a conf
Oscar season is close at hand, and you know what that means: another nomination for Meryl Streep, American cinema’s reigning grand dame. Streep has been nominated more times than anyone (16), but surp
New York had Tin Pan Alley, Memphis had Beale Street, New Orleans had the French Quarter, and Chicago had an open-air market that was first recognized by the city in 1912 and declared a “blighted area
David Cross (“Mr. Show,” “Arrested Development”) created this half-hour situation comedy set and filmed in the UK, where it first aired. **“The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,”**which so
George the First is in the White House, the U.S. bombs Iraqi forces in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, and Boris Yeltsin wins the first free election in Russia. Phil Collins and Gloria Est
December 7 was the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a date that Franklin D. Roosevelt correctly predicted would “live in infamy.” Before TV’s “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” bef
You may already have heard three things about "The Help," which comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today: --The film has Oscar written all over it. It does. I'd be very surprised if it didn't receive a
"Another Earth" won the Alfred P. Sloan special jury prize at Sundance 2011, and it's found an appreciative fan-base that responds to the whole notion of alternate selves . . . something which, in thi
For a film that revolves around a teen with a case of existential angst so bad that he can't bring himself to do any homework for school--because what's the point, we all die alone some day anyway--"T
2011 marks the 30th year since "The Smurfs" debuted on North American television as a Saturday morning cartoon, which means that the original audience for those little blue creatures (and collectible
Rumors about Tuesday's Blu-ray release of "West Side Story" started swirling many weeks ago, with two points of contention: First, that the overture visual sequence, the Saul Bass credit sequence was
I love it when a film surprises me. One look at the cover for "Water for Elephants" and three words came to mind: cheesy, melodrama, chick-flick. The artwork looks like the cover of a paperback roman
"Toy Story" (1995) made history as the first completely CGI animated feature. But "Toy Story 2" (1999) is also one for the books. Why? Because it's one of the rare Hollywood sequels that's equal to th
Screenwriter Michael Arndt told a virtual roundtable that "writing ‘Toy Story 3' was a three-year ordeal of anxiety and barely suppressed panic. And the only person more desperate and panic-stricken t
"Role/Play" is a gay-interest film, and I feel as if I should offer up the disclaimer that I am not, myself, gay. But I don't believe you have to be in order to review a film like this, any more than
It's your own fault, John Lasseter. Because your studio's first 11 films were home runs, every time your guys go to their computers the public expects another awesome at-bat. That would be unreasonabl
"Art is the Tree of Life," William Blake once wrote. "Science is the Tree of Death. " That's an extreme statement, of course, but it illustrates that Blake was a humanist who valued art and artistic e
Watching "Disneynature: African Cats," I realized within minutes (as most viewers would) that this film was totally different from three previous Disneynature releases--"Earth," "Oceans" and "The Crim
Never heard of "Brand New Day"? Join the club. Neither had I, so I had no idea what to expect. Maybe that's just as well. This quirky, offbeat Australian musical-comedy likes to surprise. It also has
Although Marvel released the first X-Men comics in 1963, I didn't buy any of them. After all, comics cost 10-15 cents apiece, and the only liquid assets you had as a 13-year-old kid were those that
As I wrote in my Season 2 review, the "Sons of Anarchy" are like scruffy Sopranos, and this FX TV show looks and plays out an awfully lot like that old HBO series. Instead of the mafia with rival mob
It was the favorite movie of "Cheers" barflies Norm and Cliff, who "na-na-na'ed" the theme song every time they marched off to watch it together. Along with "Jaws," "Star Wars," "The Bridge on the Riv
Tim Burton, who always looks as if he's wearing 3D glasses, told the Bollywood Reporter earlier this spring that he has mixed feelings about 3D. "I don't think it should be forced on anybody," he said
While "Zombieland" (2009) was a dark comedy that played like a comic book brought to the big screen, "Stake Land" (2010) is a straight, serious horror-thriller. In one post-apocalyptic world, America
"Wrecked" (2010) draws inevitable comparisons to "Cast Away," the 2000 tour de force in which Tom Hanks played a modern-day Crusoe plane-wrecked on a deserted island. Like "Cast Away," there's really
Disney's "Prom" reportedly cost $8 million to make and grossed only $10 million in theaters. At the Internet Movie Database fans rated it a paltry 4.2 out of 10, and it fared no better with Rotten Tom
"The Christian Traveler" sounds like a Travel Channel show for believers, but it's the most recent collection from Questar Entertainment and Reader's Digest, bundled films pertaining to Biblical sites
Like "The Battle of Algiers" (1966), "Outside the Law" (2010) tries to offer a balanced view of the 1954-62 war that was fought by Algerian nationalist groups seeking independence from their French oc
DVD Town's Michael Hiscoe called it "not much more than a colorful distraction from reality," but I beg to differ. "Rio" is the closest the 20th Century Fox animation crew has come to matching the loo
"Donnie Darko" is a bit like a teenager: brooding, complex, rebellious, and difficult to comprehend. Which is perfect, because the 2001 film is about a title character (Jake Gyllenhaal) who's all thos
Some films have a wise air about them. Just as "When Harry Met Sally" captured the essence of male-female relationships, "Four Weddings and a Funeral" conveys everything that is hilariously and poigna
"Overboard" (1987) is a male fantasy. It's a reverse Cinderella tale. It's also the best of two romantic comedies that Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell made together (the other being 1984's "Swing Shift.
