Rope of Silicon » DVD and Blu-ray Reviews

Blu-ray Review: 'Ivan's Childhood' (Criterion Collection)

Brad Brevet — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:49:30 +0000

A look at Criterion's new Blu-ray presentation of Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood, an impressive debut feature from the famed Russian director.

Blu-ray Review: 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' (Criterion Collection)

Brad Brevet — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:01:35 +0000

John Schlesinger's Sunday Bloody Sunday is a film you owe it to yourself to see as it features outstanding performances and direction and tells a story featuring one of the more realistic films about love you'll ever see.

'The Avengers': Is Spectacle Enough or Do Multiple Viewings Require Something More?

Brad Brevet — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:40:46 +0000

Is spectacle enough or do multiple viewings require something more? WIth The Avengers I quickly realized, with this film, I need a little more.

'In the Mood'... to be Loved

Brad Brevet — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:46:18 +0000

A look at Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love, which was just re-released on Criterion Blu-ray.

A First Visit with the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'

Brad Brevet — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:00:14 +0000

Finally I get to Creature from the Black Lagoon, the same day Universal has hired yet another writer to attempt to remake the 1954 classic. Click on in to get my thoughts after watching the recently released Blu-ray, thoughts that insist movies such as Jaws and Alien wouldn't have been the same without this film.

'Phantom' Thoughts

Brad Brevet — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:34:48 +0000

A first watch of the 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera didn't come close to moving me as much as The Invisible Man as I continue to explore the three films I had not yet seen in Universal's Classic Monsters Blu-ray collection.

'We'll begin with a reign of terror...'

Brad Brevet — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:19:36 +0000

I began my exploration of Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection Blu-ray set with a look at The Invisible Man, a film I had never seen, but was absolutely won over by its wicked antagonist and the performance of Claude Rains.

David Fincher's 'The Game': One Part Fascinating and Two Parts Frustrating

Brad Brevet — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:27:02 +0000

David Fincher's The Game (1997) is one of his only films to truly frustrate me on a narrative level while at the same time still allowing me to marvel at his talent behind the camera. Here I take a look at the new Criterion Blu-ray as well as the film itself.

Blu-ray Review: Criterion's Outstanding Remastering of 'The Samurai Trilogy'

Brad Brevet — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:10:10 +0000

I'm a little late with this review considering the Blu-ray has been out for almost two months, but I finally got around to watching Criterion's fantastic remastering of Hiroshi Inagaki's The Samurai Trilogy and just had to say something.

'Jaws' Blu-ray Review

Brad Brevet — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:07:05 +0000

Any fan of Jaws has nothing to fear as Universal delivers a stunning restoration of the 37-year-old classic which includes the "The Shark is Still Working" documentary, available for the first time on Blu-ray.

Just Watched 'The Raid' and It Grunt Umph Pow Slap

Brad Brevet — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:00:14 +0000

Biff! Boom! Pow! The Raid: Redemption is a monotonous slog of kicking, punching, grunting and groaning in a film that seems to only exist to ensure Gareth Evans could say he made a feature length clip reel of action scenes lifted from other films. No thanks.

Blu-ray Review: 'Down by Law' Criterion Collection

Brad Brevet — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:19:35 +0000

After being turned off by Jim Jarmusch's films for several years, in the last two years I've come across two of his earlier works that are starting to make me think otherwise... Down by Law is one of those two.

Bergman's Summers: Blu-ray Review of Criterion's 'Summer Interlude' and 'Summer with Monika'

Brad Brevet — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:33:12 +0000

Watching Ingmar Bergman's Summer Interlude and Summer with Monika was something of an "Ah ha!" moment as another piece of the puzzle fell into place, allowing me to find an even greater understanding of the great director's work, where he came from compared to where he would go.

'The Secret World of Arrietty' Blu-ray Review

Brad Brevet — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:12:45 +0000

I missed The Secret World of Arrietty in theaters, largely due to not wanting to see it with an English dub, now that it's out on pristine Blu-ray I can see it in its original Japanese language and boy does it look fantastic.

Nine Things I Learned Listening to David Cronenberg's 'A Dangerous Method' Blu-ray Commentary

Kevin Blumeyer — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:52:10 +0000

Kevin has sifted through David Cronenberg's audio commentary on the just released Blu-ray for A Dangerous Method and come away with nine interesting facts about the production.

