The Learning Tree: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) by Justin Remer The Movie: Let me get this out of the way first. I'm a fan of Gordon Parks, both as a photographer and as a filmmaker. In fact, I recently enjoyed revisiting the first two Shaft films he directed and his Leadbelly biopic on the Criterion Channel in the past few months. But something about the look of his feature debut, The Learning Tree (1969), made me drag my feet on watching it. Parks's cinematographer on the film might be old pro and dual Oscar winner Burnett Guffey (From Here to Eternity, Bonnie and Clyde), but the flick's golden-hued, high-key studio lighti...Read the entire review »

My Stepmother Is An Alien (Blu-ray) by Tyler Foster Watching My Stepmother Is An Alien decades after the fact, in an era where '80s nostalgia is overwhelming, it seems like there was a formula here. Take Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd, headlining another sci-fi effects comedy, throw in future Batman star Kim Basinger, nab Back to the Future composer Alan Silvestri, and put Richard Benjamin behind the camera (not exactly a household name, but hey, The Money Pit was a hit), and you've got a winner. Sadly, the results are significantly less than the sum of their parts.Aykroyd plays Dr. Steve Mills, who's testing two things: the ability to send messages into deep space, and his boss's last nerve. When he fires up his organization's satellite dish beyond the recommended limits, thanks to a lightning storm raging and a jacket conveniently left in the right place, he manages to beam a message all the way to ano...Read the entire review »