Cinema HD
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: Warren Beatty's lengthy 1981 drama about American Communist John Reed and his relationships with both the Russian Revolution and a writer named Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) is a compelling piece of little-known history told in a uniquely personal way. Beatty plays Reed as he did the title gangster in Bugsy and Senator in Bulworth, as a visionary likely to die before anyone fully recognizes the progressiveness of the vision, including those who are supposed to be on the same page. Jack Nicholson has an interesting part as fellow intellectual Eugene O'Neill, and the late author Jerzy Kosinski--himself a refugee from then-Soviet-controlled Poland--makes a strong impression as Reed's problematic Russian liaison. --Tom Keogh
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: This documentary is quite simply a must see. My buddy and I contemplated driving from Sacramento to Seattle to see it before we heard about it on DVD. Simply put, it would have been worth the trip. The film is mostly primary sources, those close to Dietrich, several of whom passed away shortly after its filming. Bonhoeffer is one of the most compelling theologians of the twentieth century and this is the best window into his life available. Costly grace, ethical constructs of good vs good and the world come of age are all paradigm shifting ideas - but the locus of their authority rests in the details of his life and risks taken in the name of bold action in service of God. Highly recommended.
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: This wrong-headed adaptation of the very funny (and scatological) novel by T. Coraghessan Boyle was written and directed by Alan Parker, who doesn't seem to have much of a clue. It's not a botch, just a movie that hammers its efforts at humor too hard. The focus is split between three story lines: the life of cereal tycoon John Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins with buck teeth), who has created a health spa for the wealthy that focuses on regular cleansing of the digestive tract (as well as applications of electricity); the troubles of an unhappy young couple (Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda), who come to the spa hoping to cure their marital ills (Broderick gets the worst of the deal); and the efforts of a young hustler (John Cusack), who is trying to break into the breakfast-cereal business but gets taken by an even bigger hustler (Michael Lerner). There are subplots about Kellogg's children but they add little. For all the doo-doo and enema jokes, the joys of this movie are distinctly scattered. --Marshall Fine
Aspect ratio 2.35 : 1
Summary: After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are still on board waiting to be rescued, two rivaling salvage parties enter the ship on search for money, gold and a small amount of plutonium.
Summary: Ken Russell's rather loose adaptation of the last part of D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow" sees impulsive young Ursula coming of age in pastoral England around the time of the Boer War. At school, she is introduced to lovemaking by a bisexual physical education instructress. While experiencing disillusionment in her first career attempt (teaching), she has an affair with a young Army officer, who wants to marry her. Unable to accept a future of domesticity, she breaks with him, and eventually leaves home in search of her destiny.
Summary: The story of Charles E. Bedaux, Franco-American industrial efficiency expert, adventurer, and Nazi collaborator.
Summary: THE WRONG BOX defines humorlous Victorian Age in a humorous way with a wit worthy of its' blue ribbon cast including Michael Caine and Peter Sellers. It was a Victorian time when cousin Caine is turned on by a turned ankle at the hem of cousin Nanette Newman's skirt during the strains of "If you were the only girl in the world." Their destiny was love and resounding relief when each learned that both were orphans in fact: "Father was a missionary, eaten by his Bible class." Peacock, the butler, is a vestigial up-and-up English retainer servant. "Beggin your pardon, Sir. I haven't been paid in seven years." His scenes put you on notice that the next thing you'll hear is yourself chuckling. Sellers is unbelievably funny as the back-alley abortionist,Dr. Pratt, hired by one of the cousins to provide a blank, signed death certificate. He practices from a cat-infested office. His bedside manner hinges on cats which he uses to wipe his hands and blot his signature [on the phony death certificate]. Hearing Sellers cough, Peter Cook asks if the doctor is okay. Sellers answers, "I'm okay. It's only a hair ball." I don't know of an equal to this British laugh convention. THE WRONG BOX proves out that greed is great breeding ground for good comedy.
