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
“The Happy Poet” tells the story of Bill, a struggling poet who takes his last bit of money and a paltry loan from the bank to start a food stand. A food stand that sells, not hot dogs like the lo
The respectable tradition of literate, off-screen-violence murder mysteries proves it still has life in its creaky British bones in the new series “Endeavour.” This three-disc set presents five featur
The main body of this review was written by John Puccio in regards to Criterion's 2000 SD release of “Lord of the Flies,” one of the earlier films in the Criterion Collection (Spine # 43). The other s
I have so little interest in Ang Lee's second English-language feature "The Ice Storm" (1997) that I don't even feel like providing an argument as to why I have so little interest in it. The film, wri
I've only recently discovered just how beloved “Babette's Feast” (1987) is. When I mentioned it in a film discussion group, faces lit up and one woman declared that it was possibly her favorite movie.
Stephen Fung‘s follow-up to “Tai Chi Zero” (reviewed here) picks up right where the original left off. **"Tai Chi Hero"**begins with a narr
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
Out of darkness comes a light. In the face of a tragedy so vast and cruel it shakes the soul to even consider, a group of musicians joined together to spark hope through performance. **“Defiant Requi
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