|
|
88%
|
Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) (2011) |
"
Criterion's rigorous transfer work preserves the infinitely complex HD compositions and sound field."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 18, 2012
|
|
|
47%
|
1900 (Novecento) (1976) |
"
A disappointing transfer of Bertolucci's grandest gesture, Olive Films' three-disc set of 1900 is nevertheless significant for presenting his most epic epic in its most complete form."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 17, 2012
|
|
|
79%
|
The Grey (2012) |
"
A soothing lullaby for alpha-male viewers and survival buffs, Joe Carnahan's The Grey arrives in a tip-top Blu-ray from Universal-a form that's likely to extend its life indefinitely, as a manly man, scotch-sipping midnight movie."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 15, 2012
|
|
|
37%
|
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012) |
"
Magnolia's trim, handsome Blu-ray preserves Tim and Eric's most ambitious broadside for the viewer's delectation and/or revulsion."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
—
|
61%
|
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 11, 2012
|
|
|
81%
|
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) |
"
They skimped on the supplements, but Twilight Time's Blu-ray of this neglected but endearing CinemaScope demo reel does right by its Technicolor film grain and stereophonic sound."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 8, 2012
|
|
|
83%
|
Ganja & Hess (Black Vampire) (1973) |
"
Kino's faultless transfer of a permanently hobbled blaxploitation landmark, which now ought to be rescued from its martyr status and appreciated anew as a totem of the unclassifiable in American cinema."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 8, 2012
|
|
—
|
——
|
I Killed The Prom Queen - Sleepless Nights And City Lights (2009) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 8, 2012
|
|
—
|
——
|
Dimensional Connections (2001) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 4, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Bird of Paradise (1932) |
"
After years of neglect in the public domain, Kino's Bird of Paradise is obviously the phoenix, emerging renewed from a privately owned nitrate print."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
The Connection (2007) |
"
The junkies, as expected, are the real show, and it's here that the theatrical predilections emerge, less "that Barton Fink feeling" and more The Iceman Cometh."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
|
80%
|
Haywire (2012) |
"
Soderbergh's best movie in ages, a deceptively modest bundle of butt-kicking and betrayal, gets a top-notch transfer from Lionsgate."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 2, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
While The Avengers exhibits exemplary craftsmanship, Joss Whedon hasn't made a great film. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted May 1, 2012
|
|
|
50%
|
Camelot (1967) |
"
Sometimes, the controlling principles of a Blu-ray production match those of its subject. Such is Warner's rather touching devotion, via top-drawer supplements and packaging, to a legendary film that never was...quite the Camelot that was in their hearts."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
—
|
22%
|
Raven (2012) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
0/4
|
23%
|
The Raven (2012) |
"
While full of welcome gore and blood spatter, it's bankrupt of any creative spark."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
78%
|
Caroline And Jackie (2013) |
"
Writer-director Adam Christian Clark's Caroline and Jackie clobbers the viewer with a wall of insistent stylishness, a Ketel One ad that just won't quit, or Bellflower for people whose Blackberry is a vital organ. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 23, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
Late Spring (1949) |
"
A slight improvement from Criterion's own 2006 DVD, but if your Blu-ray collection has a Greatest Films subdivision, this goes right between Last Year at Marienbad and The Leopard."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 23, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
94%
|
The Day He Arrives (2012) |
"
The geometry of human relationships is the main theme of The Day He Arrives. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
96%
|
Sleepless Night (2012) |
"
After a few turns in the modest narrative, an unlikely sense of structural resilience begins to emerge."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 17, 2012
|
|
|
52%
|
The Iron Lady (2012) |
"
A lodestone soufflé, an insincere apologia for the autocratic battle axe, or yet another resplendent shrine to the Streep Eternal: Whatever The Iron Lady is to you, Anchor Bay's Blu-ray will give you just-adequate satisfaction."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 15, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
51%
|
The Three Stooges (2012) |
"
In the hands of the Farrellys, the Stooges are, unsurprisingly, made into totems of the duo's favored themes and values: separation anxiety, and the special qualities of home and family, however dysfunctional."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
|
12%
|
The Darkest Hour (2011) |
"
A Razzie-worthy sci-fi zero gets the undeserving high-definition treatment from Summit Entertainment."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 11, 2012
|
|
|
67%
|
We Bought a Zoo (2011) |
"
A slick, professional high-def disc that's designed a little like a handmade mixtape, there's plenty of heart and soul (and brains) in Fox's excellent Blu-ray for We Bought a Zoo."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 11, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
Spectacle for spectacle's sake, but infiltrated by intelligent commentary and an atmosphere of generosity and inclusion."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 8, 2012
|
|
|
22%
|
The Sitter (2011) |
"
The unfunny flies fast and furious in Fox's unremarkable Blu-ray presentation of David Gordon Green's latest letdown."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Apr 3, 2012
|
|
—
|
97%
|
Casablanca (1943) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 29, 2012
|
|
0/4
|
26%
|
Wrath of the Titans (2012) |
"
This is a product of gross indifference in every respect, an attempt on the part of its producers to make enough money to justify a third, perhaps even more cut-rate, installment. (Revenge of the Titans?)"
