For this last Film at 11 podcast episode of 2025, I have once again made the ill-advised mistake of inviting both my sons to watch a movie with me, together, at the same time. That never works out well, and certainly didn’t here. Somehow, all the squabbling and fighting that ensued (mostly, but not entirely… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 43 | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Clinging to physical media for movie collecting has become an increasingly difficult prospect in this age of plentiful and convenient video streaming. First and foremost, the very idea of collecting movies for permanent ownership has fallen out of favor with the general public. Even for those of us hardliners who refuse to give up our… Read More First Impressions of a Second 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
In this week’s Film at 11 podcast, my son Joseph and I get paid a visit from Uncle Buck. Strictly speaking, the 1989 John Hughes comedy isn’t a holiday movie, but its themes of family reconciliation nonetheless resonate around this time of year. I think it makes a fine viewing in the run-up to Christmas.… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 42 | Uncle Buck (1989)
Among the many interesting movie trends and fads of the 1990s, the film noir genre experienced a bit of a resurgence as a number of directors attempted to bring some then-modern flair to the lurid mystery and crime thrillers they’d loved when they were younger. Unfortunately, while critics were largely supportive of titles like The… Read More A Man Don’t Always Do What’s Best for Him | Romeo Is Bleeding (1993) Blu-ray
My son Thomas and I did a little bit of prep work in anticipation of the latest Film at 11 podcast. Over the past couple weeks, between podcast episodes, we binged the complete first (and only) season of Joss Whedon’s famed cult sci-fi series Firefly. Naturally enough, that leads us directly into the feature film… Read More Film at 11 Podcast: Episode 41 | Serenity (2005)
The short-lived sci-fi series Firefly has had a very tumultuous history since its brief run on the Fox network back in 2002. After its ratings failure and abrupt cancellation from broadcast, the show became a hot commodity on DVD and built an avid cult fan base, who called themselves “Browncoats.” That was enough to convince… Read More Burn the Land and Boil the Sea | Firefly (2002)
I had originally wanted to do a Thanksgiving-themed episode for the Film at 11 podcast this week, but then I realized the best Thanksgiving movie (Planes, Trains & Automobiles, obviously) is rated R. Instead, Joseph and I finished off the Indiana Jones trilogy with the franchise’s third and final movie, Indiana Jones and the Last… Read More Film at 11: Episode 40 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
A tiny British film made for the equivalent of less than $3 million, Shallow Grave created quite a stir on the festival circuit in 1994 and in wider release the following year. If not necessarily in the same league as some of the mega-blockbusters of the era, the movie was a solid hit that launched… Read More A Material Calculation | Shallow Grave (1994) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
Back in June of this year, in Episode 18, I introduced my son Thomas to his first James Bond movie. We started with the Sean Connery classic Goldfinger. As I explained to him at the time, the Bond movies don’t necessarily need to be watched in order. For this week’s Film at 11 podcast, we… Read More Film at 11: Episode 39 | GoldenEye (1995)
Similarly to how the film’s lead character returns to the same events over and over, the 1995 sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys represents filmmaker Terry Gilliam circling back on his own career in a few notable ways. Firstly, and most obviously, it’s another time travel story, familiar in theme to (if very different in tone from)… Read More Science Ain’t an Exact Science | 12 Monkeys (1995) 4K Ultra HD
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