Shoplifters <small>by Stuart Galbraith IV</small><hr /> An excellent, socially-conscious family drama, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku, or "Shoplifting Family," 2018) won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film, among many other prizes. Understated with almost uncannily authentic performances, it's heart-wrenching but entirely believable and universal in its concerns. For Japanese audiences particularly, much of what happens story-wise resonates because stories like those presented in the film turn up with alarming regularity on the evening news. In short, it's one of the best Japanese features in years. The film really deserves better treatment than this DVD-only release, which offers not a single extra feature. In present-day Tokyo, ...Read the entire review »

A Star Is Born (2018) (Blu-ray) <small>by William Harrison</small><hr /> THE FILM: I was skeptical that the material needed a fourth retelling when I saw the first trailer for Director Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born remake, in which he stars alongside Lady Gaga. For those counting, there is a 1937 film, the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason, and the 1976 remake with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, all of which offer their own charms. This most recent retelling rides on a screenplay from Cooper, Eric Roth and Will Fetters, and also stars Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle and Sam Elliott. I loved this modern remake; from its original music to Matthew Libatique's cinematography to the undeniable chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga. The acting is excellent across the board, and the leads create genuine emotional intrigue amid a well-worn story. A Star is Born more than earned its numerous year-end accolades, an...Read the entire review »

The Magic Flute - The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) <small>by Ian Jane</small><hr /> The Movies: Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous 1791 opera The Magic Flute (or, Trollfl jten if you prefer) is the perfect example of the filmmaker's knack for blending sound and vision. Bergman was quite knowledgeable about music and had an affinity for both opera and classical, and so too did he have a deep appreciation for theater. All of this comes together in this 135-minute made for TV production that was originally shown in 1975. The story? It will seem familiar to anyone familiar with the source material. The Queen Of The Night (Birgit Nordin) convinces dashing Prince Tamino (Josef K stlinger) to rescue her daughter, Princess Pamina (Irma Urrila). She's being held captive by a priest named Sarastro (Ulrik Cold). To aid him in his quest, the Queen gives Tamino a magic flute and to his friend, a bird hunter named Papageno (H kan Hage...Read the entire review »

Green Book (Blu-ray) <small>by William Harrison</small><hr /> THE FILM: Although it is well acted and plenty entertaining, this year's Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards is a little too polished to achieve true greatness. Director Peter Farrelly's Green Book is set in 1962 America, as white nightclub bouncer Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is hired by African-American concert pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) to drive him on a tour of the Midwest and South. The movie becomes a buddy drama of sorts, as the pair feels each other out amid the diners, concert halls and barrooms of the American South. The PG-13-rated film does not shy away from the racial tension that plagued the period, but it explores these matters somewhat tepidly, as if Farrelly and company were afraid to commit to fully telling this story, warts and all. This somewhat sanitized depiction of based-in-reality events does not sink the fil...Read the entire review »

The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot (Blu-ray) <small>by DVD Savant</small><hr /> Reviewed by Glenn Erickson The prize for odd title of the year goes to The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot, written and directed by Robert D. Krzykowski. Hitler/Bigfoot's sub-title should read, 'what must a movie do to attract attention these days?'...Read the entire review »