Like fellow writer Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard has made a nice little career out of creating wacky characters who live in sunny climes and get themselves involved with murders, squeeze-plays, con men
"Limitless" is a film that strikes me as being ironically limited by a concept that doesn't hold up if you think about it too much. What if you could take a pill that would allow you to use 100 perce
The idea of the naïve country boy getting an indoctrination into big-city ways goes all the way back to Aesop, whose 5th-century B.C.E. tale of "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" was a lesson in t
Some people don't get British comedy. At times, I'm one of them. I can appreciate several of the Monty Python features, but, well . . . then there's the others. It's not just that it's droll. Sometime
If Nicolas Cage and Adam Sandler found themselves sitting at the same awards banquet table, they could pass the entire evening by comparing notes on their "I Hate You" anti-fan clubs. Often, it seems,
In his DVD review, John J. Puccio remarked that he's "always had the sneaking suspicion that people who like the music in ‘Hair' are the very establishment types the film deplores. " Me, I had the opp
I have mixed feelings about "The Long Riders," and that puts it somewhere in the 6-7 range on the DVD Town scale. On the one hand, there's much to admire in this Walter Hill story of the James-Younge
Woody Allen is no stranger to the world of cinema. Since making his debut movie, "What's up Tiger Lily? " in 1966, Allen has directed about forty-four feature films, thus making him one of the most pr
Call me oblivious, but I had never even heard of "Tigerland," a low-budget 2000 film that has a kind of "Blair Witch Hunt" rawness to it. That, of course, will be a salt-lick to some and salt rubbed i
Brad Bird is proof positive that the Disney Animator Training Program works. Three years out of high school, the aspiring animator got a Disney scholarship to attend the California Institute of the Ar
Because there are so many ballet-minded girls in the world, it's a shame "Black Swan" is such a dark, R-rated film that they can't watch it until they're old enough to date--which, for most dads, mean
In a virtual roundtable with online journalists, co-director Byron Howard said that they were "initially very disappointed when 'Tangled' didn't receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Before the 2003 "shock and awe" attack against Iraq, President George W. Bush and his staff claimed that their intelligence proved Saddam Hussein had materials that could only be used for building "we
"The Hungry Ghosts" is an awful title for a film, even if it does come from a Buddhist expression, but that's what writer and first-feature director Michael Imperioli decided to call it. Imperioli, of
Note: In the following joint Blu-ray review, both John and Jim provide their thoughts on the film, with John also writing up the Video, Audio, Extras, and Parting Thoughts. **The Film According to
Like the Harry Potter series, the late Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy is nothing short of a publishing phenomenon. It sold more than 27 million copies worldwide in 40 countries on
As I wrote in my DVD review, I can't remember a recent British costumer that I've enjoyed more than "Downton Abbey," which was released on DVD the same month that it aired on PBS. The acting is first-
It didn't win any major awards. Most critics and audiences only gave it marks in the 7 out of 10 range. But somehow, "An Affair to Remember" has emerged as an iconic American romance, alluded to in
I consider myself an adventurous film buff who can take anything a movie might throw my direction. Horror doesn't bother me, nor do films about war, torture and the like. If it's gruesome, I deal with
In his review of the bare-bones Blu-ray release of "Avatar," Dean Winkelspecht called it "the single biggest technological leap in filmmaking since '[Star Wars](http://moviemet.com/review/star-wars-tr
"The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships" is a direct-to-video film that was made in 2008 and intended, obviously, as a means of stimulating conversations in college classes on
During the Vietnam War--one of the few times that the military gave journalists full access--TV audiences routinely saw live coverage from the front. Sometimes journalists spoke into the cameras as th
"The Sound of Music" is the most popular stage show in the world, with 500 performances produced annually in the U.S. alone. And the 1965 film version? How could it have been anything less than specta
If the original "Predator" (1987) had a bit of a "Dirty Dozen" vibe to it, with muscleman-turned-action hero-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and wrestler-turned-action hero-turned-governor Jesse
Be . . . their . . . guest, be their guest, put the picture to a test, pop the Blu-ray in your player and let Disney do the rest. Oh the sound does resound, extra features do abound, if there's bet
Online game developer Jeff Kinney had an idea for a comic strip, but nobody like the concept. No matter. He just took the material and created Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a junior-high memoir of sorts tha
