Phil Thron, Author at DVD Review & High Definition

You Only Live Twice

October 18, 2000 // 0 Comments

Of the Sean Connery Bond films, ’You Only Live Twice’, the fifth entry in the series, often elicits apathy from viewers. Like a neglected middle child, the film is rarely thought of as on par with some others. I confess that I felt this way. Well, [...]

Sweet And Lowdown

July 5, 2000 // 0 Comments

The thin line between reality and legend is a theme that Woody Allen has explored with great success in movies such as "Take the Money and Run", "Zelig", and "Broadway Danny Rose". He continues the tradition with "Sweet [...]

The Stendahl Syndrome

June 27, 2000 // 0 Comments

By the 1980s, Dario Argento, heir-apparent to Mario Bava, was considered the new Maestro of international horror. The 90s were less kind to him, but the 1996 release of ’The Stendhal Syndrome’ reminded many viewers of the power of his cinematic [...]

Steely Dan: Two Against Nature

June 27, 2000 // 0 Comments

Brilliant, literate, and mercurial, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, the duo who comprise Steely Dan, recently released their first album in 20 years with the perfectly titled, "Two Against Nature". In January of this year, they performed for two [...]

Carnival Of Souls

May 26, 2000 // 0 Comments

As a child during the 1960s I spent many wonderful nights watching horror movies on the local Chiller Theater-type TV shows. I was an easy audience back then: if it had a monster or if someone was being chased or got melted or transformed in any way, I [...]

Bringing Out The Dead

May 18, 2000 // 0 Comments

In our fevered ’been there, done that’ culture, people sometimes disregard the fact that great artists often revisit themes over the course of their creative lives. How many times did Hitchcock explore the idea of someone falsely accused? The works of [...]

Blue Velvet

May 12, 2000 // 0 Comments

"It’s a strange world." This line, repeated several times during the film, perfectly summarizes David Lynch’s brilliant "Blue Velvet". Few people are tepid in their opinion of Mr. Lynch’s work. His followers are dedicated, his [...]

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

April 26, 2000 // 0 Comments

There is a myth among many fans about the "odd and even" curse concerning the Star Trek motion pictures, positing that the good films are all even numbered with the reverse being true of the odd. While my personal favorite is an "even" [...]

Diner

April 17, 2000 // 0 Comments

For many of us, the passage from youth to adulthood is difficult at best. By the time we’re expected to become responsible adults we’ve become so accustomed to the rituals of adolescence that we resist leaving the comfort of our chosen family of [...]