It’s been over a decade since all the primary characters from the first two American Pie movies were all together. The less said about the embarrassing third installment, American Wedding (2003), the better. That one only managed to reassemble part of the original cast and even they seemed to realize the franchise was out of steam. But now we have American Reunion, an appropriate title, as every significant cast member—from Jason Biggs as Jim Levenstein right down to Chuck “The Sherminator” Sherman (Chris Owen)—is back. The big question is, were they able to pull it off after all these years?...more

Oliver Stone's 1989 film, Born on the Fourth of July (now available on Blu-ray) is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who was wounded in combat and became an outspoken political activist in the years following his return to the U.S. Kovic is portrayed by Tom Cruise, who dedicated himself fully to the role. The film is a tale of the triumph of the human spirit, as well as a social commentary on the tumultuous times following the end of the Vietnam War. Though it has been over 20 years since its release, and nearly 40 years since the fall of Saigon, the repercussions of this time period still echo throughout society today. Stone, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, unflinchingly covers both the personal and the political, leaving an impact that remains to this day....more

Even if its preceding reputation or that of director Roger Vadim is unknown to you, it’s a safe bet you’ll understand what you’re in for about five minutes into Barbarella, a 1968 minor cult classic based on the French comics by Jean-Claude Forest. The film’s famed title sequence — featuring an intergalactic Jane Fonda undressing in zero gravity in her shag-carpet-lined spaceship — is a perfect encapsulation of the film’s toothless erotic camp. It’s so perfect, one might be better off just stopping after it’s over, as the film’s subsequent setpieces tend to be subject to diminishing returns....more

Based on extensive research both in American, as well as British archives, David McCullough tells of the powerful drama which took place when General George Washington marched towards freedom or certain death. Men of every shape, size, and occupation marched with Washington, from bookseller Henry Knox to boys who became soldiers. Standing against them were the professional and powerful British army led by Commander William Howe....more

Director Tarsem Singh has an unquestionable sense of style.  As stated in my Blu-ray review of Immortals, the man has an eye for visuals.  His movies look incredible, they are dazzling works of art.  They are also, all too regularly, distinctly lacking when it comes to story and plot and just about everything outside of the look.  There is, however, always the sense about Singh that if he can manage, just once, to put it all together and create a movie not just with his sense of style but also with a great story that it would be a classic that would stand the test of time.  2012's Mirror, Mirror is not that movie, but it is certainly closer than Singh's previous effort....more

Sequels to popular videogames often find the hero at their center having lost their power between entries – it may be lazy, but it serves as a pretty good way to excuse the fact that the character begins weak and has to do all the leveling up and skill tree-advancing once more.  It is far more difficult to have a super-powerful character need to get more powerful in a sequel....more

The Messenger by Daniel Silva is the sixth book in the Gabriel Allon series. Allon is an Israeli agent who is more interested in restoring works of art than the world of espionage. When an al Qaeda operative is killed in London, some photographs are found on his computer and the Israeli intelligence suspects that the group is planning a big attack aimed directly at the Vatican. Israeli agent Gabriel Allon finds himself in a battle of wits against dangerous men which takes him on a hunt across Europe....more

I must confess, I knew very little about LeRoy Neiman before reading this autobiography. I first saw some of his lithographs at charity golf outings and I was impressed, but that was the extent of my knowledge of his life and work. Now, I know that the late LeRoy Neiman was an eccentric man who hob-knobbed with famous people and was well respected in the commercial art community. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t so respected in the fine art community....more

Director Hiroshi Inagaki made three samurai films with Toshiro Mifune that remain classics of the genre. The films collected on the new Criterion Collection triple-DVD set are, Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955), and Duel at Ganryu Island (1956). The films were inspired by the true life of one of Japan’s most durable folk heroes, Musashi Miyamoto, a role Mifune was seemingly born to portray....more

There may just be no writer alive who more accurately writes L.A. in all its ravaged beauty than Joseph Wambaugh. He vividly conveys the grit and biting observations of the denizens who populated Los Angeles and the surrounding area, and often with an extravagance that any Angelino could tell you isn’t extravagance at all. Los Angeles may just be the one place on earth where truth IS stranger that fiction. If his bad guys seem over the top to the reader, then the reader has never spent any significant time in L.A. because in L.A. over the top is a way of life....more