DVD Verdict reviews: THE AVIATOR, THE COMPLETE JAMES DEAN COLLECTION, and more!

Today, DVD Verdict posted reviews of THE AVIATOR, THE COMPLETE JAMES
DEAN COLLECTION, F FOR FAKE: CRITERION COLLECTION, HIGH ROLLER: THE STU
UNGAR STORY, HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN,
L'ECLISSE: CRITERION COLLECTION, A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, THE RISE
AND FALL OF ECW, SELF: FIRM FLAT ABS FAST, THE STEVE MCQUEEN COLLECTION,
and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968):


THE AVIATOR (reviewed by Patrick Naugle, overall score 93/100):
"Scorsese's biopic on Howard Hughes certainly feels like a labor of
love. It's a movie that courses with passion, action, and drama, but in
the end comes up short in emotion. But, maybe that's how it should be;
in the end Howard Hughes life came up short when he sent himself into
permanent exile."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/aviator.php

THE COMPLETE JAMES DEAN COLLECTION (reviewed by Brett Cullum, overall
score 95/100):
"It's an embarrassment of riches -- six discs, three epics, and one larger-than-
life American icon."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/jamesdeancoll.php

F FOR FAKE: CRITERION COLLECTION (reviewed by Patrick Bromley, overall
score 95/100):
"F for Fake is, in its own way, just as influential as his much more widely-seen-and-
appreciated Citizen Kane. One only needs to look as far as the
critically lauded work of documentary filmmakers like Michael Moore and
Errol Morris to see the influence of Welles's F for Fake."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/fforfake.php

HIGH ROLLER: THE STU UNGAR STORY (reviewed by David Johnson, overall
score 86/100):
"As I watched High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story I never felt connected to
Stu. This wasn't a fault of the filmmakers' or of Imperioli's -- that's
all top-notch execution of the character of Stu himself. He wasn't a
very likable guy, he was cocky and superficial to the hilt, his
profession was alien to me, he was involved in circumstances that I will
never be privy too, yet the movie was compelling."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/highrollers.php

HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN (reviewed by Russell
Engebretson, overall score 92/100):
"'I've always resented the smug statement of politicians, media
commentators, and corporate executives who talked of how, in America, if
you worked hard enough you would become rich. The meaning of that was:
If you are poor, you haven't worked hard enough. I knew this was a lie,
about my father and millions of others -- men and women who worked
harder than anyone.'"

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/howardzinn.php

L'ECLISSE: CRITERION COLLECTION (reviewed by Jesse Ataide, overall
score 98/100):
"To get anything out of one of Antonioni's post-L'Avventura films, one
must check all expectations at the door, and allow oneself to be
completely absorbed into a world marked by little action, long pauses,
unspoken words and unexpressed emotions."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/leclisse.php

A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG (reviewed by Joel Pearce, overall
score 82/100):
"As pure a novel adaptation as I have seen, A Love Song for Bobby Long
is a story told in words and phrases borrowed from many sources. At
times, its beauty, patience, and simplicity are enough to disguise the
reality that this tale is more copied than created."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/lovesongforbobbylong.php

THE RISE AND FALL OF ECW (reviewed by Adam Arseneau, overall
score 88/100):
"With a total disregard for all social niceties, health code violations,
personal and professional liability insurance, and the thousands of
other reasons why a show like ECW could never, ever be made, Heyman and
his band of wrestlers simply went out and made it."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/riseandfallecw.php

SELF: FIRM FLAT ABS FAST (reviewed by David Johnson, overall
score 85/100):
"Violet Zaki, a certified instructor and a black belt in karate, hosts
the program. She is, in fact, probably the best selling point for the
disc, as her abs look to be as hard as an oak tree."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/selffirmflatabsfast.php

THE STEVE MCQUEEN COLLECTION (reviewed by David Ryan, overall
score 88/100):
"He clearly wanted to be the center of attention in every scene -- heck,
anyone would. His gift was that he had the talent to make himself the
center of attention, even when he wasn't supposed to be."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/mcqueencoll.php

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968) (reviewed by David Ryan, overall
score 82/100):
"The Thomas Crown Affair is dated, awkwardly paced, and ultimately too
ambitious for its own good. But...it has its moments."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/thomascrownaffair1968.php

Mike Jackson
Editor & Webmaster, DVD Verdict
www.dvdverdict.com