Blogs
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Cimarron’ and ‘Jungle Fever’
Cimarron Available via Warner Archive Warner, Western, $21.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Arthur O’Connell, Russ Tamblyn. 1960. MGM’s large-scale remake of the 1931 Best Picture Oscar winner looks so impressive on a big screen TV that I pleasurably breezed through its 2 hour, 38 minutes in one sitting, though without … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Cimarron’ and ‘Jungle Fever’”
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Seeing Is Believing With 4K Disc — Even for Millennials
Despite the fact I have spent virtually all of my career in the home entertainment industry, my millennial son has never owned a DVD or Blu-ray player — and is proud of it. This is not necessarily surprising since he is focused primarily on conveniently accessing content on computers, media players, personal devices and cord-cutting … Continue reading “Seeing Is Believing With 4K Disc — Even for Millennials”
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Remembering Industry Veteran Bill Southard
The news of the passing of our friend Bill Southard struck all of us really hard. I use the terms “our” and “us” because Bill was a friend to everyone who ever worked in the home entertainment business. Just take a look at the outpouring of grief on social media from those that knew Bill … Continue reading “Remembering Industry Veteran Bill Southard”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Black Angel’ and ‘Kitten With a Whip’
Black Angel MVD/Arrow, Mystery, $39.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford. 1946. The big takeaway from Angel, at least speaking personally, is just how much of a visual stylist director Roy William Neill apparently was. Extras: Alan Rode provides a voiceover commentary, and there’s also an on-camera interview with British … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Black Angel’ and ‘Kitten With a Whip’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Cimarron’ and ‘Jungle Fever’
Cimarron Available via Warner Archive Warner, Western, $21.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Arthur O’Connell, Russ Tamblyn. 1960. MGM’s large-scale remake of the 1931 Best Picture Oscar winner looks so impressive on a big screen TV that I pleasurably breezed through its 2 hour, 38 minutes in one sitting, though without … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Cimarron’ and ‘Jungle Fever’”
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Seeing Is Believing With 4K Disc — Even for Millennials
Despite the fact I have spent virtually all of my career in the home entertainment industry, my millennial son has never owned a DVD or Blu-ray player — and is proud of it. This is not necessarily surprising since he is focused primarily on conveniently accessing content on computers, media players, personal devices and cord-cutting … Continue reading “Seeing Is Believing With 4K Disc — Even for Millennials”
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Remembering Industry Veteran Bill Southard
The news of the passing of our friend Bill Southard struck all of us really hard. I use the terms “our” and “us” because Bill was a friend to everyone who ever worked in the home entertainment business. Just take a look at the outpouring of grief on social media from those that knew Bill … Continue reading “Remembering Industry Veteran Bill Southard”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Black Angel’ and ‘Kitten With a Whip’
Black Angel MVD/Arrow, Mystery, $39.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford. 1946. The big takeaway from Angel, at least speaking personally, is just how much of a visual stylist director Roy William Neill apparently was. Extras: Alan Rode provides a voiceover commentary, and there’s also an on-camera interview with British … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Black Angel’ and ‘Kitten With a Whip’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great McGinty’ and ‘Watergate’
The Great McGinty Kino Lorber, Comedy, $29.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, William Demarest. 1940. It’s a little surprising that it took Hollywood until 1940 to attack the subject of political corruption as directly head-on as in The Great McGinty. However comparably minor it might be compared to the enduring Preston Sturges … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great McGinty’ and ‘Watergate’”
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Mike’s Picks: “House by the River” and “Five Graves to Cairo”
House by the River Kino Lorber, Drama, $19.95 DVD, $29.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman, Jane Wyatt, Dorothy Patrick. 1950. When a gothic late 19th-century murder melodrama is titled House by the River, it can really get off on the wrong foot if the river itself doesn’t look very sinister when it predictably … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: “House by the River” and “Five Graves to Cairo””
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Netflix: Down for the Count?
Netflix has traditionally been tight-lipped about its viewership, refusing to share data and blasting third-party services that seek to estimate how popular Netflix programs really are. But last year, when the subscription streaming pioneer — and longtime champ — found out it would soon be getting some high-profile competition, there all of a sudden came … Continue reading “Netflix: Down for the Count?”
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‘Gemini Man’: Home Entertainment Shows Off Again With Will Smith
Whenever a new format hits the home entertainment market promising a leap in quality, there’s always that one disc that you choose to show it off. When we were first demonstrating our HD system, the Blu-ray Disc of I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was our go-to title to wow the neighbors. As 4K Ultra HD … Continue reading “‘Gemini Man’: Home Entertainment Shows Off Again With Will Smith”
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Can Netflix’s ‘The Irishman’ Avoid Awards Letdown at 92nd Oscars?
Netflix’s expansive marketing push for Martin Scorsese’ mobster movie, The Irishman, paid dividends Jan. 13 when the film was nominated for 10 of the streaming pioneer’s record-setting 24 Academy Awards nods. The three-and-a-half hour movie was nominated for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Al Pacino, Joe Pesci), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design, Costume Design … Continue reading “Can Netflix’s ‘The Irishman’ Avoid Awards Letdown at 92nd Oscars?”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Holiday’ and ‘Trapped’
Holiday Criterion, Comedy, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lew Ayres, Doris Nolan, Edward Everett Horton. 1938. Adapted from a play Philip Barry wrote well before he concocted The Philadelphia Story, this comic portrait of the unapologetic rich featured one of the four pairings of Katharine Hebburn and Cary Grant. Hepburn … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Holiday’ and ‘Trapped’”