Site News: Movie Photo Collage -- A Sneak Peek of Movie Reviews to Come

Want a Sneak Peek at Some of the Films We'll Be Covering on FilmIntuition.com in our Review Database?

Take a look at this publicity still and cover art collage for clues of the films to come:

More News:

1) Our Blu-ray giveaway of Baggage Claim ends at 11:59pm EST on 2/26. Be sure to submit your all-time Top 5 Romantic Comedies asap by completing the form on our Contest page. 

2) We've updated both our Theatrical and Home Entertainment calendars to include the latest schedule changes and new additions.


Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

DVD News: Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Brothers (2010)

Now Available to Own

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Read Our Review of Mystic River

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As Clint Eastwood told Richard Schickel, “...when you sign on, you sign on for the whole ride.” And from the earliest days of Rawhide up through time spent playing such cinematic icons as The Man With No Name in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns or Dirty Harry in Don Siegel's action-packed series along with his recent directorial masterpieces such as Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima and Million Dollar Baby, it's safe to say that Clint Eastwood has been on one hell of a ride. Likewise, the ride has become a wholly encompassing cinematic one as well, finding Clint taking on various behind-the-scenes and on-camera roles.

Clint Eastwood's impact can be felt on a number of levels via his tough but tender portrayals in such romantic and platonic love stories like The Bridges of Madison County or Million Dollar Baby to his reinvention and reexamination of the western with Unforgiven or The Outlaw Josey Wales and through the haunting musical compositions he's developed at Warner Brothers' Eastwood Scoring Stage, which he helped save from extinction.

Although he humbly states that the gauge for choosing his material is whether it's interesting to him or he'd want to see the film himself, nonetheless certain patterns have emerged when defining just what is an Eastwood Film.

Thematically and plot-wise, he's drawn to tales of moral ambiguity and issues concerning redemption, sins of the past, and the effect of violence on both the victims and perpetrators. As he's able to surround himself with the best and the brightest of actors whom-- as in the case of Mystic River called Eastwood willing to play any part--it's only fitting that he's also attracted to ensemble pieces about makeshift families, outsiders, and those whose culture, history, and points-of-view we often don't often see much in life let alone onscreen.

Yet as this diverse collection of thirty-four Eastwood works and Schickel's succinct short reveals-- aside from a certain tonal darkness and gravitation to examining violence whether it's towards oneself (as in the case of Bird) or others-- he's a man who consistently surprises in his choice of material, moving away from crime movies, westerns and war films from time to time to embrace romances, character pieces, and surprising comedies.

And while it's exceedingly tough to imagine the cinematic landscape without Eastwood the actor, as a film buff who came of age in his auteur era of the '90s, it's downright impossible to imagine the medium of film without his directorial works.

Despite the fact that John Malkovich's chilling turn in the political assassination thriller In the Line of Fire has remained seared in my memory for more than a decade, I can't honestly tell you if that was the first film I saw that featured Eastwood the performer.

Yet-- all guesses aside-- I distinctly recall the first three I saw that he helmed on his own that truly captivated from a cinematic standpoint. The riveting, underrated A Perfect World, the flawed but gorgeous Madison County featuring a radiant Meryl Streep, and the exceptionally atmospheric true crime endeavor Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil all made a major impression on me before I ever linked them up with The Man With No Name or the one who in his own subtle way had already gone ahead and made my day.

Moreover, even after I consciously and studiously took in his legendary performances, I realized that I'm still unable to separate Eastwood the actor from the filmmaker, other than to say that the Oscar winning director has consistently proved to viewers and critics alike that although we may be able to guess the type of “personality” he'll play in a given film, his work as a director is indefinable, endlessly fascinating, and as impossible to predict as it is to forget.

One of our true auteurs whose work is being celebrated in an unprecedented manner by a studio rather than a boutique or specialty upscale DVD company, the 35 films contained in the set include many which are available to download and although you won't find his Universal Pictures like Play Misty for Me or Changeling included, it's an extraordinary comprehensive collection that boasts the following films in DVD: Where Eagles Dare; Kelly's Heroes; Dirty Harry; Magnum Force; The Enforcer; The Outlaw Josey Wales; The Gauntlet; Every Which Way but Loose; Bronco Billy; Any Which Way You Can; Honkytonk Man; Firefox; Sudden Impact; City Heat; Tightrope; Pale Rider; Heartbreak Ridge; Bird; The Dead Pool; Pink Cadillac; White Hunter, Black Heart; The Rookie; Unforgiven; A Perfect World; The Bridges of Madison County; Absolute Power; Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; True Crime; Space Cowboys; Blood Work; Mystic River; Million Dollar Baby; Letters from Iwo Jima; Gran Torino; The Eastwood Factor (Richard Schicke's Short Film).

