Two names dominate this movie, making it impossible to see past them: Spielberg & Hanks. This is the fourth time this pair has come together for a film: Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal being the first three. Saving Private Ryan is viewed as one the best war movies of our time, becoming an instant classic and a must-see. The other two, not so much, though they each have their following. Bridge of Spies attempts to emulate the former, painting a picture of politics and patriotism that should sit well in most audience member's cinematic stomachs. Spielberg & Hanks are an undeniable...Read the entire review

THE FILMS:

Spike Lee is a talented, polarizing director who sometimes lets politics get in the way of his filmmaking. His films of late have been disappointing, but this Spike Lee Joint Collection, Vol. 2 includes two solid films in high definition: The sprawling serial killer drama Summer of Sam and the ambitious but flawed Miracle at St. Anna.

Summer of Sam - 1999 -142 minutes - Rated R

Instead of creating his own Read the entire review

THE FILMS:

Spike Lee is a talented, polarizing director who sometimes lets politics get in the way of his filmmaking. His films of late have been disappointing, but this Spike Lee Joint Collection, Vol. 1 includes two of his best films in high definition: 25th Hour and He Got Game.

25th Hour - 2002 - 135 minutes - Rated R

This New York City-set drama, shot in the months after September 11th, is an underrated and fascinating character study of a man f...Read the entire review

THE FILM:

It is hard to believe nearly 25 years have passed since the theatrical release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Director Robert Zemeckis' irreverent, thoroughly entertaining mashup of traditional animation and classic Hollywood noir. At once a celebration and a satire of the Hollywood studio system, Who Framed Roger Rabbit floats on the imagination and talent of Zemeckis and producers Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Then CEO of Disney Michael Eisner passed the film to ...Read the entire review

THE FILM:

A group of Big Tobacco executives known colloquially as the "Seven Dwarves" testified before Congress in 1994 that nicotine is not addictive. Soon after, former Brown & Williamson tobacco company scientist Jeffrey Wigand told 60 Minutes that not only did the tobacco chiefs know nicotine was addictive but that the company intentionally increased the nicotine content in cigarettes to raise profits. Director Michael Mann brings this drama to the screen in tense, tightly crafted The Insider...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Four-color crime-fighting faithfully adapted to the screen

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Visual spectacles
Likes: Warren Beatty, Dick Tracy
Dislikes: Al Pacino
Hates: The look of many of the bad guys

The Movie
Dick Tracy has pretty much faded from the national consciousness, like most every other newspaper comic strip since Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side bid farewell to the funny pages. A relic today, it's mostly remembered for technology well ahead of its time and grotesque-looking bad guys, as well as for Warren Beatty's film adaptation, which, well before Zack Snyder's Watchmen and 300 or Frank Miller's The Spirit or Sin City, tried t...Read the entire review

THE MOVIE:

Please Note: The stills used here are taken from the 2002 DVD release of the film, not the Blu-ray edition under review.

In the spring of 1990, Disney was pushing Dick Tracy, Warren Beatty's big-screen adaptation of the iconic Chester Gould comic strip, with a torrent of merchandise and publicity. They expected it to be that summer's Batman, which had dominated the pop culture landscape a year prior. While that didn't entirely pan out, Beatty's comic strip detective is a far more interesting film than Tim Burton's initial take on the Dark Knight (though 1992's Batman Returns...Read the entire review