Displaying items by tag: View from the Cheap Seats

We’ve got a great new View from the Cheap Seats column today from our own Bud Elder, in which he remembers the late Mickey Rooney. Bud also highlights some great recent releases on Blu-ray and DVD. Don’t miss it.

Also today, the good Dr. Jahnke has turned in a new An Honor to Be Nominated installment of his Jahnke’s Electric Theatre column in which he looks back at Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon. Be sure to read his thoughts and then check out our review of the film on Blu-ray too. [Read on here...]

Even with all the plaudits and platitudes, not enough was written upon the passing of Mickey Rooney. I don’t know, actually, if there could ever be enough.

Lord Laurence Olivier once called Mickey Rooney “the greatest actor of them all,” and Marlon Brando said he was “the best actor in films.” [Read on here…]

We’re closing out the week with a bit of a slow news day here at The Bits, but we do have a new column for you to enjoy...

Our own Bud Elder has turned in a new View from the Cheap Seats – The Sundance Kid Rides into Town features a good story about a Robert Redford visit to Oklahoma. Bud also talks about some of his favorite books on film, and picks a few great recent catalog DVD and Blu-ray tiles too. Enjoy!

In announcement news today, MGM has set a new Escape from New York (1981) Blu-ray for release on 6/3, along with The Birdcage (1996). We have no other details yet on either, aside from the fact that each will SRP for $19.99. [Read on here...]

I can probably state as fact that many of you reading this are not familiar at all with the general manager of your local cable company – I guess most are bean counters, flesh pressers and empty suits. Oklahoma City, from whence I hail, has been very fortunate with Cox Communications – their company is very community driven and its management staff very public and outgoing.  [Read on here…]

All right, sorry for the last of an update here at the site yesterday. We’ve got some stuff we’re working on that’s kept us pretty busy. And honestly, there hasn’t been a ton of new announcement news anyway. But we’ve got some good stuff to make it up to you today...

First, I’ve tuned in a review of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, which is newly available on Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video. Our own Jeff Kleist has also added his thoughts on Warner’s Blu-ray 3D version of Gravity. The film is definitely worth your time and the discs are surprisingly great, both in terms of video and audio quality and also extras.  [Read on here…]

What follows is a completely thought through and double checked top ten list for the year 2013 and, and, like those who write for Film Comment magazine, I usually don’t create this puppy until I have seen just about every movie which might, in fact, be good.  

Here are the top ten, in no particular order:  [Read on here…] 

Back as promised today and we’ve got a great new holiday-themed View from the Cheap Seats column from our own Bud Elder!  This time around, Bud looks back on his favorite non-Christmas Christmas films, and also runs down some great new indie Blu-ray and DVD offerings.  We hope you enjoy it!

We’ll be off the next couple of days, but we’ll be back on Thursday with more new reviews and a round-up of any release news worth reporting.

So with that, we bid you all a very Merry Christmas!  We wish you and yours a great and safe holiday.

Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt

Most film columnists start writing their Christmas pieces around August, churning out their memories of It’s a Wonderful Life (which is a story in itself – this generation has no idea that the film was considered an oddity and a flop until Jimmy Stewart mentioned it on The Tonight Show and, as it was in the public domain and available for cheap airings, it has since been considered a “classic”) and other routine movies that just happen to tell a Christmas like story.  Movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas in Connecticut still hold up and there are others I’m sure that do as well, but few movies that are singularly about Christmas float my boat.  I’ve seen them a million times and most are creaky.  Here are my favorite Christmas movies, a list my successful and thoughtful brother calls Christmas Movies for People Who Aren’t Enamored with Christmas Movies.  [Read on here…]

Evening, folks!  This is just a quick update for you with a few items of interest for you...

First, our own Mario Boucher has turned in a review of Universal’s new Fast & Furious 6: Extended Edition on Blu-ray Disc, so be sure to check it out.

Also, we’ve added four more retro Blu-ray reviews to the new site from the old Bits database: Barrie Maxwell’s review of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, my thoughts on THX 1138: The George Lucas Director’s Cut and Dr. Jahnke’s take on Stake Land and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre.  [Read on here…]

Okay... today’s Bits post is a very quick one, as we’re gearing up for tomorrow’s big Halloween finale for The Hell Plaza Oktoberfest Se7en.   BUT...

The mad Dr. Jahnke’s Oktoberfest review for today is a gem – a preview of an upcoming DVD release from our very dear friend Bob Burns.  It’s Bob Burns’ Hollywood Halloween!  The 2-disc set looks back at all the great Halloween haunted houses that Bob and Kathy have held over the years at their home in Burbank!  It includes a documentary by Lindsey Keith Jackson, footage of the actual haunted house experiences, interviews with the likes of John Landis, menus produced by our friend Van Ling, cover art by Vincent Di Fate and much more!  The DVD is not quite ready for wide release yet, and distribution is still TBA.  BUT...  [Read on here...]