*The following is a review of the Criterion Collection's new 27-disc mega-set "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman," released on Nov 26, 2013. * If ever a blade went snicker-snack, it is surely Zatoichi's
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
In “The Smurfs 2,” the next installment of the macabre Grand Guignol saga of sin and retribution, evil wizard Gargamel returns with another dastardly plan to blanch, boil and puree the adorably hued 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
“I am not a thief.” When recently paroled Dennis writes these words, he believes them. And defiantly sticks them to the window of the house where his estranged wife lives. He’s going straight. But lif