Category Archives: Blu-Ray Reviews
Blu-ray Pick: Gael García Bernal Publicizes the Migrant Experience in Jonás Cuarón’s ‘Desierto’
The best kinds of movies provide emotional context to the thorniest political, ideological and philosophical issues that plague us as a species. Now available on DVD and Blu-ray, Desierto, Jonás Cuarón’s Spanish-language feature, tackles one of the most topical concerns of the current United States administration: illegal immigration. By laying out the issue in narrative form, Cuarón adds a relatable, human face to a contentious concept, and delivers a thriller of a cat-and-mouse chase along the way.
Blu-ray Pick: Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton Deliver Powerhouse Performances in ‘Loving’
For such a groundbreaking story, Jeff Nichols’ Loving, now available on DVD and Blu-ray, is notable for its silence. Although the quiet solemnity of a sparse script served Nichols well in the case of his other 2016 critical darling, Midnight Special, the historic Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision invalidating laws that prohibited interracial marriage may have required a bit more dramatic build-up. Fortunately, Loving’s two lead actors – Ruth Negga, nominated for an Academy Award for this role, and the chameleon-like Joel Edgerton – elevate the movie through their characters by tenderly tapping into the steady strength that defines their humanity.
Blu-Ray Pick: Rachel Weisz Must Prove the Truth of the Holocaust in ‘Denial’
The truth is a touchy topic nowadays, which is why Denial – now available on Blu-ray and DVD via Bleecker Street and Entertainment One – packs such a strong punch. Directed by Mick Jackson, Denial describes the 1996 libel suit brought by Holocaust denier David Irving (Timothy Spall) against American Holocaust studies professor Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), and is based on Lipstadt’s own account of the trial.
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Blu-ray Pick: Johnny Simmons, Ethan Hawke Power Baseball Tale ‘The Phenom’
Now available on Blu-ray and DVD via RLJ Entertainment, The Phenom is a baseball movie that refreshingly breaks convention by not focusing on the sport itself. Instead , this subtly and evocatively rendered drama is a character study of the highest order, focusing on the little details that pushes talented and unassuming pitcher Hopper (Johnny Simmons) in a ton of different directions.
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Blu-ray Pick: 5 Reasons To Love ‘To Have and Have Not’
The comparisons to Casablanca were inevitable, as To Have and Have Not has resistance fighters, a memorable piano player (Hoagy Carmichael), and smoldering chemistry between the leads. But even then and now 72 years later, To Have and Have Not is a classic that stands on its own, and Warner Archive Collection has done a great job with this Blu-ray release. Below are five reasons to love To Have and Have Not.
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Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Girlfriend Experience’
The Girlfriend Experience was originally a film directed by Steven Soderbergh and headlined by porn star Sasha Grey, and now it’s a critically acclaimed series on Starz that was just released on Blu-ray this week. Riley Keough (she’s Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) delivers a star making performance in the role of Christine, a woman who’s drawn into the world of escorting by a classmate (Kate Lyn Sheil).
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