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 28, 2012
|
|
|
81%
|
House of Pleasures (2011) |
"
Bertrand Bonnello's haunting, multi-layered visual tour de force gets a mediocre standard-definition release."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 21, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
Lady for a Day (1933) |
"
Neither the best nor the worst of Capra's most celebrated films, Lady for a Day is an odd pre-Code tent pole to get the high-def makeover challenge."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 21, 2012
|
|
|
96%
|
The Muppets (2011) |
"
A veritable romper-room presentation of this lovable (or, for some, insistently love-craving), reflexive musical comedy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 18, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Letter Never Sent (Neotpravlennoye pismo) (1959) |
"
Cinematic virtuoso Mikhail Kalatozov's slightly deranged great-great-uncle to everything from The Blair Witch Project to Rescue Dawn gets a no-frills but flawless high-definition release from the Criterion Collection."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 18, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
84%
|
The Raid: Redemption (2012) |
"
Gareth Evans's mostly no-nonsense, floor-by-floor ass-kicking panorama is admirably humble."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 17, 2012
|
|
|
48%
|
4:44 Last Day on Earth (2012) |
"
It's only natural that Abel Ferrara's vision of the end of the world should take corporeal form as a quasi-autobiographical hangout movie."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 17, 2012
|
|
—
|
33%
|
Spiders (2000) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 16, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Spiders, Part 2: The Diamond Ship (Spinnen, 2. Teil - Das Brillantenschiff, Die) (1920) |
"
Destined for film school libraries, Fritz Lang's earliest, substantially preserved adventure epic gets a solid, workmanlike DVD presentation from Kino."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 14, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Spiders, Part 1: The Golden Lake (Die Spinnen, 1. Teil - Der Goldene See) (1919) |
"
Destined for film school libraries, Fritz Lang's earliest, substantially preserved adventure epic gets a solid, workmanlike DVD presentation from Kino."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 14, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
21 Jump Street (2012) |
"
Like many almost-great comedies, 21 Jump Street is frontloaded with the best go-for-broke gags and lines. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 12, 2012
|
|
.5/4
|
51%
|
John Carter (2012) |
"
It's both abrupt and languorous, a wall-to-wall exhibition of design work where nobody had the basic decency to make sure the designs were good."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 6, 2012
|
|
|
94%
|
To Catch a Thief (2009) |
"
Unsurprising, as To Catch a Thief is one of the most beautiful movies of all time, Paramount casually drops one of its best-looking Blu-rays, with a nice sideboard of extras."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 6, 2012
|
|
—
|
97%
|
Unforgiven (1992) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 6, 2012
|
|
—
|
67%
|
The Woods (2006) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 2, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Sanbiki no samurai (Three Outlaw Samurai) (1964) |
"
Swell transfer work as usual, but Criterion could have done a bit more-as in, anything at all-to doll up Hideo Gosha's tight little chambara."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Mar 1, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
——
|
The Woods (2012) |
"
It's all very "found footage," Impolex by way of Discovery's The Colony, only with a lot more in the way of familiar consumer products."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 29, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
Scarlet Street (1945) |
"
The first of Fritz Lang's jaundiced American noirs to make it to Blu-ray in a beautifully crisp transfer whose material flaws are far easier to forgive than a dame that done you wrong."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 28, 2012
|
|
|
94%
|
Hugo (2011) |
"
A disappointing slog from the artist formerly known as Martin Scorsese gets a predictably perfect high-def standing ovation."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 27, 2012
|
|
|
67%
|
Track 29 (1988) |
"
Image's barren single-disc of this cheeky fairy tale is essential for Roeg-ians, but an optional curiosity for most."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 24, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) |
"
Give in to the "irresistible impulse" to put Criterion's 600th spine number on your shelf."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 23, 2012
|
|
|
57%
|
Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) |
"
As barren as an octo-dad's bank account, Olive Films' single-disc DVD for Rock-a-Bye Baby preserves the otherworldly density of Frank Tashlin's VistaVision canvas."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 14, 2012
|
|
—
|
31%
|
A Star is Born (1976) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 14, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Boeing (707) Boeing (707) (1965) |
"
A barebones platter gives a rare glimpse of Jerry Lewis playing it relatively straight, and an always-welcome view of Tony Curtis as an overworked bad boy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 13, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
A Star Is Born (1937) |
"
You'll pick this up to make a connection with a fragile Eastman House nitrate print, not necessarily to be knocked out of your socks by a classic two-strip Technicolor classic in high-definition."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 12, 2012
|
|
|
71%
|
Cold Mountain (2003) |
"
