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Chris Chiarella | Oct 22, 2021 |

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Serial killers. Cannibalism. A disturbing journey into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. The Silence of the Lambs has more than its share of horrors, yet, through it all, the movie tells the very personal story of FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, nabbing a second Best Actress Oscar here). Haunted by loss and her guilt over a childhood failure, she seeks redemption in a high-profile missing persons case that requires her to work closely with notorious murderer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, who netted a Best Actor Oscar). An outstanding piece of filmmaking in every way, Silence of the Lambs has transcended the thriller genre to become a genuine classic.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Jan 15, 2010 |

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/simpsons20.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When The Simpsons first appeared on "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987 I doubt anyone would have thought it would win 25 Emmy awards, become the longest-running American sitcom, and eventually surpass Gunsmoke as the longest running primetime series with over 450 episodes.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Skeleton Twins

Chris Chiarella | Mar 11, 2015 |

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Surely Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are two of the more interesting people working in Hollywood right now. With his diverse mile-long résumé and her Oscar nomination (for co-writing Bridesmaids) and indie cred, plus their shared Saturday Night Live pedigree, we never know quite what we’ll get next from them. The Skeleton Twins is not their first big-screen pairing, but it’s their most significant, as they play same-age sibs Maggie and Milo, estranged for the past 10 years and now suddenly reunited as they grapple with their own issues.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Social Network (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Jan 10, 2011 |

The stunning tale of a new breed of cultural insurgent: a punk genius who sparked a revolution and changed the face of human interaction for a generation, and perhaps forever. Shot through with emotional brutality and unexpected humor, this superbly crafted film chronicles the formation of Facebook and the battles over ownership that followed upon the website's unfathomable success.

Until I sat down to watch this, my favorite

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film of 2010 was Inception—it's now second. Aaron Sorkin, best known for "The West Wing," adapted the script from Ben Mezrich's book "The Accidental Billionaires" and takes what could have been a dull topic and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Under David Fincher's direction, there's plenty of humor, drama, and heartbreak it's interesting to see how Zuckerberg's socially retarded behavior costs him his best friend but in the process he builds his dream.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Social Network comes to Blu-ray Josef Krebs | Mar 31, 2011 |

The Social Network opens with a conversation between Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend (Rooney Mara), and it's the perfect setup for a movie about a certain form of Internet interaction.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Soloist David Vaughn | Aug 06, 2009 |

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/soloist.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Los Angeles Times newspaper columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) discovers a brilliant but homeless street musician (Jamie Foxx) with a Julliard education. The man clearly has some psychological issues, but a unique bond of friendship develops between the two men that transforms both of their lives.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Nov 29, 2010 |

Dave (Jay Baruchel) is not your average NYU student; he's the heir to Merlin's powerful magic. Recruited by the sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage) to help him battle the forces of darkness in modern-day Manhattan, he's forced into a crash course in the art and science of magic. Can he fulfill his destiny?

Loosely based on Fantasia's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) reunite to deliver an over-the-top thrill ride. Cage and Baruchel are awesome as master and apprentice who persevere through an overcomplicated script. The action scenes are extremely well shot and the CGI is quite good, especially when Dave coerces the mop into cleaning duty.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Spiderwick Chronicles

David Vaughn | Jun 23, 2008 |

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/spiderwick.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Seeking to escape her failed marriage, Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) moves her three children away from New York City to a country home left to her by an insane aunt. The children soon discover that the old house harbors many mysteries, and Jared (Freddie Highmore) finds his great-great uncle Spiderwick's Field Guide, which reveals the unbelievable truth about the Spiderwick Estate—a secret world of fantastical creatures hidden from normal view.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Spider’s Web

Peter Pachal | May 15, 2002 |

Given that Spider-Man has been spinning his webs in comic books for almost 40 years, it's about time the wall-crawler made the leap to the big screen. Besides starring in his own flick this spring, Spidey has his sticky fingers into - appropriately enough - the World Wide Web.

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The Spongebob Movie: Sponge out of Water

Corey Gunnestad | Aug 28, 2015 |

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Spongebob Squarepants is a fry cook at a popular fast-food diner called The Krusty Krab in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom. The Krusty Krab is famous for a particular burger-type delicacy called The Krabby Patty. They’re insanely popular, and the secret formula is kept under lock and key. Unbeknownst to Spongebob and his compatriots, an enterprising surface-dweller pirate named Burger Beard, played with delightful relish and gusto by Antonio Banderas, has found an ancient text that essentially tells the story of the movie you’re currently watching. This gives Burger Beard the ability to rewrite the story as it progresses.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Square (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Aug 24, 2010 |

Escaping the monotony of a loveless marriage, Raymond Yale (David Roberts) becomes entangled in an affair with Carla (Claire van der Bloom). His moral limits are tested when she presents him with the proceeds of her husband's latest crime and the two hatch a plan to start a new life. What could go wrong?

The first act sets the story on the right path but Raymond's actions become more absurd and unbelievable as the film progresses. Furthermore, what does Carla see in the middle-aged man in the first place? Granted, her boyfriend is no looker but a girl with her assets could land a respectable guy closer to her own age.

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The Suicide Squad

Chris Chiarella | Jan 21, 2022 |

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Blurring the line between sequel, reboot and remake, The Suicide Squad fairly leaps off the screen with something too often conspicuously absent from the DC Cinematic Universe: a sense of fun. Written and directed by James Gunn after his famous firing from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy series (and before he was rehired), The Suicide Squad gleefully embraces excess in every way imaginable. It's rated R for its gore, language, and nudity, yet seldom misses an opportunity to pause and appreciate the absurdity of it all—a drastic tonal shift from its joyless 2016 predecessor, simply titled "Suicide Squad."

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The Swimmer

Chris Chiarella | Aug 05, 2014 |

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Embellished from John Cheever’s most famous short story, The Swimmeris a rather artful drama that is ultimately open to individual interpretation. Determined to swim his way home from pool to pool across the county, middle-aged Ned also spends this unusual day wrestling with the very truth of his life, reality coming at him in increasingly hostile waves as he encounters more of his friends. Clad only in bathing trunks—except for one scene in which he removes them altogether—the legendary Burt Lancaster imbues this misguided soul with his bigger-than-life screen presence, carrying the entire narrative on his broad, buff shoulders.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Switch (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Mar 16, 2011 |

With her biological clock running out, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) decides to take matters into her own hands and have a baby via artificial insemination. Her neurotic best friend, Wally (Jason Bateman), tries to talk her out of it but she ignores him and enlists the help of a sperm donor (Patrick Wilson) to complete the process. On the night of the "event," Wally has one too many drinks and may have tampered with the donation and when he meets Kassie's son seven years later his suspicions start to grow when the two have way too many similarities.

Jennifer Aniston's venture into feature films hasn't been a resounding success thus far, but this may be her best project. The chemistry she and Bateman share is outstanding and there are some serious laugh-out-loud moments starting with the crazy homeless man in the first scene of the movie. When the kid (Thomas Robinson) enters the picture it can get a tad sappy, but that's OK because he's adorable and the relationship he develops with Bateman's character is very touching.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Tale of Despereaux (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn | Apr 09, 2009 |

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/despereaux.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>This animated tale is based on Kate DiCamilla's award-winning 2004 book about an unordinary mouse born with big ears and even bigger dreams. Banished from home because of his desire to be a knight, Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) sets off with Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) on a quest to rescue a princess (Emma Watson).

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