Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

NOW AVAILABLE On 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD! It stands to reason that many American moviegoers were introduced to the under-appreciated Australian New Wave cinema back in 1979. That's when George Miller's debut feature film "Mad Max" came out. Miller's dystopian version of Australia is sobering. Echoing the real life energy shortages of the 1970s, "Mad Max" preyed upon the fears of audiences still struggling to get back on their feet economically speaking. While big time cities existed, ruthless bikers like Crawford "Nightrider" Montazano controlled the Outback with despicable ultra violence. Then unknown actor Mel Gibson got his big break playing the title character Max. As you all know, he later became Hollywood's biggest star thanks to the "Lethal Weapon" series and "Braveheart", among other hits. But Gibson started to unwind after spouting off crazy anti-semitic statements and homophobic remarks later ...

Not Dreddful at all Blog exclusive! Although a mighty bomb at both the domestic and international box office, this remake of 1995s "Judge Dredd" is worth a watch. "Dredd" does away with the camp that made the first movie a mess in the eyes of fans of the comic it was based on. Starring Karl Urban as the macho title character and boasting a diverse, interesting cast of supporting characters "Dredd" succeeded all of my expectations. Those expectations I might add were very, very low. When I first saw the trailer for the film I cast it aside. I assumed it was directed by some talentless hack. However something strange happened when Rottentomatoes.com, a popular aggregate film review site certified "Dredd" fresh. The near universal acclaim for the movie surprised me and it started to become clear that the marketing department did the film a disservice by releasing such a bad trailer (which fyi is embedded below). And though I have never have p...

Not the Band from Lodi.. 4 stars Blog Exclusive! Lately my attention has been turning to a lot British TV shows including Luther, Skins and Misfits. Misfits is perhaps the best UK import to come to America due to it's pure ingenuity and crass humor. The show centers around a bunch of kids who avoid juvenile hall by during menial community service gigs in their London community center. A tyrannical probation worker eagerly watches their every move in hope that they screw up while their family and friends seemingly abandon them. A freak storm surge pops up out of no where and instead of killing the teens it imbues them with special superhero-like abilities. The only question is if they will use their new found talents for the betterment of humanity or for pure evil! Feel free to check out the series premiere of "Misfits" courtesy of Hulu below: As always thanks for reading! © 2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.