Splat |
The Pact of Silence (2003) |
"... creates a nice atmosphere of tension that unfortunately sets up expectations for far more of a resolution than the script is able to deliver" |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato |
Pandora's Box (1928) |
"Criterion's superb two-disc DVD is a veritable 'the Essential Louise Brooks' compendium. With it we get not only Pandora's Box restored to Criterion's exacting standards, but also choice extras including an interview with Brooks." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Pandora's Box (1928) |
"Give all due credit to Pabst, but Brooks pretty much single-handedly raises Pandora's Box above being just another doomed-bad-girl melodrama.... She makes Lulu unfathomable, a well that always has more to give. Therefore, so is the film." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Party (1968) |
"...a sweet-natured, enjoyable trifle. Peter Sellers ... may remind aficionados of the work of Jacques Tati. Any opportunity to see him work is a good thing, even if only a fraction of his talents are on display...." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Party (1968) |
"MGM's DVD release of The Party presents a fine anamorphic transfer (2.35:1) from a very good print. The DD 2.0 monaural audio is clean and sharp." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Party Girl (1995) |
"Posey mixes her trademark edge with an appealing vulnerability, creating a realistic portrait of a twentysomething girl who doesn't quite know who she is or where she's going." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Patriot (2000) |
"From its gory battle scenes to its tender family moments, The Patriot engages your emotions and keeps you on the edge of your seat, even though we all know who wins the war." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3/4 |
Patriot Games (1992) |
"A compelling, intelligent thriller, one that adeptly showcases a hero whose grim determination is matched only by his cool competency." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
Patton (1970) |
"George Patton was born (at least once) for these big-screen dimensions. By the end of the movie you may hate the half-crazed son of a b!tch, but you can't not admire him." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Patton (1970) |
"Fox's two-disc Cinema Classics Collection edition (2006) improves upon Patton's earlier DVD editions in both style and content. It's a new transfer (2.20:1, anamorphic) from a 70mm print that's considerably cleaner than the 2001 edition...." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Pauline and Paulette (2002) |
"A sweet, sentimental story told in a loving, amused fashion." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Pavilion of Women (2001) |
"On the whole, you'd be better off catching a couple of hours of 'Days of Our Lives.'" |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat 2/4 |
People I Know (2003) |
"A grim, depressing cautionary tale about the danger of mistaking business associates for friends and making networking more of a priority than real relationships." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
People Will Talk (1951) |
"... tackles some sensitive issues without coyness and manages to slip in some pointed criticisms of the era's commie-baiting." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato |
Pepe Le Moko (1937) |
"... a genuinely important part of cinema history." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Personal Velocity (2002) |
"Although each woman has only about half an hour of screen time, all three are more fully realized characters than any woman in a typical two-hour Hollywood blockbuster." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3/4 |
Peter Pan (1953) |
"Plenty of charming moments and iconic characters ... but the story isn't anchored firmly enough in the land of fairy tale to avoid feeling dated a few decades down the line." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Philadelphia Story (1940) |
"True to form, Warner Home Video's two-disc Special Edition lovingly restores The Philadelphia Story with a great print and a newly remastered transfer." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Pieces of April (2003) |
"The real news here is that Holmes turns in a heartfelt, genuine performance." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) |
"... an exuberant, near-perfect adventure epic full of swashbuckle-y goodness, and Depp's performance alone makes it worth seeing again and again." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato |
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) |
"It reminds us that flat, colorless character actors look really flat and colorless when sharing a scene with Price." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) |
"MGM's new DVD edition of The Pit and the Pendulum comes with an illuminating audio commentary by Roger Corman, whose extraordinary memory supplements any film school's how-to-direct syllabus." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Play It Again, Sam (1972) |
"Paramount's DVD release hands us a very good transfer from a clean print in its original 1.85:1 (anamorphic) aspect ratio. Audio is clean and free of distortion in DD 2.0 monaural." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Play It Again, Sam (1972) |
"... an affable situation comedy focused on its characters and an extramarital romance that's no more tawdry than white wine served in a red-wine glass." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Pornographers (1966) |
"An odd, compelling film about exploitation and voyeurism ..." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato |
Powaqqatsi (1988) |
"MGM's DVD release of Powaqqatsi looks just perfect in an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. The real stunner, though, is the audio, which comes through super-clean, strong as a bull, and wide open in well-employed Dolby Digital 5.1." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat |
Powaqqatsi (1988) |
"Reggio's work may be mesmerizing and technically engrossing, but it's also narrowly self-righteous. Instead of expanding our consciousness, he instead seeks to squeeze it into his point of view through a movie that tries to tell us what to think." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat |
Premature Burial (1962) |
"Ray Milland emotes, by turns, dour gloominess or manic eyeball-spinning through a weak script that bears too little sense and too many similarities to its predecessors, Usher and Pendulum." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Premature Burial (1962) |
"The Premature Burial doesn't fare as well with its 2.35:1 anamorphic print not quite as clean or colorful, but it's still a good image with fine monaural DD 2.0 audio." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The President's Analyst (1967) |
"Paramount's DVD of The President's Analyst is a bare-bones release, but long-time fans of the film still have plenty to be happy about here." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Pretty Woman (1990) |
"Yes, its title has become shorthand for Hollywood's escapist tendency to sugar-coat some of the darker realities of life, but [it's] still an awfully entertaining movie." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) |
"Smith plays all of Miss Brodie's highs and lows beautifully; it's easy to see why everyone is drawn to her, yet at the same time want to shake her for being such a drama queen." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Primer (2004) |
"What saves this Sundance favorite ... from falling victim to its own complexity is its very human heart." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 5/5 |
The Princess Bride (1987) |
"The Princess Bride defies categorization; it's a unique, magical movie that deservedly became a cult favorite and instant classic." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3/4 |
Prison Break - Season 1 (2005) |
"It's all completely preposterous, of course. But as long as you can suspend your disbelief, it's also a fun, first-rate thriller with a strong cast." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) |
"Hope's tale of identical cousins, treachery, and adventure touches something in the cultural consciousness in the same manner as Shakespeare's plays." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 3/4 |
Prizzi's Honor (1985) |
"Watching the two [stars] work together is a large part of Prizzi's appeal -- they have the talent to make the most of John Huston's sure-handed direction, and it shows." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Producers (1968) |
"You don't need to be a WWII vet to feel the glee as the movie invites us to dance on Hitler's grave." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Producers (1968) |
"Headlining the DVD extras is The Making of The Producers, a generous five-part, hour-long feature from 2002 by Laurent Bouzereau." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat 2/4 |
Proof of Life (2000) |
"Proof of Life is tepid at best; director Taylor Hackford's attempt to juggle an action-adventure flick with a Serious Drama undermines both parts of the film." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Public Enemy (1931) |
"In the documentary featurette on this disc, Martin Scorsese says that before he shot The Aviator he showed his cast The Public Enemy, and when Cagney's entrance arrived someone exclaimed 'Modern screen acting begins.'" |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Public Enemy (1931) |
"Its success proved, if by then there was any doubt, that audiences will go for a charismatic lowlife over a dull hero any day of the week, a lesson Hollywood never forgot." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Punchline (1988) |
"Field and Hanks both give memorable performances in David Seltzer's poignant dramedy about the world of stand-up comedy." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat 1.5/5 |
Putney Swope (1969) |
"... an interesting archival document %u2014 but it's also painfully self-indulgent, with terrible acting and humor that's often too surreal to make any sense." |
Dawn Taylor |
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