Blogcritics Author: Ray Ellis

Product Review: Elke E's The Village In Her Head

Ray Ellis — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:03:29 EST

It�s heartening to know that some element of magic remains to remind us that it wasn�t such a bad year after all.
Something about the Winter Solstice awakens the human spirit, regardless of one’s particular faith. It’s a time of whimsical magic, and it transports us to a realm where our sense of wonder is the only compass we need to guide us. It truly is the most magical time of the year despite all the humbugs with which contemporary life attempts...

Book/Graphic Novel Review: Watching the Watchmen - The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel by Dave Gibbons, with Chip Kidd and Mike Essl

Ray Ellis — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:01:26 EST

If you're not watching the Watchmen yet, you will be. Here's a good vantage point.
When Watchmen was first published in 1986 by DC Comics as a 12-part miniseries, the term “graphic novel” was barely known in the United States. The Europeans and the Japanese had been taking the comics medium seriously for years, though, with the French referring to their publications as “albums” and the Japanese unabashedly...

DVD Review: 24 - Redemption

Ray Ellis — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 03:59:32 EST

Will Jack Bauer's extended holiday save Day Seven, or is Jack finally doomed to failure?
When last we saw Jack Bauer at the end of Day Six, some eighteen months ago, he was psychologically battered and bruised, sitting at ocean’s edge, contemplating his next move. Saving the world from certain annihilation, one day at a time, is a thankless job, and by the end of Day Six, Bauer was getting no respect. He was, however, in deep...

Music Review: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Reissues

Ray Ellis — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:22:16 EST

Forty years later, this collection revives the legend of Creedence.
As much as we wax nostalgic about all the great music that came out of the sixties, precious little of it is remembered by the twenty-first century public. Sure, the Beatles stood the test of time, and the Rolling Stones continue to limp their way into immortality, but I can pretty much guarantee you that if you mention the Yardbirds, the Dave...

TV Review: Crash

Ray Ellis — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:19:49 EDT

The crash you hear in the distance is the sound of a potential trainwreck.
Nothing is random in the universe. Molecules collide and interact constantly, shaping events in a dance that’s anything but haphazard in retrospect. The film Crash personified that motif as it detailed how seemingly unrelated lives intersect in utterly unexpected ways. In the process, it examined the prejudices that quietly shape us as...

TV Review: The Last Enemy

Ray Ellis — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 20:05:34 EDT

In which the near future teeters precariously to the present.
If you think you’re being watched, you’re not paranoid. If you know you’re being watched, you’re a realist. In our digital world, every move you make is being tracked by somebody who laughs at the notion that crosscut paper shredders enhance our personal security. In a universe of 1's and 0's, paper trails are...

TV Review: Dexter - "Our Father"

Ray Ellis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:18:05 EDT

If the opener is any indication, Dexter may have met the end of the line.
Watching the season opener of Dexter I couldn’t escape the feeling the series has settled into a state of complacency. In the first season of the series, we had a dark antihero dispensing unholy retribution to those who had escaped justice by slipping through cracks in the justice system. Dexter was almost a merry prankster of mayhem in those...

DVD Review: Privilege

Ray Ellis — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:32:20 EDT

Buried for decades, this film emerges as a prophetic parable for our times.
You can’t be a prophet in your own village. At least, that’s the way the Hungarian proverb goes. But what if your village is the world stage and your words are more pronouncements on contemporary society than dire warnings for a future that may or may not happen? You might want to ask Peter Watkins about that.When his film Privilege was...

TV Review: 102 Minutes That Changed America

Ray Ellis — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:32:05 EDT

It was a day of fiery tears. In New York, some recorded those 102 minutes that altered us forever.
I remember that Tuesday morning in 2001 as if it happened seconds ago. In my case, I was scurrying around my apartment getting ready for work, The Today Show playing in the background. It was almost time for the local traffic and weather update. Today had broken for commercial, something about hygiene products or the best lending deals around...

DVD Review: Eli Stone - The Complete First Season

Ray Ellis — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 15:25:32 EDT

A trial lawyer who may be a prophet is an unlikely premise for a series. Praise the Lord -- it works!
One of the best things about last year’s writers’ strike is it forced the networks to take a few chances with programming, thus giving offbeat series like Eli Stone a shot they might not have gotten in a more traditional TV season. A show about a corporate lawyer who, due to a brain aneurysm that gives him hallucinations, may or may not...