While
The Big Lebowski will always been remembered for the hilarious misadventures of one of the greatest slackers of all time – The Dude – it should also be recognized for its detailed character development that only the Coen Brothers seem to have been able to master. For those of you who have viewed the film in a fully cognitive state, try to think of a character that wasn't placed in the film specifically to advance the plot. It's an extremely difficult task, and one that makes you appreciate film that much more.
Staff reviewer Jeffrey Kaufman commented in his
The Big Lebowski Blu-ray review , "This is definitely not the film to start with if you're new to the Coen Brothers, but if you do have experience with Joel and Ethan's often discursive way with plot and character, as well as their completely idiosyncratic sense of humor, you'll most likely find a lot to love in this appealingly disheveled outing. One way or the other, it's pretty much guaranteed you've never seen anything quite like The Big Lebowski."
Showtime is releasing
Dexter: The Fifth Season today so that fans can catch up on the show before the sixth season begins this October. The show has been a remarkable success for the premium channel, and for star Michael C. Hall who has achieved a level of geek fame that few stars can ever hope to reach.
I'll have to admit, when I first saw the trailer for
Priest, my first thought was that Wesley Snipes needed some cash after his tax evasion conviction, and that Blade 4 was on its way to theaters. Unfortunately, it was worse than that.
Priest combines elements from so many genre films and it never becomes anything more than a homage to semi-successful films of the past. If you've seen an action/horror film in the past ten years, don't waste your money.
For the
Priest Blu-ray review , staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented, "Priest isn't worth the meager 87 minutes its asks of its audience. It's competently put together from a technical perspective, but forget any sort of originality in any area of the production." He continues, "Sony's Blu-ray release of Priest does yield the expectedly high quality technical presentation, and there's a fair assortment of extras to boot."
And while it may not be on everyone's radar (its certainly on mine), Sony is releasing
The Muppets Take Manhattan on Blu-ray today. For anyone who grew up with The Muppets in their childhood, this is a must own title that definitely fit into the "they don't make 'em like that anymore" category of filmmaking. The film represents the Jim Henson Muppets, not the overly-commercialized version that led to the disastrous
Muppets from Space. Here's hoping that Jason Segel can bring the magic back when
The Muppets is released this fall in theaters.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented in his
The Muppets Take Manhattan Blu-ray review , "The Muppets Take Manhattan remains a dazzling, heartwarming, and genuinely pure and good-intentioned children's movie that's still as colorful, catchy, and fun as it was back in the eighties." Regarding the transfer, he concludes, "The image retains the film's natural grain structure and supports the transfer's superb clarity and attention to detail."