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Frances McDormand and Amy Adams are delightful in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, a frothy concoction that offers contrived comic complications leading to a happy ending.
Michael Clayton received seven Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Best Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Score. It's a polished, entertaining, mainstream Hollywood movie for grownups that is a star vehicle for Clooney, who is at his watchable best, and he gets strong support from Wilkinson and Swinton.
Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are two of the best actresses working in movies today, and they are in top form in the lurid psychodrama Notes on a Scandal. The film tells the intertwined tales of two very different women struggling to deal with the fact that they find themselves living lives where their emotional needs are not being met. We are repulsed by some of the choices they make, but the storytelling and acting are so good that we see their humanity and pity them.
In The Last King of Scotland, Forest Whitaker gives an unforgettable performance as Idi Amin, the sometimes brutal, sometimes charming, always eccentric dictator of Uganda during the 1970s. Another strength of the film is the location shooting in Kampala, Uganda's photogenic capital city. Read a review of The Last King of Scotland on DVD.
Home Video/DVD Guide Ivana Redwine reviews Little Miss Sunshine on DVD.
Home Video/DVD Guide Ivana Redwine reviews the movie Miami Vice on DVD. Miami Vice is a a pulpy, operatic, visually stylish crime drama written and directed by Michael Mann. Find out more about the movie Miami Vice on DVD.
A capsule review of
Munich.
A review of this movie on DVD.
A capsule review of
Match Point.
A capsule review of
Napoleon Dynamite.
A capsule review of
Kinsey.
I got quite a few laughs from James Belushi and his cute canine sidekick, but the film's plot was uneven and failed to capture my attention. In addition, all the clichés in the movie started to grate on my nerves. I cannot fully recommend "K-9: P.I." However, fans of the previous movies in the "K-9" series will probably enjoy this film.
Although I was aware of Quentin Tarantino's quirky genius from seeing his other movies, his Kill Bill Vol. 1 managed to amaze me with its sheer cinematic virtuosity. Read a review of this movie on DVD.
"Kill Bill Vol. 2" provides a satisfying ending to the story begun in "Kill Bill Vol. 1." It seems to me that over the span of the two films, Tarantino shows us a woman's spiritual journey. Read a review of the movie "Kill Bill Vol. 2" on DVD.
I really enjoyed this satiric look at the daily life of Texan Hank Hill and his family in this hilarious animated TV series created by Mike Judge ("Beavis and Butthead," "Office Space"). Read a brief review of King of the Hill - Season One" on DVD.
Especially with the added appeal of having the band KISS being accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, this was both an intriguing and entertaining concert preserved on DVD. Read a review of "KISS - Symphony: The DVD."
A quick overview and review of the Criterion Collection DVD of "L'avventura," Michaelangelo Antonioni's great 1960 Italian-language masterpiece of world cinema.
Featuring an unforgettable Chaplinesque performance by lead actress Giulietta Masina, Fellini's lyricism, and a memorable musical score by Nino Rota, "La Strada" is one of my favorite Fellini films. This is a movie no cineaste should miss, and Criterion Collection has done a great job on the DVD set. Read a review of "La Strada" on DVD.
Luchino Visconti's "La Terra trema" (1948) is a visually lyrical film that tells the tragic story of a poor Sicilian family. This great movie has been rather difficult to see in the United States for some years now, and as of this writing. But now it is available on DVD, and when I watched it at home recently, I loved it. Read a brief review of this movie on DVD.
When I watched "Lagaan" recently on DVD, I was pretty bored for about the first hour, but then the movie started to work its magic on me, and I really enjoyed the rest of the film. Read my DVD overview and brief review of "Lagaan."
The 1960s saw quite a bit of experimentation in world cinema, and one of the most fascinating of those experiments was the French-language film "Last Year at Marienbad" (1961). Read my brief review/overview of this movie on DVD.
"Legend" succeeds beautifully in creating an imaginary world that drew me in completely. The movie is both inventive and stunningly cinematic, and Ridley Scott's commentary track on the DVD is one of the best I've heard. Read a brief DVD overview and review of "Legend" (1985) - Ultimate Edition DVD.
This is an impressive collection of John Lennon's music that is beautifully coordinated with a variety of footage and music videos. Read a
review of "Lennon Legend" on DVD.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Lewis Black: Unleashed," and my only complaint is that it was so funny, I hated for it to end. The best part of the ”DVD for me is that Black’s mind runs so fast and bright that he’s truly unpredictable. And there’s nothing funnier than what you can’t see coming. Read a review of "Lewis Black: Unleashed" on DVD.
