“Ordinary People” is an expertly crafted film about grief and family dysfunction. It is also a great coming-of-age story. Timothy Hutton deservedly won an Oscar for his role as Conrad. Paramount has given the film an excellent release.
Eric Karson hoped he had found another Jean-Claude Van Damme in Olivier Gruner. Their first film together “Angel Town” was a modest box office success, but it did not elevate Gruner to star status. That may be because Gruner could hardly speak English. MVD Rewind gave the film a great special edition release in 2018.
“Miami Blues” is a very well done neo-noir adaptation of the eccentric and wonderful Charles Willeford novel. Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Fred Ward are all perfectly cast. Shout! Factory released the Blu-ray in 2015.
Arrow Video has updated the classic “An American Werewolf in London” to 4K UHD. One of the best horror films of all time is now available in a truly definitive edition that keeps the excellent supplements from the 2019 release and updates the video to its best presentation yet.
Arrow Video has brought Shinji Somai’s genrebending yakuza/coming-of-age/idol film/dramedy “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun” to Blu-ray. The long-take sequences are truly impressive, and the film is strangely hypnotic.
“Carlito’s Way” is one of the best films from virtuoso filmmaker Brian De Palma. Pacino and Sean Penn are both fantastic in the film, and the final sequence is one of the best that De Palma put to celluloid. The Universal Pictures UHD is an excellent presentation of the film.
“The Card Counter” is a drama from writer-director Paul Schrader which was filmed during the Covid pandemic in Biloxi, Mississippi. Oscar Isaac shines in the film.
“Vanilla Sky” is one of the most interesting films in both Cameron Crowe’s and Tom Cruise’s filmographies. It is a truly unique film experience and the Paramount Presents Blu-ray is gorgeous.
“The Shawshank Redemption” is one of the best films of all time and is the best prison drama ever made. Warner Bros. has given the film a new 4K UHD release that brings out the very best from Roger Deakins’ cinematography.
Based on the novel “No Beast So Fierce” by convict Edward Bunker, Straight Time is uniquely adept at interpreting the subject of imprisonment and recidivism in our country. Warner Archive’s Blu-ray features a beautiful transfer.