The Shepherd of the Hills (Blu-ray) by Stuart Galbraith IV Originally on DVD as part of a five-movie set released by Universal, The Shepherd of the Hills (1941) is, to say the least, an unusual John Wayne movie though an exceptionally good one. The film, directed by Henry Hathaway from Harold Bell Wright's novel, is one of Wayne's best from the post-Stagecoach / pre-Red River phase of his career, when the actor too often played second fiddle to bigger female stars or was saddled with semi-glossy but trite productions made at his home studio, Republic Pictures. Produced not long after his great success with Stagecoach, Wayne was clearly box office but not yet a huge star, and movies like A Man Betrayed and Lady from Louisiana, the two he made just before this, weren't doing him any favors. But The Shepherd of the Hills provides Wayne with a good part well-suited to his talents, even allowing his acting to s...Read the entire review »

Joe Kidd (Special Edition) (Blu-ray) by Ian Jane The Movie: Read the entire review »

Cold Light of Day (1989) [Limited Edition] (Blu-ray) by Tyler Foster In 1983, UK police arrested Dennis Nilsen, who would go on to confess to at least twelve murders, making him one of the notorious British serial killers of all time. Cold Light of Day is simultaneously a fictionalization of Nilsen's killing spree (it cuts out almost 12 victims, focusing instead on the three killings that Nilsen committed right before he was caught, and suggesting psychological motivations for his crimes), and yet it also feels chillingly faithful, in that writer/director Fhiona Louise captures a haunting verisimilitude about the actual act of the murders and covering it up. It's a polarizing movie (it simultaneously won an award at the Venice International Film Festival and unfairly marked the end of Louise's filmmaking career), but those who are prepared for the tone and style of the movie should find something to appreciate. Read the entire review »