BRAZIL: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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  Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 142 minutes |
This two-disc Blu-ray release of “Brazil” ports over pretty much everything from the old three-DVD set (except, puzzlingly enough, some text materials and images) and offers a nice video upgrade to boot. Another classic film given first-class treatment by Criterion…
Posted on December 26, 2012 by Brad Cook
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XXV (DVD)
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  Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 480 minutes |
“MST3K” Volume 25 serves up four more episodes in this classic series, including “Revenge of the Creature,” the first one that aired after the switch to Sci-Fi Channel (it also featured Pearl Forrester’s introduction as the new mad scientist). The bonus features are on the lean side, but, as always, the episodes are still worth the price of admission…
Posted on December 4, 2012 by Brad Cook
COLOR ME OBSESSED: A FILM ABOUT THE REPLACEMENTS (DVD)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 123 minutes |
Never heard of The Replacements? Then this documentary probably isn’t the best place to start, since it assumes you have some knowledge of the band. Before experiencing this excellent film, along with the copious amounts of bonus materials in this two-disc set, check out some of their albums first. You won’t be disappointed…
Posted on December 3, 2012 by Brad Cook
RASHOMON: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 88 minutes |
Criterion has been giving Kurosawa’s films more lavish treatments, and now it’s time for “Rashomon” to get its due. The bonus features from the previous release have been ported over and are joined by some nice new ones, including an hour-long collection of interviews…
Posted on November 20, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE GAME: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 128 minutes |
David Fincher’s underrated deconstruction of the thriller genre is finally available in a more elaborate edition. Unfortunately, it merely ports over most of the extras from Criterion’s laserdisc release of “The Game” in the late 90s, but it’s better than nothing. The video and audio have been upgraded significantly from that version, though, so this is a worthy upgrade from a previous DVD release…
Posted on October 24, 2012 by Brad Cook
DEEP DARK CANYON
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 93 minutes |
All of the cast members in “Deep Dark Canyon” are seasoned professionals, even if they’re not household names, and they all turn in solid performances that keep the movie grounded in reality…
Posted on October 19, 2012 by Brad Cook
GET A LIFE: THE COMPLETE SERIES (DVD)
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  Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 840 minutes |
“Get a Life” was well ahead of its time when it debuted on the then-new Fox network in 1990, and it remains that way today…
Posted on October 14, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: SEASON THREE (DVD)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 300 minutes |
This two-disc “Adventures of Tintin: Season Three” DVD set wraps up the series with 13 episodes that take the characters to South America, the moon, and the Red Sea, among other exotic locales. Unfortunately, there are no bonus features…
Posted on August 26, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 109 minutes |
This Blu-ray edition of “The Royal Tenenbaums” ports over all of the bonus features from the DVD release of a decade ago, including the insert with an essay by Kent Jones, so this is only a worthwhile upgrade if you have a setup that takes advantage of Blu-ray’s extra resolution…
Posted on August 26, 2012 by Brad Cook
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XXIV (DVD)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 480 minutes |
“Mystery Science Theater 3000″ Volume 24 offers up another solid collection of four episodes, along with a smattering of bonus features that shed some light on producer Sandy Frank, bane of the “MST3K” crew, as well as what Frank Coniff was up to after he left the show, among other things…
Posted on August 16, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE SAPHEAD (BLU-RAY)
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  Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 77 minutes |
“The Saphead” is noteworthy as a piece of history — it was Buster Keaton’s first starring role after rising to prominence in Fatty Arbuckle’s shorts — but it’s not a particularly good film, and it features none of the physical comedy for which he would later be known…
Posted on July 11, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE 39 STEPS: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 86 minutes |
Criterion’s new Blu-ray release of “The 39 Steps” gives this classic film the treatment it deserves, complete with bonus features that put it in the context of Hitchock’s early work in England, before he moved to America and became a household name…
Posted on July 7, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM: THE COMPLETE SERIES (DVD)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 694 minutes |
“The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series” includes not only all 32 episodes but also enough commentaries, writers conversations, San Diego Comic-Con panels, behind-the-scenes bits, audition videos, webisodes, and other stuff to keep you busy for days on end…
Posted on June 21, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE GOLD RUSH: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 72 minutes |
Criterion’s latest “film class in a box” features an in-depth look at Charlie Chaplin’s 1925 and 1942 versions of “The Gold Rush.” As an added bonus, your professor secured a painstakingly reconstructed copy of the silent edition…
Posted on June 20, 2012 by Brad Cook
THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (BLU-RAY)
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Year Released: 2012 MPAA Rating: G Running Time: 95 minutes |
“The Secret World of Arrietty,” based on the classic “Borrowers” series of books, is another solid outing from Studio Ghibli, but this Blu-ray release leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to bonus features, which is a shame given all the background material just waiting to be mined…
Posted on May 28, 2012 by Brad Cook