In the Loop (DVD)
There have been a slew of movies created this decade with the backdrop of the Iraq war, but most have failed miserably. It seems British director/writer Armando Iannucci may have finally found the right formula.
Category: Video Reviews
(500) Days of Summer (Blu-Ray)
(500) Days of Summer is a romantic comedy that seems to strip away many of the played-out features of the genre while still coming forth as eminently approachable for all audiences. The film itself may be a little challenging to get into at first due to the non-linear path it takes. This means that different scenes from Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer’s (Zooey Deschanel)’s relationship are shown. While there seems…
Sid! (DVD)
This doc on Sid Vicious is appropriately brief. Considering the second bassist for The Sex Pistols was barely in the band before the group imploded on their first U.S. tour, the fact that this documentary is 80 minutes long is actually pretty impressive.
Know Your Mushrooms (DVD)
Know Your Mushrooms is directed by Ron Mann, who was the creative mind behind counter-cultural film Grass, along with Go Further and Comic Book Confidential. The film is centered around the magic mushroom – psilocybin – where Mann looks to determine whether there is any merit to the alarmist claims put forth by the government or related groups, or if there could conceivably be some benefit to popping a quarter…
Bruno (Blu-Ray)
Bruno is the latest Sacha Baron Cohen film, and like its older cousin Borat, it really showcases a fish out of water situation. Where the film seems to be more story-oriented than Borat, many of the individuals that I knew that went to see the movie wanted to view exactly what Bruno Gehard got eirself into. The Bluy-Ray edition of the film is a spot-on transfer of the original theatrical…
My Effortless Brilliance (DVD)
My Effortless Brilliance is a throwback to early/mid-90’s Indies like Daytrippers and Walking and Talking – engaging characters, simple plots where not much happens, but the dialogue is refreshingly honest.
Andy Barker, P.I. –The Complete Series (DVD)
If you needed any further proof that TV executives are little more than sadistic puppet masters who like little more than to tease us with what might have been, look at the career of Andy Richter. After leaving Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Richter made the bizarre, but extremely funny Andy Richter Controls the Universe. The show was smart and original, so obviously it was cancelled after one season.
Something Is Killing Tate (DVD)
At the beginning of Something Is Killing Tate, it seems as if Tate Bradley’s life is going quite well. This is because eir birthday is coming up, while it is only a matter of time before ey gets married. However, viewers learn that Tate is suicidal, even going as far as to attempt the ultimate solution by the time the movie kicks in. Not wanting to have it happen again,…
Strip Club King (DVD)
Before watching Strip Club King, I had not ever heard of Joe Redner. This film, the latest release from Passion River, looks to explain exactly whom ey is and why ey is important. Essentially, Redner is the owner of The Mons Venus, a strip-club that stands at the head of the accomplishments that ey has created over the course of eir life. The story told by Strip Club King is…
Eleventh Hour – The Complete Series (DVD)
When CBS first rolled out Eleventh Hour, their latest Jerry Bruckheimer-produced TV series last year, critics were quick to compare it to X Files. You had the mysterious, often freakish occurrences, the attractive, yet uptight female FBI agent pared with an equally attractive male partner plus plenty of ominous music. Though an easy comparison, it was a little off base.
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Kai-Lan Carnival (DVD)
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is, for those who have not watched the show, a Nickelodeon effort that It finally seems as if some children’s companies are getting the fact that parents do not want to go out and spend $20 for the equivalent of two episodes. This DVD contains four episodes – the titular one, Lulu Day, Roller Rintoo, and Wait, Hoho, Wait. To top that, there are a few bonus…
You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk Rock 1977-1984 (DVD)
There’s no denying that New York and Los Angeles get all the good press. When punk music finally made its way to the U.S. in the late 70’s, both coasts were claiming the title as punk rock capitals – with New York citing The Ramones and Los Angeles touting X. Though hundreds of miles away from both cities, Chicago – ever the modest mid westerner – was quietly hosting it’s…
Nip/Tuck – Season 5 Part 2 (DVD)
Anyone who writes off Nip/Tuck as “too much†or “unbelievable†clearly stopped watching the wildly entertaining series long ago. Once those tepid viewers were scared off, the rest of us were free to enjoy the basic cable soap in peace in all its outrageousness. The beautiful thing about Nip/Tuck – about to start its sixth season – is the manner in which it manages to top it’s already way over…
The Big Bang Theory – The Complete Second Season (DVD)
There is no reason that The Big Bang Theory should be as funny as it is. It has all the markings of a traditional, run-of-the-mill sitcom: wacky characters, the hot neighbor, the laugh track. It also doesn’t help that the series was created by Chuck Lore, who forced the groan-inducing Two and a Half Men on the world.
Breaking The Bank (DVD)
This DVD may just be one of the most important that PBS has put out, as it looks to delve into the causes and explanations for why the banks rapidly spun out of control in the last few years of the oughts. Specifically, this documentary centers around the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America. Where a set of facts about the banking crisis would have been essentially all…
Safehouse (DVD)
Despite having a budget that would be dwarfed by any major Hollywood project, Safehouse is able to showcase every strength that is present, be it the cast, production, or scenery present. The film starts out focusing in on an island paradise that houses a fishing/tourist business headed up by Emily (Carolina Hoyos; Lethal Force, Golden Empire). To ensure that everything goes off without a hitch, Cooper (played here by Johnny…
Flight of the Conchords – The Complete Second Season (DVD)
You’d think the joke would be wearing a little thin after two seasons, but Flight of the Conchords – HBO’s take on New Zealand folksters/comics Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement – still comes off surprisingly fresh.
Fringe – The Complete First Season (DVD)
Like trying to live up to its extremely popular older brother, Fringe was unfairly being compared to Lost even before the first episode aired. Because of its co-creator – JJ Abrams – Fringe had the impossible task of having to live up to the cult built around that other Abram’s show. On its own, Fringe held up quite well, as the first season on DVD shows. Though it took a…
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares: Season Two (DVD Set)
Gordon Ramsay has had an international presence over the course of the last few years, especially considering the success of the American version. Acorn has ensured that the British (original) version of the show is not something that will be lost to all time, and has put out the second series of the show. There are not too many features here in this DVD set beyond the biography of Ramsay…
Sunshine Cleaning (DVD)
Sunshine Cleaning will be one of those movies that garners a wide cult following in the years after it was released. This is due to the fact that a star-studded cast, which includes Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, and Amy Adams, bond together to make a cogent and coherent film. Rose (Adams) and Norah (Blunt) are crime-scene cleaners attempting to make a name for themselves, as well as giving some sort…