On Dvd

‘Hopscotch’ is Anchored in Walter Matthau’s Playful, Irascible Personality

‘Hopscotch’ is Anchored in Walter Matthau’s Playful, Irascible Personality

With his novel, Hopscotch, Brian Garfield challenged himself to write a suspenseful spy tale in which nobody gets killed.
How It Slips Away: ‘The Breaking Point’ Crosses Hemingway With Noir

How It Slips Away: ‘The Breaking Point’ Crosses Hemingway With Noir

Whether we've seen or read the story before, we ache for these sympathetic, floundering people presented to us gravely and without cynicism, even when cynical themselves.
Yes, It’s ‘Déjà Vu‘ All Over Again

Yes, It’s ‘Déjà Vu‘ All Over Again

Here's a romantic reincarnation thriller whose plot twists and chronology perch it between The Reincarnation of Peter Proud and Dead Again.
‘Caltiki’: The Creeping Blob!

‘Caltiki’: The Creeping Blob!

Even at its most creaky in between the hair-raising scenes of queasy ickiness, this movie appeals to style mavens, auteur watchers, and horror historians.
Spotlight on a Murderer: A Little-seen Mystery Thriller From Three Masters of the Form

Spotlight on a Murderer: A Little-seen Mystery Thriller From Three Masters of the Form

Georges Franju and his co-writers create a nice balance of tones and a general air of puzzlement with some clever misdirection for an entertaining light mystery.
On Seeking the Works of Douglas Sirk and Finding Jerry Hopper’s ‘Never Say Goodbye’

On Seeking the Works of Douglas Sirk and Finding Jerry Hopper’s ‘Never Say Goodbye’

Even though he removed himself from the project, Never Say Goodbye has Sirk's theme of the tyranny of children who dominate their parents.
Pilot X Puts a Crimp on the Business in ‘The Mysterious Airman’

Pilot X Puts a Crimp on the Business in ‘The Mysterious Airman’

Mystery writer Arthur B. Reeve's influence in this film doesn't follow convention -- it follows his invention.
Smudge and Jury: The Punk-Noir Pulp of ‘I, The Jury’

Smudge and Jury: The Punk-Noir Pulp of ‘I, The Jury’

With all the roughneck charm of a '40s-era pulp novel and much style to spare, I, The Jury is a good, popcorn-filling yarn.
‘Two O’Clock Courage’ Is Only a Quarter to Noir

‘Two O’Clock Courage’ Is Only a Quarter to Noir

This is a solid minor crime lark that tips its fedora to basic noir tropes.
Ken Russell’s ‘The Boy Friend’ Razzle-Dazzles ’em

Ken Russell’s ‘The Boy Friend’ Razzle-Dazzles ’em

Russell loves the homely spit-and-bailing-wire reality as much as the polished eye-popping fantasy of theatre.
Stuck in the Middle: Relationship Tangles in ‘Somewhere in the Middle’

Stuck in the Middle: Relationship Tangles in ‘Somewhere in the Middle’

This, here, is 90 minutes spent with the kinds of people you take special care to avoid in your workplace, your neighbourhood, or just about anywhere in your everyday life.
Black Comedy Comes in Many Colors in ‘What a Way to Go!’

Black Comedy Comes in Many Colors in ‘What a Way to Go!’

A widescreen '60s splash of groovy death humor.