Soaked in Bleach DVD Review
It would be easy to dismiss Soaked in Bleach – part documentary/part acted out drama – as just another exploitative title in the growing “Kurt Cobain Was Murdered” genre.
Category: Video Reviews
Stray Cats – Live at Rockpalast (DVD and CD)
Throughout the 1980s no band, not even The Cramps, were as crucial as The Stray Cats in bringing Rockabilly to the masses. Yes, there may have been a little more pop-sheen to their songs than traditionalists cared for, but this Long Island-based trio brought a fresh version of rock, country, and boogie woogie to a global audience of teens that were OD-ing on sterile New Wave bands at the time.
Peppa Pig School Bus Trip DVD Review
The new Peppa Pig compilation “School Bus Trip” contains 10 episodes of the popular children’s show, captured in one easy to hold collection. The different messages presented in each of these episodes will influence a child during their formative years, ensuring that one is confident with themselves, has a voracious desire to read, and can deal with issues in a fruitful and calm fashion. Of the included episodes, we were…
Bitten: the Complete Second Season DVD Set
It would be easy to dismiss Bitten as yet another cable series piggybacking off of the True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf formula. Much like those other shows, it is populated by impossibly pretty small town folk who just happen, in the case of Bitten, to be Werewolves.
Ex Machina DVD Review
The sci-fi (ish) thriller Ex Machina is seemingly simple in its construct: a brilliant techie CEO builds a human-looking robot with advanced artificial intelligence and gets one of his employees to interact with it over a week; but the plot twists are remarkably clever and turns this movie into a wildly creative, tense thriller that plays out in the very last moments. The acting is mostly limited to Oscar Isaac…
Beyond the Reach (Lionsgate)
Michael Douglas, long past leading man status, is finding a great second act playing the villain. Beyond the Reach is one of his creepiest turns yet as the bad guy.
Welcome to Sweden: the Complete First Season
When NBC rolled out Welcome to Sweden last March there was little fanfare and little notice from TV critics at the time. Which is a shame, because the series, created and starring Greg Poehler (bother to Amy), is a solid, impressively creative series.
Broadchurch: The Complete Second Season (DVD)
Season two of this British import managed to up the tension for the second go-round of this crime drama centering on the murder of an 11-year old boy found on the beach of this small town. The second season focuses on the trial of the alleged murderer – the husband of one of the investigators and a family friend.
Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World
Dark Star, for me, was much more than a celebration of this artist’s life but an astounding peek into a tiny corner of his mind and for a moment we were all absorbed as a permanent fixture upon that labyrinths walls. We had the privilege to hear some of the stories that shaped Gigers mind as a child for example when his father gave him a skull at the age…
TESSERACT streaming Odyssey/Scala DVD on YouTube
UK prog-metal band, TesseracT, are set to release their first live audio/video concert. Titled TESSERACT, the CD/DVD and LP/DVD package welcomes back One vocalist, Daniel Tompkins. Odyssey, the audio portion, was recorded live during various stops in the autumn of 2014 throughout Europe and Russia on the Altered State World Tour. Scala, the video portion, was filmed live on November 6th, 2014 at Scala, London, UK.
Girlhood (Strand Releasing)
Girlhood is a difficult movie to describe, if only because it is so beautifully complex that it cannot be easily summed up in a paragraph or two. It features the talented Karidja Touré as Marieme (also known as Vic in later portions of the film). Marieme lives in a poor section of France with her younger sisters, her abusive and frightening older brother, and her largely absent and overworked mother.
To Hell with a Bullet
To Hell with a Bullet is a modern, metal twist on the classic Robert Johnson myth: A struggling musician who sells his soul for a chance at talent and fame.
At the Top of the Pyramid Review
At the Top of the Pyramid is a title that anyone hat has been through high school will be able to intensely and completely understand. The film focuses on those issues that are deep in the psyche of all teenagers, including feelings of belonging, depression, and an overall mis-match between what one feels and sees in the mirror. The title focuses on Jamie Parker, a beloved member of the high…
Life Partners DVD
This unassuming relationship comedy from novice writer/director Susanna Fogel could have gone either way, but thanks to a perfectly cast Gillian Jacobs (Community) and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) as the co-leads, she ended up with a charming, if light, take on best friends navigating relationships in their late 20’s.
Manhattan: Season One DVD Set
Now that Network TV has completely given up on creating compelling, original dramas, cable channels of every variety are filling the void. WGN America is behind the impressive period drama Manhattan, building a wildly compelling series around the semi-true/semi-fictional take on the building of the Atom Bomb.
The Protokon
The Protokon contributes to the rich retro style that has been fostered in film, movies, and video games in the last few years. Adding his own contribution to the trend built up by Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and the second season of Danger 5, director and writer Anthony de Lioncourt tells a compelling story about the steps that someone has to take when their happy life is absolutely destroyed.
Looking: The Complete First Season Blu-Ray
Looking has been one of HBO’s hottest properties, and this collection contains the entirety of the first season of the show. The trio of men that the Looking centers around are in a very compelling and understandable journey throughout life in San Francisco. The taut writing is enough to keep viewers coming back for more, as the evolutions of the experiences had by Agustin (Frankie Alvarez), the artist, Dom (Murray…
Living is Easy With Eyes Closed
Living is Easy With Eyes Closed, named after the opening lines of “Strawberry Fields”, is a movie about hope. Set in 1960s Spain, the film revolves around schoolteacher Antonio (Javier Cámara), teenage runaway Juanjo (Francesc Colomer) , and a young, unwed pregnant woman named Belen (Natalia de Molina ) at a point in time when their lives intersect for a bit.
Matt Greenfield speaks about his debut documentary, Destroy Cleveland
We are speaking with Matt Greenfield about Destroy Cleveland. You’ve had a considerable career in creating your own music. What inspired you to create a documentary about Cleveland hardcore?
Hustler White DVD Review
Hustler White, a campy, throwback-style piece of queer cinema with nods to earlier art films, manages to defy most common genres. It is not quite an art film, not quite a comedy, and not quite an action movie.