William Friedkin

The Guardian Blu-ray Review

In 1990 William Friedkin made a little horror film called The Guardian... not many saw it but Scream Factory is giving it a second life with its new Blu-ray, complete with interviews about what exactly went wrong...

Home Entertainment Round-Up: 5/20/14

We play catch up with the DVDs we've accumulated over the past month with Phil looking at Criterion releases for Riot in Cell Block 11 and Breaking the Waves, the recently remastered Sorcerer, a re-cut version of the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, the fourth and final season of Eastbound and Down, and the latest Paranormal Activity film. Dave looks at straight-to-video efforts Mr. Jones and Bad Country, along with new discs for Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Seven Warriors. And Andrew looks back on A Birder's Guide to Everything and Big Bad Wolves.

20 Sleeper Hits You Can Rent for Free from Bay Street Video

Our film editor was asked to contribute to a list of dozens of "sleeper hits" that can currently be rented free of charge from Bay Street Video in Toronto. Given the vague definition of the term, here is why he chose his films on the list and gives recommendations for other films to pair alongside the free rentals.

Unsung Anniversaries #3: American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt

For this week's Unsung Anniversaries, we go with a pretty deep cut to celebrate the 25th anniversary of American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, and in the process talk a little bit about the history of 1980s movie making powerhouse Cannon Films, what happens when a franchise has to recast its lead, and why the film has two standout performances from cult acting icons that almost make it worth watching.

Hot Docs 2013 Line-Up Announced

The line-up for the 2013 - and 20th anniversary of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival came out this morning and here are some things to look forward to across the 205 selected films when it all gets underway on Thursday, April 25th through Friday, May 5th.

Interview: Jason Blum

We catch up with hot young producer Jason Blum - the man who helped bring the world Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Sinister, and this week drops Dark Skies.

This “Week” in DVD: 12/18/12

With films coming to home video two days this week (Tuesday and Friday) here's part one of our look at the latest releases including Beasts of the Southern Wild, Killer Joe, Total Recall, Premium Rush, and Arbitrage.

Defending the Indefensible: 70s Auteur Flops

As the 1970s came to a close, many of the best filmmakers of the past century nearly had their careers ruined as studios asserted more control over them during the emergence of blockbuster cinema. Here we take a look at some of those special cases: Scorsese's New York New York, Friedkin's Sorcerer, Spielberg's 1941, Cimino's Heaven's Gate, Altman's Popeye, and Coppola's One from the Heart.

Richard Crouse is Raising Hell

CTV and Newstalk 1010 personality and critic Richard Crouse takes a look at late British maverick director Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film The Devils in his insightful new book, Raising Hell