Summary: One of the most rousingly enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It's a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the Huskers' coach, and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team's key players. As the drama unfolds we come to realize that many of the characters (including Barbara Hershey as a schoolteacher with whom Hackman falls in love) are recovering from disappointing setbacks, and this depth of character is what makes the otherwise conventional basketball story so richly rewarding. Like Rocky, Rudy, and Breaking Away, this is a quintessentially American movie about beating the odds and rising above one's own limitations. Just try to watch it without cheering! --Jeff Shannon
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
World Cinema-HD: Reds *** (1981, Drama)
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: Warren Beatty's lengthy 1981 drama about American Communist John Reed and his relationships with both the Russian Revolution and a writer named Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) is a compelling piece of little-known history told in a uniquely personal way. Beatty plays Reed as he did the title gangster in Bugsy and Senator in Bulworth, as a visionary likely to die before anyone fully recognizes the progressiveness of the vision, including those who are supposed to be on the same page. Jack Nicholson has an interesting part as fellow intellectual Eugene O'Neill, and the late author Jerzy Kosinski--himself a refugee from then-Soviet-controlled Poland--makes a strong impression as Reed's problematic Russian liaison. --Tom Keogh
HD Cinema (104): Bonhoeffer **+ (2003, Doc)
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: This documentary is quite simply a must see. My buddy and I contemplated driving from Sacramento to Seattle to see it before we heard about it on DVD. Simply put, it would have been worth the trip. The film is mostly primary sources, those close to Dietrich, several of whom passed away shortly after its filming. Bonhoeffer is one of the most compelling theologians of the twentieth century and this is the best window into his life available. Costly grace, ethical constructs of good vs good and the world come of age are all paradigm shifting ideas - but the locus of their authority rests in the details of his life and risks taken in the name of bold action in service of God. Highly recommended.
HD Cinema (106): The Road to Wellville ** (1994, Comedy)
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
Summary: This wrong-headed adaptation of the very funny (and scatological) novel by T. Coraghessan Boyle was written and directed by Alan Parker, who doesn't seem to have much of a clue. It's not a botch, just a movie that hammers its efforts at humor too hard. The focus is split between three story lines: the life of cereal tycoon John Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins with buck teeth), who has created a health spa for the wealthy that focuses on regular cleansing of the digestive tract (as well as applications of electricity); the troubles of an unhappy young couple (Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda), who come to the spa hoping to cure their marital ills (Broderick gets the worst of the deal); and the efforts of a young hustler (John Cusack), who is trying to break into the breakfast-cereal business but gets taken by an even bigger hustler (Michael Lerner). There are subplots about Kellogg's children but they add little. For all the doo-doo and enema jokes, the joys of this movie are distinctly scattered. --Marshall Fine
Epics-HD: Beyond the Poseidon Adventure *+ (1979, Action / Ad)
Aspect ratio 2.35 : 1
Summary: After "The Poseidon Adventure", in which the ship got flipped over by a tidal wave, the ship drifts bottom-up in the sea. While the passengers are still on board waiting to be rescued, two rivaling salvage parties enter the ship on search for money, gold and a small amount of plutonium.
Divine-HD: The Rainbow **+ (1989, Drama)
Summary: Ken Russell's rather loose adaptation of the last part of D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow" sees impulsive young Ursula coming of age in pastoral England around the time of the Boer War. At school, she is introduced to lovemaking by a bisexual physical education instructress. While experiencing disillusionment in her first career attempt (teaching), she has an affair with a young Army officer, who wants to marry her. Unable to accept a future of domesticity, she breaks with him, and eventually leaves home in search of her destiny.
HD Cinema (104): The Champagne Safari *** (1995, Doc)
Summary: The story of Charles E. Bedaux, Franco-American industrial efficiency expert, adventurer, and Nazi collaborator.
World Cinema-HD: The Wrong Box ***+ (1966, Comedy)
Summary: THE WRONG BOX defines humorlous Victorian Age in a humorous way with a wit worthy of its' blue ribbon cast including Michael Caine and Peter Sellers. It was a Victorian time when cousin Caine is turned on by a turned ankle at the hem of cousin Nanette Newman's skirt during the strains of "If you were the only girl in the world." Their destiny was love and resounding relief when each learned that both were orphans in fact: "Father was a missionary, eaten by his Bible class." Peacock, the butler, is a vestigial up-and-up English retainer servant. "Beggin your pardon, Sir. I haven't been paid in seven years." His scenes put you on notice that the next thing you'll hear is yourself chuckling. Sellers is unbelievably funny as the back-alley abortionist,Dr. Pratt, hired by one of the cousins to provide a blank, signed death certificate. He practices from a cat-infested office. His bedside manner hinges on cats which he uses to wipe his hands and blot his signature [on the phony death certificate]. Hearing Sellers cough, Peter Cook asks if the doctor is okay. Sellers answers, "I'm okay. It's only a hair ball." I don't know of an equal to this British laugh convention. THE WRONG BOX proves out that greed is great breeding ground for good comedy.
HD Cinema (103): Hoosiers *** (1986, Drama)
Summary: One of the most rousingly enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It's a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the Huskers' coach, and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team's key players. As the drama unfolds we come to realize that many of the characters (including Barbara Hershey as a schoolteacher with whom Hackman falls in love) are recovering from disappointing setbacks, and this depth of character is what makes the otherwise conventional basketball story so richly rewarding. Like Rocky, Rudy, and Breaking Away, this is a quintessentially American movie about beating the odds and rising above one's own limitations. Just try to watch it without cheering! --Jeff Shannon
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1
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