DVD Reviews - O-Q

Orson Welles (1915-1985) was one of the great all-time filmmakers, but in the US some of his movies have been difficult to see in recent years.

This movie should be seen for the brilliant performances by Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe.

Johnny Depp stars as legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger. Depp is supported by Marion Cotillard as Dillinger's lover and Christian Bale as the federal lawman assigned to bring the outlaw down.

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Pierrot le fou (1965) features eye-popping primary colors and a pair of charismatic, good-looking stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina.

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth (2006) is a movie that brilliantly intercuts between a brutal, mundane, hyperreal world and a magical, surreal realm. In the film, del Toro shows how myths, fables and fairy tales permit us to resolve the unresolvable.

Helen Mirren gives one of the greatest performances in film history in The Queen. The film presents a brilliant character study of Elizabeth II and explores the human need to reconcile tradition with change.

A good way to get familiar with this great writer-director is through the splendid seven-disc DVD set Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection, which contains seven of the eight movies.

American actress Louise Brooks gives an unforgettable performance in G.W. Pabst's psychologically complex, hypnotically resonant silent masterpiece Pandora's Box (1929). Read a review of this movie on DVD.

Jack Nicholson is at his charismatic best in The Passenger (1975), which was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (L'avventura, Blowup). This is the only time these two giants of cinema worked together, and the result is a superb film.

I would categorize the Japanese-language Pulse as a psychological horror film, but it's very different from mainstream American horror movies.

Pulp Fiction was a box office smash and a huge critical success in its theatrical release. Miramax has released a Collector's Edition version of Pulp Fiction as a two-disc DVD set containing lots of extras. Read a review of this movie on DVD.

I think Pride & Prejudice (2005) is quite deserving of its four Academy Award nominations: Best Actress (Keira Knightley), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. I was thoroughly entertained by this delightful movie, which is an adaptation of Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel. Read a review of Pride & Prejudice on DVD.

Baz Luhrmann created a stage production of Puccini's La Bohème and in 1993 filmed a performance of it at the Sydney Opera House. I think Luhrmann's showmanship and Puccini's emotional music make a winning combination.

While Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966) defies complete understanding, each time I see it, I find new nuances of meaning. I've watched it several times on videotape over the years, and now I'm thrilled to own it on DVD, where the picture and sound quality are much better and the English subtitles are improved.

George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is an American opera that opened in New York in 1935 and has several songs I've been familiar with for as long as I can remember.