If you own the 2009 Blu-ray, and you're happy with it, there's no need to subsidize the present custodians of Miramax's catalogue."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 10, 2012
|
|
|
57%
|
Love Story (1970) |
"
With this Love Story Blu-ray, Paramount proves that you can, in fact, polish a turd."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 7, 2012
|
|
|
92%
|
Sans soleil (Sunless) (1983) |
"
This needs to be on your shelf, whether you picked up the 2007 DVD or you're eyeballing this one. Maybe you were waiting for Marker's low-tech genius to be reproduced in high-def. It was worth it the wait."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 7, 2012
|
|
|
92%
|
La Jetée (The Pier) (1962) |
"
This needs to be on your shelf, whether you picked up the 2007 DVD or you're eyeballing this one. Maybe you were waiting for Marker's low-tech genius to be reproduced in high-def. It was worth it the wait."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 7, 2012
|
|
—
|
58%
|
Edge of Darkness (2010) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 7, 2012
|
|
.5/4
|
89%
|
In Darkness (2012) |
"
A "Not Another Holocaust Movie" awards grab that isn't even distinguished by its base artlessness and indifference to craft."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 6, 2012
|
|
|
100%
|
Rebecca (1940) |
"
A few tiny scratches short of an early candidate for Blu-ray of the year, Fox's fully stocked HD package for Rebecca is an essential release of an exquisitely mixed-up masterpiece."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 2, 2012
|
|
|
98%
|
Annie Hall (1977) |
"
Probably not the classic film most in dire need of an HD upgrade, but Fox does right by Woody Allen's best-loved neurotic romantic comedy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Feb 1, 2012
|
|
|
98%
|
Manhattan (1979) |
"
A veritable collector's set of Gotham iconography, Fox's Blu-ray of Woody's swooniest neurotic romance has plenty of slate-gray panache for the film's legions of ardent devotees."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 31, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
76%
|
Kill List (2012) |
"
The ending is so gracelessly ironic that O. Henry himself would have thrown up his hands in disgust."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 30, 2012
|
|
|
97%
|
Wings (1927) |
"
A good hand, played well. Given the likelihood of The Artist's forthcoming Oscar ascendancy, Paramount knew what they had, what to do with it, and when to do it."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 25, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
32%
|
Man on a Ledge (2012) |
"
Beyond my Big Apple-centric nitpicking, the cheapness is soaked into the material and direction as well."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 25, 2012
|
|
|
84%
|
Mysteries of Lisbon (2011) |
"
A mixed bag for a career masterpiece, the Blu-ray of Mysteries of Lisbon gets some things wrong in terms of authoring, but Raúl Ruiz's final epic is so enchanting you may talk yourself into not noticing."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 24, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Poto and Cabengo (1980) |
"
If you think you know the documentary-essay-sketchbook genre, Jean-Pierre Gorin proves that there's always a little more country to undiscover."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 22, 2012
|
|
|
——
|
Routine Pleasures (1986) |
"
If you think you know the documentary-essay-sketchbook genre, Jean-Pierre Gorin proves that there's always a little more country to undiscover."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 22, 2012
|
|
|
92%
|
Traffic (2000) |
"
The primetime debut of one of Criterion's indies-in-residence, Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning drug war epic gets a terrific HD upgrade."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 17, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (A Man Escaped) (1957) |
"
A Man Escaped seems to be one of the few Bresson films that both his fans and detractors can agree on."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 17, 2012
|
|
—
|
82%
|
Mildred Pierce (1945) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 14, 2012
|
|
—
|
17%
|
30 Days Of Night: Dark Days (2010) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 13, 2012
|
|
|
92%
|
Night and Day (Bam gua nat) (2009) |
"
A little context would have helped, but it's a very honorable transfer of another quiet, seismic tremor from the Korean master."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 12, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
92%
|
Beauty and the Beast (2012) |
"
Better remembered than seen, Beauty and the Beast has been treated unkindly not just by the years that have passed since it was released to enormous acclaim in 1991, but by a faddish 3D conversion."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 11, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
80%
|
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (2012) |
"
Madeleine Olnek has a limited repertoire of jokes, so it's fortunate that the film, at 76 minutes, is fairly amusing, even if it's never quite laugh-out-loud funny. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Jan 3, 2012
|
|
|
88%
|
Margin Call (2011) |
"
A massively "whatever" Blu-ray for a fairly sturdy indie that's riding a wave of magnanimous press and hands-rubbing-together awards prognosticators."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 24, 2011
|
|
—
|
0%
|
A Farewell To Arms (1957) |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 23, 2011
|
|
|
88%
|
A Farewell to Arms (1932) |
"
Tissue-thin as these things go, Kino's wafer of a Blu-ray production earns its keep with a fine transfer of a Borzage barnburner."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 22, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
77%
|
War Horse (2011) |
"