Like so many others, I get "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige" confused. Both films were released in 2006, and both are set during the turn of the century--one in London featuring two rival magicians
Sergio Leone didn't invent the so-called "Spaghetti Western," but it's this trilogy and Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968) that people think of when they hear the term. Fair enough. Leone t
Sometimes Life Throws You Curves. That's the tagline for "Drop Dead Diva," a Sony Pictures-produced TV series that began airing on Lifetime in July 2009. They could have added a second tagline--"S
After spending 12 years as a camera operator for TV shows and films, Geoffrey Haley wrote and directed this quirky romantic comedy about a poet who makes a living writing suicide notes. As you might e
As a Sean Connery fan, I thought I knew every movie he's made. I mean, I'm aware that he debuted as a singing actor in the Walt Disney production of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," and that he p
30 minutes after exposure. I'm sitting there watching "District 9" thinking that the initial "documentary" part of the movie feels even more amateurish and disjointed the second time around--especi
Three legendary guitarists: Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs). It Might Get Loud. But it doesn't, really. Sure, when the th
There's probably someone in Hollywood whose only job is to determine whether a film can say it's "based" on a book, "loosely based," or "inspired by" it. And I wonder what this person was thinking whe
So I wondered, how good could a film be that was written, directed, and produced by a woman whose only previous experience was turning out a couple of five-minute animated shorts--especially when this
"Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" drew 13.6 million viewers for its premiere, making it the second most watched Disney Original Movie to "High School Musical 2. " Fans will want to know one thing,
Talking animals and I don't get along, usually. That's because, other than the occasional winner like "Babe," they tend to disappoint in so many predictable ways. Often it's the annoying way that thei
Turkish. Franky Four Fingers. One Punch Mickey. Brick Top. Bullet Tooth Tony. Put any one of these characters into a caper film, and you've got color. Toss all of them in (and more), and you've got
Disney's Zorro (Guy Williams) is still the best--even my eight-year-old daughter thinks so--but Antonio Banderas does a fine job of capturing the tongue-in-cheek aspects of the Spanish swashbuckler. A
Like Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyan, some films just keep growing until they acquire legendary status. "Body Heat" is one such film. So is "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," an indie that launched Steven Soderber
Meryl Streep already leads her peers in the number of Oscar nominations received, and it's a safe bet that the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hand her Number 16 after watchi
Released in France as "Leon" and in the U.S. as "The Professional," Luc Besson's stylish film about a hit man and the young girl he trains is now available in a Blu-ray which includes the bonus featur
I was one of the few reviewers who gave "The Da Vinci Code" the equivalent of a 7 out of 10 (or 3 stars), and I stand by that assessment. That 2006 film featured Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) as a profes
As I was watching what I thought would be a chick flick, something funny happened: it turned into a dick flick--which is to say, more male fantasy than female romance. In romantic comedies, opposite
This is the third screen adaptation of John Godey's novel, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three," and in director Tony Scott's hands it's a "Speed" style film about four men who hijack a New York City
Sometimes a movie's reputation precedes it. Even my son had heard that the 1998 version of "Godzilla" wasn't very good . . . which is probably why he remarked halfway through, "It's not as bad as I th
Thanks for the adventure. Now go have yourself a new one. So a dying Ellie has written in her adventure scrapbook, one she had previously left blank in order to fill with pictures when she finally go
If you would have told me that someone could remake/update the 1941 "Wolf Man" movie and not take a comedic or satiric turn, I would have told you that audiences are too sophisticated these days for t
Once every thousand years a true seeker is born who's whole purpose is to slay the embodiment of evil that lives the Prince John life of a pretender in a castle somewhere in a fantasy land. And appare
I can't help but wonder what the reception might have been for "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" if it were made seven years after the end of WWII rather than seven years after "Mary Poppins," another Disney
Emilie de Ravin does a little "moonlighting" with Cybill Shepherd in this 2009 made-for-TV movie. The Lifetime production of Nora Roberts' High Noon was shot while the actress was also playing Clair
St. Elmo's is the name of a bar that seven recent college grads use as their new "I don't want to grow up yet" hangout. It's also a bright blue or violet "fire" that appears to emanate from masts at s
