For the first time in history, Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, is available for audiences to bring home on 4K Ultra HD. The release of 2001 on 4K UHD comes after the film played a limited theatrical run this summer. The run followed the premiere of the “unrestored” 70mm print during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival in May. It’s highly likely that this remastering doesn’t happen without director Christopher Nolan and…
"2001: A Space Odyssey marks 50th Anniversary"Month: December 2018
Directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin, The Jerk is marking the film’s 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new Blu-ray release this year. The Jerk is known for being one of the funniest movies of all time. When the American Film Institute honored comedy movies with their 100 Years, 100 Laughs selections in 2000, The Jerk came in at #89. This is the only film directed by Reiner to make the list. As…
"The Jerk: 40th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray"
Starring Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, and Owen Vaccaro, Eli Roth’s The House With a Clock in Its Walls is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. I missed this film when it played in theaters mostly because of the Jewish holiday marathon combined with film festival coverage. While Nathan Barr’s score compliments the film, that’s one of the few positives I have to say about it. This is the first film to use…
"The House With a Clock in Its Walls hits Blu-ray"
Starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding, Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor arrives home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD. Based on the book of the same name, Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor offers a charming fun comedic thriller with a side dish of mystery. Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) is a vlogger who investigates the disappearance of her best friend, Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). They met because of their children attending the…
"Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor hits Blu-ray/DVD"
For his role as Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice, actor Christian Bale is on the way to another Oscar for Best Actor in Adam McKay’s newest film. While the current administrations’s activities make us long for the days of the Bush Administration, Vice reminds us that maybe this should not be the case. Roughly two hours, this film is a study of Cheney’s lust for power. When he gets the call from George W.…
"Vice: Give Christian Bale The Oscar Right Now"
Beautifully directed, If Beale Street Could Talk is able to raise the bar on what we come to expect from writer-director Barry Jenkins. If you didn’t notice it with Moonlight, Barry Jenkins has a way with telling a story on camera. If Beale Street Could Talk further enhances his work as a storyteller. Jenkins puts so much care into the film even if it’s James Baldwin’s words that he adapts on screen. We especially see…
"If Beale Street Could Talk is Beautifully Directed"
Using innovative technology, director Peter Jackson takes us back in time to the days of World War 1 in a new documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old. While most of us see a black-and-white world when we watch World War 1 footage, the reality is quite different. The reality is that the 1910s were very much a world in living color. We don’t tend to see this in the archival footage of the day because…
"They Shall Not Grow Old: Peter Jackson’s WW1 Doc"
Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, was the subject of a biography in October, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers. It’s no surprise that the television icon is seeing the spotlight in 2018. After all, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1968. This summer saw the release of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? while the USPS honored the legend with a postage stamp. What is…
"Fred Rogers profiled in The Good Neighbor"
This past October, two-time Emmy nominee Ellie Kemper joined the ranks of sitcom stars to pen a humorous memoir when My Squirrel Days was published. Before Kemper starred in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on the Netflix sitcom, American audiences knew her from The Office and Bridesmaids. With her roles in NBC sitcom and the Paul Feig-directed film, it would only be a matter of time before the actress would be starring in her own sitcom. Sure…
"Gift Idea: My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper"
The Quake is able to offer us a low-budget Norwegian thriller that is certain to have audiences on the edge of their seats. The film starts out with a news report on the findings of the Geiranger Comission. This is–of course–a reference to the fim’s prequel. Where Geiranger was the main setting in 2015, the 2018 sequel moves all the action to Oslo. In any event, we meet up with geologist Kristian Elkjord (Kristoffer Joner) again. …
"The Quake: An Emotional High-Stakes Thriller"