I Happen to Like My Nose... I Like Breathing Through It!

Brad Brevet — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:44:54 +0000

Paramount's new Blu-ray transfer of Chinatown is well worth the purchase as the colors pop off the screen and this noir looks better than it ever has.

'The Muppets' Blu-ray Review

Kevin Blumeyer — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:15:30 +0000

Despite not knowing much about the Muppets, Kevin dives into the new The Muppets (Wocka Wocka Value Pack) Blu-ray and likes what he finds.

'The Three Musketeers' Blu-ray Review

Kevin Blumeyer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:18 +0000

As tired as the Pirates franchise may be after four films, even its most mediocre entries fare better than cheap imitators like The Three Musketeers.

'High Road' Blu-ray Review

Kevin Blumeyer — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:03:33 +0000

Kevin sits backs and relaxes with the direct-to-DVD stoner, road comedy High Road and recommends you do the same. After all, just because it's straight to DVD doesn't mean it isn't funny, it just means it doesn't have a bunch of Usher and Kanye West songs.

'Battle Royale' (Extended Cut) Blu-ray Review

Brad Brevet — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:40:40 +0000

Even I have drawn comparisons between Battle Royale and The Hunger Games and I hadn't even seen Battle Royale yet. Now that I've seen it what do I think? How does the Blu-ray stack up? Find out everything with just a click...

'Footloose' Blu-ray Review

Kevin Blumeyer — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:44:58 +0000

Kevin takes a stab at reviewing Footloose and offers a kind backhand at its silliness.

Did You Know 'Mission: Impossible 2' is a Remake of Hitchcock's 'Notorious'? Here, Have a Look...

Brad Brevet — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:02:09 +0000

Credit isn't paid, but Mission: Impossible II is a clear rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious. And while it's interesting that M:I 2 pays no credit to the Hitchcock feature, what's more interesting is the difference in how the stories are told as 55 years separate the two.

My Three Favorite Moments in Hitchcock's 'Spellbound'

Brad Brevet — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:47:04 +0000

Alfred Hitchcock's films all contain gems of brilliance, no matter how good or bad the film may be. When it comes to Spellbound, which just hit Blu-ray recently, I can't necessarily say it's a great film, but I can point to three specific moments that truly wowed me.

Hitchcock Shows Us How to Do a Flashback in 'Rebecca'

Brad Brevet — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:26 +0000

The Blu-ray for Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, his only film to ever win Best Picture, is now available and on top of taking a look at the new release I felt I'd point out one particular moment that truly impresses me when it comes to what may be my favorite Hitchcock feature.

Blu-ray Review: Godzilla (Criterion Collection)

Brad Brevet — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:15:15 +0000

Criterion has taken the metaphorical monster of the nuclear age and delivered it in pristine high definition with a slew of special features worth exploring. Here's my review of the Blu-ray edition of Godzilla as presented by the Criterion Collection.

Blu-ray Review: Belle de Jour (Criterion Collection)

Brad Brevet — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:31:32 +0000

Criterion brings Luis Bunuel's classic Belle de Jour to Blu-ray and with it a spectacular audio commentary and supplemental video piece that opened the film up to me and cause me to draw a comparison to David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method.

Blu-ray Review: Traffic (Criterion Collection)

Brad Brevet — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:23:13 +0000

Criterion brings Steven Soderbergh's four-time Oscar winning drug war classic to Blu-ray in an impressive fashion with a transfer that makes the film look better than ever and a group of features worth exploring.

Blu-ray Review: The Help

Kevin Blumeyer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:18:57 +0000

Kevin watched The Help three times in the process of reviewing it and now declares it "one of the most enjoyable movies of the year." Click on through to find out why.

Blu-ray Review: Super 8

Kevin Blumeyer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:40:45 +0000

Kevin reviews the Blu-ray for J.J. Abrams' Super 8 saying it "remains enjoyable through repeat viewings, even if a little of the luster begins to wear off."

Blu-ray Review: The Devil's Double

Brad Brevet — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:02:06 +0000

Both the supporters and detractors of The Devil's Double seem to be leaning too far to either hate or love as comparisons to Scarface are a bit too much and those looking for top notch drama were looking for too much. Find yourself in the middle and you should be quite satisfied.