Babylon Berlin is a hugely expensive German-language TV show that seems to have a rabid cult following and universal critical acclaim—but no one I've talked to has seen it. It's based on a series of novels by author Volker Kutscher about a police inspector, Gereon Rath, who has many demons of his own, from drug addiction … Continue reading DVD Review – Babylon Berlin Series 1 & 2
“As I drove off, it was still raining and the drops streaked down the windshield like tears." I can't think of another line that perfectly sums up the poetry of film noir: it says everything you need to know about the existential angst you are about to experience in the one hour and eight minutes … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review – Detour
A Dandy in Aspic was Anthony Mann’s last film. At this point his career had pretty much dwindled, after doing lots of film noirs and Westerns. In the ‘60s he started doing lots of epics, like El Cid and Fall of the Roman Empire. This, however, was a ‘60s spy/Cold War thriller. It stars Laurence … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review – A Dandy in Aspic
Recently on the absolutely fantastic "The Movies That Made Me" podcast, which is hosted by Josh Olson and Joe Dante, the topic of walking out of films came up. Dante said Wes Craven's Swamp Thing from 1982 made it OK for him to walk out of a film, after being a die-hard about never walking … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review – Swamp Thing
The Girl in the Spider's Web came out last November, but for various reasons it bombed at the international box office. It's the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and was intended as a "soft reboot" because both the first film's director David Fincher and its stars, including Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, didn't … Continue reading Blu-Ray Review – The Girl in the Spider’s Web