What ultimately hobbles War Horse is a two-pronged attack, with Spielberg's soft-sell producing an unfortunately dramatic flatness in almost every scene, while an 11th-hour scramble for picture-book catharsis doesn't seem to work either."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 21, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
100%
|
The Gold Rush (1925) |
"
What's surprising when one takes a fresh look at The Gold Rush is how much else there is, too, not just in terms of set pieces."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 20, 2011
|
|
.5/4
|
12%
|
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) |
"
They die horribly. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 15, 2011
|
|
|
81%
|
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2011) |
"
Tsui Hark's surreal wuxia gets problematic transfer, but lives to tell the tale."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 14, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
93%
|
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011) |
"
While Brad Bird's direction is not nearly as fleet as his CV in animation would lead one to hope, it's not without its pleasures either."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 14, 2011
|
|
—
|
——
|
Deep End () |
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 14, 2011
|
|
|
100%
|
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) |
"
Warner's cases might create havoc for the fastidious home-video collector who remembers the dark days of clamshell VHS cases, but the production and presentation of Minnelli's first masterpiece gets everything right that really counts. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 13, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
Deep End (1971) |
"
Deep End is as soaked in pheromones and nervous electricity as its main character."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 12, 2011
|
|
|
86%
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) |
"
The "Millennium" completist doesn't need to be told to pick this up, but would be well advised to understand that the set contains the TV version of the trilogy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 12, 2011
|
|
|
54%
|
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2010) |
"
The "Millennium" completist doesn't need to be told to pick this up, but would be well advised to understand that the set contains the TV version of the trilogy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 12, 2011
|
|
|
69%
|
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2010) |
"
The "Millennium" completist doesn't need to be told to pick this up, but would be well advised to understand that the set contains the TV version of the trilogy."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 12, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
67%
|
Fanny, Annie & Danny (2011) |
"
Writer-director Chris Brown makes a play for the "And You Thought Your Family Was Crazy" sweepstakes with Fanny, Annie & Danny."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 9, 2011
|
|
|
76%
|
The Help (2011) |
"
Disney ably delivers a machine-tooled Blu-ray presentation of The Help, a delicious confection about the Southern matriarchy, set against the burgeoning civil rights movement, with a secret ingredient: shit."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 6, 2011
|
|
|
97%
|
The Lady Vanishes (1938) |
"
The lion's share of the work was done in 2007 for the brilliant DVD re-release; if you already own it, you shouldn't feel obligated to double-dip. That having been said, a fine job is a fine job, and Criterion deserves high marks once again."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 5, 2011
|
|
|
100%
|
Seven Chances (1925) |
"
Kino's Blu-ray production has room for improvement, but for the visual presentation alone, it's an essential release."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Dec 2, 2011
|
|
|
——
|
Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) |
"
Although we can glimpse Caitlin's vulnerability and doubt from scene to scene, she might be the most well-armed and well-fortified protagonist Joe Swanberg's ever given us."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 30, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
45%
|
Happy Feet Two (2011) |
"
Like me, you probably like a handful of the pop songs, but would describe the experience of seeing them performed by multi-million-dollar, anthropomorphized animals as not being too far off from watching a graphic training film on venereal disease."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 15, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
95%
|
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) |
"
Few British films from this period seem to mythologize the pre-war period of Churchill's youth and early career quite as potently."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 13, 2011
|
|
.5/4
|
3%
|
Jack and Jill (2011) |
"
More bluntly than ever before (and that's saying something), Sandler uses an entire film to let his loyal fans know that he thinks they're all a bunch of stupid *******. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 10, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
44%
|
J. Edgar (2011) |
"
Images of the living, yet decaying, body are what turn a cookie-cutter biopic into something far more personal."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 8, 2011
|
|
|
92%
|
Blue Velvet (1986) |
"
A terrific, finely-tuned presentation of a landmark American movie, complete with flaming nipples, minus cackling audience members."
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Nov 7, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
Silver Bullets (2011) |
"
It's certainly autobiographical, and it's okay to accept that, but at the same time, it's a mistake to decide that that's the whole show. "
—
Slant Magazine
Posted Oct 26, 2011
|
78%
——
——
85%
45%
40%
