File "F for Fake" under truth in advertising. After all, this is not a real Orson Welles movie -- at least not in the sense of "Touch of Evil," or even "The Magnificent Ambersons." Welles took an unfinished documentary shot by someone else, tacked on some hocus-pocus at the beginning and end, mixed in spicy footage of his mistress and called it … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
HBO cuts cord
The main event in streaming video looks to be HBO vs. Netflix. The veteran pay cable service confirmed plans to offer a standalone HBO streaming service in 2015. Time Warner's HBO currently offers an online-video service, but viewers must be subscribers via cable or satellite. "It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO," said … [Read more...]
‘Crouching’ Netflix
Fifteen years after "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" dazzled Western audiences with its wuxia moves, the martial arts adventure is getting a sequel -- this time, debuting on Netflix. The subscription service is teaming up for the project with arthouse veterans Bob and Harvey Weinstein. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend" will … [Read more...]
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ on Blu-ray
The long-awaited Blu-ray of "A Hard Day's Night" comes with the prominent subtitle: Directed by Richard Lester. Truth in packaging, as the Criterion Collection's smashing release of the Beatles' film puts the focus squarely on the iconoclastic director, whose vision and bravery under fire made what could have been a forgettable "jukebox musical" … [Read more...]
Fuller’s ‘Big Red One’ botched on Blu-ray
Sam Fuller's "The Big Red One," a lost platoon of a movie that was cut to shreds upon initial release, finally came home to a hero's welcome in 2005 with the release of "The Reconstruction." What appeared to theatrical audiences of 1980 as a ragtag chronicle of young men at war now stands tall as one of the dozen or so great movies about World … [Read more...]