Usually when a film is based on a book, the book is better. Occasionally though the movie clearly surpasses its source material; The Wizard of Oz and The Godfather are prime examples. But I can’t think of a single [ . . . ] Read the rest
Topic Archives: dvds
Miracle
May 17, 2006
In 1980, the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviets and won the gold medal. I vaguely remember the big fuss about this at the time, but in 1980 The Empire Strikes Back, Superman II, and The Blue Lagoon [ . . . ] Read the rest
Jarhead
May 9, 2006
Jarhead is a superbly well-made mediocre film. It’s a frustrating example of the whole being less than the sum of the parts.
The parts are all very fine indeed. The film looks spectacular. The skillful, disciplined cinematography, by Coen [ . . . ] Read the rest
Match Point
May 8, 2006
If you didn’t know better, you’d swear that Match Point was the work of some promising newcomer, not the pathetic has-been that Woody Allen has become. Allen’s maddening, OCD insistence on making a new film every single year results [ . . . ] Read the rest
Rent
May 7, 2006
The musical, like the western, is a once-popular genre now largely abandoned. But every now and then someone makes a really good musical, like Chicago, (or a really good western, like Unforgiven) and people start talking about a “revival” [ . . . ] Read the rest
Star Wars 1.0
May 6, 2006
Ever since the “Special Edition” versions of the original Star Wars trilogy came out in 1997, George Lucas has sworn that he would never let the original theatrical releases of thoes films be seen again.
Now, Lucasfilm has announced [ . . . ] Read the rest
The Simpsons, season 4
June 25, 2004
The Simpsons was laugh-out-loud funny from its first episode, but season four is when it completed its journey from mere brilliance towards genuine transcendence. This show did for the 30 minute sitcom what The Beatles did for the 3 minute [ . . . ] Read the rest
