Top Five Films of 2011

Well, another year at the movies has come to an end. Hollywood's 2011 slate brought us some hits (Captain America, Midnight in Paris, Super 8), some misses ( The Conspirator, Cowboys & Aliens, The Rum Diary) and a few welcome surprises ( The Artist, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

As it turned out, we didn't have to wait until December for worthwhile films to appear; they thankfully arrived steadily throughout the year and made braving the local theater a relatively enjoyable experience. Below are my picks for the five best of 2011.

1. The Artist
2.The Descendants
3. Win Win
4. Midnight in Paris
5. Hugo


Honorable Mentions: Drive, Moneyball, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Puss in Boots, War Horse and Warrior.



Thanks for visiting the site this year. I hope you enjoyed at least some the of the essays and reviews. I certainly enjoyed bringing them to you. Happy New Year!

Top Five Blu-rays of 2011

From the stellar restorations of The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur to the extra-laden editions of Citizen Kane and the The Star Wars Saga, Blu-ray really came into its own in 2011 and sent a crystal-clear message to consumers that there really is no better way to experience their favorite movies at home than in glorious high definition. Looking for something to spend that new gift card on? Below are my picks for the year's five best-looking releases.


1. The Ten Commandments Paramount Home Video (see review 4/15/11)
2. Ben-Hur Warner Home Video
3. The Sweet Smell of Success Criterion Collection
4. Citizen Kane Warner Home Video
5. Lolita (single-disc release) Warner Home Video

Honorable Mentions: The Killing Criterion Collection; Three Amigos HBO Home Entertainment ( yes, you read that right) and Tron Legacy Walt Disney Home Entertainment





Friday: Top Five Films of 2011

Top Five Albums of 2011

It was actually a pretty satisfying year for music. Classic artists returned with a vengeance in 2011, delivering some of the most diverse and memorable collections of their careers.

In addition to worthwhile efforts from The Cars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M. (their last as it would turn out) and Social Distortion, five "old friends" delivered highly enjoyable albums that, as luck would have it, ended up being the best of the year. You'll find them, in order, below. Seek each one out, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.


1. How To Become Clairvoyant Robbie Robertson
2. So Beautiful of So What Paul Simon
3. In Dreams Stevie Nicks
4. Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns John Hiatt
5. A Treasure Neil Young International Harvesters


Merry Christmas!


12/28: Top Five Blu-rays of 2011
12/30: Top Five Films of 2011

Blu-ray Review: The Rocketeer

It's pretty apparent when Marvel Studios needed a director for this summer's Captain America: The First Avenger, someone who could successfully meld highly stylized action with a period setting while maintaining the character's core ideals and heritage, they looked no further than Joe Johnston and his immensely entertaining 1991 film The Rocketeer.

Based on the late Dave Stevens' beloved series of graphic novels, The Rocketeer unfolds in 1938 Los Angeles and tells the story of test pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) and his crotchety mechanic Peevy (Alan Arkin) who find a mysterious rocket pack after it's stashed in of their planes by a local hood fleeing the Feds. It seems L.A. gangster Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) had the device stolen from one Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn) at the request of his employer, Hollywood leading man Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton).

It's unclear what Sinclair wants the rocket for but he demands Eddie and his boys retrieve it. That doesn't prove too difficult as Cliff can't help drawing attention to himself when he's forced to strap on the jet pack and rescue a distressed pilot at a nearby air show. Soon Valentine, the Feds and a brutish enforcer of Sinclair's are all in pursuit of Cliff and Peevy. It's not long before Sinclair seduces, then kidnaps Cliff's actress girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) in a bold, final attempt to flush out the heroic flyboy and deliver the rocket to his nefarious masters.

The Rocketeer is a smart, stylish and fast-paced adventure that hearkens back to the Saturday-morning serials of the '30s (think Raiders of the Lost Ark) and the comics of Dick Tracy, and, dare I say, Captain America. The entire cast is excellent and composer James Horner provides a heroic, soaring score that ranks among one of his best.

Newly released on Blu-ray for its 20th anniversary by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, The Rocketeer is quite impressive in glorious 1080p and a considerable upgrade over its 1999 non-anamorphic DVD. Presented in its native 2.35:1 aspect ratio, colors are rich and nicely textured, especially the day exterior shots at the airfield. This edition claims to be a digital restoration but I didn't notice much over-cleansing or DNR on display here. Film grain is maintained throughout but it's natural, never distracting. In all, a very nice presentation.

The Blu-ray features a robust English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and both dialog and music are clear at minimal levels.

Extras include, wait, there are no extras. Disney has basically duplicated the 12-year-old DVD and provided nothing but a trailer (a crude-looking, standard-def one at that). This film wasn't an overwhelming success when it was initially released but it has developed a pretty loyal following. It wouldn't have needed much: maybe a look-back documentary or a Joe Johnston commentary track. With a $26.50 list price, this has to be one of the worst 20th-anniversary editions I've ever seen.

After 20 years, Joe Johnston's The Rocketeer remains one of the best comic-book adaptations ever, a perfect companion to Captain America: The First Avenger. While the Blu-ray looks and sounds great, it would have been nice if Disney could have shown a little more respect and given it the special edition it deserves.

