Stories | Seen on DVD
Walk Hard, The Omega Man, Toute une Nuit
Published Nov. 11, 2009
John TigheGraphic artist Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was one of the steps that Robert Downey Jr. made on his way back from jail and rehab to A-list billing that culminated with Iron Man. Unfortunately, few saw ...
After Life, Lady Snowblood, Audition
Published Sept. 30, 2009
Stefan TanakaProfessor of history, UCSD Even though Halloween has little connection to Japan, the ghosts and witches that I associate with Halloween are also a rich part of its lore. Two recent DVDs explore this. Hirokazu ...
Strange Brew, Rachel Getting Married, Merce Cunningham's Split Sides
Published Sept. 2, 2009
Gaaron VarnerThe Cinema Drinker I recommend Strange Brew. Disclaimer: This movie does not accurately depict the brewing process...just a warning to all those home brewers out there! On to the movie, eh? Any movie that starts ...
Hard Boiled, the Innocents, Jack Frost Published Aug. 5, 2009
Philip BarrettAssociate editor, atomicpopcorn.net Hard Boiled is what most action films aspire to be but lose their plot along the way. Directed by John Woo, ... More Post a comment
Dust Devil, Mamma Mia!, A Bittersweet Life Published July 1, 2009
Trent S. ReidCinephile Shot in Namibia’s Skeleton Coast during the death throes of Apartheid, Dust Devil is a challenging cross-genre mix of sociopolitical critique and ... More Post a comment
Endless Summer, Oldboy, Pineapple Express Published June 3, 2009
Steve WagnerBrewmaster, Stone Brewing Co. I’ve always been a film noir fan, and Polanski’s Chinatown offers a 1970’s update on the style that does the ... More Comments (11)
C.R.A.Z.Y., All About My Mother, Moulin Rouge Published May 13, 2009
Michael McQuigganSan Diego programming director, FilmOut, filmoutsandiego.com C.R.A.Z.Y. is one of the best French Canadian films ever! This epic film follows the relationships of five ... More Post a comment
Step Brothers, Verdi's Requiem, Bicentennial Man Published April 1, 2009
Edward WilenskyDirector of media relations, San Diego Opera, sdopera.com Terry Gilliam’s Brazil serves up a tale of a man’s battle for freedom and independence. Criterion ... More Comments (2)
Labyrinth, Dirty Pretty Things, Mister Lonely Published March 4, 2009
Destin CrettonFilmmaker, Short Term 12, Winner of the Sundance Short Film Award 2009 If you haven’t seen Labyrinth, you’re missing out on a chance to ... More Post a comment
John Adams, Topsy-Turvy, Commando Published Feb. 11, 2009
Natalie WalshSenior producer, KPBS-FM’s These Days, kpbs.org I’m a history buff, and I loved the series John Adams so much that I was sad when ... More Post a comment
Young and Innocent, The Nun, Wall-E Published Jan. 7, 2009
Michel RothComposer, San Diego Rep’s production of production of Doubt Young and Innocent — early Hitchcock from England — is great. The use of the ... More Post a comment
The Dark Knight, Shutter, Jack Frost Published Dec. 3, 2008
Janeane WhiteSenior, Mount Miguel High School For Christmas I have no idea what movie I’d want because I love too many films. I would probably ... More Post a comment
Election, Why We Fight, Fat City Published Nov. 5, 2008
Beth AccomandoCurator, Film School Confidential, sdfcs.org Whether you are rejoicing or reeling from the election, here is a trio of films fit for any election ... More Post a comment
Expired, Then She Found Me, Smooth Talk Published Oct. 1, 2008
Holly JonesCurator, San Diego Women’s Film Festival, sdwff.org Expired, by Cecilia Miniucchi, is one of those under-the-radar movies that went to DVD before even reaching ... More Post a comment
Riding Giants, Das Boot, Men of Honor Published Sept. 3, 2008
Mary Lynn Price, Underwater Videographer One of the aspects of underwater imaging that most appeals to me is the rhythm and motion of the underwater ... More Post a comment
A Fistful of Dollars, The Best of Youth, Caterina in the Big City Published Aug. 6, 2008
Victor LarucciaManaging director and board member, San Diego Italian Film Festival The 2008 San Diego Italian Film Festival is dedicated to beloved artist Italo Scanga, ... More Post a comment
My Dinner with Andre, The Incredibles, Pulp Fiction Published July 2, 2008
Jung-Ho PakArtistic director/conductor, San Diego Chamber Orchestra 2001 is an example of how to execute a brilliant screenplay while still elevating the vision into a ... More Post a comment
The Kid, Public Enemy, Sunset Boulevard Published June 4, 2008
Scott PaulsonPit director of the Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra for Silent Films, UCSD’s ArtPower The finest screen adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the ... More Post a comment
