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Fritz Lang’s ‘Ministry of Fear’

April 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Ray Milland in Fritz Lang's "Ministry of Fear"

Funny thing about the wrong man: He never, ever did it. This lack of mystery never held back the thriller subgenre, in large part because of Alfred Hitchcock's fondness for tales of the unjustly accused on the run. The German director Fritz Lang also worked cases of mistaken identity, notably in "Fury" (1936) and "Ministry of Fear" (1944). The Criterion Collection has revived "Ministry of Fear" in a no-nonsense Blu-ray/DVD presentation of the Graham Greene adaptation. Lang made several … [Read more...]

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‘Gold Rush’ hits motherlode on Blu-ray

June 15, 2012 by 1 Comment
charlie chaplin on blu-ray of the Gold Rush

"The Gold Rush" has been delighting audiences for almost 90 years -- it's one of the flat-out funniest films made in the silent era or any other. This is the movie Chaplin wanted to be remembered for. Probably the grandest silent-movie entertainment of them all. Close your eyes and let some of its classic scenes flicker across your mind -- the Little Tramp making a meal of a boot while twirling the shoestrings as pasta … his transformation into a big, juicy chicken … the miner's shack … [Read more...]

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‘I, Claudius’ on DVD: Thumbs up … finally

April 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Derek Jacobi as Claudius

Acorn's new five-disc retelling of "I, Claudius" opens with an ominous warning about the condition of the 1976 miniseries. "Occasional flaws ... that were beyond our ability to correct." "I, Claudius" fans could be excused a shudder of paranoia upon reading the disclaimer, especially given the treatment the BBC presentation received on home video over the years. No need to fret. Acorn's new "I, Claudius" is about as definitive a presentation of the Roman Empire drama as we'll likely see. … [Read more...]

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‘Spellbound’ on Blu-ray: a nightmare revived

March 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
ingrid bergman gregory peck in spellbound on Blu-ray

A man takes scissors to a surrealistic curtain, cutting an eyeball in half. Another man runs across a terrible angular landscape, stalked by a gigantic bird. A faceless tyrant lets slip a warped wheel as the camera slithers into the void of its center hole. Just another day at the office for Salvador Dali, mad genius and painter of the unreal. The above nightmare, "ordered by telephone" for Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, serves, of course, as the centerpiece of the 1945 psychotherapy thriller … [Read more...]

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‘X: The Unheard Music,’ ‘Sid and Nancy’

January 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment
l.a. band x unheard music image

"Being under the radar is a good thing," says Exene Cervenka, the singer-poet of the L.A. rock band X. "Celebrity-hood is not a good thing. … Being able to live your life as an artist and matter is a good thing. … I'm happy with the way things turned out. She pauses. "Other people in the band, maybe not so much …" X holds the title of quintessential L.A. rock band, brushing past such contenders as the Doors (too psychedelic) and Love (too ephemeral). Yet the quartet's profile … [Read more...]

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Ghostly images: ‘Carriage,’ ‘Kuroneko’

October 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Swedish actors in Criterion Phantom Carriage Blu-ray

Death can't catch a break in Hollywood. That's Death with a capital "D," the entity in black wielding a scythe. Aside from the "Final Destination" series (no screen time), "Meet Joe Black" (ugh) and "Harry Potter" (cameo), Death has been passed over in favor of the flesh-eating zombies, stylish vampires and demented serial killers of contemporary cinema. Too bad. Death cuts a fine figure in the lands of shadow and fog. Ingmar Bergman knew. He cast the gatherer of souls as the co-star of … [Read more...]

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‘Carlos’ blasts way onto Blu-ray

September 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Film directors have lionized killers as long as there has been film. With time comes absolution and insulation for directors who discover the misunderstood romantic heroes inside serial murderers. No better example than "Bonnie and Clyde." In the past three years we've seen exhaustive -- and excellent -- works on revolutionary Che Guevara, the French gangster Jacques Mesrine, the career terrorist Carlos the Jackal and Germany's radical left-wing Baader-Meinhof Gang -- coldblooded killers … [Read more...]

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‘The Blues Brothers’ on Blu-ray

August 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Dan Aykroyd and John Belusi

The Blues Brothers: Two white TV comics who dared to sing the blues and, incredibly, came out king bees. John Belusi and Dan Aykroyd's R&B musical plays like a honey-dipped harp, even after 30 years. Now it's enshrined in HD with Universal's Blu-ray release of "The Blues Brothers." Fans of the "Saturday Night Live" comics and the giants of black music that they proudly showcased should consider this a call for an immediate and enthusiastic upgrade from previous DVD versions. Sound and … [Read more...]

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‘High and Low’ and hard-boiled

July 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
toshiro mifune in kidnapping thriller High and Low

Akira Kurosawa wasn't known for film noir or crime thrillers, but he did do a genre drive-by back in 1963. Of course, it's killer. The Criterion Collection has reissued to Blu-ray "High and Low," the Japanese master's tale of a hardworking factory chief whose life is ruined after his son is targeted by kidnappers. Toshiro Mifune plays shoe executive Kingo Gondo, in another nuanced powerhouse performance. In Japan, the movie was more descriptively called "Heaven and Hell" -- heaven being … [Read more...]

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‘Star Wars’ on Blu-ray details

May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
star wars actors in image for blu-ray post

"Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray touches down Sept. 16 with more than 40 hours of extra features. All six "Star Wars" movies are rendered in high-definition with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. The sticker price is $140, but Amazon already has the nine-disc Blu-ray set "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" discounted to $90. The movies are George Lucas' latest versions, with upgraded effects and some additional changes such as the "Greedo shot first" business. No mention of the original … [Read more...]

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