The Rocketeer (1991)
Digitally Restored 20th-Anniversary Blu-ray
Released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Dec 13, 2011
SRP: $26.50
Running Time: 109 minutes
AVC Encoded @ Average 30 MBPS.
Technical Specs: Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1; Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio
Video: A
Sound: A
Extras: F
Worth the Upgrade Over DVD: Yes

Blu-ray Review: Horror Express

I have to admit I'd never heard of Horror Express until the Blu-ray was announced a few months ago. I'm a huge fan of both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, have sought out most of their Hammer and Amicus horror endeavors on DVD over the last dozen years or so. Whether they're battling each other in films like the Horror of Dracula or pooling their considerable resources in tales like The Hound of the Baskervilles, there isn't a screen duo around with better chemistry or devotion to their craft. So just the prospect of an unseen scarefest featuring the two aboard a turn-of-the-century transcontinental train was all the incentive I needed to hop on board.

Directed by Spanish filmmaker Eugenio Martin, 1972's Horror Express opens in China circa 1906 and tells the story of Sir Alexander Stanton (Lee), a British anthropologist who's seeking transport of a mysterious unearthed creature aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. While arguing with the station manager over passage, Stanton encounters fellow scientist Dr. Wells (Cushing) who's also seeking a spot on the train for himself, an assistant and his vast collection of specimens. The two are cordial but it's obvious they aren't friends, more like competitors.

Before boarding, a local thief is found dead next to the crate housing Stanton's discovery, his eyes boiled over white. When Stanton convinces the train's inspector (Julio Pena) that the crate contains nothing more than fossils, the voyage gets under way, but it's not long before the creature escapes and more bodies with hard-boiled eyes begin piling up. As Stanton and Wells investigate, they learn the creature is wiping its victims' brains clean of knowledge and transferring itself between passengers in an attempt to flee the train and ultimately this world.

Like most European horror films of the '70s, Gothic atmosphere and shock value supersede character and story in Horror Express and as a result it's not the best work Cushing and Lee have ever done. Both, however, exhibit their trademark professionalism and genuinely seem to enjoy playing off one another. The film is well paced and features several eclectic characters (played mostly by stars of Spanish cinema), none of whom is more amusing than the Russian Cossack officer played by Telly Savalas who shows up an hour into film and hams it up with such vigor he should have two slices of rye bread on either side of him.

Newly released on Blu-ray by cult-film distributor Severin Films, Horror Express sports a new 1080p transfer that's quite satisfying, especially on a larger 16:9-enhanced screen. Source color is pretty muted in this film so don't expect eye-popping clarity, but the 1.66:1 presentation is smooth and devoid of any distracting debris for the most part and makes for a pleasant viewing experience. (Note: I also tested the included anamorphic DVD and the image is fairly comparable to the Blu-ray, albeit a bit softer.)

Both the Blu-ray and DVD feature a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track and dialog along with composer John Cacavas' memorable score are crisp at minimal levels.

The extras are relatively engaging and include a spirited introduction by Fangoria editor Chris Alexander, new interviews with Eugenio Martin and John Cacavas and a 1973 feature-length audio interview with Peter Cushing that plays like a commentary track while you watch the film.

Horror Express may not be Cushing and Lee's finest hour, but if you're a fan of the two or enjoy atmospheric European horror films, it isn't a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Horror Express (Spain, 1972)
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack; Released by Severin Films, Nov 29, 2011
Running Time: 97 minutes
Video Specs: Anamorphic 1.66:1/ AVC Encoded @ Average 17 mbps
Audio Specs: English Dolby Digital 2.0; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0
SRP: $29.98 ($17.99 @ Amazon.com)
Picture: B
Sound: B
Extras: B

Film Review: The Descendants

Like picking up a new book or album from a favorite artist, I instinctively know I'm going to enjoy a new Alexander Payne film regardless of who's in it or what it's is about. I know that the director of such films as Election, About Schmidt and Sideways will take me on a unique, relatable journey filled with flawed, morally challenged characters entrenched in uncomfortable yet enlightening situations.

Based on Kaui Hart Hemming's 2007 novel The Descendants, Payne's fifth feature tells the story of Matt King (George Clooney), an Oahu attorney and land-rich descendant of Hawaiian royalty trying to keep his head above water amid competing family crises. First his wife is in a coma, the product of a terrible boating accident. Second, he and his vast tribe of island-dwelling relatives are haggling over who to sell their valuable patch of beach-front property to.

When the doctors inform Matt that his wife will never wake up and that he should make arrangements for family and friends to say their goodbyes, he enlists the help of his two daugthers - 10-year-old Scotti (Amara Miller) and 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailine Woodley) - to help break the news. Matt hasn't exactly been what you'd call a dedicated and doting father and during one of his clashes with Alexandra it's revealed his wife was having an affair. Matt can't fathom this and sets out with his girls to find and confront the man. In the process he learns a little bit about himself and his children.

As he did with the beckoning open road in About Schmidt and the bucolic Santa Ynez Valley in Sideways, Payne uses the soothing locales of Honolulu and Kauai to temper the chaos enveloping his characters and story. One minute you're on a cliff looking down at a lush beach shot, the next you're witnessing someone about fall into the abyss. Payne's common theme is quite clear: no matter where the paradise, crazy abounds.

Clooney gives one of the finest performances of his career in The Descendants. His Matt King, while successful and respected, is a vulnerable soul, deeply hurt by his wife's betrayal and unsure what awaits he and his daughters after her death. Clooney repeatedly places Matt on the fringe of that aforementioned abyss and gives him the courage to pull himself back in. Definitely an Oscar-worthy portrayal for an actor who just seems to get better with age.

20-year-old Shailine Woodley is excellent as Alexandra, rebellious at first but really the glue that holds Matt together, and Beau Bridges, Nick Crause, Robert Forster, Judy Greer and Matthew Lillard offer wonderful supporting roles that easily make it one of the best ensemble casts of the year.

The Descendants continues Alexander Payne's run of honest, engaging and extremely identifiable dramedys that never fail to tell us a little bit more about ourselves, whether we like or not.