Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash [Blu-ray]

Academy Awards, USA 2015

Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role J.K. Simmons
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Tom Cross
	Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Craig Mann Ben Wilkins Thomas Curley
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Jason Blum Helen Estabrook David Lancaster
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Damien Chazelle

Sony Pictures Classics
Directed by Damien Chazelle
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Sony)

Drummer Miles Teller is a first year student at a prestigious music conservatory. He is discovered in a practice room by the school's band leader and invited to sit in with his best students. He uses controversial methods to push the students, including verbal and physical abuse. Teller eventually has enough and strikes back at the masochistic teacher, getting him expelled. However, it turns out another student was driven to suicide and he agrees to testify against the teacher. The two adversaries meet again in a smoky jazz club, leading to a final showdown at a festival performance. Intense performances, particularly by J.K. Simmons as a sort of musical drill sergeant, highlight this very entertaining drama filled with some great jazz.

Brooklyn (2015)

Brooklyn Blu-ray

Academy Awards, USA 2016

Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Finola Dwyer Amanda Posey
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Saoirse Ronan
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Nick Hornby

Fox Searchlight
Directed by John Crowley
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Fox)

Newly arrived Irish immigrant Saoirse Ronan falls in love with a local plumber at a Brooklyn dance. Their romance advances to a whirlwind marriage, until she is called back to Ireland due to a death in the family. While there, she strikes up a friendship with a local boy who falls in love with her, unaware that she is married. Will she choose Ireland or America? Hometown boy or plumber? Straightforward romance is well made and acted, just not very demanding.

The Big Short (2015)

The Big Short [Blu-ray]

Academy Awards, USA 2016

Won Oscar	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Charles Randolph Adam McKay
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner
	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Christian Bale
	Best Achievement in Directing Adam McKay
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Hank Corwin

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Adam McKay
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Paramount)

A few eccentric and insightful money managers discover that the US housing market is unstable and may collapse. They convince banks to let them bet against it, potentially netting billions. The ticking time bomb worries their investors since the housing market is considered rock solid. When it actually begins to happen, their pay off may also signal the collapse of the world economy. The writers try to simplify the complex financial intricacies with comedy and fourth-wall breaking asides to the viewer. These gimmicks are more distracting than useful, not to mention the shaky camera and constant zooms. If you can get past all of that, there is an important story here, even if we all know the outcome ahead of time.

Spotlight (2015)

Spotlight (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)

Academy Awards, USA 2016

Won Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Michael Sugar Steve Golin Nicole Rocklin Blye Pagon Faust
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Josh Singer Tom McCarthy
Nominated Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Mark Ruffalo
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Rachel McAdams
	Best Achievement in Directing Tom McCarthy
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Tom McArdle

Open Road Films
Directed by Tom McCarthy
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Universal)

A crack team of Boston newspaper reporters is assigned to write a story about the Catholic church cover up of the sexual abuse of children by priests. They follow leads from victims, lawyers and other high ranking officials, eventually leading to the explosive expose. Dry, almost clinical, presentation of how a story is researched and written, only Mark Ruffalo and some of the victims manage to show any emotion. Still manages to be an engrossing story, but low key approach and predictable ending diminish its cinematic qualities.

A Dog of Flanders (1959)

A Dog of Flanders DVD

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by James B. Clark
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Koch Vision)

An elderly man and his young grandson deliver milk from the country to the city every day in turn-of-the-century Antwerp. One day when returning home they find a dog left to die by his cruel owner on the side of the road. Despite their dire poverty, they bring him home and nurse him back to health. Meanwhile, the grandfather has his own health problems and worries about the boy's future who has aspirations of being an artist. Luckily, he is taken under the wing of another successful artist, played to the hilt by Theodore Bikel. Simple story with good location photography, finally available in its original widescreen presentation.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Directed by Michael Radford
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Twilight Time)

In a bleak London future, a totalitarian government controls every aspect of daily life. John Hurt works in the propaganda department censoring newspaper articles to reflect the party line. He is aggressively pursued by fellow worker Suzanna Hamilton, eventually meeting for sex in the countryside, which is strictly forbidden. They continue to meet in the months ahead in a rented apartment above a pawn shop, unaware they are still be watched by the omnipresent tv screens. They are arrested, tortured and brainwashed into confessing their "crimes". Harrowing adaptation of the classic Orwell novel, with Hurt giving a bravura performance. The original de-saturated color palette has been restored for blu-ray, as well as the orchestral soundtrack, but the one featuring the Eurythmics is just as good.

Death Car on the Freeway (1979)

CBS
Directed by Hal Needham
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

The "death car" is actually a van, driven by a man behind tinted windows who pursues single women on the LA freeways while listening to manic fiddle music! TV reporter Shelley Hack is determined to expose him, while fighting off her ex husband George Hamilton. Director Hal Needham appears as a defensive driving instructor, too bad because he needs instruction in direction in this strictly by-the-numbers made-for-tv movie. Most of the stunts are predictable, except for the van-in-flames finale, which has to be seen to be believed.

Rome Against Rome (1964)

American International Pictures
Directed by Giuseppe Vari
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

A centurion is sent to a remote Roman province to recover a stolen treasure. He finds a corrupt magistrate beholden to a religious fanatic who follow the pagan god Osiris. He falls in love with the handmaiden of the magistrate's wife, who is under the spell of the religious leader. He is framed for murder and must prove his innocence, but not before defeating an army of centurions brought back to life. A plot both melodramatic and outrageous is saved by colorful, atmospheric sets and an over-the-top performance by John Drew Barrymore as the Aderbad, the religious zealot. Maybe one day a restoration will bring this back to life, as the only prints available are slightly cropped on the sides and have terrible color.

People on Sunday (1930)

People on Sunday (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Lackadaisical account of a double date involving a bored taxi driver, his best friend a flirtatious wine salesmen and the two young girls they take to the lake for a picnic one Sunday. The appropriately named Wolf strikes out with the other man's date but takes away his own to a secluded spot where he apparently succeeds. This rather boring day at the lake takes up most of the film, the rest a montage of shots in and around Berlin.

Scalawag (1973)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Kirk Douglas
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Pirate Kirk Douglas sets off in search of gold buried by a spurned gang member. The key to its location is held by a parrot voiced by Mel Blanc. The kid from Oliver! and Lesley-Anne Down are siblings who get caught up in his search. It's an odd mixture of the pirate and western genres, with a few songs thrown in for good measure. Director Kirk can't control actor Kirk, or anyone else for that matter, who over-act in broad strokes.