Seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) is preparing to celebrate her father Tona (Mateo Garcia)’s birthday along with her mother, aunts and other relatives at her grandfather’s house. Casting a pall over the entire event is the fact that Tona is terminally ill and does not have much longer to live. Amid the stresses and the hustle…
Victims of Sin [Criterion Collection] Blu-ray Review
Ninón Sevilla is Violeta, a vivacious dancer, or rumbera, at Cabaret Changó but is soon plagued with mistreatment and assault at the hands of the suave but ruthless pimp Rudolfo. To make matters worse, Violeta loses her job at the cabaret when she rescues a baby from a trash can and brings it into work…
The Magnificent Seven – 1960 UHD review (Shout Factory)
The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges (Bad Day at Black Rock, The Great Escape). The film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and is a Western version of that movie. John Sturges’ film is also known for launching the careers of several iconic and legendary Hollywood…
The Last Sunset Blu-ray review
The Last Sunset is a 1961 Western film directed by legendary director Robert Aldrich and starring screen legends Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, and Dorothy Malone. The film boasts a superb supporting cast with Joseph Cotten, Regis Toomey, Carol Lynley, Neville Brand and Jack Elam, although the latter two didn’t get much in the way of…
Vera Cruz (Kino Lorber) Blu-ray review
Vera Cruz is a Western from 1954 starring a pair of screen legends in Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper and future icon Charles Bronson. Directed by Robert Aldrich, he pushes the bar with characters that don’t care about right or wrong and has a shocking scene where Bert Lancaster’s character threatens to murder child hostages….
Wings of the Hawk Blu-ray review
As many of his fans know, director Budd Boetticher was mainly recognized for his classic B-Western films often starring legendary actor Randolph Scott. Several of his films such as The Tall T for example arguably easily fit in the “A” category. His 1953 film Wings of the Hawk fits into the upper tier, not just…
Two Mules for Sister Sara Blu-ray review (Kino Lorber)
Two Mules for Sister Sara is another Western starring the great Clint Eastwood. This movie also stars another screen great in Shirley MacLaine (The Children’s Hour). The film was co-written by Budd Boetticher, who was synonymous with Westerns, having directed plenty of them in the mid to late fifties. At the helm for this film…
Joe Kidd Blu-ray review
Joe Kidd was one of the few Clint Eastwood films I had not had the opportunity to watch until this year. Since I had since just about every other Eastwood Western, and was being announced for an upgraded Blu-ray release, I felt now was the right time and I am glad that it gave it…
Alucarda (Mondo Macabro) DVD Review
Justine is a young woman whose parents have both recently died. This tragic turn of events has forced her into a convent, where she is put together in a room with Alucarda, another young woman with a tragic past. Alucarda and Justine quickly become friends, and that friendship actually blossoms into something quite a bit…