DRAMA

THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE

Double the Dominic Cooper equals double the awesome in this VERY under-appreciated 2011 release about the psychotic son of Saddam Hussein and the unfortunate man who was forced to act as his body double. Sometimes this goes so over the top with its shocking violence (which I suspect is part of the reason it's under-appreciated) that it's hard to believe that it all really happened the way the film says it did...but you can look it all up....this guy would have made Al Pacino's Scarface wince.

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BEN-HUR

A truly great movie is a great movie, regardless of how much time has passed, and William Wyler's 1959 version of the popular New Testament spin-off story (not actually in the Bible, but based upon an immensely popular 19th century novel) took home ELEVEN Oscars...I mean, really. Even cynical Cyrus had to give this a look-see, and sure enough, the classic not only holds up (on the whole..bit of a lengthy epilogue there) but is treated with the highest amount possible of loving care here with this 50th anniversary set that features a near-flawless upgrade, and just a ridiculous amount of special features, both in the box and on the disc.

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CITIZEN KANE

I know, I know, I'm goin' WAY back here for these last two, but dammit, you kids need to know where EVERYTHING today came from! I mean, how serious are you about this film thing anyway? Either way, Orson Welles's defining film "Citizen Kane", based not-all-that-loosely on newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (which didn't please that tyrant ONE bit) is treated with reverence, if for nothing else, all the techniques which Welles pioneered in this film he wrote, directed, and starred in. And with such a spectacular transfer, collection of bonus features, and terrific packaging, there was no way it wasn't gonna be on this list.

-Click here for the Blu-Ray review

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ALL ABOUT EVE

Bette Davis plays an aging but beloved Broadway star who finds her life and career upended when she takes an interest in a young fan (Anne Baxter) who manipulates her way into every aspect of Davis's life, eventually superseding her completely. A classic and timeless film noir that took home 6 Oscars (out of 14 nominations) that is treated reverently with a lovely transfer, a digibook, and lots of bonus features.

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THE HUSTLER

This digibook release of the best film ever made about the game of pool does it complete justice. Paul Newman stars as a small-time pool hustler who is determined to be taken more seriously, even if that means taking on head-to-head the legendary and dangerous, "Minnesota Fats" (played by Jackie Gleason). It's a story about how even if you win, you still lose, if all you care about is money, as was even further evidenced in the decades-later sequel with Newman and Tom Cruise, "The Color of Money".

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THE LADY VANISHES

I'm squee-ing like a schoolgirl about this Criterion release of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" for good reason. It's one of his very best films, especially if you like his funnier stuff, but it completely holds up as a riveting mystery to boot. The 1938 movie stars Margaret Lockwood as a woman on her way back to England from a vacation in a small, obscure (fictional) country who seems to be the only one who notices that an older woman she befriended has completely vanished from the train they're sharing. Is she crazy or is there something darker going on? Wonderful and filled with Criterion-appropriate levels of awesome in the bonus features department.

-Click here for the Blu-Ray Review

-Click here for the Remote Viewing Review

-CLICK HERE TO BUY The Lady Vanishes

CLICK HERE FOR PART THIRTEEN OF THE BEST BLU-RAYS OF 2011

CLICK HERE FOR PART FIFTEEN OF THE BEST BLU-RAYS OF 2011