a few words about

John Krasinski shows a real talent for creating quality films, in this break-out, delicately produced horror product. Made on a relatively low budget, with a main cast of only five, it proves, once again, that the script comes first, and A Quiet Place has a superbly crafted example. With...

Robert Harris A few words about...™ Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood -- in Blu-ray On July 3, Criterion is releasing their new Blu-ray set of the six Hollywood (Paramount) productions that came from the talents of Marlene Dietrich, under the direction of Josef von Sternberg. They had...

Having checked the spelling of the title three times, I believe I've gotten it correct. John Curran's Chappaquiddick is one of those films, that while viewing it, I wondered why anyone bothered. It's a retelling in feature form, of the horrific accident that occurred on the Cape, back in 1969...

I'm not quite certain what to say about Unsane, Steven Soderbergh's psychological thriller, shot (by the director) with an iPhone, and some special optics from Moment. https://www.shopmoment.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvM30lIHq2wIVQrnACh1hIg_CEAAYASAAEgJki_D_BwE Finished as a 4k DI, what we see, is...

Long before there was Never Go Back, there was Jack Reacher - well, a few years before, actually. In an orderly fashion, especially for completists, and those who simply like to see similar packaging lined neatly on shelves, Paramount has now given us the first film on 4k, eighteen months after...

Peck Bacall Minnelli If you're either a completist, or simply a fan of any of the above, you'll need this one, especially as it's a magnificently produced Blu-ray, from Warner Archive. The story, which is strangely credited to an "idea" by the studio fashion guru, harkens back to Tracy /...

It's always an interesting challenge, when a series of films arrives in a new format - all previously released - and most with varying degrees of technical production and post-production differences in their histories. Such it is, with Paramount's new 4k Blu-rays of the Mission Impossible...

The Woman in the Window, a 1944 Fritz Lang film, produced by Nunnally Johnson, and photographed by Milton Krasner, is pure mid-'40s noir. But with a touch of It's a Wonderful Life and Wizard of Oz, thrown in for good measure. I'll not discuss, as to give away a plot line could be devastating...

The concept worked. Create a great, catchy title, and build a film around it. And it probably worked for no one better than for Val Lewton, the king of the horror/thrillers at RKO from 1942 to 1946. A period during which he produced nine extraordinary low budget films, and left an indelible...

Kevin Collins A few words about...™ Hilda Crane -- in Blu-ray Make no mistake. Hilda Crane, which Twilight Time is now offering on Blu-ray, is a soap opera. But it's a good one. With a screenplay by Philip Dunne, (How Green Was My Valley, The Last of the Mohicans, Forever Amber) and...

For me, any time we have the release of a new well-produced Blu-ray of a William Wyler film, it's a time to pause and celebrate. And his 1958, The Big Country, is one such cause for celebration. But we'll up the ante. Gregory Peck Jean Simmons Carrol Baker Charlton Heston Burl Ives...

This one is simple. The first four Jurassic Park productions (1993 - 2015), are included in Universal's new 4k boxed set, and the difference between the last Blu-ray releases, and the new 4k is astounding. Probably best described as a veil having been lifted. While the Blu-rays are all...

Stallone Schwarzenegger Escape Plan Viewers should know where this is going. But the film, which was not well reviewed, is a decent prison break-out drama / action thriller. And Mr. Stallone (nominated for a Razzie for his performance in 2014) and Mr. Schwarzenegger are in top form. I was...

If anything is going to cut into sales of HBO's immensely popular Game of Thrones series in 4k, it's that the Dolby Atmos re-issues in HD Blu-ray, are so spectacularly produced. Fine detail, especially in very long shots, is magnificent. With a production finished in HD, there isn't a great...

Lionsgate's new 4k Blu-ray of The Hurricane Heist, has a terrific, pounding Dolby Atmos track, that's beautifully mixed. Photographed with an Arri Alexa 65, allows for a nicely rendered 4k disc. Bring an extra dose of suspension of disbelief with you, and some may enjoy the chase...

Make no mistake. Hilda Crane, which Twilight Time is now offering on Blu-ray, is a soap opera. But it's a good one. With a screenplay by Philip Dunne, (How Green Was My Valley, The Last of the Mohicans, Forever Amber) and derived from the play by Samson Raphaelson, there's meat on the bones...

Robert Harris A few words about...™ The Birth of a Nation (1915) -- in Blu-ray Yes. I know. Mr. Griffith's 1915, The Birth of a Nation, which in many ways helped to further the language of cinema, has been seen on every known video format, since the early days. A quick count, shows, 347...

While they may not be winning international awards, the three Pitch Perfect films, from Universal, are crowd pleasers. I missed the first two, even on home video, as I (mistakenly) took them for something far less than they are. The first film is a light-hearted, easily digested delight, in...

The Patriot, directed by Roland Emmerich, in 2000, is in many ways like Braveheart, directed by its lead, Mel Gibson in 1995. Both are tales of nationalism, somehow based upon a horrific personal event, leading to a desire for revenge. Both are fine films, and both have now received splendid...

I'm not certain how far back in the home video chain we must travel to attain a copy of Disney's Peter Pan, that looks even remotely like film, as opposed to a very pretty flip book. While I'm certain that many people will disagree with my perspective, I've seen enough of these Disney animated...

In the world of classic film elements, popularity generally signals element problems. Add to that AnscoColor, early CinemaScope, and Stereo sound, and it spells major restoration and preservation costs, and headaches galore. M-G-M's first foray into CinemaScope was in 1954, with seven...

Strange thoughts were going through my head, as I viewed Fox's beautiful new 4k of Red Sparrow, as directed by Francis Lawrence. One must acknowledge early on, that when the lead actress, in TV interviews, spends no time discussing the import of her work on the film, or how it affects our...

The Matrix, directed by the Wachowskis, became an immediate social phenomenon when it was released in 1999. It holds up beautifully, almost two decades later, and WB's new 4k rendering, with Dolby Atmos and HDR/Dolby Vision, is a wonderful way to view it. A gorgeous representation of the film...

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Dave Strohmaier and Randy Gitsch's work on saving the original Cinerama projects, falls under the heading of Passion Projects. Working under limited budgets, and with very problematic film elements times three, we're finally treated to a far superior Blu-ray of the first film in the series, the...

Scream Factory, via their license with WB, is releasing the three original It's Alive films, written and directed by Larry Cohen. The low-budget trilogy (1975, 1978 and 1987) has always had a following, and fans should be thrilled with what Scream if offering. The film was remade in 2008...

John Avildsen's Joe, released in 1970, and giving a start to a young Susan Sarandon, is a very low-budget production, about a couple of dudes with a grudge against drug-using hippies. Mr. Avildsen, probably best known for Rocky, also acted as cinematographer. The image on Olive's disc is...

Philip Dunne's 1959 Blue Denim, was based upon the play by James Leo Herlihy & William Noble, and brought from stage to screen two of the leads, Carol Lynley and Warren Berlinger. Young Brandon de Wilde was added to the teen mix for the Fox production. The concept of teen pregnancy had to be...

Fistful of Dollars, was the earliest of the Clint Eastwood / Sergio Leone Italian western imports. There were thousands that followed, mostly with unidentified talent, and sold packaged with the better films, if you wanted those for distribution. It was photographed in Techniscope, 35/2. For...

Wes Ball's Death Cure, the final installment in the Maze Runner YA series, proves two things once again. First, that even terrible films, even when prepared for IMAX exhibition, can look superb via 4k Blu-ray... and second, that some films are best left in screenplay form, never to come before...