Reel Reviews #62: “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs… I play video games.” A fascinating documentary about the pursuit for the world championship Donkey Kong score. A true David and Goliath tale that keeps sucking you in the whole time. Find out “what happens when a loser who needs to wins, faces a winner who refuses to lose.”
Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - The King of Kong (15:19 min 14.2MB)

• The King of Kong - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #61: “Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk.” A great comedy that takes a hard look at political correctness with a good dose of social satire. Time to follow Nick Naylor, big tobacco’s chief lobbyist. “We don’t sell Tic Tacs, we sell cigarettes. And they’re cool, available, and *addictive*. The job is almost done for us.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Thank You For Smoking (18:20 min 12.7MB)

• Thank You for Smoking - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #60: “If Plato is a fine red wine, then Aristotle is a dry martini.” Time to enjoy the freshman effort from writer/director Noah Baumbach. A smart script with endlessly quotable lines and a great ensemble cast of young “indie” actors comes together for a film worth watching. “I like a bartender who drinks.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Kicking and Screaming (17:30 min 16.2MB)

• Kicking and Screaming - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #59: “Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you going to bite?” Today we look at the 1992 film that really put Quentin Tarantino on the map. Let’s go hang out with some bad guys. “Why am I Mr. Pink?”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Reservoir Dogs (19:06 min 17.7MB)

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• Reservoir Dogs - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #58: “You’re tearing me apart.” An all time classic. James Dean turns in a great performance in the film which he is probably best remembered for. It’s time for tough kids, Fifties style. “What can you do when you have to be a man?”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Rebel Without A Cause (17:15 min 16MB)

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• Rebel Without A Cause - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #57: “Super Hood, Super High, Super Dude…” One of the original “Blaxploitation” films, this one helped to set the standard. An iconic performance by Ron O’Neal as Youngblood Priest and an amazing soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield makes Superfly a film worth watching. “It’s not so much what we do, it is having a choice.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Superfly (18:20 min 16.9MB)

• Superfly - DVD at Amazon
• Superfly Soundtrack - at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Reviews #56: Per the commentary: “Why close what you can slam?” This film is so bad, it is good - sort of. For film aficionados this is required viewing. I always talk about great film, here is the antithesis. We have all heard of it, so let’s take a look. Yes it is April 1, but this is not an April fools joke. Today we take a serious look at Showgirls. “Thanks, I bought it at Ver-sayce.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Showgirls (17:05 min 15.8MB)

• Showgirls VIP Edition - DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #55: “It sounds like they are conspiring to conspire.” Traffic is Steven Soderbergh’s powerful film examining the complex issue of the war on drugs. Using bold cinematography (as seen above) and a stellar cast, Soderbergh delivers a thought provoking film. “In Mexico, law enforcement is an entrepreneurial activity.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Traffic (17:05 min 15.8MB)

• Showgirls DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #54: “So you’re one of those public transportation snobs.” Whit Stillman’s first film is a funny and entertaining look at a time, “not so long ago.” This is another terrific gem I have been waiting for on DVD. “When you’re an egoist, none of the harm you do is intentional.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Metropolitan (17:18 min 12MB)

• Metropolitan DVD at Amazon
• Doomed Bourgeois in Love: Essays on the Films of Whit Stillman
• IMDB

Reel Review #53: “If they move, kill ‘em!” Not only one of the best Western’s ever made - one of the best films ever made. Sam Peckinpah hits his high note in this amazing film. There is so much to say - just watch it. “Let’s go.”

Download from the AOL servers: Cinephile Series - The Wild Bunch (47:15 min 32.6MB)

• The Wild Bunch DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #52: “Greed is good.” Watch as Gordon Gekko teaches young Bud Fox about the realities of playing in the big leagues on Wall Street. “The main thing about money, Bud, is that it makes you do things you don’t want to do. ”

Cinephile Series Update: The Wild Bunch coming February 3rd!

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Wall Street (16:54 min 11.8MB)

• Wall Street DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #51: “We could not talk or talk forever, and still find things to not talk about” A fun film in the “mockumentary” style. Watch as gifted improvisational comedians take you behind the scenes at the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. “If you get tired, pull over, if you get hungry, eat something.”

Cinephile Series Update: The Wild Bunch coming February 3rd!

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Best In Show (18:45 min 12.9MB)

• Best In Show DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #50: “I’m just like you, except I’m sitting down.” This is a great documentary from Think Film about quadriplegic rugby. An intense film about some intense athletes. “What? You ain’t going to hit a kid in a chair? I’ll hit you back.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Murderball (14:47 min 13.6MB)

• Murderball DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #49: “My Lord, we are undone, prepare to die.” Kurosawa’s late classic is a film to behold. Amazing cinematography and a classic story based on King Lear. You owe it to yourself to watch this film. “Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies.”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Ran (15:14 min 14.1MB)

• Ran DVD at Amazon
• IMDB

Reel Review #48: “It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” Check out the seminal teenage horror film - Halloween. A classic in its own right, Halloween combines an enthusiastic cast, a director with a vision and a producer who can make it happen. “But you can’t kill the boogie man!”

Download from the AOL servers: Reel Reviews - Halloween (19:48 min 18.3MB)

Links:

• Halloween DVD at Amazon
• IMDB
• Assault On Precinct 13
• Suspiria
• NY Times Article - Podcasting
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