Videophiled: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

by Sean Axmaker | Apr 6, 2016 | Home Viewing, Reviews, What's Hot

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD) – J.J. Abrams takes over the reins of the Star Wars franchise with what is technically a sequel (“Chapter VII: The Force Awakens”) but is just as much a course correction, a reboot, and a...

Videophiled: Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Crimson Peak’ brings back the Gothic

by Sean Axmaker | Feb 10, 2016 | Home Viewing, What's Hot

Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak (Universal, Blu-ray, DVD) has been described, incorrectly, as Gothic horror. This is Gothic romance with notes of horror, bathed in the unreal and magical colors of a giallo and brought to life by Guillermo Del Toro’s...

Videophiled: ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ ‘The Assassin,’ ‘The New Girlfriend’

by Sean Axmaker | Jan 26, 2016 | Home Viewing, What's Hot

Billed as “The World’s Most Dangerous Group,” N.W.A. was a musical bomb that blew up the hip-hop world with such force that the reverberations were felt all through popular culture. Straight Outta Compton: Unrated Director’s Cut (Universal,...

Videophiled: ‘Run All Night’ with Liam Neeson, ‘Wild Tales’ from Argentina, ‘The Wrecking Crew’ rocks

by Sean Axmaker | Jun 17, 2015 | Home Viewing, TV, What's Hot

Liam Neeson is back in action in the gritty crime thriller Run All Night (Warner, Blu-ray, DVD, VOD), his third and most satisfying collaboration with filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, Non-Stop). Neeson once again has a very specific skill set—his nickname...

Videophiled: Costner coaches ‘McFarland, USA,’ The Wachowskis launch ‘Jupiter Ascending,’ and ‘Li’l Quinquin’ watches it all

by Sean Axmaker | Jun 4, 2015 | Home Viewing, TV, What's Hot

McFarland, USA (Disney, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD, VOD, Disney Movies Anywhere), the latest of Disney’s inspirational true-life sports dramas, stars Kevin Costner as a hothead of a football coach who lands in an impoverished California desert town and starts a...