I don't know where they're headquartered, but there's an I Hate Adam Sandler Club, and a fair number of critics belong to it. Maybe the membership roster wouldn't be so large if Sandler and co-writer
1999 was a virtual reality kind of year, at least in Hollywood. "The Matrix" was released the end of March, "eXistenZ" followed in April, and "The Thirteenth Floor" came out the end of May. And as far
The toughest movies for me to review are the ones I know I'm supposed to like, but which somehow leave me feeling just a little flat. "Enchanted April" is one of those movies. It features intelligent
Based on the Tony Award-winning off-Broadway play "Doubt: A Parable," John Patrick Shanley's film adaptation of his stage version is really enhanced by Blu-ray's clarity and 1080p High Resolution. It'
Generation X'ers may recall the "Schoolhouse Rock" segments that aired on ABC during their Saturday morning programming from 1972-86. These catchy little animated songs taught a generation of children
Sony just released this title in a second wave of films they're calling "Martini Movies. " And yes, there's at least one scene where the characters sip martinis. The disc design of "Our Man in Havana"
Before "Halloween" there was "Black Christmas," an early slasher entry that features all the conventions you've come to know and love (or hate): the isolated setting, the group of college-aged student
This is one of those legendary films where, if you haven't seen it, you watch expecting something epic, just because of all the people you've heard talking about it. That's because "Kiss of the Spider
He's back. And I don't just mean in "Quantum of Solace," a title that sounds more like an Umberto Eco film adaptation than the next James Bond movie. Daniel Craig is back in a two-disc Collector's Edi
This DVD is preceded by a disclaimer that tells us "The Paul Lynde Halloween Special" was only telecast once, on October 29, 1976, and that it was presumed lost. We're also told the quality is below w
"Patton" earned 10 Academy Award nominations, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Art/Set Decoration, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. There was no nomination for
That's so not Raven. "Nice" siblings everywhere, take heart. When the Dolittle franchise went for a third installment without the doctor, it wasn't the rebellious daughter who got the call to star
When I reviewed "Broken Trail" on DVD I said the scenery was drop-dead gorgeous and that it was a curious combination of realism and romantic idealism--but that somehow it worked. The Emmy voters like
Tom Selleck's first role was playing a walk-on "Cowboy in Bar" in a 1969 TV episode of "Lancer," which starred James Stacy. Ten years later it occurred to somebody that he looked dad-gummed good in a
Along with "Knute Rockne: All American" (1940), this 1942 film about baseball legend Lou Gehrig was one of the first sports biopics. Curiously, though, there's not nearly as much baseball in the film
For over a year, now, fans have been waiting for the previously announced and then shelved Blu-ray release of "Gattaca. " Well, it's finally here . . . and with new cover art that shows a double helix
The Coen brothers are batting .500--not for their career, certainly, but for this year's Academy Awards. "No Country for Old Men" won four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, B
When you see the words "A Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer production," you know the film is going to have gigantic explosions that give rise to huge fireballs--in slow motion, of course. There's als
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Box sets are in demand for holiday giving, but they often dip way below the consumer radar other times of the year--especially those sets "not available in stores. " Perhaps that's why Time Life is on
Without a doubt, Johnny Depp is one of the most talented, interesting, and daring actors of his generation. Maybe that's why, when he agreed to a rare televised interview on James Lipton's "Inside t
Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves--others, their livers. In "Bad Santa," Billy Bob Thornton plays an alcoholic Santa who can't go three minutes without opening that pint of booze he carr
What do you do after you spend five years filming a nature documentary that wins a pair of Oscars for cinematography and music? If you're Alastair Fothergill and you're working for BBC and the Discov
If you've read the interview we just published with "Ratatouille" director Brad Bird, you know how high he is on Blu-ray. So high, in fact, that when I asked him to sign the slipcover of mine at the S
George Bailey and Bedford Falls never looked so good! This two-disc collector's set features a brand-new colorized version of one of the most beloved holiday films, "It's a Wonderful Life," while the
One hundred Scholastic storybook classics, for $99.95? The math is so simple that even your little ones might be able to do it. To add this incredible set to your home video collection, it'll only cos
When "Scary Movie" was first released on DVD, John J. Puccio wrote in his review that "most of its gags are outrageously stupid, vulgar, and unfunny. " I laughed a lot more than John apparently did.