I loved the bittersweet mix of comedy and drama in "Lost in Translation." The film conveyed what it means for two people who are adrift to find each other, even if only for a little while. Read a review of "Lost in Translation" on DVD.
I found this movie to be dazzlingly cinematic and intellectually engaging, and Ian McKellen is superb as Gandalf. Stunning location shooting and terrific special effects bring J.R.R. Tolkien's much-loved novel to vivid life on the screen. Read my movie review and overview of the DVDs.
Read a brief DVD review and overview of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
Robert Altman's landmark film "M*A*S*H" chronicles the zany antics of American medical personnel who treat the wounded during a war in Asia, but the movie is darker and edgier than the TV series. Read my quick DVD review and brief overview of this movie.
When I watched "Madame Butterfly" on DVD at home recently, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Read my brief DVD review and overview of "Madame Butterfly."
Read a review of Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" on DVD.
I give this spectacular film my highest possible recommendation, not because of its great historical importance, but because I find it spellbinding. Read a review and overview of Review: "Metropolis" (1927) on DVD.
Steven Spielberg has created a fascinating portrait of the near-future. The film is filled with thought-provoking and resonant ideas, and it also works as an action thriller. Read a review and overview of Minority Report on DVD.
I see "Monsieur Ibrahim" as a parable about looking beyond the differences in ethnicity, religion, and culture that divide us and seeking the common humanity we all share. I highly recommend this moving and beautifully made film.
"Monsoon Wedding" is a joyous celebration of life. When I watched this movie on DVD recently, I found it to be enchanting. Read a review and overview of this DVD movie.
Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Monster" (2003), which was inspired by the life of a highway prostitute who murdered several men. Read a review of this movie on DVD.
"Monster's Ball" is a rather quiet, yet emotionally powerful, film that didn't bore me for a single minute. Read my DVD overview and review of "Monster's Ball."
I think young children will generally like "Monsters, Inc." a lot, and there’s enough humor aimed at grownups that I think most adults won’t mind watching it with a kid. Read my brief review/DVD overview of this movie.
Although it’s very silly and sometimes taxes my patience, I’ve loved this film for years because of its dark humor, irreverent imagination, and quirky originality. Read a DVD review of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
Some have typed this film as a food movie, but I consider it to be more of a character study. I enjoyed the character development showing one woman going through a subtle but meaningful change. Read a DVD review of "Mostly Martha."
Writer-director Baz Luhrmann creates a surreal/super-real world in "Moulin Rouge," a musical drama set in 1899 Paris where the songs are 20th-century pop tunes. Read a brief review and short overview of this fascinating DVD set.
I thoroughly enjoyed "MTV Unplugged 2.0," Lauryn Hill's concert DVD that contains 13 previously unreleased musical numbers. Read my DVD overview and brief review of "MTV Unplugged 2.0."
There have been several films about boxing great Muhammad Ali, but as far as I am concerned, "Muhammad Ali the Greatest" is easily the best of the bunch. Read a brief review of this DVD.
Read my DVD review and quick overview of "Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes of the World." Fascinating details and interesting historical footage make this documentary about boxing great Muhammad Ali well worth seeing, but don’t expect to gain deep insights into this remarkable man.
"Mulholland Drive" is not easy to understand, but it is one of the best movies of recent years. Read my brief review and DVD overview and discover why I was mesmerized by "Mulholland Drive" on DVD.
Although not a perfect film, I thought "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" had the combination of humor, warmth, and romance that so many filmmakers try for but seldom achieve. I found it to be a delight. Read a review and DVD overview of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
I rate John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" as one of the great American classic films. Read a review of this movie on DVD.
"Mystic River" is one of the finest films of recent years, skillfully combining story, location shooting, and performances to create a movie at the level of the best of the dramas aimed at adults. Read a review of this movie on DVD.
"Narc" is a B-movie, but I liked the way it captured the gritty world of narcotics cops. Although fast-paced, the film gave me enough about its characters that I cared what happened to them.
Here's a quick and easy overview of the "Notorious" Criterion Collection DVD.
With its fascinating characters, compelling performances, and strong stories, "NYPD Blue – Season One” on DVD drew me in completely. I think this is one of the best TV police dramas ever made. Read a brief DVD review and overview of this six-disc DVD set.
