Chris Chiarella

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
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.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Untouchables
Chris Chiarella  |  Aug 05, 2022
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Those seeking an accurate account of notorious gangster Al Capone's downfall should continue their search elsewhere. But anyone wanting two thrilling hours of fact-influenced entertainment need look no further. Director Brian De Palma's artful take on Eliot Ness and his squad of incorruptible treasury agents on a quest to clean up Prohibition-era Chicago blends hard-hitting dialogue and career-best performances in an almost operatic tale of good versus evil.
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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
The Walk
Chris Chiarella  |  May 20, 2016
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We often live in a locked-down world of dread these days, especially when the subject of the World Trade Center arises. But in the summer of 1974, one week before his 25th birthday, Philippe Petit made headlines with a self-propelled trip between the rooftops of the Twin Towers, and it has become a modern legend almost too daring to be believed. Driven by an all-consuming passion for his wire-walking art and unable to resist the majestic pull of those magnificent skyscrapers since first learning of their construction, Philippe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) truly risked everything to fulfill his dream.
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Warriors
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 05, 2024
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Framed for killing the most admired and respected gang leader in New York City during a gang summit, The Warriors suddenly find themselves unarmed and on the run, with every cop eager to lock them up and every other gang member looking for revenge. Walter Hill’s taut 1978 action-thriller, remastered here in 4K, has a dangerous energy all its own, with near-nonstop adrenaline punctuated by glimmers of social commentary.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Wizard of Oz
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 27, 2019
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With its childlike innocence and a universal charm that's born of its exquisite characters, The Wizard of Oz is likely the greatest family film of all time, the sort we may never see again. The adventure of a willful Kansas farmgirl transported to a strange, wondrous land is a heart-tugging journey of music and laughter that should continue to enthrall generations to come. There are 80 years' worth of observations for me to draw upon here, but I'll just go with this: Not enough can ever be said of Margaret Hamilton's turn as the gleefully, irresistibly, deliciously wicked villain.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The World’s End
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 05, 2014
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Magnifying the crisis in midlife crisis, arrested adolescent Gary King (Simon Pegg) coaxes his better-adjusted childhood chums to revisit their hometown and reattempt the feat that conquered them 20 years earlier: drinking their way through all 12 pubs of Newton Haven’s Golden Mile. Last stop: The World’s End. The five friends soon realize that most of the citizenry—including two of their own—have been replaced by alien automatons (“blanks”) and that sleepy Newton Haven is the beachhead for world conquest.
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Other Source Component Reviews
The Xbox 360
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 19, 2005
The Xbox 360 Is All Around Us

We offer facts, figures, and first impressions of Bill Gates and company's latest (and quite major) step toward providing Microsoft with a foothold in the world's living rooms. We look at games and accessories here, too, with a full review in the March 2006 Home Theater Magazine.

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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
They Live
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 30, 2021
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They are living amongst us, manipulating the entire human race, dominating us using hidden messages of obedience and rampant commercialism. Who they are and why they're doing it are less important than how we will expose them—and who will be brave enough to fight back. A down-and-out working-class hero and all-around good egg (Roddy Piper) stumbles across special sunglasses that block the oppressors' shenanigans and gives him a clear look at them…and he doesn't like what he sees.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Thief
Chris Chiarella  |  May 30, 2014
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Michael Mann’s feature film directing debut, this rough-hewn caper drama fairly throbs with energy, thanks in large part to the inspired use of a Tangerine Dream musical score. Criminal or not, Frank (James Caan) is pretty difficult to like, but he’s a total professional, so naturally the Chicago mob wants to own him. They underestimated Frank, however, and his rage erupts stylishly in this unrated director’s cut.
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Threastwood: Dirty Harry, Josey Wales and Pale Rider on 4K
Chris Chiarella  |  May 10, 2025
Pale Rider (1985)
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The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
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Dirty Harry (1971)
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Threastwood: Dirty Harry, Josey Wales and Pale Rider on 4K

By Chris Chiarella

Studio pushes like the one Warner has done for filmmaker Clint Eastwood—long one of their most bankable stars—are a great opportunity to rediscover what made an icon so iconic. These are not the first Eastwoods in 4K, nor are they the first from Warner, but they certainly represent some of his absolute best work on screen.

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