Dorian Blues

"Dorian Blues" is one of the best gay-themed films to come out (pardon the
pun) in the last few years -- and it was written and directed by one Tennyson
Bardwell, who, despite being named Tennyson Bardwell, is straight. I don't have
any theories on what that means, I just think it's interesting.

The film covers a few years in the life of Dorian (Michael McMillian), a
suburban kid struggling, at the end of high school and into his college career,
with his sexuality. He undergoes the usual events -- acting straight, pursuing
religion, choosing asexuality, a bad first boyfriend -- in what amounts to a
funny and pleasant character arc and a highly enjoyable film.

Set around 1990, Dorian lives in upstate New York with his blowhard father
(Charles C. Fletcher), wallflower mother (Mo Quigley) and favored-son younger
brother Nicky (Lea Coco). Where Dorian has always felt "diff...
Read the entire review

The Last Musketeer

The Last Musketeer looks likea cheesy
movie. In fact, for the most part it is... but it'ssurprisingly good cheese.
Sure, it won't win any awards for highdrama, but by taking itself seriously
enough to do a decent job, thefilm manages to overcome its tendency toward
melodrama, and deliversan entertaining experience. Even more importantly - and
here we getto the real reason I decided to review this DVD - the film manages
topresent modern sport fencing with an amazing degree of accuracy.

Let's get the basics squared awayfirst. The
plot of The Last Musketeer is decidedlymelodramatic: Steve McTear (Robson
Green) is an elite fencer whoabruptly finds himself not only missing out on a
spot on the BritishWorld Championship team, but also on the run from both his
formercriminal associates and (unjustly) the po...
Read the entire review

Crash - Best Film?
I watched Crash on DVD for the first
time a few nights ago and what with it now being given this year's Oscar for
Best Film I felt I just wanted to make some comments on it. I found it to be the
most disappointing thing I'd seen in ages. Lets get ...

Silver Streak

Silver Streak (1976) was a real crowd-pleaser in its day,
earning domestic rentals of nearly three times its modest $6.5 million cost,
making it one of the big hits of the mid-seventies. Unlike many comedies of its
era, Silver Streak holds up incredibly well today; star Gene Wilder
creates another incredibly likeable character and his brief partnership with
comedian Richard Pryor predicted a great comedy teaming that unfortunately never
lived up to the promise demonstrated here. Colin Higgins's script is an
intriguingly complex mix of disparate elements - murder mystery, romantic
comedy, slapstick road movie - that somehow agreeably fit together quite
nicely.

Wilder plays non-fiction book publisher George Caldwell, who in Los Angeles
boards the AllRoad Silver Streak train (modeled after Amtrack's Desert Wind)
bound for Chicago. Recently divorced, he wants nothing more than two days of
p...
Read the entire review

Otis Rush - Live at Montreux 1986

If you had to explain the blues to someone unfamiliar with it, you might
think about referring that person to a segment in Otis Rush & Friends -
Live at Montreux 1986. When Rush belts out "If I Had Any Sense, I'd Go Back
Home," his world-weary vocal delivery and gritty guitar work encapsulate most of
the traits -- mournful, reflective, honest, resolute, tough -- that make the
blues so enduring.

Otis Rush & Friends - Live at Montreux 1986 showcases one of the
great architects of Chicago's West Side blues. In the mid-1950s, the
Mississippi-born Rush burst on the scene when he wrapped his searing voice
around the Willis Dixon-penned "I Can't Quit You Baby" and subsequently produced
a bona fide classic blues tune. And he has been going strong ever since, having
influenced such blues-rock luminaries as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Santana and
Stevie Ray Vaughan. <...
Read the entire review

Monster of London City & Secret of the Red Orchid

When European genre filmmaking is mentioned, Italy's Sword 'n Sandal epics,
Spaghetti Westerns and various styles of Eurohorror tend to lead the discussion.
But Germany actually started the trend of Euro-westerns before the Italians, and
they initiated a series of fanciful crime thrillers that preceded Italy's later
obsession with slasher 'Giallo' pictures.

The German 'Krimi' films are plot-driven who-dunnit potboilers derived
partially from the successful revival of the Dr. Mabuse thrillers and often
inspired by stories from mystery author Edgar Wallace. Variety reviews
tended to dismiss these films as unsophisticated 'local' fare unsuited for
American audiences. Although the original soundtracks had style and polish,
cheap dubbing jobs made them seem comical to English-speaking audiences.

Retromedia's double feature presents Engl...
Read the entire review

Exiles

Frustrated with the monotony of their lives in
Paris Zano (Romain Duris) and Naima (Lubna Azabal) decide to rediscover their
roots embarking on a journey from the French capital all the way to the heart of
Algeria. Along the way the two drifters will face the grim reality of a world
devastated by poverty, the rich history of a nation now living amidst ruins, and
a past they never knew existed.

A magical journey to a land forgotten by God Tony Gatlif's Exiles
(2004) is quite possibly the film that should have won the coveted Palm d'Or
award at the Cannes Film Festival two years ago. Instead the jury
only partially recognized this exceptionally well-made film by granting Gatlif
the Best Director Award.

Following a tradition he started long ago with his classic Latcho Drom
(1993), Gadjo Dilo (1997), and Vengo (2000) Gatlif has fil...
Read the entire review

The Complete Mr. Arkadin - Criterion Collection
DVD Talk Collector Series

Orson Welles' "Mr. Arkadin" is, depending on whom you ask, an
unfinished masterpiece, an unholy mess, or both at once. It was made during
Welles' European exile of sorts in the 1950s, the same period that found him
scrounging to finish several low-budget, high-ambition features, including
"Othello" and the never completed "Don Quixote." Like the film that followed it,
"Touch of Evil," "Mr. Arkadin" displays Welles' love for pulp thrillers. It's
not nearly the work of genius "Evil" turned out to be - and for reasons tied to
its infamous production history, it's rather incomprehensible at times - but
there's a playful tone and curious spirit pouring out of every scene, proving
that Welles always made something well worth watching.
Ah, but we should
start with that infamous production history. It's a story that's been told and
retold by film geeks over the decades, so pardon me if you've heard it b...
Read the entire review

Hanaukyo Maid Team "La Verite" Vol.02: Lost in Kamakura
DVD Video Review: How many maids does it
take to run a mansion? No, that's not a gag, but there are some to be found in
volume 2 of Geneon's show - featuring maids.

Accidental Death And Dismemberment Insurance Information
Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Insurance provides coverage for you and your family in the case of an accidental
death or the loss of a limb, sight, speech, or hearing. Different
injuries...