Leaving off his most recent WB title Invictus and without the option of a Blu-ray companion set or Schickel's longer version of both his Eastwood book and documentary The Eastwood Factor, it does make you long for a supplementary set.

Yet in the words of Eastwood who's still making a breakneck number of movies in his own unique way, it's his own wish that this “'retrospective' will be out of date almost as soon as it's published” since the man who still drives himself everywhere (with the exception of the Oscars) and has an endless hunger for creative cinematic expression, has signed on for the whole ride, with no plans of stopping until he yells cut.

Text ©2010, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I received the short film and a mini-booklet relating to this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

News: BBC America Wishes You an Even Happier Holiday Season with Shopping Sprees, Surprises and Specials

From Doctor Who and Torchwood to Mistresses and Gavin and Stacey to Fawlty Towers and The Mighty Boosh, BBC America has consistently delivered the best in British Entertainment both on its popular channel and beloved home entertainment releases available online.

Whether first giving the US a taste for shows we would later adapt like The Office, Coupling, Life on Mars and many others, or inspiring Danny Boyle to cast an actor on Skins for the Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire or unleashing Sandra Bullock's inner auto enthusiast with their popular Top Gear, we've always looked to the BBC for the cutting edge in TV programming.

And with the unbelievable hits including the recent Boosh, which lit up Stella McCartney's store for the holidays after taking America by storm this past summer along with Torchwood's stunner Children of Earth, BBC America's Shop has become a fan favorite for stellar gifts.

In addition to offering free shipping on orders over one hundred dollars, the store is giving you the opportunity to win a $1,000 shopping spree of its online store. Yet keeping in mind the holiday spirit, the gift certificates will be delivered in a pair so that you and that special someone in your life will receive $500 each to enjoy the best the BBC has on DVD/Blu-ray or in a variety of one-of-a-kind gifts.

Enter today to win a $500 Gift Certificate for you and a friend!

Buy your favorite BBC Sci-Fi DVDs, including Doctor Who, today!

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com

Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

News: Valentine's Day E-Cards from the Penguins of Madagascar

This Valentine's Day, Take a New Twist on
Going Green by Going Penguin--
Choose Air-Penguin: Special Delivery
for the Safe Online Delivery of Your Own Custom Designed
Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, Easter,
or Super Cool Madagascar Greetings.

Unlike the crash landing in Madagascar 2-- recently released on DVD and Blu-ray High Definition-- Your Cards will "Move It, Move It," right to the Inboxes of your Friends and Loved Ones.

Check It Out By Clicking Here...
And Thanks for Choosing Air-Penguin

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DVD Release Announcement: Becker -- The Second Season

The Doctor Who Always Gives a Second Opinion Returns to Paramount and CBS DVD For a Second Time With their February 3rd Release of Becker: Season Two.

With Cheers star Ted Danson as the misanthropic title character doctor with a heart of gold buried way beneath the sarcasm (which only reaches the surface in the rarest of instances) heading up a terrific supporting cast including Alex Desert, Terry Ferrell, Hattie Winston, and Shawnee Smith-- this three disc slim-packaged DVD set contains all 24 episodes of the 1999-2000 season.





Presented with closed captioning and in its original 4:3 aspect ratio with the sound heightened to Dolby Digital, the Bronx doc re-opens for business-- no HMO required-- in a season which finds Reggie returning to college, Becker getting shot while attempting to rescue Jake, and a new love interest-- there's plenty to keep Becker fans entertained in its nearly nine hour running time.




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Blu-ray & DVD Release Announcement: Save the Date for Lionsgate's "The Spirit"

The Spirit Arrives on
Blu-ray and DVD on 4/14/09

Pre-Order the Blu-ray Today

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Lionsgate's Announcement:

"From Frank Miller, the creator of 300 and Sin City comes the re-awakening of a hero unlike any other – The Spirit.

