DVDs: Trumbo, Hunger Games: Mockingjay #2; The Danish Girl
Posted on March 1, 2016 by bob in DVD
Trumbo (R) Dalton Trumbo was one of Hollywood’s leading screenwriters throughout the 1940s. But shortly after WWII, the country morphed into its Cold War mentality, with Communism denounced as the new existential threat before we’d barely had time to catch our breath from defeating the Nazis. Fear led to demagoguery, with some claiming that Commies […]
February DVD Releases: Spectre, Bridge of Spies
Posted on January 30, 2016 by bob in DVD
Spectre (PG-13) For those keeping score at home, this is the 24th James Bond movie, and Daniel Craig’s fourth turn in the role. Charles Dickens would likely describe this entry in the fabled franchise as the best of times and worst of times. Many action sequences, locations, gadgets and lines of dialogue live up to […]
(Tom) Cruise, (Robert) Redford, An Ant
Posted on December 1, 2015 by bob in DVD
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (PG-13) It’s true. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, the big-screen successor to Peter Graves’ head of TV’s original IM Force, Jim Phelps, for the fifth time. That’s one shy of Sean Connery’s turns as James Bond; one more than Harrison Ford’s gigs as Indiana Jones; equal to the total of […]
November DVDs: Overnight, Trainwreck
Posted on November 3, 2015 by bob in DVD
The Overnight (R) An attractive, loving couple (Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling) has just moved to Los Angeles with their young son. They’ve not had time to start building a social life. A chance meeting at a nearby park with another father (Jason Schwartzman) and his boy leads to a dinner invitation for what could be […]
Movies on DVD — Spy; The Overnight
Posted on October 4, 2015 by bob in DVD
The Overnight (R) An attractive, loving couple (Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling) has just moved to Los Angeles with their young son. They’ve not had time to start building a social life. A chance meeting at a nearby park with another father (Jason Schwartzman) and his boy leads to a dinner invitation for what could be […]
Sept. DVDs — Mad Max (3.5); D Train (1.0)
Posted on August 31, 2015 by bob in DVD
The D Train (R) Remember when Jack Black’s manic comedic style seemed hip, edgy and hilarious? After watching this turkey, it’s hard to recall those days. Black stars as a former high-school nerd, still desperately seeking popularity among his peers years later by vigorously chairing the reunion committee. When no one seems interested in […]
August DVD Releases — Vampires & Kung Fu
Posted on July 31, 2015 by bob in DVD
What We Do in the Shadows (Unrated) If you’ve had your fill of vampires being romanticized and glamorized from the Twilight movies to HBO’s True Blood and their ilk, here’s the antidote. How about some laughs at the expense of a few contemporary undead slackers sharing a flat in New Zealand? Jermaine Clement, who garnered […]
July DVDs: Marigold Hotel(2), DUFF, ExMachina
Posted on July 2, 2015 by bob in DVD
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) In 2011, the first film arrived as a lovely dramedy about a handful of elderly Brits finding a surprising second go-round in the dilapidated remnants of a once-elegant Indian hotel, run by a charmingly earnest young fellow (Dev Patel). Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Celia Imrie […]
June DVD Releases: Kingsman, Focus, Serena
Posted on June 2, 2015 by bob in DVD
Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) Years of reviewing has taught me to expect little from big-budget movies that hit the theaters in January – March. They tend to be the dregs of the industry left over from the rush to get their good stuff into theaters before New Year’s Eve for awards eligibility. That makes […]
May DVDs: American Sniper, Blackhat, 50 Shades…
Posted on April 30, 2015 by bob in DVD
American Sniper (R) Eastwood adds another success to his war-related directing resume with this fine tribute to a real-life hero. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle served four tours in Iraq/Afghanistan. He became the most prolific practitioner of that specialty in U.S. military history, earning “The Legend” as a reverential nickname from his peers. Bradley Cooper […]
