"Love it or leave it," went the tagline for "WUSA," a movie about right-wing radio that Paul Newman called one of his best works. Mostly, audiences of 1970 left it, tired of conspiracy movies and less than thrilled about seeing star Newman playing a cruel and cynical drunk. Critics weren't impressed, either: "WUSA" is not an ordinary bad … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2011
‘All About Eve’ on Blu-ray
“All About Eve” continues to get better with age, thanks to a sleek and silvery Blu-ray presentation from Fox. The queen of backstage dramas makes its high-definition bow via a hardback “Blu-ray book” package that Fox bills as a limited edition. A 24-page booklet takes a quick look at star Bette Davis and writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz. … [Read more...]
‘A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop’
Brimming with color, noise and slapstick, Zhang Yimou's "A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop" plays the yang to "Blood Simple's" yin. The Coen Brothers' "Blood Simple" (1984) was a dark affair, full of shadows and pinpoint light, its noir imagery seared into memory by key scenes of nightmare-inducing violence. A curious choice of remake material … [Read more...]