Through the last twelve years, Darren Aronofsky has continually made films that deviate from what is typically sponsored and promoted in Hollywood. 1998’s Pi was simultaneously one of the most tense and introspective films ever made, while 2000’s Requiem For A Dream showcased the potential for addiction in all of humanity. Black Swan, eir 2010 film, represents Aronofsky’s best-grossing movie. Natalie Portman (Nina) and Mila Kunis (Lily) struggle for two…
Shows featuring an attractive male-heavy band have always done well on television. Whether it was The Monkees, The Jonas Brothers, or Big Time Rush, a tween audience will eagerly devour anything that is put out. Big Time Rush – the band, their music, or the show – seems to be miles ahead of many similar-sounding acts in that they skillfully blend rock, punk, rap, and even a little hard rock…
Around a Small Mountain, the newest effort from Jacques Rivette (La Belle Noiseuse, Oeline and Julie Go Boating), is one of those films that benefit from repeat viewings. The film starts with Vittorio (Sergio Castellito) assisting motorist Kate (Jane Birkin) with Kate’s broken-down trunk. From there, the two gradually get to know each other – Kate is a circus performer that will be leaving the city soon. Vittorio has to…
Helena From The Wedding is an interesting film, not only because of the crew that it employs but also because of director Joseph Infantolino’s pedigree (Run Fatboy Run). The title is also enthralling because of the way in which Infantolino captures the married experience. Helena From The Wedding does not glamorize or otherwise modify the married experience – what viewers will see from the different couples is realistically what could…
Morgan Freeman, even with being one of Hollywood’s most memorable actors, has some serious skill when it comes to narration. Viewers will be assured of this as Freeman introduces some of science’s most well-known scholars (a list that includes luminaries like Brian Cox and Michio Kaku) and their interesting takes on different phenomenon. This set, comprising the show’s five best episodes, will give viewers insight into what was present in…
A great many of the different companies that release childrens’ films try to release them with as few bells and whistles are is humanely possible. It is thus refreshing to see Paramount bundle together two different Peanuts titles – A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Come Home – in a value-priced ($15.49 currently at Amazon) title. The video prints are stellar considering the former was released in 1969 and…
Colin and Brad: Two Man Group is one of those rare comedy DVDs that has the same frenetic energy that their live show has; whether it is their quick wits or their tendency to get a large segment of the audience involved, Colin and Brad know what to do to get the chuckles rolling. Image Entertainment has given these two a sharp DVD release, ensuring that viewers do not miss…
A show like The Venture Bros. could only exist on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Equally as impressive as anything the channel has turned out before from Aqua Teen Hunger Force to Metalocalypse, The Venture Bros. centers around the clueless brothers Dean and Hank Venture, their madman/ultimately an ok guy scientist father and his bodyguards.
The amount of help that Harvey Milk brought to the then-new LGBT movement cannot be understated. Exactly how much that cause was hurt after ey was assassinated cannot be understated in the same way. Where much is made of the murdering of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Harvey Milk’s unfortunate path from this world is something that has not been given quite the amount of ink that it…
I graduated from college with a classics degree, along with a mountain of debt. I am familiar with Boudicca, but I believe that a number of other individuals have not had a chance to properly understand the impact that this Celtic queen had on any sort of rebellion against the Roman empire. Warrior Queen is a story about Boudicca’s trials and tribulations, and the lead role is filled by Alex…
This DVD was filmed last year at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, and represents a killer show in memory of Les Paul. Jeff Beck provides the most brilliant star power of the night, but the ranks are filled out by legends like Gary U.S. Bonds, Imelda May, and Trombone Shorty. What results is an eclectic set of performances that never fails to impress. There is nary a…
Wubbzy’s Egg-Cellent Easter provides viewers with some of the newest children’s programming about the holiday, and this collection of episodes will keep children occupied for well over an hour. Far from being limited to the Easter holiday, this DVD marks the change in seasons. With a move away from the snow that has blanketed us here in Kent for the last few months, Wubbzy’s game of kickball with eir friends…
You’d be hard pressed to find a network with a stable of characters more screwed up than Showtime.
Fish Tank is a film that is interesting on a number of levels. First off, the plot – dealing with dancing as a way to get away from the trials and tribulations of life – provides something that viewers of all stripes can appreciate and understand. Second off, the music choices here (including “Your House” by Steel Pulse, “Juice” by Eric B and Rakim, and “Original Nuttah” by Shy FX)…
Catherine Zeta-Jones has been a famous actress for a few decades now, but few viewers will be familiar with eir TV work in The Darling Buds of May. This massive, seventeen-hour show will provide a tremendous amount of material for viewers to chew on. The show originally hit British airwaves in 1991, comprising three series on ITV. The Darling Buds of May’s episodes are based in a large part on…
Far from running out of gas, Top Gear has found a nice cruising speed by the time season 14 and 15 hit the air (both are just now coming out on DVD).
We still watch the heck out of the Invader Zim collections that were released last year. So, when we heard that there was a new Invader Zim collection to be released, we were rightfully excited for the prospect. This three-hour compilation is value priced (online preorder prices are pegged at about $13) and contains a number of episodes that were voted on as the best of the show’s run.
This latest DVD from Vivendi captures 7 episodes from the first season of Beyblade Metal Fusion (episodes 15-21), and gives viewers the opportunity to begin to catch up to where the current story line is at. Volume 3 contains those episodes that were originally aired on American shores from the middle of August all the way out to the beginning of September. This represents a quick turnaround from original English…
Everyday Black Man is a movie that looks to break the mold created by thirty-plus years of African-American cinema and really establish a crossover hit with an extremely proficient crew. Moses Stanton (Henry Brown, Baywatch Nights) is the owner of a local neighborhood store, and takes in an individual that looks to have the same feelings regarding racial uplift as ey does (Omari Hardwick, from TV’s Dark Blue). When Moses’…
I must admit, I have only recently came back to the comic book (and video) mythos of Superman after about 15 years of inactivity. Grant Morrison created a 12-issue mini-series that ran from 2005 and 2008 that represents the basis of the movie here. In this, Lex Luthor creates an elaborate plan to kill Superman, one that increases eir powers dramatically over the course of one year until a point…