On the Basis of Sex (Blu-ray) <small>by Olie Coen</small><hr /> Director: Mimi Leder Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux Year: 2018 There are a large number of us who are constantly worried about the health of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as she sits in a powerful seat among a turbulent government that can't take another hit just now. We monitor her safety, we worry about her longevity, and we pray for the future; what we wouldn't give for a handful more RBGs. No wonder Hollywood has currently turned its collective attention to this powerful woman, with a documentary and then a drama sharing this lady's life story with curious audiences and invested fans. I was worried coming in that On the Basis of Sex would be too heavy-handed, too over-dramatic, to depict this woman ...Read the entire review »

Bend of the River (Blu-ray) <small>by Stuart Galbraith IV</small><hr /> The second of eight collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River (1952) is perhaps the most conventional of their five Westerns together, but it's an outstanding film nonetheless. Their first, Winchester 73 (1950) helped redefine Stewart's onscreen persona and offscreen bank account. After serving as a combat flyer in the Army Air Forces, like other 30s stars he initially struggled after returning to a rapidly changing postwar Hollywood. Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) hinted at the darker, more psychologically complex roles Stewart would soon excel at, but he fumbled in mostly forgettable films during 1946-50. Winchester 73, about a cowboy's obsessive search for a stolen, prized rifle, presented a disturbing hero in Stewart, and was one of three 1950 films that redefined the American Western. (The others were Delme...Read the entire review »