|
4/4
|
100%
|
Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993) |
"
Kieslowski...implies, not for the first or last time, a form of divine intervention or destiny at work... [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Dec 31, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
91%
|
Three Colors: White (Trzy kolory: Bialy) (Trois Couleurs: Blanc) (1994) |
"
Karol Karol embodies his homeland, going for broke--in criminal fashion, if necessary--to stake its claim as a player in the European landscape. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Dec 31, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Three Colors: Red (Trois couleurs: Rouge) (1994) |
"
Explores fraternity in large part as much through the dynamic of neighbors and community as through potential one-on-one friendships or romances. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Dec 31, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
West Side Story (1961) |
"
A landmark screen musical that left its own indelible stamp on popular culture. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Dec 11, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Blue Velvet (1986) |
"
Works brilliantly as an allegory of American repression and willful illusion of order, Lumberton's forced-smile '50s sensibility unable to keep down the anarchic, raging id that is humanity's primal drive. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 15, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Pulp Fiction (1994) |
"
A balls-out postmodern comedy par excellence. It's a Royale with Cheese. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 19, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) |
"
A purely creative movie that one must admit has no equal in cinema history (for better or worse). [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 14, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku) (Heaven and Hell) (1963) |
"
One of the all-time-great 'procedurals'...the devilish fun is in the details for Kurosawa. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Aug 1, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
Naked (1993) |
"
Leigh's extensive use of improvisation in rehearsal led to a razor-sharp final script, endlessly blooming with memorable dialogue that—while never less than credibly naturalistic—proves thematically fertile. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 26, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
Das Boot (The Boat) (1981) |
"
Few war films are more potent than Das Boot...the ultimate submarine movie. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 25, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) |
"
Set the standard for cinematic paranoid thrillers and stands as the quintessential John Frankenheimer film. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 19, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Kes (1969) |
"
Throbs with a simple truthfulness...Loach shows his complimentary interest in documentary-influenced social realism and the improvisational search for the authentic. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 10, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
85%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
[Malick] wants to see so much: people and through people to their souls, the world and through the world to the ineffable, life and death and through them to their meaning. And...he wants to help us to see it all too."
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 8, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Dead Man Walking (1995) |
"
Has the distinction of including not one, but two of the greatest screen performances of all time...undeniably one of the most gut-churning emotional experiences of 1990s cinema... [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 6, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
Some Like It Hot (1959) |
"
The preeminent comedy of anima...effervescent and breezily paced, from the car-chase opening to the big finish capped with one of the all-time-great punchlines. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 6, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) |
"
Kipling's exhilarating and disconcerting tale of high adventure... [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 6, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
91%
|
Bambi (1942) |
"
It would be easy to be cynical about Bambi, the Walt Disney-produced film that launched a thousand anthropomorphic animal movies. But its pre-ironic simplicity has, in many ways, only improved with age. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Mar 8, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Network (1976) |
"
Writer Paddy Chayevsky's prescient 1976 satire of lies, injustice and the American way...has lost none of its sting. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Feb 24, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
All About Eve (1950) |
"
Mankiewicz's inside knowledge of show business and its particular personality types gives the film an authenticity and allows for its famously devastating acid wit. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Feb 22, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
Blue Valentine (2010) |
"
A postmodern tragedy of two people at odds who are both right and both wrong in their argument, sharing responsibility for the birth and death of love."
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jan 7, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
The Pacific (2010) |
"
Succeeds in giving a vivid impression of the nature of this theater's combat, creating a venue for both powerful emotions and thoughtful consideration of provocative questions... [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 12, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
84%
|
The Sound of Music (1965) |
"
The Sound of Music is high-fructose corn-syrupy, built on simplistic psychology, unnaturalistic acting and historical inaccuracy. It's also well-nigh irresistible. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 7, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Modern Times (1936) |
"
There can be no better description for Modern Times-or indeed, Chaplin's career-than the film's initial title card: "A story of industry, of individual enterprise-humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness." [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 7, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
99%
|
Toy Story 3 (2010) |
"
A story with timeless, universal themes: family, coming of age (and leaving behind childish things), and the inevitable time when, past our prime, we will all face potential social obsolence. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 7, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) (1954) |
"
Synthesizes the traditions of the samurai narrative and the American western to create an intimate epic with deeply felt ground-level consequences. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 3, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Beauty and the Beast (2012) |
"
As far as "Classic Disney," Beauty and the Beast pretty much has it all. Y'know, for kids. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 20, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
94%
|
Hamlet (1996) |
"
The play widely regarded as the best piece of dramatic literature ever written...[in] the only unexpurgated big-screen version. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Aug 16, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
91%
|
What's Up, Doc? (1972) |
"
No one is going to match Grant and Hepburn, but Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand give it the ol' college try in the criminally entertaining What's Up, Doc? [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Aug 9, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
97%
|
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) (2001) |
"
Lee brought a distinct elegance to the wuxia genre of mythic, lyrical martial arts pictures...a breathtaking visual and emotional experience for the viewer...[Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 26, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) |
"
The extended rescue climax provides the heights of Steamboat Bill, Jr.'s ingenious choreography, but Keaton's brilliance as a performer shines just as brightly (if not more) in the simpler moments...[Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 20, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
The Red Shoes (1948) |
"
A sublime melodrama...[with a] still astonishing expressionistic dance sequence. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 19, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Inception (2010) |
"
The simplest way to sum up the greatness of Inception is to identify it as a new classic of science-fiction cinema (and, for that matter, the heist genre)."
