ReviewsNov 28, 2014
WHAT IF - Blu-ray review
The romantic comedy seems to be a genre on continual life-support—never healthy enough to ditch the I.V., but never quite bad enough to have the plug pulled. With “What If,” the rom-com rolls side
Reviews
ReviewsNov 23, 2014
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - Blu-ray review
After twenty years of trying I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never truly love any film described as a screwball comedy. My working hypothesis is that I am missing the apparently common-
ReviewsNov 22, 2014
THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY - Blu-ray review
“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
ReviewsNov 19, 2014
INTO THE STORM - Blu-ray review
My wife summed “Into the Storm” up way better than I probably can, and she doesn’t write for this web site: “It’s sort of like part ‘Blair Witch,’ part ‘Jurassic Park’ and a whole lot of ‘Twister.
ReviewsNov 16, 2014
AUTOMATA - Blu-ray review
In the predictably dystopian future of **“Automata,”**Earth’s ecosystem has collapsed, leaving only walled cities surrounded by radiation-blasted desert. The city inhabitants are served by a legion of
ReviewsNov 14, 2014
THE JOHNNY WORRICKER TRILOGY - Blu-ray review
As much a barometer of contemporary political morality as a political or espionage thriller, the three films of the Worricker trilogy paint the town in various shades of gray. Bill Nighy stars as Joh
ReviewsNov 08, 2014
SATELLITE - DVD review
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
ReviewsNov 07, 2014
JERSEY BOYS - Blu-ray review
I love “Jersey Boys” the musical. I’ve seen it in San Francisco, Las Vegas (twice) and Portland, OR. And I would see it again. And again. I would take my parents, my wife, my in-laws, you name it. For
ReviewsNov 06, 2014
THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN - DVD review
The ‘found footage’ horror film “The Taking of Deborah Logan” takes a questionable premise and quickly finds ways to make it even more regrettable. In this space, I have previously confessed my guilt
ReviewsNov 05, 2014
AMERICAN MUSCLE - Blu-ray review
The revenge film genre is a relatively easy narrative to get viewers to buy into. It taps into most people’s fantasy world while keeping them a safe distance from getting into any real trouble. The re
ReviewsNov 03, 2014
TAMMY - Blu-ray review
I suppose if desperate times call for desperate measures, the place you might look for guidance is “Tammy,” which lands on Blu-ray disc soon. Given how disjointed a motion picture this is, however
ReviewsNov 01, 2014
PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE - Blu-ray review
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,