Blogs
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Fritz Friedman: Reflecting on the ‘Glorious Image’ of John Singleton
I am deeply shocked and saddened by the untimely death of my friend, the legendary director John Singleton, whom I have known since 1991 when his iconic film, Boyz n the Hood, was released. Just a couple of weeks ago he had asked me to go to the Sony Lot to help him pick several … Continue reading “Fritz Friedman: Reflecting on the ‘Glorious Image’ of John Singleton”
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Circling the OTT Wagons With Hyperbole
Ever since Disney announced it would launch a branded subscription streaming video service featuring original content and box office movies previously licensed exclusively to Netflix, a cottage industry has emerged projecting pending gloom for the SVOD pioneer. While Disney CEO Bob Iger promises lower-priced Disney+ isn’t targeting Netflix, some pundits contend the handwriting is on … Continue reading “Circling the OTT Wagons With Hyperbole”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great Buster’ and ‘The River’s Edge’
The Great Buster: A Celebration Cohen, Documentary, $25.99 DVD, $30.99 Blu-ray, NR. 2018. Filmmaker/journalist/historian Peter Bogdanovich provides a Buster Keaton overview that hits most of the key points with some major surprises when it comes to unearthed twilight TV footage — unexpectedly but shrewdly stockpiling a lot of the central features’ most evocative clips until … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Great Buster’ and ‘The River’s Edge’”
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It’s a Netflix World. Hollywood is Just Living in It
Netflix added almost 10 million new subscribers in its most-recent fiscal period, nearly topping 150 million subscribers globally. The SVOD pioneer added 31 million subs in 2018. The sub growth ended — for the moment — naysayer illusions the SVOD giant had become a cash cow — economic shorthand for a business generating plenty of … Continue reading “It’s a Netflix World. Hollywood is Just Living in It”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘At the Drive-In’ and ‘The Whole Town’s Talking’
At the Drive-In MVD, Documentary, $19.95 DVD, NR.2017. Filmmaker Alexander Monelli’s At the Drive-In is such an affectionate doc about one community’s approach to cinemania that it has potential to become a fan favorite, though I suspect it already is one to those who’ve seen it. Extras: There are three voiceover commentaries, 17 minutes of … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘At the Drive-In’ and ‘The Whole Town’s Talking’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Wanda’ and ‘Phantom Lady’
Wanda Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, ‘PG.’ Stars Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins. 1971. What stands out about Wanda, aside from the fact that scouting its locations could well have been the most depressing gig in the business, is the degree to which its narrative is still such a downbeat grabber despite all of its … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Wanda’ and ‘Phantom Lady’”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘The Body Snatcher’ and ‘Road to Utopia’
The Body Snatcher Shout! Factory, Horror, $29.99 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell, Russell Wade. 1945. The Body Snatcher finds the young Robert Wise in his career breakout (or something close), adapting a Robert Louis Stevenson story into a 77-minute fan favorite that goes against certain expectations. Extras: Beyond 4K scanning, the … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘The Body Snatcher’ and ‘Road to Utopia’”
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An Ode to Old Hollywood Upon Its Possible Demise
It was a curious juxtaposition March 22. I was touring the old locations — some of which still exist and are recognizable — of the early Laurel and Hardy films — films from the very beginning of the motion picture industry. For the Blu-ray, DVD and digital release of Sony’s Stan & Ollie about the … Continue reading “An Ode to Old Hollywood Upon Its Possible Demise”
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Disney+ Is a Safe-Cracker
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger’s announcement that the studio would abandon its long-standing “vault” strategy for its upcoming subscription streaming service is perhaps one of the most shocking shifts in an industry rocked by change. At the March 7 shareholder meeting in St. Louis, he said that the studio would pull movies from its vault … Continue reading “Disney+ Is a Safe-Cracker”
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Mike’s Picks: ‘Detour’ and ‘Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?’
Detour Street Date 3/19/19 Criterion, Drama, $29.95 DVD, $39.95 Blu-ray, NR. Stars Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake. 1945. Seeing director Edgar G. Ulmer’s absorbing Detour after its restoration is an entirely fresh experience, though “fresh” is not necessarily how you feel after spending a blistering hour-and-a-quarter with its cast of mostly misfits. Extras: A … Continue reading “Mike’s Picks: ‘Detour’ and ‘Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?’”