New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 29th

This week in DVD/Blu-ray we had some good releases...and some bad one (like always), but some very cool movies were finally released--particularly The Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog and the excellent looking Another Earth, which both deserve a solid rental. However, you also have 30 Minutes or Less starring Jesse Eisenberg and Friends with Benefits--which was a huge shitstorm. Here's out write-up.

Cult Films: True Romance (1993)

By Jason Haskins

I’ve never been a fan of romances, but with True Romance you have a romantic movie for the whole family—action for dad, romance for mom, and plenty of fucks flung around for the kids.

Martial Arts Madness: Hero (2002)

By Jason Haskins

There are few movies that come along that leave you out of breath once the credits begin to roll. Hero is one of those great movies that you watch expecting a decent action picture, but finding a wonderful movie instead.

Cult Films: A Dirty Carnival (2006)

By Paco McCullough

A Dirty Carnival is the third film by South Korean direction Ha Yu, following perhaps his most popular film, Once Upon A Time In High School (Youtube the end fight scene, it's great). Released in 2006, it tells the story of Byung-doo (In-Seong Jo), a young gangster trying to support his ill mother and high school age siblings. As financial pressures mount, he agrees to take out a pesky DA, setting off a chain of murder and betrayal. At the same time, Byung-doo also has an old friend hanging around, now a director who is trying to see how gangsters really act. Byung-doo is also attempting to romance an old flame from his youth.

The Tree of Life (2011) Review

By Jason Haskins

Beautiful. Grand. Elegant. Confusing. Subtle. Epic. Enigmatic. Exciting. Scary. These are all words to describe Terrence Malick’s newest film, The Tree of Life.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) Review

By Paco McCullough

Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, and certainly one of the most creepy non-horror films I've ever seen. This indie film is nothing short of exceptional, and a movie that everyone should go see.

Small Screen Scene: Dexter - The First Season

By Jason Haskins

Welcome to our newest column, the Small Screen Scene, where we examine and review whatever television show sets we can get our hands on. This week we look at the first season of Showtime's hit show, Dexter.

New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 15th

By Terry Cleveland and Jason Haskins

It's a slow week in DVD/Blu-ray this week. Aside from the two talked about here, you can also check out the Blu-ray Criterion Collection debut of Jean Renoir's 1939 effort, The Rules of the Game, as well as the 50th Anniversary Edition of West Side Story in a stellar Blu-ray package.

Horror Flicks: The Others (2001)

By Jason Haskins

I'm a sucker for ghost movies-but the good ones are hard to come by. The last really good ghost story movie was the Guillermo del Toro-produced The Orphanage from 2007, dammit. Thankfully I've gone back to my trusty old movie shelf and dug up a forgotten gem from 2001 (has it been that long already) called The Others starring Nicole Kidman, produced by then-hubby Tom Cruise, and directed by Open Your Eyes helmer (remade into Cruise's Vanilla Sky) Alejandro Amenábar. Whew--let's get started.

Classic Movies: Full Metal Jacket (1987)

By Jason Haskins

There are many great American War films, but there's one that stands head and shoulders above all the rest: Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.

J. Edgar (2011) Review

By Tanner McCullough

J. Edgar, the latest film from director Clint Eastwood and star Leonardo DiCaprio, could have used a little bit more polish on it's script.

New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 8th

By Tanner McCullough, Terry Cleveland, and Jason Haskins

Better late than ever, eh? This week we saw an adaptation of a beloved Ayn Rand book, an adaptation of another beloved book (by nerds), a movie by a bunch of hippies for hippies, and another faceless romantic comedy. Check out what's new after the jump.

Martial Arts Madness: Operation Condor (1991)

By Jason Haskins

I was a kid in the mid to late nineties and I remember being at my aunt's house when Jackie Chan swept the place. All of my random cousins were hugely into him, but I hadn't even heard of him...until they put on Operation Condor, which got me hooked. Now, he has become a colossal box office hero...though he has succumbed to Hollywood in recent years--making cheap films that have indubitably weakened his image. I will put my cards on the table and say that eighties/nineties Jackie Chan is still the man and this movie is one of the reasons why.

Puss in Boots (2011) Review

By Jason Haskins

When they announced a Puss in Boots movie, I have to admit I was a little excited. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Shrek franchise, but the Zorro-like character of Puss was always one of the consistently entertaining characters. A stand-alone movie featuring our favorite cat action hero? I’m so there.

Sci-Fi Cinema: A Clockwork Orange (1971)

By Jason Haskins

The future of Britain is bleak indeed. Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is the leader of a gang who go around causing nothing but trouble. After a botched break-in at an elderly woman's house that ends in murder, DeLarge's gang turns on him and he winds up in jail. However, a new program is being set up that is supposed to cure his psychosis and he's transferred from prison to this hospital for the treatment. One of the side effects, though, is that he can no longer listen to his favorite Beethoven symphony without getting sick. Now, on his own in this cold and cruel world he must figure out what to do.

Horror Flicks: Dead Alive (1992) aka "Braindead"

By Jason Haskins

Peter Jackson was the dork behind the epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy, but little do people know that he was responsible for one of the most repulsive movies of all time: 1992's Dead Alive (AKA Braindead) set in 1950s-era small-town New Zealand.

Comic Movie Collection: The Crow (1994)

By Jason Haskins

"You're the guy that murdered Tin-Tin?"

"He was already dead. He died a year ago the moment he touched her. They're all dead. They just don't know it yet."

A man cruelly murdered along with his bride-to-be returns to exact revenge on the people responsible a year later: Devil's Night--Halloween Eve--in Detroit. Sure, this may sound like something you might've heard before but nothing comes close to The Crow.

New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 1st

By Jason Haskins, Paco McCullough, and Terry Cleveland

This week's new DVD/Blu-ray releases contain some good (Crazy Stupid Love), mostly bad (Trespass) movies--overall a week full of movies that aren't worth the purchase. Let's get started shall we?

Animated Writings: Winnie the Pooh (2011)

By Jason Haskins

Winnie the Pooh is the newest movie to use the classic Pooh characters of old. I was extremely excited to see this movie…but never really got around to it in the theatre. Is this newest Winnie the Pooh movie a return to its roots, or is it strictly for a younger audience?

Classic Movies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

By Jason Haskins

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the third film in the Man With No Name trilogy started by director Sergio Leone in 1964. It is widely considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made—hell, one of the best films to grace screens. There is no question how influential this film was not only in terms of the genre, but composition—easily one of Leone’s finest visual films.