Here are our latest reviews of films on DVD.
Pre-2016 Film Reviews
Assault on Precinct 13
Roderick Heath @ Film Freedonia
- Excerpt: Much like his hero Bishop, John Carpenter was a man trying to get somewhere when he made Assault on Precinct 13, one feeling the pinch of frustration.
The Bad Sleep Well
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: An analysis of the human character.
The Beaches of Agnès
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Varda reconstructs his memories in a film that is pure visual and thematic delight.
The Birds
Steve Biodrowski @ Hollywood Gothique
- Excerpt: Over five decades later, Hitchock’s approach still works, but it requires a certain amount of audience engagement: viewers have to pay attention, not just sit back and wait for the feathers to fly.
Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji
Peter Nellhaus @ Coffee, Coffee and more Coffee
- Excerpt: Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji was Uchida’s first film after fifteen years. Yasujiro Ozu, Daisuke Ito, and Hiroshi Shimizu are credited here as advisors to the production.
Bridge of Spies
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: This is not a spy movie.
The Choice
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: The premiere of Idrissa Ouedraogo in feature films.
Cold Water
- Excerpt: With strong performances from a cast of mostly non-actors, top-notch cinematography from Denis Lenoir and a dynamic soundtrack – all of which come together in a party scene for the ages – the film is a thoughtful study in depicting adolescence, a time that’s filled with both fiery passion and a distinct lack of direction.
The Dark Knight
Steve Biodrowski @ Hollywood Gothique
- Excerpt: Returning to the IMAX screen a decade after its initial release, The Dark Knight’s looks as good as – in fact better than – ever.
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Is it a lobster? It’s a crab? Noooooooooo! It’s Ebirah!
The Farmer’s Daughter
Peter Nellhaus @ Coffee, Coffee and more Coffee
- Excerpt: Loretta Young won an Oscar for the title role. I can only assume that this was more for career recognition, and that her character was more likable than the competition made up of flawed characters portrayed by Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Susan Hayward and Dorothy McGuire.
Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror in 3D
Steve Biodrowski @ Hollywood Gothique
- Excerpt: At the end of the day, Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror may be one of those films best enjoyed as a childhood memory, but finally seeing it in 3D was roughly equivalent to finding the Holy Grail.
Heleno
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: The story of a Brazilian football legend.
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Godzilla, the atomic dancer.
Madadayo
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: The swan song of Akira Kurosawa.
Museo
Chris Barsanti @ Film Journal International
- Excerpt: A half-assed revolutionary’s big museum score goes south in this quirky, artfully composed comedic heist.
Scenes from a Marriage
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Bergman and the marriage.
The Serpent’s Egg
Luiz Santiago @ Plano Crítico [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Possibly the best film ever made about the Weimar Republic.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Gregory J. Smalley @ 366 Weird Movies
- Excerpt: Red horses leap through the sky, a parade of Christmas characters includes the Grim Reaper, and it all plays out under a star of eternal love twinkling in an icy sky far above. Soviet authorities saw these nostalgic fantasies as dangerous counter-revolutionary nods to the pre-Communist past and an antiquated culture, but it is as much a manifesto for a superior counter-reality.
