A Death in the Family

(I think I wrote this more for myself than all of you wonderful readers, but I don’t mind sharing.)
It’s possible my level of compassion is below normal, but usually when I hear of someone’s pet dying, particularly after a long life, it doesn’t really yield the same reaction as when a human family member dies. [...]

The Art of the Criterion Collection

Home to some of the best films in the world as well as some of the finest DVD (and now Blu-ray) editions ever created, the Criterion Collection is beloved by most anyone who takes their movies seriously enough to have not just a few discs lying around the home but a cinematic “library” ready for [...]

A Return to 10 Best Picture Nominees

In a surprising move, the Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that its next awards ceremony will feature 10 nominees for Best Picture instead of the usual 5. This is a return to how things once were, decades ago, when comedies and musicals were frequently honored alongside more staid dramatic fare. The ceremony [...]

DVDs Ain’t What They Used to Be

The form of digital media known as the DVD that so many of us have embraced over the past 10 or 12 years is not terribly healthy right now. I know some or perhaps most are in denial about this, but the truth remains that the DVD has become a second class citizen among the [...]

Fox Movie Channel in June - Part II

As promised, here is the second part of highlighted selections on the Fox Movie Channel schedule for June. All five of these actually sound very intriguing, and I’ll be trying to catch each one. This seems to be going well enough to continue in July so I’ll be doing it again just before the first [...]

Fox Movie Channel in June- Part I

The Fox Movie Channel generally has two limitations - one inherent (only showing the Fox studio’s films) and the other self-imposed (showing the same movies over and over, sometimes three times in a row). There are still some older classics that slip through from time to time, many of which haven’t made it to R1 [...]

The Welcome Wagon

Hi there. Thanks for visiting my new site. Feel free to leave any comments on this post, good or bad. Any feedback at all is appreciated. My Film Journal site will no longer be updated and I’ve moved most everything over here, including comments. (If anyone would prefer to have their comments on posts that [...]

Weather Changes Moods

A bevy of exciting filmgoing experiences are in store for those in the New York area (which is, in all likelihood, no one else who will be reading this). Feel free to live vicariously and I’ll promise to reciprocate. I’ve just returned from opening night of a gorgeous print of Arthur Penn’s Mickey One, freshly [...]

The Basement of My Brain

I don’t think I want to make it a habit here, but this is a little chance to catch my breath and mention the reviews I’ve been writing for DVD Times. In case anyone reads this who doesn’t regularly visit the DVD Times site, here’s a link to all the reviews I’ve done. I’d prefer [...]

The TCM Ten 10/6-10/12

Not a lot to be excited about on TCM this week. I briefly considered going with the TCM Five, but I instead decided to include a few things of interest already on DVD. In lieu of time for further research, I’ve basically just written out my reasons for the picks. As always, [...]