Blu-ray review: “Beware, My Lovely” (1952)

“Beware, My Lovely” (1952) Drama Running Time: 77 minutes Written by:  Mel Dinelli Directed by: Harry Horner Featuring: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan and Taylor Holmes Howard Wilton: [after Ruth has deliberately sprinkled debris on the floor he's just been cleaning, on his hands and knees] “You think I'm funny?” Ruth Williams: “Not particularly.” Howard Wilton: “I don't like being laughed at.” Ruth Williams: “Well, aren't you …

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Blu-ray review: “Newman’s Law” (1974)

“Newman’s Law” (1974) Drama Running Time: 98 minutes Written by:  Anthony Wilson Directed by: Richard T. Heffron Featuring: George Peppard Tagline: “Most cops play it by the book. Newman wrote his own!” Critical Commentary In the early 1970s, the crime genre in cinema was undergoing a renaissance, with gritty and often morally ambiguous stories capturing the zeitgeist of the …

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Blu-ray review: “The Executioner” (1970)

“The Executioner” (1970) Drama Running Time: 111 minutes Written by: Jack Pulman Directed by: Sam Wanamaker Featuring: George Peppard and  Keith Michell John Shay: “I thought you guys used Pentothal.” Balkov: “We ran out.” Critical Commentary "The Executioner," directed by John Smith and released in 1970, is a gritty and unflinching portrayal of the American justice system and the complex moral …

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Blu-ray review: “Pendulum” (1969)

“Pendulum” (1969) Drama Running Time: 102 minutes Written by: Stanley Niss Directed by: George Schaefer Featuring: George Peppard, Jean Seberg and Richard Kiley Judge Kinsella: “On your last appearance before me, Mr. Sanderson, it was my unpleasant duty to sentence you to death in the electric chair. Now, the duty I have before me now is in some respects even more …

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Blu-ray review: “P.J.” (1968)

“P.J.” (1968) Drama Running Time: 109 minutes Written by: Philip Reisman Jr. Directed by: John Guillermin Featuring: George Peppard, Gayle Hunnicutt, Raymond Burr, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Brock Peters and Susan Saint James P.J. Detweiler: [to Orbison, after the latter has made a cruel remark] “You know something? You're all... armpit.” Critical Commentary George Peppard was a versatile actor known for his charismatic screen presence and diverse …

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Blu-ray review: “The Martian Chronicles” (1980)

"The Martian Chronicles" (1980) Television Series / Science Fiction Episodes: Three Written by: Richard Matheson Directed by: Michael Anderson Featuring: Rock Hudson, Roddy McDowall and Maria Schell Maj. Jeff Spender: “I just believe in things that were done. And there were so many things done here. Streets and houses and books and big canals and clocks and places with names - things …

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Blu-ray review: “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (1974)

“Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (1974) Action Running Time: 112 minutes Written by: Gordon Dawson and Sam Peckinpah Directed by: Sam Peckinpah Featuring: Warren Oates and Isela Vega Bennie: “There ain't nothing sacred about a hole in the ground or the man that's in it. Or you. Or me.” Critical Commentary "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" …

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Blu-ray review: “The Prophecy: Forsaken” (2005)

“The Prophecy: Forsaken” (2005) Action Running Time: 75 minutes Written and directed by: Joel Soisson Featuring: Kari Wuhrer, Jason Scott Lee, John Light, Jason London and Tony Todd John Reigart: “The last chapter of the Bible is called Revelations. It promises the end of life as we know it. If that's the case, you might want to ask yourself: Is that really such …

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Blu-ray review: “The Prophecy: Uprising” (2005)

“The Prophecy: Uprising” (2005) Drama Running Time: 88 minutes Written and directed by: Joel Soisson Featuring: John Light, Sean Pertwee, Kari Wuhrer, Jason London and Doug Bradley Laurel: [as Belial] “Sorry I'm late. We had to stop for petrol and sweets. Ah, what a waste! You know, you really could have made more of this place. The evil that bred here? Such an opportunity, …

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Blu-ray review: “The Prophecy III: The Ascent” (1998)

“The Prophecy III: The Ascent” (1998) Drama Running Time: 84 minutes Written by: Joel Soisson and Carl Dupré Directed by: Patrick Lussier Featuring: Christopher Walken, Vincent Spano, Kayren Ann Butler and Brad Dourif Gabriel: “You been with a woman, Zophael? It's like dying... you moan, cry out. You get to a spot that has you begging for release. Once, I was an …