Dune, Planet Terror, Deep Blue Sea Published April 30, 2008
Lady BotoxFilm critic, soberingconclusion.com The 2006 re-release of David Lynch’s Dune contains both the extended version that you could previously only see on TV and ... More Comment (1)
Big Daddy, Cinderella Man, Why Did I Get Married? Published April 2, 2008
Amber EllisSenior, Mount Miguel High School film and lit class School Daze is an educational, funny movie about pledging a sorority or fraternity. During the ... More Comment (1)
Bitter Sugar, Waking Ned Devine, No One Writes the Colonel Published March 26, 2008
Lisa FranekFilmmaker and lecturer, SDSU Arturo Ripstein’s No One Writes the Colonel is just beautiful. The camerawork is amazing; it’s filled with rich colors. It’s ... More Post a comment
Angel-A, Parenthood, The World's Fastest Indian Published March 19, 2008
Thomas PierceLibrary technician, Encinitas Pink Floyd The Wall has a dark, evocative story by Roger Waters and brilliant animation by Gerald Scarfe. It’s essentially a ... More Post a comment
Paper Moon, King of Kong, Weeds Published March 12, 2008
James VasquezFilmmaker-actor, Daisy 3 Pictures, readyokmovie.com Paper Moon, shot in B&W, features an Oscar-winning performance by 11-year-old Tatum O’Neal. Director Peter Bogdanovich takes his time ... More Post a comment
Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Fear and Loathing Published March 5, 2008
Mauricio ChernovetskyDirector, Cassandra To someone who’s a fan of long, contemplative takes and abstract narrative techniques, Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Syndromes and a Century really ... More Post a comment
Once, Orlando, Little Miss Sunshine Published Feb. 27, 2008
Keturah StickannAssistant director, San Diego Opera, 2008 seasonsdopera.org John Carney’s Once is one of the best depictions of the creative process I’ve ever seen. I ... More Post a comment
Pride, Lean on Me, Why Did I Get Married? Published Feb. 20, 2008
Karen Huff-WillisDirector, San Diego Black Film Festival, sandiegoblackfilmfestival.com For Black History Month I would like people to see something by Oscar Micheaux, like Within Our ... More Post a comment
Elizabeth, Amadeus, the Office Published Feb. 13, 2008
Edoardo MuellerPrincipal guest conductor, San Diego Opera, sdopera.org Renata Tebaldi: Profonda ed infinita is a collection of the best videos Renata did in her life ... More Post a comment
Crash, Cocoon, Funny Girl Published Feb. 6, 2008
Ilise Gersten BushCurator, San Diego Jewish Film Festival, sdcjc.lfjcc.org Tonight’s opening film, Sixty-Six, is a quirky coming-of-age comedy that reminds me in spirit of Hope ... More Post a comment
Serenity, Pennies from Heaven, In the Mood for Love Published Jan. 30, 2008
Zakiya KhabirSan Diego market coordinator, Landmark Theatres Many have said it before, but HBO’s series The Wire should be required viewing. Not only is it ... More Post a comment
Deathtrap, Deep Water, Flight of the Conchords Published Jan. 23, 2008
Tim BerrothFilm reviewer, www.hollywoodjesus.com In Deathtrap, director Sidney Lumet ably crafts Ira Levin’s play into an engrossing thriller with wicked plot twists and a deliciously ... More Comment (1)
School Daze, Zodiac, and Stardust Published Jan. 16, 2008
Cecil PrattAssistant manager, UltraStar Mission Valley 7 School Daze: Set on a historically black college campus, this film shows the struggles against racism within the ... More Post a comment
Pirates of the Caribbean, Moonstruck, Slapshot Published Jan. 9, 2008
Tom PlonkaHockey player from Rhode Island I’m on the water a lot with my boat going to Catalina and Mexico, so I guess I like ... More Comments (2)
Lost Horizon, Wizard of Oz, Monkey Business Published Jan. 2, 2008
Francis WeidingerIndependent filmmaker Lost Horizon: Garden of Eden in black-and-white. Frank Capra can be awesome, funny, and satirical. But in Lost Horizon, he got lost. ... More Post a comment
Casablanca, The Hunger, Almost Famous Published Dec. 27, 2007
Teresa OyosCommunity activist diva I have to go to a classic first. Casablanca , with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is simply the best movie ... More Post a comment
Whisper of the Heart, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke Published Dec. 20, 2007
Josephina Torres Seventh grader, Palm Anime and Manga Club The three DVDs I want for Christmas include Whisper of the Heart because it's a story ... More Post a comment
Barton Fink, Rear Window, Columbo: Season Four Published Dec. 13, 2007
