Now on DVD & Blu-Ray Archives - Critic Speak

Review: “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”

James Frazier — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:57:28 +0000

Of all the movies I would have guessed “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” to remind me of, “Jackie Brown” wouldn’t have been one of them. Hear me out. The second installment of the “Sircario” series is, underneath its sheen of gun violence and political intrigue, a hangout movie. It takes the two primary supporting characters […]

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Streaming Pick: “Marjorie Prime”

James Frazier — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 18:06:03 +0000

In a beautiful beachfront home, an elderly woman talks with her forty-something husband. In his soothing, crisp baritone voice, he tells her the story of the time he proposed to her. She likes this story, and all the other stories he tells. But the man in front of her isn’t really her husband, or even […]

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Review: “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

James Frazier — Fri, 01 May 2015 22:35:30 +0000

Despite the “Avengers” series’ guaranteed billions in box office for years to come, writer/director Joss Whedon won’t be returning after this latest entry. One might ask: What filmmaker and certified geek wouldn’t love the chance to helm the ultimate superhero franchise indefinitely, one that sends moviegoers into a delighted, money-burning frenzy? Well, one who prefers art […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “Sadako”

Danny Baldwin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:58:02 +0000

I can only assume that “Sadako” (not to be confused with Sudoku) grossed a whopping $16.8 million in Japan—about the same amount as the American blockbusters “Battleship” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”—because of its loose connection with “Ringu,” which you may remember as the J-Horror hit that Hollywood remade into “The Ring.” But […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “The Thieves”

Danny Baldwin — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:07:55 +0000

The highest grossing Korean film of all time, Dong-hoon Choi’s “The Thieves” has been repeatedly characterized by critics as its native country’s take on Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s 11” remake. While there are certainly surface similarities between the films—both deal with a band of robbers pulling off a major heist—the comparison hardly seems fair in that […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “The Assassins”

Danny Baldwin — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:07:56 +0000

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching numerous Chinese historical dramas on Blu-Ray this past year, it’s that Chinese moviegoers must know a lot more about their country’s history than Americans do ours. With little exposition, these films plunge the viewer into complicated situations where prior knowledge is essential to finding one’s bearings. As […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “Doomsday Book”

Danny Baldwin — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:22:15 +0000

“Doomsday Book” is an anthology film comprised of three shorts from two preeminent Korean directors, one of whom Western audiences are familiar with (Ji-woon Kim, who made the cult favorites “The Good, The Bad and the Weird” and “I Saw the Devil”) and another who they’ll now want to know more about (Pil-Sung Yim). Yim’s […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “Painted Skin: The Resurrection”

Danny Baldwin — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:45:53 +0000

Certain literary works, especially those that traffic in the fantastical, are best left on the page because they cannot be brought to cinematic life in a manner that remains true to their original spirit. Presumably, this is the case with Qing Dynasty author Pu Songling’s “Erotic Ghost Story,” a beloved work in Chinese culture, but […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “General Education”

Danny Baldwin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:15:54 +0000

As a Southern California resident, I’ve long considered attending the annual Newport Beach Film Festival, but after watching “General Education,” which earned writer/director Tom Morris the “Breakthrough Filmmaker Award” at this year’s event, I think I can safely put that thought to bed. Any organization that would bestow such an honor upon this amateurish production, […]

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Blu-Ray Review: “White Vengeance”

Danny Baldwin — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:32:22 +0000

While the historical-fiction narrative of Daniel Lee’s “White Vengeance” may prove illuminating for Chinese viewers who are already familiar with the history of the Qin Dynasty, particularly the Hongmen Banquet event in 206 B.C., it’s safe to say that nearly every foreign viewer will be lost by the half-hour mark. Only the gist of the […]

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