Darren Aronofsky’s second feature, Requiem for a Dream: Director’s Cut, arrives on 4K Ultra HD to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary. There are certainly a few Oscar winners and nominees involved in the psychological drama: Darren Aronofsky, Matthew Libatique, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, and Jennifer Connelly. Following its out-of-competition premiere during the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and North American premiere during the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, the film would also receive plenty of critical…
"Requiem for a Dream: Director’s Cut on 4K Ultra HD"Author: Danielle Solzman
Danielle Solzman
Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite! heads home to Blu-ray just over a decade after the release of the the second sequel in the franchise. Following the second sequel, a Great Truce was made. Cats and dogs have come together to form Furry Animals Rivalry Termination or, you guessed correctly, F.A.R.T. Some jokes are made and yes, they’re rather juvenile but it won’t distract us from the cute and cuddly friends on the screen. Of…
"Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite! Now on Blu-ray"
The Coen brothers find a way to mix both political thriller and dark comedy in Burn After Reading to give us a beautiful piece of cinema. Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) quits his job as a CIA analyst and uses this newfound time to write his memoir. His wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), sees this and continues having an affair with U.S. Marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). It feels like everybody is having an affair as we…
"Burn After Reading: A Comedic Political Thriller"
French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges, follows a broke socialite and her son in the new film from Azazel Jacobs. Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer) had plans “to die before the money ran out.” Alas, this was not to be. Insolvent and widowed at the start of the film, the Manhattan socialite decides to move to Paris. The mere premise has all the makes of a comedy but instead, it’s a drama. Frances could…
"New York FF 2020: French Exit"
Luke Barnett spoke with Solzy at the Movies about his new film, Faith Based, and the controversy that ensued upon the initial announcement. Gravitas Ventures is opening Faith Based in select theaters and VOD on Friday. Can you speak to the challenges of releasing a film during a pandemic? Luke Barnett: It’s strange, to say the least. Faith Based was supposed to be released in theaters, and I think we got a different email every…
"Luke Barnett talks Faith Based"
The War with Grandpa is a cringe-worthy comedy that doesn’t really break new ground on the genre nor offer anything we haven’t seen before. The antics in The War with Grandpa draw along similar lines to Home Alone. A key difference being that the two at war are family members. In spite of the cast, this film simply isn’t good. While Rob Riggle is a natural comedian, Robert De Niro has shown in both Meet…
"The War with Grandpa: Raise the White Flag"
Spontaneous is an explosive coming-of-age comedy where no day is even guaranteed for anyone attending Covington High School. Aaron Starmer’s novel gets the small screen treatment in Brian Duffield’s adaptation. While the novel was first published four years ago, the story being told is very much on brand for 2020. Imagine going to high school and witnessing your friends exploding to death with blood landing everywhere. The amount of clothing that needs to be washed…
"Spontaneous: An Explosive Coming-Of-Age Comedy"
Hugh Jackman turns in a career performance as a superintendent in Bad Education and the film is now available on Blu-ray. My original film review from the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival: Bad Education features a star-studded cast and tells the incredible true story about what transpired in a prestigious Long Island school district. When Hilltop Beacon reporter Rachel Bhargava (Geraldine Viswanathan) looks into some expense reports for an upcoming Roslyn School District project, she…
"Bad Education Available On Blu-ray"
Totally Under Control is yet another documentary arriving before Election Day and among the most damning for the Trump Administration. That the documentary takes its own title from Trump’s very words should not be a surprise. Don’t forget this is the same Donald Trump who downplayed the threat of Covid-19 in public while telling Bob Woodward differently. Secretly filmed during the pandemic, the film was not locked until October 1st. Hours later, Trump would test…
"Totally Under Control Condemns Donald Trump"
George Cukor teams up with Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in the classic romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story. Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart are three of the biggest screen legends of all time. In fact, Stewart won an Oscar for Best Actor. This is in part because of Stewart losing for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington one year earlier. Donald Ogden Stewart picked up an Oscar for his screenplay. In addition to the two…
"The Philadelphia Story: An All-Time Screwball Classic"