By John Corrado “The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.” – Nelson Mandela. I had just finished watching a movie on Thursday evening, when I went on the internet to find the news that Nelson Mandela had passed away at the age of 95. Like… Read More “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” is a Timely Biopic of Nelson Mandela
Philomena – An eOne Films Release http://philomenamovie.com Release Date: November 29th, 2013 Rated PG for mature themes and language Running time: 98 minutes Stephen Frears (dir.) Steve Coogan (screenplay) Jeff Pope (screenplay) Based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith Alexandre Desplat (music) Judi Dench as Philomena Steve Coogan as… Read More Movie Review: Philomena
This Tuesday, Mongrel Media released the indie film Drinking Buddies across all home entertainment platforms, including iTunes. Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) are best friends and colleagues at a Chicago brewery, but their friendship and possible romantic feelings for each other are put to the test when her boyfriend Chris (Ron Livingston) starts to… Read More Digital Release: Drinking Buddies
Today, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing Anchorman: The “Rich Mahogany” Edition on Blu-ray. First released back in 2004, the totally ridiculous and instantly quotable comedy follows broadcaster Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) as he faces rivalry and romance with Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), the first female news anchor. With a hilarious cast that includes Steve Carell,… Read More Blu-ray Release: Anchorman: The “Rich Mahogany” Edition
Today, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing The Jack Ryan Collection for the first time on Blu-ray, a boxed set of four popular action films featuring the iconic CIA agent created by author Tom Clancy, who sadly passed away earlier this year. The set includes The Hunt for Red October (1990) starring Alec Baldwin and Sean… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Jack Ryan Collection
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing eight of their classic films for the first time on Blu-ray. The first four are from the 1930s and ’40s, including the supernatural love story The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, the swashbuckling romance The Black Swan (1942) with Tyrone Power… Read More Blu-ray Release: Fox Studio Classics
Last week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Breaking Bad: The Final Season on Blu-ray & DVD. The suspenseful and riveting final chapter in the saga of meth cookers Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) that began in 2008, the two disc set includes the final eight episodes of the critically acclaimed TV… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Breaking Bad: The Final Season
By John Corrado A man is hanging by a tree, the soft mud on the ground beneath his feet the only thing stopping his weight from tightening the rope around his neck. We see other plantation workers going about their business in the background, doing their best to ignore one of their own, lest they… Read More Remembering the Powerful Performances of Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave”
Black Nativity – A Fox Searchlight Release http://www.foxsearchlight.com/blacknativity/ Release Date: November 27th, 2013 Rated PG for thematic material Running time: 93 minutes Kasi Lemmons (dir.) Kasi Lemmons (screenplay) Laura Karpman (music) Raphael Saadiq (music) Jacob Latimore as Langston Forest Whitaker as Reverend Cornell Cobbs Angela Bassett as Aretha Cobbs Jennifer Hudson as Naima Tyrese Gibson… Read More Movie Review: Black Nativity
It’s Thanksgiving Day across the border, and we would like to take a moment to offer our best wishes to all of our readers who are celebrating the day. We hope you all have a great time over the holidays. With Disney’s joyous and heartfelt animated triumph Frozen and the feel good musical Black Nativity… Read More Happy Thanksgiving!
By John Corrado When animation enthusiasts talk about the Disney Renaissance, they are referring to the period in history when the studio gave us such great films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Now Frozen has come along, a joyous and heartfelt animated… Read More Disney’s “Frozen” is a Joyous and Heartfelt Animated Triumph
Back on November 12th, the silent classic City Lights was released on Blu-ray & DVD, as part of the Criterion Collection. Following the iconic Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) as he falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) who mistakes him for a millionaire, this is a timeless romance that was made without… Read More Criterion Release: City Lights
Two weeks ago, acclaimed director Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha was released as part of the Criterion Collection. Frances Halladay (Greta Gerwig) is drifting through her life in New York, living with various roommates and struggling to make ends meet through her apprenticeship at a dance company, while trying to accept the evolving nature of her friendship… Read More Criterion Release: Frances Ha
By John Corrado As Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) deliver a victory speech in District 11, they give their thanks to the fallen Tributes. An elderly man in the crowd whistles those haunting four notes of the Mockingjay call, and raises his hand in the air to give them the iconic… Read More “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is an Excellent Second Chapter
Delivery Man – A Touchstone Pictures Release https://www.facebook.com/DeliveryManMovie Release Date: November 22nd, 2013 Rated PG for mature themes and language Running time: 103 minutes Ken Scott (dir.) Ken Scott (screenplay) Jon Brion (music) Vince Vaughn as David Chris Pratt as Brett Cobie Smulders as Emma Andrzej Blumenfeld as Mikolaj Simon Delaney as Victor Bobby Moynihan… Read More Movie Review: Delivery Man
By John Corrado Robert Redford delivers a mesmerizing performance in All is Lost, a haunting and beautifully filmed work that provides a unique moviegoing experience, which has been gaining buzz since first premiering at Cannes. The film opened back on October 18th and is still playing in limited release. When we first meet Our Man… Read More Robert Redford is Mesmerizing in the Haunting “All is Lost”
Today, Disney Home Entertainment is releasing Planes on Blu-ray & DVD. A spinoff “from above the world of Cars,” this is a completely innocuous animated film that will harmlessly keep young audiences entertained. When we reviewed Planes in theatres back on August 9th, our overall consensus was: “Although this DisneyToon Studios spinoff of Cars lacks… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Planes
By John Corrado Marcus (Keith Stanfield) sits on the edge of his bed at the group home where he has lived for several years, as the kind social worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) sits down beside him and starts to play a simple beat on the drum. Marcus starts to rap the words he has… Read More The Believable “Short Term 12” Features Beautiful Performances
When Jews Were Funny – A KinoSmith Release http://whenjewswerefunny.com Release Date: November 15th, 2013 Rated PG for language Running time: 90 minutes Alan Zweig (dir.) Alan Zweig (writer) Michael Zweig (music) Shecky Greene as Himself Howie Mandel as Himself Shelley Berman as Himself Norm Crosby as Himself Jack Carter as Himself David Steinberg as Himself… Read More Movie Review: When Jews Were Funny
Today, 20th Century Fox is releasing Turbo on Blu-ray & DVD, on behalf of DreamWorks. This is a fun animated film that provides harmless entertainment for kids and has enough clever scenes to keep adults amused. We all reviewed Turbo in theatres back on July 19th, and our overall consensus was: “Although the actual story… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Turbo
The Joy of Movies 