Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
If nothing else, Kinsey shows us just how far we haven't come since Alfred Kinsey first published his books on human sexual behavior in the 1940s and '50s. When we see the sex photos that Professor Kinsey shows his students during his first college course about sex, we're just as shocked as they are that we're actually being allowed to see them-and that the MPAA didn't slap an NC-17 rating on the film as a result. In a manner befitting the subject, writer/director Bill Condon provides a straightforward, almost clinical examination of Kinsey's life, which succeeds primarily because of the wonderful performances by Liam Neeson as Kinsey and Laura Linney as his wife Clara.
Video: 5
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Disney’s love letter to dogs everywhere, Lady and the Tramp remains a sweet, funny adventure. This new 50th Anniversary Edition replaces the 1999 movie-only release, extensively restored, remixed, and remastered.
Video: 2
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
On the surface, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest appears to tell a bedtime story concerning a creature called a narf that lives in a pool and how she affects the lives of those in the apartment building around her. But, underneath it all, I saw a story about how a director can surround himself with people afraid to say no to him. The ego shines far beyond the story, I’m afraid to say.
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 1
If you think you hate your day job, wait until you meet Yuri Orlov. Based on actual events, Lord of War follows the illustrious career of this quietly charismatic arms dealer as he travels the world hocking his explosive wares. Take caution, however; writer/director Andrew Niccol's got a moral agenda up his celluloid sleeve, and Cage does an excellent job delivering his message. Orlov may never have pulled a trigger on his own accord, but he is nevertheless a warlord—or rather, a lord of war, as one character prefers it.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Imagine you’ve just fallen into some bad luck, and suddenly the city’s two biggest crime bosses are looking for you. By the way, they’re also at war with each other. Not only do they each claim that you owe them obscenely large amounts of money, they decide you’re going to pay them back in a most unexpected way. Slevin Kelevra (Josh Harnett) finds himself in one such dilemma, but his misfortune is really a case of mistaken identity. The real twist, however, is who gets the payback.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
I may have arrived a bit too late to the party to fully embrace Madea’s Family Reunion. Tyler Perry’s Madea character was born on stage and brought to life through a series of successful plays written, directed, and performed by Perry. Two of those plays have now become full-length feature films: 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman and the film in question here, which recounts with humor and drama the personal struggles within one multigenerational family.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 1
They say that you have to reach your nadir before you can start to rebound. If that’s the case, then Ben Affleck’s career might very well be on the upswing following his portrayal of a tormented Hollywood agent in this bland movie that seems to defy genre classification. Not funny enough to be a comedy yet too light on its feet to be a drama or character study, Man About Town is simply a low-budget throwaway that probably rated too poorly to merit theatrical distribution in the United States.
Video: 5
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
Watching March of the Penguins, it's hard not to feel as though the cast, fleets of emperor penguins, is imbued with human nature. I kept catching myself thinking of the penguins as people—I kept searching for humanlike motivations to understand their behavior. But perhaps this is unfair of me to say, if not a little arrogant. After all, we humans are all animals (some of us more untamed than others), and this documentary essentially focuses on the central function of all mammals—procreation and the successful nurturing of offspring into self-sufficient beings. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this movie beautifully demonstrates that even something as complex as love is not reserved for humans.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
Everyone wanted Mary Poppins to be their nanny when they were kids. Rosy cheeks, cheery disposition, and never cross? That's just ideal. However, lucky Jane and Michael Banks were the two children who got to enjoy her company, and this fine presentation of the classic musical will make you jealous of those two kids all over again.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 0
Forbidden love is a frequent Woody Allen theme, and it’s at the root of his latest, highly acclaimed film. Shot entirely in England, Match Point tells the story of Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a former tennis pro who falls game, set, and match for the sensuous American Nola (Scarlett Johansson). The problem is, Nola’s engaged to Tom, who’s not only Chris’ good friend but may soon be his brother-in-law by way of Chris’ pending marriage to Tom’s sister, Chloe.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
In a world where one is not allowed to desire anything, Chiyo has secretly wished for just one thing. Fueled by her dream of seeing her beloved chairman again, she is driven to become a geisha, and, in the process, becomes the most sought after one of her time. Memoirs of a Geisha features Ziyi Zhang in her first English-speaking role.
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