DVDs

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Friday, November 20 2009

Z

Now is the right time to revisit Costa-Gavras' response to the defeats of 1968, all shot through with allusions to a burgeoning transnational revolutionary solidarity.

Death in the Garden

Buñuel made so many masterpieces in his near 50-year career that those films of his that are merely very good tend to be overlooked. Death in the Garden is just such a film.

People Like Us

This series acted as a springboard for an astonishing plethora of British talent such as Julia Davis, Tamsin Greig, Robert Webb, David Tennant and Bill Nighy.

Thursday, November 19 2009

In a Dream

A portrait of a muralist who’s spent his life filling buildings with mosaics is also a family drama and a primer on successfully coping with mental illness.

The IT Crowd: The Complete Third Season

The IT Crowd: The Complete Third Season brings back Moss, Roy, Jen and Mr. Reynholm for more of the sharpest computer-centric comedy around.

Wednesday, November 18 2009

Chinatown (Centennial Collection)

Despite bringing film noir into the daylight and into color, this is among the darkest of Southern California tales.

Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary

“Real life is so much more interesting and so much more bizarre than anything you can make up”.

Red Heat

Schwarzenegger and Belushi team up as two cops who... well, you know the drill.

Tuesday, November 17 2009

My Effortless Brilliance

There is something deeply affirming in believing that saving a friendship is a worthy pursuit, even for stubborn adults who have a hard time articulating love and regret.

thitysomething: The Complete First Season

The last American television series before Mad Men to treat the world of advertising seriously was this more satisfying, actual period piece.

Numb3rs: Season Five

This is undone by the same thing that plagues all CBS crime show lineups: many episodes are centered around tension-filled scenarios involving the characters, all of whom will always escape just fine.

Monday, November 16 2009

The Exiles

At once profound, seedy, sweeping and intimate, The Exiles chronicles a particular (and often ignored) moment in mid-20th century American history.

Natural Born Killers: The Director’s Cut

Stone's pedigree secure, the Hollywood maverick turned on the system itself; tarring sensationalism, public bloodlust, and judicial entropy, seemingly with the same brush.

The Accidental Husband

Mediocrity should never be a filmmaker's loftiest goal, and yet it's the best-case scenario for The Accidental Husband.

Friday, November 13 2009

Monsoon Wedding (The Criterion Collection)

A family drama, as mosaic of modern, globalizing India, as a love story that sneaks up on you, and as a discourse on post-modernity and tradition.

more Features

Friday, November 20 2009

Director Spotlight: Pedro Almodóvar

Today: Viva Pedro: The Almodovar Interview -- What could possibly be better than getting face time with one of the most legendary filmmakers of all-time? Almodóvar talks to PopMatters about his new film, Broken Embraces and much more.

Friday, November 6 2009

Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir

These five films from the golden-era of the legendary Nikkatsu studio shows off the never-ending ways Japanese filmmakers were able to combine the best elements of pulp and epic Japanese storytelling.

Friday, October 23 2009

PopMatters @ 10

PopMatters celebrates its birthday this week with a series of essays on cultural changes over our 10-year lifespan. Today: Mark Reynolds on "The Long and Short of Long-Form Journalism" and Nikki Tranter on "Exit from Nowheresville: My 10 Years with PopMatters".

more Columns

Monday, November 9 2009

PopShots: The Lighter Side of Swine Flu

Researchers have largely ignored the pop cultural value of the H1N1 virus: hours on the couch catching up on DVD.

Monday, November 2 2009

The Ghostbusters Twinkie Defense

More surprising than the still-impressive special effects and the jokes that hold up to modern scrutiny is the fact that there are moments throughout Ghostbusters that are legitimately scary.

Wednesday, October 28 2009

A Ghost Story of Dubious Origins

No matter the vercity of the tale, The Haunting in Connecticut has just enough creep quotient to keep me engaged, especially since I grew up a few miles from the house.

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Sunday, November 22 2009

Saturday, November 21 2009

Friday, November 20 2009

Thursday, November 19 2009

Wednesday, November 18 2009

Tuesday, November 17 2009

Monday, November 16 2009

Short Ends and Leader: Vamp-Tired: No More ‘New Moon’

Saturday, November 14 2009

Short Ends and Leader: Brüno (2009): Blu-ray