On DVD/Blu-ray – Take Shelter (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Michael Shannon plays a construction worker named Curtis. Lately, Curtis has been having terrible nightmares, which he inevitably interprets as prophetic visions. In one nightmare, his gentle dog bites his hand and after waking, Curtis continues to feel the pain in his hand for the remainder of the day; in another nightmare, townsfolk attack him and his daughter. The nightmares grow more and more unsettling and Curtis begins to believe that the end is nigh. He tells his loving wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) that a storm is coming and that its magnitude will be catastrophic and possibly apocalyptic. Read more 
On DVD/Blu-ray – Anonymous (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There’s not much to say here that hasn’t already been said in my original review of Roland Emmerich’s best film, Anonymous. The film is based on one of the most popular conspiracy theories that sees William Shakespeare as a fraud and a scapegoat. Emmerich utilizes his expert eye for grand special effects to beautifully render whole cities, from more than five centuries ago, on the screen instead of having them destroyed for the fun of it. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of The Big Year (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Here’s a film that I hadn’t heard of until last week, but I took a chance on it anyway. It didn’t score very well with the critics and after having watched it, I can now claim that the critics didn’t get what they were looking for because they had certain expectations. That’s why it’s sometimes necessary to go into a film without any expectations. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of Real Steel (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There comes a point, usually very early in a film when the audience understands that it needs to suspend disbelief; and it does so willingly. In Real Steel, it was the premise alone that made me suspend my disbelief and just from watching the trailers. The basic idea that the logical next step in the evolution of the blood sport- the blood sport starting with the gladiatorial arenas in ancient Rome and ending up in our current times with hockey and boxing- is robots beating the tar out of one another in a ring is preposterous. When flesh and blood are removed from the equation, it’s no longer a blood sport, and therefore robot fighting can’t be the next logical step. But Real Steel makes you forget that from early on. Unless you want to hate the film anyway. In which case, why would you watch it? Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review of Vampire’s Kiss (1988)
by NIR SHALEV
Nicolas Cage was slowly climbing up the Hollywood popularity ladder after delivering one likable performances after another in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), and the terrific Moonstruck (1987). But his craziest, loopiest performance is in Vampire’s Kiss. Here he plays (with a mysterious but bad British accent) Peter Loew, a New York yuppie who ventures one night into a club, brings home his new date (Jennifer Beals) and then is bitten on the neck by her. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Three Classic Comedies About the Movies
by HELEN GEIB
Essential Hollywood on Hollywood. In tribute to The Artist, three classic comedies about the movies:
Show People (1928)
Marion Davies had her best role as the aspiring actress star of King Vidor’s delightful late silent-era comedy Show People. An MGM production filmed and set on the studio backlot, the movie is further enlivened by cameo appearances by many of the top MGM stars of the day. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review and Disc Commentary Track for Sunrise (1927)
by NIR SHALEV
Director F. W. Murnau is mostly remembered today for Nosferatu (1922) and Faust (1926), but his first American film, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, is his best film and also one of the greatest films ever made. Read more
DVD of the Week – Midnight in Paris (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
There is no other film this year that has managed to put a smile on my face and keep it there like Woody Allen’s extremely charming Midnight in Paris. Read more
DVD of the Week – Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
When Kung Fu Panda (2008) first appeared, out of the blue it was a huge success. Fusing Kung Fu lore with a 3D animated family film was a terrific idea and it worked mainly due to its cinematography, fight choreography, and sheer amount of various colors. Now comes a rarity: a sequel that trumps its predecessor in virtually every department. Read more
On DVD/Blu-ray – Review and Disc Commentary Track of A Scanner Darkly (2006)
by NIR SHALEV
Philip K. Dick is one of the greatest sci-fi novelists of the 20th century and was also, rightly, hugely paranoid. He believed so much that the FBI and CIA had files on him that they did eventually decide to open case files on him. Unfortunately, even though he claims that they allowed him to see his files, the files simply claimed the fact that they wanted to open files on him for investigative reasons and there was nothing on him there at all. It’s a weird and sad type of irony. That was during the 1970s. Read more