With a terrific sense of foreboding atmosphere and a strong lead performance from its star, the Hulu film Hold Your Breath nails two of the most important qualities necessary for any horror-thriller. By that measure, it’s a success. On the other hand, the further it goes, the story feels more and more familiar to another… Read More Too Much Dust in the Air | Hold Your Breath (2024) on Hulu
Originally planned for a wide theatrical release, the George Clooney/Brad Pitt crime comedy Wolfs had its run in theaters cut short to just one week – the minimum required to satisfy both stars’ contracts – before being rapidly whisked to its long-term home on streaming. In years past, a film like this might have brought… Read More Smooth Operators | Wolfs (2024) on Apple TV+
Walter’s Hill’s 1979 The Warriors was a box office hit and has grown to become an even greater cult classic over the years, but was released to considerable criticism and controversy at the time. Unfortunately, that reputation led Hill, decades later, to create a Director’s Cut in 2005 that attempted to water down the content… Read More Miracles Is the Way Things Ought to Be | The Warriors (1979) Arrow Video 4K Ultra HD
Whether they’ve actually seen the movie or not, I doubt many classic film fans need it explained that 1945’s Story of G.I. Joe has no direct connection to the Hasbro toy company’s popular action figure line. This isn’t a prequel to the adventures of Snake Eyes, Destro, or Cobra Commander. However, Hasbro did take inspiration… Read More Just the Mugs Along for the Ride | Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
Arnold Schwarzenegger was already a celebrity by the early 1980s from his bodybuilding career, TV appearances, and featured screen time in the popular documentary Pumping Iron, but his attempts at acting didn’t really take off until he landed the lead in Conan the Barbarian. A screen vehicle well-tailored to both his strengths and limitations, the… Read More Days of High Adventure | Conan the Barbarian (1982) Arrow Video 4K Ultra HD
The Killer is legendary action filmmaker John Woo’s masterpiece. To be clear, when I say that, I’m of course referring to Woo’s 1989 film called The Killer. His new 2024 movie also called The Killer, which is being promoted as a self-directed remake of his own work, is something different entirely. The new version of… Read More La Femme Redundant | The Killer (2024) on Peacock
A couple weeks ago, a local community event space put up a makeshift screen and hosted a viewing of Luc Besson’s 1997 sci-fi epic The Fifth Element in my neighborhood. Although admittedly not, on a technical level, the best cinematic experience I’ve had in my life, and certainly not up to my usual home theater… Read More A Visual History of The Fifth Element (1997) on Home Video
Two decades following its debut, the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers saw its reputation elevated from a cheesy B-movie to a respected science-fiction classic. What Hollywood saw in that was an opportunity for a remake. Of course, the inherent irony of remaking a famous story about evil clone duplicates practically begs for dismissive comparisons… Read More Can’t Stay Awake Forever | Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Arrow Video Blu-ray
Likely the quintessential 1950s sci-fi B-movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers could easily have disappeared into obscurity if not for the efforts of producer Walter Wanger and director Don Siegel. Hired by the studio to churn out quick and cheap filler for a forgettable double feature, the creators instead delivered a film with such a… Read More They’re Already Here! | Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) 4K Ultra HD
While technically his third feature film as director, Terry Gilliam’s 1981 Time Bandits was only his second outside of Monty Python and, in most fans’ eyes, the first that truly marked him as an auteur in his own right. As a surprise box office smash (a top-ten money earner for the year on the short-list… Read More You Stick with These Boys, You Have a Great Future | Time Bandits (1981) Criterion Collection Blu-ray
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