The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! On Blu-ray

The Oscar-nominated Cold War comedy, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, is now available on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the film’s slipcase lists it as receiving an Best Director nomination but this is an error. Filmmaker Norman Jewison was wise to think that Nathaniel Benchley’s 1961 novel, The Off-Islanders, would make for a great comedy. It was the height of the Cold War and Dr. Strangelove had yet to come into existence and the Cuban…

"The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! On Blu-ray"

Alan Arkin: Oscar-Winning Actor Dead at 89

Oscar-winning character actor Alan Arkin, best known for Little Miss Sunshine, Argo, and a number of roles, has died at 89 years old. “If I’m doing a fake movie, it’s gonna be a fake hit.” – Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), Argo Starting in 1960, Arkin had performed in a pair of revues on The Second City mainstage in Chicago: In Animal Fair or Caviar To The General and Six of One. In 1961, the actor…

"Alan Arkin: Oscar-Winning Actor Dead at 89"

Sunshine Cleaning Marks 15th Anniversary

Sunshine Cleaning marks its 15th anniversary since holding its world premiere during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film’s premiere came on January 18 at the Racquet Club theater. If the venue name does not sound familiar, you probably know it by its new name: Park City Municipal Area Recreation Center (MARC). In any event, I never had the opportunity to check out the film in theaters, only on home video. While it plays beautifully…

"Sunshine Cleaning Marks 15th Anniversary"

“Sr.”: An Irreverent Portrait of Robert Downey Sr.

“Sr.”, a documentary about the late filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., follows him in the final years of his life and is a loving tribute. Chances are likely that you’re more familiar with Robert Downey Jr. than his father. Maybe you’re familiar with the filmmaker’s half-brother, Jim Downey, from his work on SNL. In any event, Robert Downey Sr. was making his mark on the American counterculture through his comedy movies in the 1960s and 1970s.…

"“Sr.”: An Irreverent Portrait of Robert Downey Sr."

Minions: The Rise of Gru Hits The 70s

Minions: The Rise of Gru continues to take audiences on the path towards the first Despicable Me with a lot of fun slapstick moments. However, I would be remis to point out a problem with the film’s soundtrack. There’s a point in the film where we hear the five-tone motif from John Williams’s score for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The problem with this is that this film is set 1976 and Close Encounters…

"Minions: The Rise of Gru Hits The 70s"

The Muppets Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Life’s a happy song when there’s someone by your side to sing along as The Muppets marks its tenth anniversary since the 2011 release. Films like The Muppets are exactly why the Academy Awards needs a Best Comedy category. We’re long overdue and this is certainly one of the best comedies in 2011. Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller deliver a crowd-pleasing script, beautifully directed by James Bobin. And the set pieces, oh my! There are…

"The Muppets Celebrates 10th Anniversary"

Argo: This Is The Best Bad Idea We Have

Argo tells an incredibly true story of how the CIA used a fake science-fiction film to rescue six American diplomats during the Iran hostage crisis. “This is the best bad idea we have, sir,” Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston) tells C.I.A Director Stansfield Turner (Phillip Baker Hall). “By far.” The best bad idea not only saves six American lives but manages to win an Oscar.  A few of them, actually.  The fact that the CIA turns…

"Argo: This Is The Best Bad Idea We Have"

Spenser Confidential Shows A New Boston

Spenser Confidential puts the city of Boston front and center while taking its inspiration from Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland. There’s something in seeing a Mark Wahlberg action film debut not in cinemas but on Netflix.  It’s just a little bit weird to be watching a Wahlberg film for the first time on TV during opening weekend.  But hey, this is the world we’re currently living in so we may as well start getting used to…

"Spenser Confidential Shows A New Boston"

The Rocketeer Gets A New Life On Disney+

The Rocketeer is the type of film that should certainly benefit from being able to gain a new life that that it’s available on Disney+. Stunt pilot Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) happens to come across a rocket-powered jet pack after crashing his Gee Bee racer.  The discovery was made alongside mechanic A. “Peevy” Peabody (Alan Arkin).  Little do the two of them know just how much trouble this rocket will get them in.  The rocket…

"The Rocketeer Gets A New Life On Disney+"

Little Miss Sunshine holds up 13 years later

Little Miss Sunshine still manages to hold up with plenty of laughs thirteen years after the film was initially released in theaters. Overworked mother Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) now finds herself responsible for her brother, Frank (Steve Carell).  Frank recently tried to kill himself so he’s coming to live with his sister’s family.  Meanwhile, man of the house Richard Hoover (Greg Kinnear) is trying to start up a career as a life coach and motivational speaker. …

"Little Miss Sunshine holds up 13 years later"