GuideReviews Index
Brokeback Mountain DVD
Brokeback Mountain is a melancholy drama about forbidden love that was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture. The movie has one of the best screenplays ever, elegant direction, interesting locations and memorable performances. Lead actor Heath Ledger's naturalism reminded me of Marlon Brando at his best.
"Closer" DVD Review
I personally think all four of the movie's major characters are unlikable. Also, many aspects of the film are rather unpleasant, and it left me with a bitter aftertaste. Nevertheless, I found the movie well worth watching.
The New World DVD
This film is writer-director Terrence Malick's version of the tale of Pocahontas. Malick is a visual poet, and I loved his cinematic rendering of the tale. Read a review of the movie on DVD.
Breathless DVD Review
This is a landmark French New Wave film and one of the most influential movies in cinema history. I find it one of the most entertaining of the great movies because it is fast-paced, witty, and above all romantic.
"Kill Bill Vol. 2" 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. I found Vol. 2 to be very different in tone from Vol. 1. Vol. 1 is more like a high-energy martial-arts film, while Vol. 2 has few action sequences and lots of talk. The DVD skimps on extras, but I speculate another providing more will eventually be released. Read a review of the movie Kill Bill Vol. 2 on DVD.
Mean Streets DVD
Years ago, I saw Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets in a theater and loved it Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, but I consider Mean Streets to be at least as good as any of his movies. His later films are more polished and appeal to a wider audience, but I like the raw, personal feel of Mean Streets.
Walk the Line DVD Review
I found Walk the Line to be entertaining and emotionally engaging. What sets this movie apart from other recent biopics is the love story between Johnny Cash and June Carter.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party DVD
I thoroughly enjoyed this exuberant, entertaining and engaging cross between a documentary and a concert film. But I realize this may not be enough of a concert movie for some. I thought Chappelle was charming and funny in both the documentary and concert sequences of the film. The DVD has bonus materials, including two featurettes totaling 46 minutes. The most interesting extra is an option to show an icon that occasionally appears, allowing access to extended versions of the performances.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid DVD
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a film that lives up to its tagline: Just for the fun of it!Years had passed since I had seen this film, and I had forgotten how delightful this movie was. And the best part of watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid again on DVD was being reminded of just how much fun a movie can be. Read a review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on DVD.
Napoleon Dynamite Special Edition DVD
A review of Napoleon Dynamite on DVD.
Munich Two-Disc Collector's Edition DVD
Munich is an emotionally and intellectually engaging film that reminded me of cinema's power as an art form. Only time will tell, but I suspect that it will come to be regarded as a great film. At the very least, it proves Steven Spielberg to be a brave and masterful filmmaker at the top of his form. In addition, the DVD set has a variety of bonus materials that helped me to better appreciate the movie. Read a capsule review of Munich on DVD.
Match Point DVD
Match Point is written and directed by Woody Allen. But the overarching tone of this Match Point. Match Point shows that Allen's filmmaking skills translate to drama quite well. Read a review of the movie Match Point on DVD.
Capote DVD
Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of Capote, a biopic covering the years of Truman Capote's life when he was researching and writing In Cold Blood. One of my favorite kinds of movie is the character study, and Capote is an outstanding one. In the film, Capote is a narcissistic genius who lies and ruthlessly manipulates people in his quest to create art and achieve fame. He gets what he wants, but the price is high.
Good Night, and Good Luck DVD
Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Good Night, and Good Luck is my idea of a nearly perfect little movie. The film is entertaining and thought-provoking, and the lead performance by David Strathairn is among the best I've ever seen. The movie takes on big themes such as media responsibility and governmental abuse, yet it generally avoids being overly didactic. This is achieved in part through the use of humor and 1950's jazz.
"Pride & Prejudice" (2005) DVD
I'm not surprised that "Pride & Prejudice" (2005) has been nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actress (Keira Knightley), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful movie. An adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, the film is set in the English countryside near the end of the 18th century. Read a review of "Pride & Prejudice" on DVD.
"The Constant Gardener" DVD
I found this political thriller entertaining and thought-provoking, although the second half of the movie felt tedious to me at times. However, I never made much of an emotional connection with the movie, possibly because it seems too much like a docudrama. That being said, it was an entertaining and smart movie. The DVD bonus materials run about 50 minutes, and I didn't mind watching them. "The Constant Gardener" is worth renting for the entertainment value of the movie itself.
"Serenity" DVD
Serenity was interesting and imaginative, but I thought the movie had some flaws. Of course, science fiction can be a delicate thing. You either buy into the fantasy that the story spins or you don't. Somehow, I wasn't able to completely lose myself in the make-believe of the universe Serenity created. Read a DVD review of the movie Serenity.
"Chappelle's Show - Season Two Uncensored" DVD
There's plenty of outrageous, daring, and politically incorrect humor in "Chappelle's Show - Season Two." I've admired Dave Chappelle's considerable comic gifts since watching the season one DVD, and I was happy to discover season two is as good as, if not a little better than, season one. The three-disc set comes with bonus materials that are definitely a plus, but this DVD set is worth buying just for the sake of the hours of hilarious episodes.
"Kinsey" DVD
Kinsey played well on the small screen and made it easier for me to forgive the movie's flaws. As far as I'm concerned, the DVD is worth renting for the feature film alone. The DVD is a two-disc set, loaded with bonus materials, including a feature-length audio commentary by writer/director Bill Condon. Alfred Kinsey is controversial even today, and I have to warn you that how you react to this film might depend to some degree on your own attitudes towards sexuality and society.
"Sideways" DVD
I first saw Sideways in a theater, where I laughed loud and often. I wasn't at all surprised when later the movie was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Watching the film at home on DVD, I found it just as entertaining as I had on the big screen. I find the movie both funny and heart-wrenching, but the story feels satisfying to me because the protagonist finally learns something. I also enjoy the film's treatment of wine as symbolic of various aspects of life.
"Ray" DVD
Ray seems to me rather conventional as biopics go, but I found the film's depiction of Ray Charles' life interesting, and I enjoy his music a lot. Although I would say the movie is uneven, I think it's worth seeing because of the uncanny way actor Jamie Foxx captures the legendary musical performer. Read a review of the movie Ray on DVD.
"Garden State" DVD
I enjoyed Garden State a lot, but it seemed to me uneven and insufficiently focused, and its quirkiness sometimes felt forced. Still, Garden State is a very promising debut for Zach Braff as a filmmaker, and I think that for most viewers the movie's strong points will outweigh its faults.
"THX 1138" DVD
Before George Lucas became famous, he co-wrote and directed an excellent movie titled THX 1138starring Robert Duvall. Now a restored director’s cut of that film is being released as a superb two-disc DVD set loaded with worthwhile bonus materials. A single-disc version is also available, but missing most of the extras. With either DVD version you'll get a first-rate movie and an excellent commentary track, but I recommend the two-disc version because of its terrific bonus materials.
"The 400 Blows" DVD
Truffaut's The 400 Blows is a lyrical and accessible movie that appears on most lists of great films. I'd say it's the best movie ever made about adolescence. Read a review of the DVD version of this movie.
"The Dreamers" DVD
Bernardo Bertolucci's English-language "The Dreamers" is not as deep or resonant as some of his other movies, but I nonetheless found it reasonably entertaining. I was impressed by the film’s beautiful visual style, and I enjoyed its allusions to old movies and the events in Paris in 1968. Also, "The Dreamers" occasionally manages to generate erotic tension, a quality rare in films made over the last several years.
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