Kirsten ElmsScreenwriter As a writer on strike and having just seen No Country for Old Men -- I'm drawn to another Coens' film -- Barton ... More Post a comment
A Dry White Season, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Black Orpheus Published Dec. 6, 2007
Lynn WhitehouseSupervisor history/information/interlibrary loan-it, San Diego Public Library I'd like to suggest a DVD that ties with our One Book One San Diego campaign for ... More Post a comment
When It Was a Game, The Natural, Bull Durham Published Nov. 29, 2007
Eric HanauerWriter, underwater photographer, and retired professorwww.ehanauer.com Now's the time my Chicago Cubs usually go into early hibernation. So, I depend on DVDs for a ... More Post a comment
Branford Marsalis, Thelonious Monk, Dingo Published Nov. 21, 2007
Tripp SpragueMusician, trippsprague.com Here are two of my favorite music-related DVDs of recent years. They're very different as far as musical styles, but both capture ... More Post a comment
49th Parallel, 10 on Ten, Children of Shatila Published Nov. 15, 2007
Babette MangolteFilmmaker and professor, UCSD Visual Arts Department Michael Powell is probably best known for The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, made after the war ... More Post a comment
Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Ladykillers Published Nov. 8, 2007
Marisa ScheinfeldDocent and educator programs manager, Museum of Photographic Arts With a new Coens' film coming out, we've chosen to highlight the Coens' cult classic ... More Post a comment
Funny Face, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Alice Faye Collection Published Nov. 1, 2007
James Colt HarrisonFilm reviewer, The La Jolla Village News The sparkling Funny Face offers a Fred Astaire-Audrey Hepburn musical set in Paris. Nobody was as ... More Post a comment
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Mother's Day Published Oct. 25, 2007
Pete TombsProducer, Hell's Ground and founder Mondo Macabro, www.mondomacabrodvd.com To fully enjoy our movie and appreciate all the references we're making, you need to see ... More Post a comment
Lamerica, Sacred Silence, Hands Over the City Published Oct. 18, 2007
Pasquale VerdicchioProfessor, UCSD department of literature and board member, Cinema Sud Italian Film Festival The South of Italy figures prominently as a setting in Italian ... More Post a comment
Nomad, Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time Published Oct. 11, 2007
George LinAssociate Festival Director, San Diego Asian Film Festival, www.sdaff.org To anyone familiar with the Hong Kong New Wave cinema of the '80s, Patrick Tam ... More Post a comment
Come Early Morning, The Righteous Babes, Sleepless in Seattle Published Oct. 4, 2007
Renee HerrellFounder, San Diego Women's Film Festival To prepare for the fifth annual San Diego Women's Film Festival, I recommend the movie that kicked off ... More Post a comment
The Devil Came on Horseback, Born Into Brothels, A Fish Called Wanda Published Sept. 27, 2007
Robin MackenzieProgrammer, San Diego Film Festival's Women Filmmaker's Series Doing the rounds at festivals, on the hunt for films I think San Diego audiences would ... More Post a comment
As You Like It, Romeo + Juliet, Taming of the Shrew Published Sept. 20, 2007
Mary AndersonTheatre executive director, Coronado Playhouse, www.cornadoplayhouse.com The same week that the Coronado Playhouse's free production of As You Like It opened, HBO released Kenneth ... More Post a comment
Donnie Darko, The Last Dragon, Fight Club Published Sept. 13, 2007
Skylar EpplerAssistant, La Jolla Landmark Midnight Madness Donnie Darko: Director's Cut will be a cult classic for years to come. Worthy of midnight moviegoers, young ... More Post a comment
The Muppet Show, Easy Rider, Wild Hogs Published Sept. 6, 2007
Greg EichelbergerEditor and film critic, East County Herald News For quality television comedy writing and execution, few can match The Muppet Show. It combined classic, ... More Post a comment
Snatch, Scarface, 300 Published Aug. 30, 2007
Robbie RobbinsCo-owner, IDW Publishing Extras, extras, I'm all about them. DVD extras, like the custom comic books IDW's created to accompany the deluxe DVDs of ... More Post a comment
Cockfighter, Thumbsucker, Kinky Boots Published Aug. 23, 2007
Vernon MortensenFilmmaker and board member, San Diego Filmmakers Looking for something different? Try the long-lost '70s gem Cockfighter, based on Charles Willeford's novel. Roger Corman ... More Post a comment
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