DVD Release: Complete Series of Frasier, MacGyver and The Brady Bunch

By John Corrado Last week, Paramount released the complete collections of Frasier, MacGyver and The Brady Bunch on DVD, a trio of impressively sized boxed sets that offer an innumerable amount of discs between them, and come highly recommended for both television enthusiasts and fans of the individual series. Frasier: The Complete Series: Running from 1993 to 2004, Frasier follows… Read More DVD Release: Complete Series of Frasier, MacGyver and The Brady Bunch

April 14, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Three Views: Danny Collins

Danny Collins – An Elevation Pictures Release http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/#!danny-collins/cfvg Release Date: April 10th, 2015 Rated 14A for coarse language and substance abuse Running Time: 107 minutes Dan Fogelman (director) Dan Fogelman (screenplay) Ryan Adams (music) Theodore Shapiro (music) Al Pacino as Danny Collins Bobby Cannavale as Tom Donnelly Jennifer Garner as Samantha Leigh Donnelly Giselle Eisenberg… Read More Three Views: Danny Collins

April 10, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Criterion Release: Hoop Dreams

By John Corrado Last week, the classic 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams was released for the first time on Blu-ray, through the Criterion Collection. The film follows William Gates and Arthur Agee throughout their high school careers, two inner-city kids in Chicago who dream of playing professional basketball, with the chance of elusive sports scholarships being the only hope their… Read More Criterion Release: Hoop Dreams

April 7, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Release: The Rewrite

By John Corrado Elevation Pictures is releasing The Rewrite on DVD. Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant) is an award-winning screenwriter who is past his prime in Hollywood, and begrudgingly takes a teaching job at a small town university. But despite his initial inappropriate behaviour and attempts to avoid actual work, the class, including mature student Holly Carpenter… Read More DVD Release: The Rewrite

April 7, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: A Most Violent Year

By John Corrado Elevation Pictures is releasing A Most Violent Year on Blu-ray today. Named for the high crime rate in New York in 1981, the story centres around Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), a hardworking immigrant struggling to keep his heating and oil business afloat amidst allegations of fraud and threats of violence, and his… Read More Blu-ray Release: A Most Violent Year

April 7, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: While We’re Young

By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The first thing we see in While We’re Young are excerpts from Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder. “I’ve become so disturbed by younger people, they upset me so much that I’ve closed my doors,” a man says, and the response to his fear of youth comes just as… Read More Review: While We’re Young

April 3, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Pretend We’re Kissing

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After closing the Canadian Film Fest, and winning their award for “Most Awkward Sex Scene,” the charming romance Pretend We’re Kissing is opening at the Carlton today, and will also be playing at Landmark Cinemas across the country. This is the sort of homegrown film that has the… Read More Review: Pretend We’re Kissing

April 3, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) The 1996 film Fargo is one of the most iconic movies of the past twenty years, and an achievement that is nearly impossible to replicate. Now the Coen Brothers classic has received an offbeat followup of sorts in the unlikely form of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, an arthouse curiosity… Read More Review: Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

April 3, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: The Imitation Game

By John Corrado Today, Elevation Pictures is releasing The Imitation Game on Blu-ray. The handsomely produced film is based on the true story of brilliant but socially awkward mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was enlisted by British forces to help break the Enigma codes at the height of World War II, with help from… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Imitation Game

March 31, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: Interstellar

By John Corrado Paramount is releasing Christopher Nolan’s ambitious science fiction epic Interstellar on Blu-ray today, a must have for fans of the film. The story follows Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot turned farmer, who is on a literal journey through space and time that might just provide the last hope for our… Read More Blu-ray Release: Interstellar

March 31, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Bloor Cinema Release: Marinoni

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) One of the nicest surprises from last year’s Hot Docs, and a top ten finalist for the audience award, Marinoni is finally opening at the Bloor Cinema this weekend. Director Tony Girardin and subject Giuseppe Marinoni will be on hand for Q&As after the first two shows, tickets and… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: Marinoni

March 27, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Home

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Throughout their filmography of over thirty features, DreamWorks Animation has had a somewhat mixed output, evident just last year with three films ranging in quality from the surprisingly good Mr. Peabody & Sherman and the outstanding How To Train Your Dragon 2, to the very disappointing Penguins of Madagascar.… Read More Review: Home

March 27, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Previewing the 2015 Canadian Film Fest

By John Corrado Devoted to showcasing the best in homegrown independent cinema, the ninth annual Canadian Film Fest starts tonight with the Toronto premiere of The Cocksure Lads Movie. Screening sixteen shorts and eight features over the next four days, the festival closes on Saturday night with Pretend We’re Kissing, which is among my personal favourites and… Read More Previewing the 2015 Canadian Film Fest

March 24, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: Into the Woods

By John Corrado Today, Disney is releasing director Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods on Blu-ray. The musical follows a childless baker (James Cordon) and his wife (Emily Blunt), who must travel into the woods to reverse a longstanding curse that has been placed upon them by the Witch (Meryl Streep), encountering different fairy tale characters… Read More Blu-ray Release: Into the Woods

March 24, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: Exodus: Gods and Kings

By John Corrado Last week, 20th Century Fox released Exodus: Gods and Kings on Blu-ray. Directed by Ridley Scott, this Bible epic recounts the story of Moses (Christian Bale), and how he came to free his people from the Egyptian rule of his adopted brother Ramses (Joel Edgerton). There are some stirring special effects, and… Read More Blu-ray Release: Exodus: Gods and Kings

March 24, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Seymour: An Introduction

By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) After questioning the meaning behind his own art, Ethan Hawke had a chance encounter with the elderly Seymour Bernstein, an acclaimed classical pianist in New York who gave up performing publicly decades ago to focus on being a teacher and composer. This dinner party meeting came at a… Read More Review: Seymour: An Introduction

March 20, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: Top Five

By John Corrado Today, Paramount is releasing writer-director Chris Rock’s Top Five on Blu-ray. Andre Allen (Chris Rock) is a celebrated standup comedian, who has become a sellout movie star, and now wants to be taken seriously as an actor. But on the weekend of his new movie release, and widely publicized reality show marriage,… Read More Blu-ray Release: Top Five

March 17, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Release: Annie

By John Corrado Today, Sony Pictures is releasing last year’s Annie remake on Blu-ray. Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) is a New York foster kid, living with the nasty Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). But when business tycoon and mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) takes her into his home as a campaign move, the little orphan’s life suddenly… Read More Blu-ray Release: Annie

March 17, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Release: Star Trek: The Original Series: Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions

By John Corrado Paramount is releasing Star Trek: The Original Series: Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions on DVD today, a two disc set including eight episodes of the classic show that prominently feature William Shatner’s leading character. This is essentially the TV equivalent of a greatest hits album, and considering that most fans will want the… Read More DVD Release: Star Trek: The Original Series: Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions

March 17, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Three Views: Cinderella

Cinderella – A Walt Disney Studios Release http://movies.disney.com/cinderella/ Release Date: March 13th, 2015 Rated PG for mild thematic elements Running Time: 105 minutes Kenneth Branagh (director) Chris Weitz (screenplay) Patrick Doyle (music) Lily James as Cinderella Richard Madden as Prince Cate Blanchett as Stepmother Helena Bonham Carter as Fairy Godmother Nonso Anozie as Captain Stellan… Read More Three Views: Cinderella

March 13, 2015October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment