CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Criterion Collection
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Version of Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Che’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 27, 2010 - 7:00amCHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” is one of the most underrated and misunderstood films of the ’00s. It features not only one of the best performances of the last several years from the great Benicio Del Toro but this challenging biopic should have been embraced by all the critics and audience members who are constantly lamenting the lack of filmmakers willing to take risks and provoke discussion.
DVD Review: Criterion Edition of David Mamet’s Great ‘Homicide’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2009 - 6:01pmCHICAGO – I am an unabashed defender of nearly everything that David Mamet has ever made and the arrival of another one of his films under the Criterion banner makes for a special occasion in this critic’s household. The new release of Mamet’s “Homicide” (1991) is a must-own for fans of one of the most important playwrights of the last fifty years and an underrated filmmaker as well.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Edition of Akira Kurosawa’s Legendary ‘Kagemusha’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 20, 2009 - 8:43amCHICAGO – Now that he is widely recognized as one of the best filmmakers of all time, it’s almost hard to believe that there was a period in the career of Akira Kurosawa when he couldn’t get financing to make a film. Kurosawa went through a very dark time in the ’70s, punctuated by his disastrous experience with “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” and needed the weight of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to help with his comeback, “Kagemusha,” now available in a beautiful Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ Mesmerizes in Criterion Edition
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2009 - 5:36pmCHICAGO – I have been writing about DVDs and now Blu-Ray titles for the better part of a decade and have literally worked my way through hundreds of them and the Criterion Blu-Ray release for the widely acclaimed and Oscar-nominated “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett is one of the best home releases I’ve ever seen.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Releases Controversial ‘In the Realm of the Senses’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 29, 2009 - 11:30pmBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s interesting that Criterion has chosen to give their unmatched treatment to two films in the same week that were drastically censored upon their initial releases - “In the Realm of the Senses” and “The Wages of Fear”. The latter was edited for issues of perceived anti-Americanism and for issues of length. The former was censored for, well, everything.
Blu-Ray Review: Classic ‘Wages of Fear’ Thrills in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2009 - 9:55amBlu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection continues their brilliant Blu-Ray release pattern this week in which they induct a new film into the collection (“In the Realm of the Senses,” which will be reviewed separately) and bring one of their most beloved titles on to the next-gen format on the same street date. The classic this week is the amazing and timeless “The Wages of Fear,” better than ever in HD.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Continues Blu-Ray Expansion With Pair of Truffaut Classics
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2009 - 3:20pmBlu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection continues its foray into the world of HD with one of the most beloved directors of all time, taking a film already in the collection and giving it the HD treatment while simultaneously releasing a new edition of one of his later films. The legend is Francois Truffaut and the films are “The 400 Blows” and “The Last Metro”.
DVD Review: Akira Kurosawa Returns to Criterion Collection With ‘Dodes’da Ken’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 10:57amDVD Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I’m not sure, but I think there are more Akira Kurosawa titles available in the Criterion Collection than any other filmmaker. His classic films like “Ran,” “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai,” and “Yojimbo” have been critically acclaimed releases for the influential series of DVDs. His 24th title in the Criterion Collection is last week’s “Dodes’da Ken,” one of the greatest directors of all time’s first film in color.
Release Date, Cover Art For Criterion’s ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2009 - 12:35pmCHICAGO – Paramount/Criterion made a huge announcement today, revealing that David Fincher’s Oscar-winning “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” will be inducted into The Criterion Collection in its debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 5th, 2009. The Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett drama will arrive in a two-disc special edition DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray with over three hours of special features.
DVD Review: Two John Cassavetes Classics Are Inducted Into Criterion Collection
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 4:16pmDVD Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Entries number 251 and number 252 in the most important and impressive series of DVDs in the history of the format, The Criterion Collection, come from the same influential writer/director, one of the godfathers of the independent film industry, John Cassavetes. Both are worthwhile additions to any serious film collector’s shelf.
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