Robin Williams Comic Genius <small>by Oktay Ege Kozak</small><hr /> The Specials: The title of this DVD goldmine for fans of Robin Williams' stand-up and improv work can be described with a word that Williams used frequently in his acts over the decades: Redundant. After his singular success in stand-up, film, and TV, everyone should know at this point that the Comic Genius description comes prepackaged with the name. It was for me when I first came to San Francisco for grad school in late 2002, but I mostly knew of Williams' genius through his film roles, a cornucopia of comedic and dramatic work that showcased his immensely versatile talent. But I didn't know much about his stand-up work, coming from a country where his HBO specials weren't available. A San Francisco native who became a beloved figure of the city as his fame rose; he represented the perfect welcome for me as I bought his 2002 Live on Broadway special on DVD on my first day in th...Read the entire review »

Mean Girls (15th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray) <small>by William Harrison</small><hr /> THE FILM: Fifteen years later, Mean Girls is still pretty fetch. Directed by Mark Waters (Bad Santa 2), produced by Lorne Michaels ("Saturday Night Live") and written by Tina Fey (Sisters), the film is based on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 novel "Queen Bees and Wannabes." A pre-drugs and booze Lindsay Lohan stars as Cady Heron, a sixteen-year-old girl who transfers to an Illinois high school after being homeschooled by her parents in Africa for years. She befriends a goth artistic, Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan), and her gay best friend, Damian Leigh (Daniel Franzese), but is also noticed and included by popular Regina George (Rachel McAdams) and her clique of "Plastics," Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried). I g...Read the entire review »

Sudden Terror (aka Eyewitness) (Blu-ray) <small>by Stuart Galbraith IV</small><hr /> Sudden Terror (original title: Eyewitness, 1970), is a peculiar British thriller made entirely in Malta. Though it headlines Mark Lester, the child star from Oliver! (1968) as a Walter Mitty-ish dreamer with an overactive imagination, it's not remotely a children's film, as it contains a number of cold-blooded murders and other threats of violence. In some respects, it feels closer to an Italian thriller from the time rather than a British-made one. The first-half of the picture plays more like a premise than a story, with paper-thin characters and situations; it does get better later on but not quite enough to save it. One of the problems with the film is that it's not clear where the story is taking place, and the motivations behind its assassination...Read the entire review »