"Adapted from the legendary comic book series created by Comic Book Hall of Famer Will Eisner, The Spirit fuses masterful storytelling with brilliant CGI graphics to sweep viewers into a stylized world of action, adventure, danger and romance.

It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), has a different mission: he’s going to wipe out Spirit’s beloved city as he pursues his own bid for immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City’s rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader.

Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a calculating and driven vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), an angel of Death; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there’s Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She’s the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him? In the vein of Batman Begins and Sin City, The Spirit takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

"The Spirit Blu-ray Disc and 2-disc Special Edition DVD contain thrilling bonus materials including multiple featurettes, an alternate storyboard ending with cast voiceovers and feature film audio commentary by the screenwriter/director and producer. They both also feature a standard definition digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray Disc will contain an additional featurette not found on the DVD and it will also mark the debut of the first LIONSGATE LIVE™ enabled title for the studio.

"LIONSGATE LIVE™ is a unique BD Live based menu system that delivers updateable exclusive content such as commentaries, games, ringtones, wallpapers, trailers and much more via a series of on-screen notifications and widgets. In addition, LIONSGATE LIVE™ will continually notify users to any new features across all Lionsgate BD Live titles and it will be available on select theatrical titles throughout 2009.

"The Blu-ray Disc also boasts the feature "MoLog," which allows users to insert and animate shapes, text, audio and other graphics right into the film as well as post “blogs” about the film to share with other registered MOLOG™ users. The standard one-disc DVD of The Spirit will include a Widescreen and Full Screen version of the film and the theatrical trailer. "

BLU-RAY DISC
SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC ONE:

• “Green World” featurette – a look at the technical wizardry behind the making of the film
• “Miller on Miller” featurette – a look at the artistry of Frank Miller
• “History Repeats” featurette – an in-depth look at the origin of The Spirit as well as Will Eisner’s influence and vision in the comic book world
• Alternate storyboard ending with voiceovers by Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht
• Audio commentary by Frank Miller and Deborah Del Prete
• MoLog™ - Movie Blog network connected community and interactive movie blog tool set
• LIONSGATE LIVE™ enabled
• Theatrical trailer

Note: Special features subject to change

DISC TWO:

• Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film

2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION
DVD FEATURES

DISC ONE:

• “Green World” featurette – a look at the technical wizardry behind the making of the film
• “Miller on Miller” featurette – a look at the artistry of Frank Miller
• Alternate storyboard ending with voiceovers by Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht
• Audio commentary by Frank Miller and Deborah Del Prete
• Theatrical trailer

Note: Special features subject to change

DISC TWO:

• Digital Copy of the feature film

CAST

• Gabriel Macht: The Good Shepherd, The Recruit, Behind Enemy Lines, Because I Said So
• Eva Mendes: The Women, Ghost Rider, Stuck on You, Hitch, Out of Time, Training Day
• Sarah Paulson: TV’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Down with Love, HBO’s “Deadwood”
• Dan Lauria: Independence Day, Big Momma’s House 2, “The Wonder Years,” Stakeout
• Paz Vega: Spanglish, Sex and Lucia, Carmen, 10 Items or Less
• Jaime King: My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Sin City, Pearl Harbor, White Chicks, Two for the Money
• Scarlett Johansson: The Other Boleyn Girl, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, He’s Just Not That Into You, Match Point
• Samuel L. Jackson: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Iron Man, Lakeview Terrace, Pulp Fiction

Discover Their Work on Amazon

Technical & Program
Information

• Title Copyright: © 2008 Spirit Films, LLC. All Rights Reserved. THE SPIRIT trademark is owned by Will Eisner Studios, Inc. and registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity
• Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
• Closed Captioned: English Closed Captioned
• Subtitles: English and Spanish
• Format: Special Edition DVD: 16x9 Widescreen (2.35); Blu-Ray: 1080P High Definition Widescreen
• DVD: 16x9 Widescreen (2.35) and 4.3 Full Screen (1.33)
• Feature Running Time: 108 minutes
• Blu-ray Audio Status: 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio and French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• DVD Audio Status: 2-Disc Special Edition: 5.1 Dolby Digital EX; Standard: 5.1 Dolby Digital