A young couple in the blush of first love get separated by war and other inconveniences. Their young dreams and the world's harsh realities come into conflict, bringing the story to an ending that is neither happy nor sad, but bittersweet. That sounds like a drama, but Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a … Continue reading The Umbrellas of Cherbourg brings romance to Blu-ray
Category: Home Theater
Filmstruck Revisited: Better, but still room for improvement
Back in November, I explained my disappointment with Filmstruck, the new classic movie streaming service created by Criterion and Turner Classic Movies. My biggest gripe - the limited devices available to easily send a movie to your television - has been partially fixed. You can now watch Filmstruck via Google's Chromecast. Since my TV has … Continue reading Filmstruck Revisited: Better, but still room for improvement
More Keaton on Blu-ray: Steamboat Bill Jr. & College
Earlier this month, I told you about a two-disc Blu-ray set containing Buster Keaton's best and worst independent features, The General and Three Ages. Now I'll tell you about the other Keaton package that Kino Lorber will release February 21. Once again, it's a two-disc set containing one of Keaton's best movies (Steamboat Bill, Jr.) … Continue reading More Keaton on Blu-ray: Steamboat Bill Jr. & College
Keaton great and mediocre: My Blu-ray review of The General and The Three Ages
Between 1920 and 1928 - the only years where he had complete control of his own films - Buster Keaton created one of the greatest bodies of work in silent movies. All his comedies from that period have been available on Blu-ray for quite some time, but that doesn't mean they can't be reissued with … Continue reading Keaton great and mediocre: My Blu-ray review of The General and The Three Ages
FilmStruck offers great films and poor tech
As soon as I heard about FilmStruck--the new movie-streaming collaboration from Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection--I eagerly waited for it to open its virtual doors. When it went online November 1, I signed up right away. But as my two-week free trial came to an end, technical and web design issues forced me … Continue reading FilmStruck offers great films and poor tech
The Best of the Marx Brothers in one Blu-ray Box
The Marx Brothers used comedy to deflate the pompous and tear down the establishment. They turned respectable, upper-class society into anarchy and surrealism. They also made us laugh. The brothers honed their comedy in vaudeville, jumped to Broadway, and made the leap to Hollywood at the height of the talkie revolution. They made their first … Continue reading The Best of the Marx Brothers in one Blu-ray Box
Along time in the making: Boyhood on Blu-ray
Richard Linklater's Boyhood is such a unique and important experience that I had to make an exception. I usually limit my Blu-ray reviews to classic films. But when I discovered that Criterion was releasing a two-disc, supplement-filled Blu-ray release of Richard Linklater's epic story of everyday life, I had to give it a good, long … Continue reading Along time in the making: Boyhood on Blu-ray
