By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) After a violent bank robbery, a group of corrupt cops turned criminals led by ex-special forces operative Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are blackmailed by Russian mob leader Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet) to pull off a 999, police code for officer down, to distract from an even bigger job. Disgruntled cop Marcus Belmont… Read More DVD Review: Triple 9

By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) After losing his wife (Christine Taylor) in a freak building collapse, and having his son (Cyrus Arnold) taken away by child services, the infamously dumb Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) decides to quit modelling and live as a “hermit crab.” But when pop stars like Justin Bieber start getting killed, and… Read More Blu-ray Release: Zoolander No. 2

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) When Jesus (Cliff Curtis) is crucified, and his body goes missing from the sealed tomb, Pilate (Peter Firth) hires a doubting Roman military tribune named Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) to investigate and find a body.  Pilate is worried by the implication of claims that the Messiah has risen from the dead, but Clavius has his faith… Read More DVD Review: Risen

By John Corrado When a terrifying blizzard struck off the snowy coast of Cape Cod in 1952, an oil tanker was ripped in half by the high winds and raging waters, leaving young engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) and his crew struggling to keep the boat afloat.  When the Coast Guard picked up their signal, Bernie… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Finest Hours

By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) When a mysterious ship starts hovering above the earth, and the first four waves of an alien invasion unfold, the humans are either wiped out by viruses and dwindling resources, or forced to join the army.  When high schooler Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) gets separated from her father (Ron Livingston), she… Read More Blu-ray Review: The 5th Wave

By John Corrado One of the most critically acclaimed horror films in recent memory, The Witch takes place in 1630, when a deeply religious family relocates to a rural farm property in New England.  But when crops start to fail, and their newborn child mysteriously disappears, the father (Ralph Ineson) comes to believe they have been… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Witch

By John Corrado There are many things about Easy Rider, which received a new Criterion Collection release on Blu-ray last week, that remain iconic.  The sweeping images of motorcycles riding along wide open landscapes, a soundtrack featuring some of the best rock songs of the era, and Jack Nicholson’s first of many unforgettable Oscar-nominated roles. But it’s the… Read More Criterion Review: Easy Rider

By John Corrado To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Top Gun this year, Paramount is releasing a brand new steelbook edition of the classic 1986 action film.  Starring Tom Cruise in one of his most iconic roles, and featuring a great soundtrack, this remains a campy and entertaining staple of its decade. Although this release… Read More Blu-ray Review: Top Gun: 30th Anniversary Edition Steelbook

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) A house fire and bag of stolen money forces the stories of a grieving young bartender (Anton Yelchin) who returns to his hometown following the death of his parents, a haunted fire survivor (Zooey Deschanel) whom he falls in love with, and a dangerous thief (John Hawkes) out for vengeance, to… Read More DVD Review: The Driftless Area

By John Corrado Telling the “mostly true” story of Miss Shephard (Maggie Smith), an eccentric senior who lives in the back of a beat up old van that ends up parked in the driveway of struggling writer Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings), The Lady in the Van is a small gem that is absolutely worth seeing on Blu-ray. Managing… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Lady in the Van

By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg) is an average guy in England, who works as a teacher and dreams of finishing his novel, while also pining for the affection of his downstairs neighbour Catherine (Kate Beckinsale). But things change when a group of five aliens (voiced by the remaining members… Read More DVD Review: Absolutely Anything

By John Corrado Arriving after years of feverish anticipation, and becoming the highest grossing film of last year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally coming to Blu-ray this week, and the set comes highly recommended for fans.  The film itself is a lot of fun, minor narrative faults aside, and does a solid job of continuing… Read More Blu-ray Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After going on a alcohol-fuelled joyride in a stolen car, troubled and rebellious teenager Billy Wyatt (Emory Cohen) is put in the Bernville Camp for Boys, a youth detention centre where intense pecking orders develop between the kids, and the guards (John Leguizamo and Paul Sparks) abuse their power.… Read More DVD Review: Stealing Cars

By John Corrado A masterpiece of the Italian neorealist movement, Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves is being released on the Criterion Collection this week, in a beautifully restored Blu-ray edition. When the bicycle he needs for work is stolen on the first day of his coveted new job, Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) sets out with his… Read More Criterion Review: Bicycle Thieves

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Based on a true story, Concussion follows the research of Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a Nigerian immigrant and celebrated pathologist in Pittsburgh, who found evidence of severe head trauma in the brains of football players who died prematurely from suicide.  But the doctor faced severe pushback from the NFL when he tried… Read More Blu-ray Review: Concussion

By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Today, Paramount is releasing the family comedy Daddy’s Home on Blu-ray.  Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is happily married to Sara (Linda Cardellini), and is a doting stepdad to her two little kids (Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez).  But when their biological dad Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) shows up, their household… Read More Blu-ray Review: Daddy’s Home

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Last week, 20th Century Fox released the kids film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip on Blu-ray, the fourth entry in the franchise.  When Dave (Jason Lee) starts dating a doctor (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), who brings with her a moody teenaged son Miles (Josh Green), the chipmunks become terrified that… Read More Blu-ray Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

By John Corrado Director John Frankenheimer’s groundbreaking political thriller The Manchurian Candidate is being released on Blu-ray this week, as part of the Criterion Collection. This 1962 classic follows a celebrated Korean War veteran (Laurence Harvey), who has been brainwashed to become an assassin who coldly kills in a trance-like state, and his controlling mother (Angela Lansbury), who is married… Read More Criterion Review: The Manchurian Candidate

By John Corrado Today, Paramount is releasing The Big Short on Blu-ray, one of the best movies of last year.  The film recounts the true story of financial outsiders Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale), Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) and Mark Baum (Steve Carell), who predicted the Wall Street crash and hatched a scheme to get rich in… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Big Short