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Blu-ray review: “The Prophecy II” (1998)

“The Prophecy II” (1998) Drama Running Time: 83 minutes Written by: Matt Greenberg and Greg Spence Directed by: Greg Spence Featuring: Christopher Walken, Russell Wong, Jennifer Beals, Brittany Murphy and Steve Hytner Gabriel: “There's a small step from prophet to martyr. Can you take it?” Critical Commentary "The Prophecy II," directed by Greg Spence and released in 1998, is a supernatural horror film that …

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Blu-ray review: “The Prophecy” (1995)

“The Prophecy” (1995) Drama Running Time: 97 minutes Written and directed by: Gregory Widen Featuring: Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, Amanda Plummer and Viggo Mortensen Gabriel: “I'm an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, …

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Blu-ray review: “Losing Isaiah” (1989)

“Losing Isaiah” (1989) Drama Running Time: 111 minutes Written by: Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal Directed by: Stephen Gyllenhaal Featuring: Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, David Strathairn, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson Margaret Lewin: “Any animal can give birth. That doesn't make it a mother.” Khaila Richards: “Oh, so you're calling me an animal? If you think you're going to just take my baby from me …

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Blu-ray review: “Music Box” (1989)

“Music Box” (1989) Drama Running Time: 124 minutes Written by: Joe Eszterhas Directed by: Costa-Gavras Featuring: Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Frederic Forrest and Lukas Haas Mikey Talbot: “Grandpa told me that the holocaust was a big exaggeration.” Critical Commentary In the vast realm of cinematic history, there are films that entertain, films that enlighten, and films that haunt our deepest emotions. "Music Box," …

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Blu-ray review: “Crimes of the Heart” (1986)

“Crimes of the Heart” (1986) Drama Running Time: 105 minutes Written by: Beth Henley Directed by: Bruce Beresford Featuring: Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Tess Harper and Hurd Hatfield Meg Magrath: “Why'd you do it, Babe ? Why'd you put your head in the oven?” Babe Magrath: “I don't know... I'm having a bad day.” Critical Commentary "Crimes of the Heart," directed by …

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Blu-ray review: “Frances” (1982)

“Frances” (1982) Drama Running Time: 140 minutes Written by: Eric Bergren, Christopher De Vore and Nicholas Kazan Directed by: Graeme Clifford Featuring: Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard and Kim Stanley Harry York: “Frances, you're crazy.” Frances Farmer: [softly] “Don't tell anybody.” Critical Commentary In the realm of cinema, there are certain films that transcend the boundaries of time, leaving an indelible mark on the audience's heart and …

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Blu-ray review: “House of Sand and Fog” (2003)

“House of Sand and Fog” (2003) Drama Running Time: 126 minutes Written by: Shawn Lawrence Otto and Vadim Perelman Directed by: Vadim Perelman Featuring: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher and Kim Dickens Behrani: [Praying for his dying son] “Please, God, don't take my joon-am. I make my nazr. My nazr, hear me, please to hear me. I will give everything to one who …

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Blu-ray review: “Waking the Dead” (2000)

“Waking the Dead” (2000) Drama Running Time: 105 minutes Written by: Robert Dillon Directed by: Keith Gordon Featuring: Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Molly Parker, Janet McTeer, Paul Hipp, Sandra Oh and Hal Holbrook Sarah Williams: “You can't be everything to me.” Fielding Pierce: “I want to be.” Sarah Williams: “Oh, dear. I love that you said that.” Critical Commentary Released in 2000, "Waking the Dead" is a …

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Blu-ray review: “Career Opportunities” (1991)

“Career Opportunities” (1991) Comedy Running Time: 83 minutes Written by: John Hughes Directed by: Bryan Gordon Featuring: Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly and Dermot Mulroney Josie: “And you're happy, you know, you're happy.” Jim Dodge: “I'm not happy. I'm working nights, everybody thinks I'm a liar, my whole family's laughing at me... Reverend Harwell gave me the finger last week!” Critical Commentary "Career Opportunities," …

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Blu-ray review: “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (1994)

“Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” (1994) Drama Running Time: 126 minutes Written by: Alan Rudolph and Randy Sue Coburn Directed by: Alan Rudolph Featuring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Andrew McCarthy and Wallace Shawn Dorothy Parker: “Razors pain you, rivers are damp, acids stain you, drugs cause cramp. Guns aren't lawful, nooses give, gas smells awful; …

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