Blogs
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me’ and ‘Beat the Devil’
American Masters: Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me Street Date 2/19/19 PBS, Documentary, $24.99 DVD, NR. Featuring Kim Novak, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis. 2019. Neatly dividing its subject’s life into chapters that reflected the dimensions of his career (singer, dancer, social progressive, social regressive, etc.), Sam Pollard’s documentary hits … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me’ and ‘Beat the Devil’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘La Verite’ and ‘Men Must Fight’
La Verite (The Truth) Street 2/12/19 Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Brigitte Bardot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Sami Frey. 1960. A structurally lumpy yet intriguing 128-minute portrayal of murder-trial brutality spun off of tragic events we see played out in extensive flashbacks, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s La Verite is the movie that proved Brigitte … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘La Verite’ and ‘Men Must Fight’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ and ‘Reap the Wild Wind’
The Heroes of Telemark Sony Pictures, Drama, $24.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave. 1966. This movie about resistance fighters in Norway plotting to destroy the Nazi program to develop heavy water for an atomic bomb plays out in ways that one pretty well expects, and the result is a … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ and ‘Reap the Wild Wind’”
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UltraViolet: A Lost Opportunity
I, like millions of registered UltraViolet users, received the Jan. 31 email informing me that the digital content storage locker is shuttering July 31. My reaction: Indifference. I, like possibly millions of other UV users, had forgotten I was even registered to the platform launched in 2011 by studios seeking to enhance ownership of packaged … Continue reading “UltraViolet: A Lost Opportunity”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me’ and ‘Beat the Devil’
American Masters: Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me Street Date 2/19/19 PBS, Documentary, $24.99 DVD, NR. Featuring Kim Novak, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis. 2019. Neatly dividing its subject’s life into chapters that reflected the dimensions of his career (singer, dancer, social progressive, social regressive, etc.), Sam Pollard’s documentary hits … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Sammy Davis, Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me’ and ‘Beat the Devil’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘La Verite’ and ‘Men Must Fight’
La Verite (The Truth) Street 2/12/19 Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Brigitte Bardot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Sami Frey. 1960. A structurally lumpy yet intriguing 128-minute portrayal of murder-trial brutality spun off of tragic events we see played out in extensive flashbacks, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s La Verite is the movie that proved Brigitte … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘La Verite’ and ‘Men Must Fight’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ and ‘Reap the Wild Wind’
The Heroes of Telemark Sony Pictures, Drama, $24.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave. 1966. This movie about resistance fighters in Norway plotting to destroy the Nazi program to develop heavy water for an atomic bomb plays out in ways that one pretty well expects, and the result is a … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Heroes of Telemark’ and ‘Reap the Wild Wind’”
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UltraViolet: A Lost Opportunity
I, like millions of registered UltraViolet users, received the Jan. 31 email informing me that the digital content storage locker is shuttering July 31. My reaction: Indifference. I, like possibly millions of other UV users, had forgotten I was even registered to the platform launched in 2011 by studios seeking to enhance ownership of packaged … Continue reading “UltraViolet: A Lost Opportunity”
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‘Not on Netflix’
I’m a little confused about the whole “Direct to Consumer” trend and what it means for home entertainment. I get the concept — delivering movies, TV shows and other filmed content directly to consumers over the Internet, bypassing third-party distributors — but honestly, what are we selling here? Consumers aren’t buying individual movies or shows, … Continue reading “‘Not on Netflix’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Forty Guns’ and ‘The Blue Dahlia’
Forty Guns Criterion, Western, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger, Gene Barry. 1957. Director Samuel Fuller’s action-packed Western features Barbara Stanwyck doing her own stunts as a ruthless landowner seeking to keep her drunken brother out of trouble when lawmen ride into town in search of a gunman under … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Forty Guns’ and ‘The Blue Dahlia’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Panique’ and ‘The Last Command’
Panique Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Viviane Romance, Michel Simon, Paul Bernard, Max Dalban. 1946. Director Julien Duvivier’s Panique, a French-language adaptation of a Georges Simenon novel just after the end of World War II, features Michel Simon playing an anti-social man of mystery residing in a Paris suburb and rendered a target … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Panique’ and ‘The Last Command’”
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A Message to Our Readers
As another year comes to an end, I’d like to say thank you to our readers and our advertisers for making us a part of your professional lives. Media Play News is coming off a very successful first year. We began the year with a new company, name, brand, website, newsletter, and production and art … Continue reading “A Message to Our Readers”
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Navigating the Tricky Paths of Digital Ownership
During a recent visit with my brother, he wanted to watch The Big Lebowski, but didn’t have the disc available. He had purchased the copy on iTunes, but his Roku smart TV doesn’t have an iTunes app. When hooking up his computer to the TV didn’t work, he considered buying the movie again through his … Continue reading “Navigating the Tricky Paths of Digital Ownership”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Atomic Cafe’ and ‘The Glenn Miller Story’
The Atomic Cafe Kino Lorber, Documentary, $24.95 DVD, $29.95 Blu-ray, NR. 1982. An artful assemblage of Cold War propaganda films about dealing with the atomic age and potential nuclear war, The Atomic Cafe’s near-singular mix of solemnity and gonzo remains as relevant as ever. The new Blu-ray restoration makes the film look and sound as … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Atomic Cafe’ and ‘The Glenn Miller Story’”