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Season Seven started with Seven--a five-year-old son of Peg's Georgia trailer-park relations who's abandoned at the Bundy's. But then there were four. As quickly as Seven (Shane Sweet) came, he went,
Karma is a funny thing--especially when a trailer-park philosopher gets a hold of it. In Season One, loser Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) was hit by a car after he won $100,000 in the lottery, his ticket and
This may sound odd, but it's refreshing to see a sex farce without sex. In this film, written and directed by Francis Veber, there's little in the way of leering and lechery, no gratuitous nudity, no
To recycle a famous line from Mark Twain, reports on the death of the sitcom have been greatly exaggerated. Recent hits like "My Name is Earl," "Everybody Hates Chris," and "Ugly Betty" are living pro
Even in the scenes where he screams and shouts as he transforms from the human stunt biker Johnny Blaze into a creature with a flaming skull known as Ghost Rider, Nicolas Cage looks like he's having o
I don't know about you, but I'm no great fan of making decisions--especially coin-toss ones. But I've certainly wrestled with what I'll buy and add to my DVD collection, and what I won't. If it's a si
Given the law of diminishing returns, I wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing "Rocky VI" . . . I mean, "Rocky Balboa. " Since the first "Rocky" (1976)--which was a solid 8 out of 10 movie--each se
It's hard to imagine becoming so known for a lifestyle that centuries later your name would become synonymous with a type of behavior. But that's exactly what happened with Giacomo Casanova, an Italia
Edward Stratemeyer and Walt Disney had a lot in common. Stratemeyer tapped into the juvenile market by starting a syndicate of children's book series, including The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and
It seems like only yesterday when Jet Li picked up where martial arts star Bruce Lee left off. But since his "Shaolin Temple" debut (1982), he's appeared in more than 30 films, most of them Hong Kong
These are historic times. I can't remember another president or administration that has spawned so many books and movies protesting U.S. policies, either subtly or overtly. During Vietnam, college cam
"Luck ain't nothin' but karma in work clothes," says an ex-con and small-time hood known to everyone as Lucky. That sounds like another karma-conscious bottom-feeder named Earl, but with flashier clot
Years ago, you never heard much about the evacuation of children to the countryside when London was under attack during World War II. Lately, though, film versions of fictional accounts are shedding l
Travel books were extremely popular in the mid-1800s, especially those that described adventures in exotic places. Westerners absolutely loved reading Herman Melville's accounts in Typee and Omoo
Like Oliver Stone, who offers a commentary on the film and a dozen deleted scenes, I hadn't seen "Platoon" for a good many years. Watching it again, 20 years after it won an Oscar for Best Picture, I
Some TV series are likable in spite of themselves. Take "Here Come the Brides," a western adventure-comedy that ran just two seasons from 1968-70. The characters are as stock as can be, the situations
Surely, you joust. Knights rocking out? You have to admire artists who take risks. In just his second directorial outing, Brian Helgeland took one whale of a chance by opting to infuse a period piece
Just as "MAS*H" survived quite nicely following the exodus of Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, and Larry Linville, "Cheers" did just fine after Shelley Long left the popular sitcom. In fact, it was p
Spencer Tracy was a tremendous actor, but he was as badly miscast as Hemingway's Cuban fisherman in the 1958 version of "The Old Man and the Sea" as John Wayne was as Genghis Khan ("The Conquerer," 19
There was a time when Steven Seagal was B-A-A-D in a campy sort of way. Now he's just bad, and whoever convinced him to make "Submerged" should be severely chastised and held up to public ridicule.
I had never heard of this movie, but it turns out that "Electra Glide in Blue" is the flip-side of "Easy Rider. " Instead of hippies on hogs searching for the real America, it's biker cops patrolling
Released in France as "Leon" and in the U.S. as "The Professional," Luc Besson's stylish film about a hit man and the young girl he trains is now available in a two-disc "deluxe edition" which combine
Music and comedy led the way to recovery after World War II. First came "South Pacific," based on a collection of James Michener stories and turned into a popular Broadway musical by Joshua Logan in 1
Some films are so legendary that you have to wonder how it is that you missed seeing them. Italian director Federico Fellini is such an iconic name that I've often alluded to him when joking about peo
Physically, the West Wing is an office building located within the White House compound that holds the President's Oval Office and the offices of the President's support staff. Historically, it was bu