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jul 14, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
Leave It to Beaver: Season Three (2010) |
"
Will eternally be the iconic televisual picture of '50s Americana...Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver was the original adorable sitcom kid...[DVD]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Jun 2, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
My Life to Live (It's My Life) (Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux) (1962) |
"
A fine example of Godard's experimental affronts to cinematic conventions, his exploration of the human condition, and his concern for social issues. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted May 31, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
By Brakhage: An Anthology (2003) |
"
Nearly all of Brakhage's films convey an astonishing blend of abstraction and representation, a hypnotic flow of pure cinema, an orgasmic discovery of the possibilities of the camera and editing technique, a hungry sensuality. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted May 30, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Toy Story 2 (1999) |
"
'You can't rush art.' Pixar's bliss in art and play is part and parcel of both the creation and the meaning of Toy Story 2, a celebration of the pure joy of doing. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Apr 1, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Toy Story (1995) |
"
Introduced not one but two indelible characters to the pop culture pantheon: cowboy rag-doll Woody (Tom Hanks) and plastic space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Apr 1, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Sanjuro (Tsubaki Sanjûrô) (1962) |
"
Rather than simply repeating the successful formula of Yojimbo, which incorporated humor but largely played it straight, Sanjuro flips the script for a largely comic action picture punctuated by a dark, rug-yanking conclusion. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Mar 28, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
97%
|
Yojimbo (1961) |
"
The biggest impression left by Yojimbo is the characterization of Sanjuro, whose iconography of stoic cool (that inspired Clint Eastwood's antiheroic "Man with No Name") is consistently undercut with dashes of comical realism...[Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Mar 28, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Bigger Than Life (1956) (1956) |
"
The sort-of picture-perfection of the suburban home...is a tenuous cover for the unpredictability of life, the short distance between the American Dream and the American nightmare. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Mar 7, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Heat (1995) |
"
A stealth epic, framing an urban jungle and making its own kind of contemporary history by pairing acting giants Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in what has arguably become the preminent cops-and-robbers movie. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Feb 16, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... - Season One (2009) |
"
Because Costello is himself so hugely talented as an eclectic songwriter and performer, because his taste is so impeccable, and because he is such a cultural magpie...Spectacle is a wholly addictive musical program for the ages. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 28, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
The General (1927) |
"
Keaton proves as endlessly clever and athletic as his screen surrogates...chock-full of hilarious sight gags, including bits of business that incorporate moving trains, cow-catchers, a bear (and bear trap), and a misbehaving cannon. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 25, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
81%
|
Fight Club (1999) |
"
One of the seminal films of the 1990s...just as darkly funny, epic, and psychically wrenching as ever. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Nov 14, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Howards End (1992) |
"
The pairings of Margaret and Henry, and Helen and Leonard, attempt to cross fault lines widened by class, and the tragedy of Howards End is in the absolute necessity and absolute inefficacy of doing so at their moment in history. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 19, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series (2009) |
"
The ironic relationship with the audience is what makes It's Garry Shandling's Show one for the ages."
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 19, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
97%
|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) |
"
One of the most important films in the history of popular cinema, and film fans must never forget the incredible achievement it was in 1937. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Oct 6, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
The Wizard of Oz (1939) |
"
It's more than a movie; it's an American rite of passage. [Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Sep 28, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
Complete Monterey Pop Festival (2002) |
"
Looking back on a time when music mattered, it's all good--at least as seen through the lens of documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker...[Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Sep 21, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
——
|
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two (2008) |
"
A phenomenon the likes of which television has seen no equal...[Blu-ray]"
—
Groucho Reviews
Posted Sep 14, 2009
|
63%
——
96%
